Gaya Island Resort

We first visited this resort back in 2012 when it had just opened—and to our delight, it's still as stunning and well-maintained as ever. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the resort manager, Rozi, who took exceptional care of us throughout our stay. We were given a gorgeous villa perched on a hilltop, offering breathtaking, million-dollar views. The rooms are in impeccable condition, a testament to the dedication of the housekeeping team. They’re hardworking, attentive, and thoughtful. We were greeted with complimentary goodies and fresh fruits in our villa, and in the evenings, insect repellents were lit—those small, thoughtful details really make a difference. Chef Dolis Monguild is simply outstanding. We highly recommend both the Omakase experience and dining at Fisherman’s Cove. My husband, who is 82, declared the 7-Star Garoupa he had there the best fish he’s eaten in his entire life. Chef Dolis’ skills are on par with the renowned chefs at Pangkor Laut’s Fisherman’s Cove. I have a severe allergy to non-fresh prawns, but during our stay, I was able to enjoy them safely—thanks to their incredible freshness, straight from the South China Sea. From General Manager Terrace and Assistant Manager Rozi to Haziq, our knowledgeable jungle guide, and every team member at the restaurant—like the ever-cheerful Nelson (affectionately nicknamed “General Nelson” by my French husband)—to Nazrin the porter who waited to wave us off at the end of our trip, every person we encountered displayed genuine warmth and passion. That’s what truly sets this resort apart. A big congratulations to Dato’ Mark—you have built a truly outstanding team and resort. Also worth noting: There’s a special package available for Singaporean and Malaysian residents that’s incredibly well-priced—unbeatable for any 5-star resort in Malaysia. Keep an eye out for it

After a very hectic 10 days travelling around Borneo, this resort was the perfect place to stay before the long journey home. From the moment I stepped onto the jetty the service was just impeccable. I'd say the staff and service here is one of the best I have experienced anywhere in the world. The resort is stunning, I was in room 824, there is a bit of a walk uphill but trust me the view from the room is worth it, if you can get room 820 or 822 then you have hit the jackpot but every view here is stunning. The rooms are huge and the facilities are exceptional. There is a pool bar/ restaurant, the main restaurant which is buffet for breakfast and evening, the range and amount of food available is amazing, something for everyone, there are different specials every day that the chef cooks to order. The pool and beach are beautiful, I had an extremely relaxing 5 days here but would have stayed longer, which is unlike me as I am not a resort/beach person. I had a 50 minute massage included with my package which was fantastic, my only regret is not upgrading to an 80 minute one. This place is absolute heaven, would highly recommend.

Went on an snorkeling trip around the Gaya Island Resort with our great guide Safwan @ One he showed us all the different corals and fish took loads of photos which he then sent to us my wife was struggling a little bit to get back in against the tide so Safwan kindly went to her and helped her back great experience thanks Safwan

Overall a great stay in a Canopy Villa. No view of the sea as the trees are your view. But we did swap sea views for wildlife as we had a lovely bird right outside (yet to find out what!). Did the mangrove kayak. Brilliant. Not everyday you can say you’ve kayaked through mangroves. Liked that the cost went towards the restoration and protection of the mangroves apparently. Our guide was great. Very passionate about its survival. Supposed to do the Coral Garden Snorkelling but it was cancelled due to less than calm waters. Instead Safwan took us out for an hour on the house reef for free. A really nice gesture and actually the fish are fabulous here. He took loads of photos with his underwater camera and sent them to us all by WhatsApp. So nice of him and such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guy. Thanks Safwan! They are so nice in the restaurant and when they learnt my husband had a bad throat the chef handmade a very soothing real lemon, ginger and honey drink. So thoughtful and worked wonders. Staff all so friendly and attentive. Definitely take ferry to the private beach and catch the talk on marine conservation. And take a kayak or paddle board out for free! Japanese restaurant a fab experience too!

Special shout out to Rajaie and Fizneh for the personalised service provided. Check-In on the 18 June with warm welcome from Rajaie at the resort lobby. Even tho the room was not ready Rajaie arranged our luggage to be stored and bring us for a full resort tour and introducing the facilities and F&B available at the resort. Later on when room ready our luggage was directly sent to the room. The room was clean but little sign of aging as the grouting and paint in the room start deteriorating but overall still look nice. Their Kinabalu Villa is really amazing with Seaview, end your last light of the day with a peaceful forest nature background music and first light of the day greeted by the stunning Seaview. The staff here be it reception, transport crew, restaurant crew or recreational crew are all very attentive and supportive in every way. They are willing to go above and beyond to ensure your entire stay experience is seamless,smooth and memorable. Well done on their dedication and hospitality will definitely revisit the resort.

Had a great five nights here . Food fabulous, restaurants were all great. Staff particular polite and welcoming. All activities were brilliant with such lovely staff. Highly recommend this hotel.

Gayá Island Resort is lovely but the rooms are a little tired and need some tlc. That said, we had a lovely 2 night stay. Thoroughly recommend the Coral Garden snorkelling trip - amazing guide Safwan made sure we saw as much as possible and took fantastic photographs. Snorkelling off the beach and under the pier is well worth it - lots of fish. The water sports staff were all fantastic.

From the start to the checkout, our stay was fantastic with happy memories that will live with me always. The staff are wonderful and friendly with nothing too much trouble. The food choice and quality was excellent & I had no problem finding veggie options each day - sometimes there was too much choice. On our last night, a special dish was prepared for us (I think other guests received this too) as a show of appreciation, which was a kind thought. We opted for a deluxe room (in the 800's) which gave us the most stunning views over to Mt Kinabalu and also beautiful sunrises, however the walk back up is steep, especially after a large meal i& s not for the fainthearted, so beware if you have mobility issues. We had 2 treatments at the spa that were excellent and very thorough. The Spa was lovely, a little haven nestled amongst the beauty of the island. I absolutely loved the snorkelling activity, seeing the coral being replanted & the variety of fish and the sheer beauty of the marine life. Sadly, I missed the sea turtles as they had already been released from their nursery into the wild. A big shout out to Chris, our knowledgeable & brilliant instructor, who has now inspired a middle-aged woman to take up snorkelling :) We loved every second of our stay at the resort and can not wait to return. Thanks to Hani & Farah for making this so memorable.

If you wish to get up close to exotic nature, ‘switch off’ from the world and ‘chill out’ in luxury, 100% satisfaction is guaranteed at this magnificent resort in pristine ancient coastal rainforest. You will want for nothing and feel right at home from the minute you arrive, such is the outstanding hospitality and customer service, which routinely goes the ‘extra mile’! We stayed 12 nights in April/May 2025 and had an unforgettable adventure. Just as we were checking-out of our huge, extremely well-appointed villa (with excellent shower and the biggest bath I have ever seen), an Oriental pied-hornbill came to see us off in a nearby tree! In knee-high water, as I was exiting the calm crystal-clear sea after my last snorkeling session (my favourite activity), a stunning blue-spotted stingray swam right by, giving me an unexpected and amazing close encounter on the third occasion I had glimpsed one! The house reef is teeming with a vast array of dazzlingly colourful tropical fish, which when on a feeding frenzy, would let me tag along behind filming with my GoPro camera. The magnified noise of parrotfish munching on coral is fascinating. Playing frisbee on the sand when the tide had gone out was followed by Happy Hour cocktails on sun-loungers whilst gazing transfixed at the spectacular sight of Mount Kinabalu at sunset. This was so magical, it is etched in my head forever. We would unreservedly recommend all the activities we did: Discovery Trail Walk, Mangrove Kayaking, Nocturnal Wonders, jungle trek to Tavajun Bay (a private beach, where 2 enormous Asian water monitors and a troupe of long-tailed macaques were ‘hanging out’ close by, along with majestic white-bellied sea eagles circling up high overhead). The boundless enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication to their job of Resident Naturalists, Dhiv, aka ‘Spider Man’ and Angel, gave us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe 2 Red Giant Flying Squirrels gliding, stingless bees, Asian ‘glowing’ forest scorpions, 4 Sabah pit vipers, a stick insect, pseudoscorpions and Twilight Fireflies, all of which we would never have seen ourselves, partly due to remarkable camouflage. We even heard barking geckos! The extraordinarily long 40-metre swimming pool is ‘out of this world’ and therapeutic (when not busy). We rate the 50-minute (medium pressure) Malay Deluxe massage we received from Gloria a 10/10 and worth every ringgit! The architecture of the spa is grand and it is rightly in an idyllic location beside the mangroves. However, our greatest memory of this trip is the unique Chef Dolis, who, on account of his genuine ever-present radiant smile lighting up an entire room, I nicknamed ‘Mr Happy’! He was behind the surprise chocolate cake with candle that appeared after dinner on my birthday and at breakfast he makes exceptional eggs benedict with special added ingredients, like spinach, avocado and salmon. In all our travels around the globe, we have never been so well catered for or shown such kindness. The evening buffet is a veritable feast, with a huge range of international dishes to satisfy every palate and a significantly altered menu daily. There are always ‘live’ stations where the dish is cooked ‘on the spot,’ like flambés and pasta. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best spread we have experienced anywhere and was responsible for my expanded waistline! Dolis ‘Specials’ were the ‘icing on the cake’ - extra bespoke a la carte giant prawn, lobster, fish and steak dishes. ‘Hats off’ to the entire incredibly talented kitchen team under the expert leadership of Chef Dolis, who is an invaluable asset to YTL Hotels and Borneo. Chef Mel is also a considerable credit to your organisation, always extremely attentive going above and beyond the call of duty. Sur, his wife, is a natural at front of house/waitressing duties, instantly putting us at ease with her big smile and friendly, yet always professional, manner. She is a ‘ray of sunshine’ and role model. We were treated by all the staff as valued guests at the outset, but when leaving, we felt more like family. The resort is in safe hands with Shawn, the very approachable Manager, who took the time to seek our feedback, get to know us and provide useful information. Gaya Island Resort is a dream destination - we would return in a heart-beat! 😊 Jeanie and Graham

We went fully aware of the beautiful experience awaits as we have always bern a fan of YTL resorts . Gaya Island resort is an idyllic , calming getaway which delivers in terms of experience. We are fully aware of additional charges that can be incurred so it’snot a surprise. Get yourself familiar with those before planning a trip here so you don’t be surprised and then complain. The facilities top notch . It’s an island resort, fair wear and tear in the fixtures are acceptable. But the resort does its best to keep the premise well maintained., However, the best part about our stay there is the staff. They are the most attentive, kind and friendliest lot you can find . Special mention to Safwan also known as One , our snorkeling guide . We’re such scaredy cats in the open sea but he’s so understanding. Accommodating and accomplished. Thank you for leading us to the magical underwater world . Keep up the good work! Then there’s Ruth , Haziq Farah ( F&B ) & Awang just to name a few who are always there with their cheery hello and beautiful smiles . Great representation of what GIR is all about . You made our stay and our 30th wedding anniversary memorable . THANK YOU GIR !