The resort is beautifully located. You get there only by the hotels boat service that charges around 30€ per person for every round trip (5-10min one way). That boat only departs/arrives every 2 hours.
There is a beautiful reef in front of the hotel however the waters in front of the hotel as well as at the private beach are full of plastics and I’ve never seen anyone collecting some. This place could be much more beautiful without that.
Food was very basic at a rather high price. If you compare it to KK restaurants the prices are ridiculous. But because of the boat service’s price you don’t really have the choice to go to the city to get good and reliable food.
All staff were really nice eventhough not always well trained.
Overall we had an average stay. Nothing extraordinarily positive but not too bad on the other hand. Therefore the prices for everything from accommodation to food to activities (almost everything charges extra) has been way too high in our opinion.
Spacing room. They provides old furnitures but nice. The lighting room need to upgrade, especially the bathroom. For morning breakfast they provides takeaway only @ early morning delivery. Somehow I enjoyed staying here at Marco Polo Hotel.
I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Sky Water Villa in Semporna. The villa is beautifully designed and impeccably clean. The king sized bed was comfortable, ensuring restful nights under the stars. One of the highlights of the stay was the all-inclusive buffet dining, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The afternoon tea with snacks was a lovely touch, providing a perfect mid day treat after our island hopping and snorkeling or hiking. Free wifi available at the restaurant and lobby area.
The staff were exceptional, friendly and accomodating.
A standout feature was the free use of snorkeling equipment and life jackets. Although the area around the villa does not feature coral reefs, the sand bank during low tide is a unique experience. It's a perfect spot for a leisurely walk and to observe the stunning starfish scattered across the shallow water. During snorkeling, we also spotted some sea turtles, some colourful fish and even swordfish. The reef is only near the jetty area which is very deep and has strong current.
We had a relaxing and wonderful time living over the ocean with a touch of adventure. Highly recommended!
This is the best hotel in Semporna. 5 stars makes sense, the management is regular
First of all, the room is clean, except for one makeup mirror that was not cleaned. I feel that people here don't know how to clean mirrors
Don't tell me about the water house. It's really unnecessary to go to Jelly Sea and spend more than 4,000 a night. The swimming pool room is dirty in various ways, and it can't be wiped off. The tile joints in the bathroom are high and low, and some are not grouted. The 1500*1000 words on the door frame are not wiped off (not very small, very large). I suspect they are blind, and the gaps in all door frames are very large.
Isn't it nice to stay in Ruijing Haifeng in the town for 4 nights? The sea you see when you jump out to the sea is cleaner, because you can see all kinds of garbage in the water house, and snorkeling with garbage is deadly (divided into low tide and high tide, no garbage in the morning)
The breakfast is richer and tastes good, compared with other hotels in the town. The only Starbucks is right next to it, and it is also very close to Haifeng Pier. Isn't it nice to go out to sea at Haifeng Pier every day, why live in a water house. It costs money and the facilities are really not good❌
Hotel near City Center,Kota Kinabalu56.3% of visitors choose this area
AAnonymous User2025.02.26
The hotel staff told us the room we book not ready for customer yet (Maybe the need to do some inspections first before selling the room bcause this hotel is consider as a new building, minor half this building still under construction). Then, we got a new room ( i think it's listed as premier bed king/queen size with seaview). Parking Zone quit spacious but 👻 ( i guess it is paid parking and i see just a few car was park make it look 👻).Thank you Citadines KK ✨🎉 for the hospitality
Hotel near City Center,Kota Kinabalu56.3% of visitors choose this area
AAmber2025.04.17
The room is clean & big. Breakfast spread quite the same everyday, as I stayed 3 nights :) The reception girl is good to allow us to extend check out time to 1pm. Hotel is closed to Gaya Street.
Cons : Female Sauna was out of order.
Hotel near City Center,Kota Kinabalu56.3% of visitors choose this area
AAnonymous User2025.03.12
The service and place was just really awesome. Everything was so smooth and the staffs were really welcoming and helpful. Location wise, very strategic and I walked around because I felt like everything was within walking distance. While cheking in, you also get complimentary juice.
It's really worth choosing Banyan Tree Villa Hotel for this trip to Semporna! As soon as I got off the car, someone greeted me. Check-in was super fast. The housekeeper also helped me plan the itinerary, which was very considerate. The room faces the sea, and I am awakened by the beautiful sea view every day. The private swimming pool is also great, and I am not afraid of being disturbed at all.
Hotel near Tanjung Aru,Kota Kinabalu43.1% of visitors choose this area
RRomany :-)2024.12.22
The hotel front staff is friendly and helpful. The location of the hotel is good. The sunset view from the rooftop is so beautiful. In addition, I had a great time with my child because I could see the take-off scene of the aircraft up close. There are many useful stores such as restaurants and marts near the hotel, so it is convenient. It is very close to the airport, so it is convenient.
If you pay for the deposit with your card at check-in, it cannot be canceled immediately at check-out, and it is a pity that it takes about two weeks. Most hotels cancel the card approval right away at check-out.
I'm waiting for the deposit I paid with my credit card to be canceled properly.
220 reviews
8.9/10
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8.5/10
GGuest UserI initially stayed 2 nights January 2025, climbed Mt Kinabalu, and came back for another night. Different but similar rooms. Very comfortable bed, great shower; mini-fridge and safe also available.
Restaurant served good food. A pity the Spa wasn’t open as after my mountain climb I could hardly walk and my legs and back badly needed a massage!
Hamizam Bin Ismail, the Front Office Manager, was always very friendly and eager to assist wherever he could.
AAnonymous UserChecked in for my inlaws and was greeted by huzaifah/khuzaifah. I dont know how to spell his name, all the receptionist was not wearing name tags. So bgini, all three counters got 3 to 4 people in each queue. I lined up at huzaifah’s counter. Teruk betul service dia bagi. Mmg dari guest depan2 sya pun sya perasan juga dia pusing sana, pusing sini. Masuk pintu sini, kluar pintu sana. Balik2 ahh. So sampai turn sya, macam bingung2 dia. Sama juga la, pusing2 ja kerja dia. Lebih juga 4 kali dia masuk belakang reception punya bilik. Terlalu lama menunggu. Sudah lama menunggu queue, menunggu lagi lama d kaunter dia. Tengok kaunter lain pun busy juga, tapi berganti2 suda guest yg check in. Tiada nampak diorang ke belakang pun mcm si Khuzaifah ni. Duluu check in yg bulan 12 tahun lalu pun dia x bagi resit security deposit. Bila sya tnya kau x bagi sya ka tu resit, tidak kmi simpan dia bilang. Sekali check out, kena minta. Nasib okay juga. Masa tu baru sya faham la dia baru kerja sini. Tapi skrg bulan feb sda ni. Masi juga tidak berapa baik kerja dia. Tidak smooth langsung. 1 jam juga dari Q smpi berurusan dengan dia. Hampir bulan2 juga sya book sini TKR ni. Sya suka kerja si Olivia. Next time memang sya pgi tmpt dia seja la. Laju dan senang berurusan. Boleh multitasking dengan baik. Please do something about this. Tq.
SStachioI had a wonderful stay at Shangri-la Tanjung Aru in Kota Kinabalu. The staff was friendly and helpful. Check-in was fast and easy.
The room was clean, spacious, and comfortable. The bed was soft, and I slept well. I also enjoyed the beautiful view from my window.
Breakfast had many delicious choices. The on-site restaurant served tasty food.
The hotel had great facilities and the location was perfect, close to beautiful bench.
Overall, I had a great experience. I highly recommend this hotel and would love to stay again.
SSoloWondersSecond time staying here. This time I had the chance to explore the surroundings and the city.
Hotel is still in pretty good shape. Hotel staff absolutely wonderful: polite and friendly.
Hotel room is super clean - and I got overly happy to find out that one of the earring locks I had dropped was found by the cleaning lady without me having to ask!!!
The hotel is close to a night market with many delicious food stalls and great restaurants with fresh sea food, cafés and supermarkets like Servay and Bataras, and even to polyclinics, in case you need.
On my last night I went for a foot massage in one of the parlours above the building on the right hand side and wow! This is definitely my place to stay in KK!!!
OOn cloud 9The hotel smells good. The room is spacious with plenty of chair to sit. They provide basic amenities. Checkin and checkout process was smooth.
The only minor is the bed is in front of the door. So it’s not comfortable to sleep.
AAnonymous UserYou can see the mountain from the room balcony. Will surely come back to enjoy that view again. Room was clean. The bathroom is outside (next to the balcony), so at night when you want to bath, bugs and moths will be everywhere.
RRahmanTanvirAmazing location, the staff are extremely helpful and take a lot of care. The hotel staffs thoughtful care was actually quite an experience.
LLimThe only reason I stayed here was because of it location near to the airport. Everything else is good in terms of experience except I was imposed with liability costing RM10 for soiling one piece of their towel. The soiling happened because I walked outside after the rain and my foot got into a mud spot. I came back to my room and I accidentally stepped on the towel. Bear in mind, I had to book their largest room meant for 4 pax because that was the only one available even though I stayed alone. Considering the occupancy is low for that large room, soiling one piece of towel does not justify a RM10 liability damage.
GGuest UserThe hotel is clean, comfortable, and conveniently located. Unfortunately, during my stay, the hotel was undergoing maintenance, resulting in no hot water for two days. Housekeeping kindly provided hot water upon request. The complimentary breakfast could use some improvements — the coffee machine frequently ran out of water, causing long waits, and the food quality could be better. Overall, still a pleasant stay and I hope these issues will be addressed.
GGuest UserIt was my first time to experience a water house. The slide went directly into the sea. It was very interesting.
Service: The hotel's arrangements are in place and they can help you solve any problems you have. We booked a charter boat for snorkeling for two people. The instructor is also very professional and will dive to the bottom of the sea to help you catch the fish from the bottom of the sea.
Facilities: As soon as I entered the room, I couldn't wait to experience the slide. At first, I was worried that I would sink into the sea if I slid down. There are life jackets at the front desk, so there is no need to worry.
Free dinner: The dishes are very rich, the chicken is very tender, the crabs are also very fresh, there is crab roe in it, you can’t get enough of the shrimps
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