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Reviews of Gayana Marine Resort

5 out of 5
Gayana Marine Resort
Malohom Bay, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Kota Kinabalu, Gaya Island, Sabah

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 195 out of 435 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 154 out of 435 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 49 out of 435 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 23 out of 435 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 14 out of 435 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Jill

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This resort has fantastic staff. Their best asset! The manager ( having met him, not interested in guests) needs to make an effort at cleaning up all the debris in the water. It is an eco resort but there is no evidence that they are doing anything to clean the water. It is a Malaysian issue but the resort needs to make an effort. I would not snorkel in the sea of waste!Make an effort!…not even a garbage can or a staff member assigned to clean up!
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Karl Sims - Resort Manager on Apr 13, 2024
Dear Ms Jill,It was very nice to meet you at our Resort during your stay and the entire team is very grateful for your nice comments towards our service and excellency. Indeed, we always care about our guest and do our utmost in creating experiences and memories.We are sorry you felt that we are not doing enough towards conservation and cleaning, when the first thing we do is always clean up the sea from any debris that nature may bring into our beautiful premises. Rest for sure we do make constant and unstoppable efforts.Thanks again for all your feedback and your nice review. We look forward in welcoming you back during your next visit to Sabah!

8/10 Good

Luca

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Great sea and snorkelling, with super easy access especially with OCEAN VILLA
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Karl Sims - Resort Manager on Apr 13, 2024
Dear Luca,It was a pleasure to meet you during your stay. Thank you very much for your kind review and for sharing your thoughts for all other travellers to read. Indeed, one of the amazing experiences in our Ocean Villa is the fact that you have your private stairs going straight into the sea, giving you the change to snorkel and see beautiful marine life right from your room doorstep.Thanks again for sharing. The entire team looks forward in welcoming you back again!

10/10 Excellent

Yiqiu

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Karl - Resort Manager on Apr 13, 2024
Dear Yiqiu,Thank you very much for your kind scoring, sharing with others your experience with us. We look forward in welcoming you back again so we can, once more, exceed your expectations!

10/10 Excellent

Kyle

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If you looking for some place is clean, clear water, private, safe environment and served by a group of nice/warm/polite staffs, this is it. I thought I would be coming to this island only once, but yes I will come for another time if there is a chance! Thanks Gayana Marine Resort! You guys made me and my wife trip a great one👍
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Karl - Resort Manager on Aug 9, 2023
Dear Kyle,Thank you very much for your kind review and for sharing your experience about your stay.Our entire team is very happy to know that we could make your experience unique and we really do look forward in welcoming you back to our beautiful island next time you visit Sabah!

8/10 Good

Yoke Fong

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My staying experience
The room is excellent, the platform from ocean view direct to snorkeling is really awesome. The room provide a Bluetooth speaker is so considerate. The food is very delicious but not much variety. The Resort Manager, Karl is very friendly and his briefing is important for guests. But the water got some floating rubbish, the hotel claimed that they maintain it by collecting the rubbish every morning 7am, i staying for 2 nights didn't see that happen. The swimming water is so dirty. I m disappointed with that
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

8/10 Good

Annuja Nair

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If you love wildlife, this is the place. Snorkeling with lovely marine life and coral just outside water villas, monitor lizards, monkeys, birds. All water sport activities are included except diving - snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boards. They have a dive centre, 1 day advanced booking for those with dive licenses. For PADI certification courses book with them in advance. Jungle trekking is available too. There is a spa and gym. They have a games room and bar, though bar is not open yet. There is 1 restaurant for all meals (all delivious but pricey). The pool has a great view of the ocean and surrounding islands, although the water is a little murky. The staff are all amazingly friendly and really helpful - shout out to Rechey the dive guide and Eduardo at the restaurant and Karl the manager - all lovely, helpful and constantly asking if they can do more for you. Rooms are comfortable, nice, clean albeit a little dated and worn (the sea does ruin things quickly), but we loved our stay as there was a lot of outdoors to explore. The only thing I would say would be the obvious plastic trash problem which washes in. May I suggest leaving long nets outside the doors of each room - incentivise the guests to help net the trash when they see it. Have beach clean up days every week where guests comb the beach at low tide together (provide gloves and bags and perhaps a free beer at the end), let us be part of the solution to a more eco friendly environment too.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Chun Chiang

Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2020

8/10 Good

K J M

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Diving was moderate. Overall rather expensive compared to Malaysian standards. Super service! Staff was extremely attentive. Monkeys were enjoying!
Stayed 9 nights in Feb 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
1. Lots rubbish in the sea, at least to have net to block the rubbish flown in the resort area, can’t swim 2. The resort lack of flexibility, if you want to go to KK downtown that you have to pay the boat fees each way per person, either they have empty space for the scheduled free shuttle which reserved for check in/check out. If you are the first time to visit KK, it is not the choice to stay in this resort for your whole trip, you cannot to go to the downtown or site seeing without the pay
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved our stay here! Great view from the room. Having a free nightly cocktail at the latitude bar was a pleasant surprise. The food was delicious. One thing to note is that there was no Wifi in our room - this was actually a blessing as we spent more time interacting or out doin other things.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service
To be honest
It wasn't really as nice as I expected. I was disappointed because the ocean was so dirty, literally garbage Is floating around, so I didn't go in the ocean at all. It would've been nice if they cleaned up the trash that they can see because the water is shallow. There is no wifi in the rooms, and wasn't that clean. There are no fitness rooms, and nothing to do at night. Overall I give it a 3/10.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

4/10 Poor

SY

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is super run down, the ocean is dirty, definitely not worth the price.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

6/10 Okay

LK

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
some fixtures and facilites need to be repaired after we move in. the cleanliness of bathtub and outdoor pool is poor. Follow up was ok upon request. Staff and front desk try their best to fulfill our request. Overall very sincere and friendly services. Not recommend to visit during moon tide season... the sea could be flowed with garbage and seaweed, low visibility for diving nor snorkel ... quite disappointed with rainy days
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

DAVID YUK VUI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Maldives on budget
i went there with my wife and parents to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary wedding. They were very delighted. They live in Kota Kinabalu for their entire life, and my dad commented:" I have never seen anything like this!". they were excited by the ocean view and the fish. Our house are big, and the ladder at the balcony lead to the ocean, the sea level wasn't deep on the day of our arrival, so we enjoyed ourselves even though we couldn't swim. BTW, floating suit were provided. There were some activities kept us busy: free kayaking, free snorkeling, visit to the Marine Research Center, infinity pool, pub that provides 1 free drinks, table pool, darts,..... for those who want to experience the green can have forest trekking. We could see the majestic Mt Kinabalu in clear sky. The drawbacks: no WiFi in the room, you can go to lobby to get free WiFi. The paid meal can be at high side as compared to the Sabah mainland. Overall, my parents are very happy with their stay, so am I. It's a "Maldives-on-budget".
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Blu

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice staff and great place for relax. Will recommend this hotel to my friends.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great rooms over the water. It was great to swim straight from the room. Friendly and efficient staff - nothing too much trouble. Good snorkeling and kayaking round the bay. We enjoyed the day trips to the sister resort and doing some walking and snorkeling from there. Only criticisms were the divider between the rooms let noise through (so hope you get quiet neighbors) and that the bay itself had little coral (better at Bunga Raya). We saw turtles in the bay, rays and lots of other fish. Breakfasts were superb and the dinners very good but pricey. A free cocktail each evening was welcome but the bar prices were steep with no local beer which was a bit strange. We
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Ka Yin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Not quite five star
Our water villa was well located with lovely views of the ocean from the veranda, but inside it was somewhat worn looking and in need of renovation. The food was average. Staff were friendly. It’s a good location for kayaking and snorkeling but does not have the level of comfort one would expect from a five star hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness
overall
upgrade the room at the reception with extra payment. But the room condition was not good as could not open the ocean side window. After a long time waiting and talking with reception, I can change the room. except for that part, other things were good. restaurant food and breakfast is a good and reasonable price.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Beautiful location, enhanced by access to sister resort, which has a beautiful beach. Lots of activities and staff very friendly. Very kindly left bottle of Champagne on my daughters birthday. Let down by a couple of issues. There is a lot of plastic and cans in the water. We were told it washes in from the mainland but we noticed it was the same litter during the week and could have been collected for disposal. The furnishings in the room were adequate but compared with similar hotels we have stayed at a bit tired for hotel that is listed as 5 star.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Jenny

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overall was good.
It was a very relax resort with gorgeous scenery. Serve nice food and great place for snorkelling. However, on the last day, there was a little disappointment on our breakfast as our order was somehow left out and we were not informed. We waited for more than half an hour till we approached them. Abd was told that the breakfast buffet was closed.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Elisabeth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Jungle paradise
Gayana Eco resort is definitely worth a visit. The staff are amazingly friendly and helpful and the service is brilliant. The room was clean and fresh (possibly in need of some updating). The location is exciting and the food is good. The water is crystal clear if you miss the rain and wind. Sadly bad weather brings with it an huge amount of rubbish in the water. The experiences they offer are varied, but perhaps a little overrated as they don't have enough kit, guides or boats. There wasn't enough entertainment for kids on rainy days (only a pool table)
Stayed 6 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved that we could just jump in the water from our bungalow.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Steve, Hk

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good and peaceful, no people at all ~ with a nice clean sea
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
We stayed at Gayana Marine Resort after our trip to Sarawak specifically for the scuba and snorkeling. After having done a fair amount of hiking and visiting sightseeing spots across Sarawak, we were really looking forward to some fun water sports to beat the heat. Unfortunately, the diving instructor had his day off on the day we were at the resort and they didn't have any substitute in his place. In addition, it's jellyfish season and there are massive jellyfish all around the area where you're allowed to snorkel / swim so getting in to the water was a complete no-no unless you were okay to take the risk of being stung by a jellyfish, which we weren't since we still had 2 more destinations post our stay at Gayana. This was extremely disappointing because it was the sole reason we decided to stay at the resort. I don't understand why it isn't mentioned on their site. In addition, the place is ridiculously overpriced. One of the manager's was on the ferry with us on the way from KK to Gaya Island and told us the Chinese restaurant at the resort was the best in the world. Well I must say it was good but nowhere close to being anywhere among the top restaurants in the world, not to forget how overpriced it is. The food and service at their bar and poolside restaurant were just about average. Before we got to Borneo, I got in touch with the property informing them about our arrival and departure time. The strange thing is their ferry is free only if you check-in between 1:30PM
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

6/10 Okay

Marketa

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
a truly lovely resort that is very well run. Food is outstanding, facilities well maintained and staff service exceptional in all aspects. The marine research centre adds a unique interest. Unfortunately the surounding marine waters are plagued by plastic pollution and infestations of jellyfish.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Five star prices for a two star resort. The facilities claim to be something they are not. Our Rainforest villa backed on to a cliff sparsely covered with trees. No drinking water was in the room. The plug socket fell out when we pulled out plugs. Door latch wouldn’t close without key. The small beach fronting the pool is dirty with rubbish. Staff agreed the dangerous monkey that was eating ginger behind the bar was a menace a threat to customers. No internet in the room despite adverts for Wi-fi. Staff corrected water, plug and Wi-fi and we’re helpful. Pool needs thorough clean and resort looks generally very tired. Breakfast was excellent. Feel of the resort could be so much better. Massively over priced and felt thoroughly disappointed by the experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

2/10 Terrible

AK

Travelled with family
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We got to this resort in the middle of the night, arranged a boat for pickup - everything was fine. We checked-in and they even prepared us sandwiches - everything was great. The rooms were a little disappointing. They look dirtier in real life - we overlooked it. The next day is when things took a turn for the worst. They don't tell you it's JELLYFISH season - nowhere do they have a sign in the room, the only pamphlet they had in the room was for LUNAR NEW YEAR dinner in February - we went in MARCH! There's also no pamphlet of the activities they offer, you have to go to the activity center or call the front desk for it. AND they only tell you about the jellyfish IFFFF you go to the activity center. Next, they warn you about the monkeys. Nice right? No. They don't tell you or have a paper at least in each room for instructions on how to deal with monkeys when you are approached by one. Fine, let's use common sense when you see one right? EXCEPT, I was sunbathing with my mom on the balcony (we got ocean view) and two monkeys came down, grabbed my bags and were rummaging through. Fine, take whatever, except THEY FLASH THEIR SHARP TEETH AT YOU AND HISS AT YOU if you even slightly move. FURTHERMORE, there was a worker who saw what happened, and instead of getting help, he just left - not his problem. My sister in the room called the front desk SEVERAL TIMES and all they said was they were sending security over - WE WERE OUT THERE FOR OVER 10 MINUTES. THE MONKEYS HAD US COR
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

6/10 Okay

Rerry

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
i do not recommend to stay in this resort... but the quality of restaurant is good
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

jenny, seoul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
very good. kindly staff and excellent landscape. I saw Clownfish.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
2 days in Gayana marine or Gayana echo
1. The service in general was pretty slow. We made several calls to the front desk because we left one of our things in another room and they never called us back (even though they said they would). We also made calls about certain things that were missing in the room and it took almost an entire day for them to respond and get back to us. 2. In terms of cleanliness, I expected the ocean and palm villas to be cleaner given the price. I was disappointed by all the ants in the palm villa and the villas in general all had really old furniture and the bathrooms werent very clean. 3. This isnt really a complaint about the villa itself but it rained everyday so we werent able to do a lot of activities. 4. The wifi connection here is really bad. We can only get wifi at the restaurant. If you want wifi you have to rent a pocket wifi (1GB) for 25 RM. 5. If you want to do want to do any watersports or any activities in general, you have to go to another island or get arrangements earlier on at jesselton point where they have all the agencies. But the ocean view from the villa was beautiful and all the restaurants were pretty good. The location overall is really serene and quiet so it is perfect for someone who wants a quiet vacation.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
This hotel has a spectacular location. The staff were warm and helpful. However, it is showing it’s age and many facilities require updating and improvement. The faucets in the bathroom and the toilet were broken, outdoor furniture broken, and towels were frayed. If there are adjustments and commitment to quality, this property could be something special.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful hotel, with true eco passion
Gaya Island is a short boat ride from Kota Kinabalu. The Marine resort only has boat journeys at set times of the day. Upon arrival at the boat terminal we had to wait an hour for a scheduled departure. For a nominal sum you can arrange a private boat to take you. Contact the hotel directly to arrange. Once we arrived checkin was smooth and friendly. In fact all the staff are very welcoming. It is 100% worth the extra money to get a room with a sea view. Whilst the staff are keen to please they aren't the fastest, and they don't really serve around the pool area at all, despite the restaurant being only yards away. Pool towels are available but we had to ask for them 4 days in a row. Breakfast offers a decent amount of variety with a buffet style and a menu choose other things from. The resort has a no single use plastic policy and issues you with useful red bottles to refill. They really believe in cutting down single use plastic. They offer free drinks in the in room fridge ( sprite,coke, beer etc) and a free drink in the bar at 5-7pm. They have a marine conservation centre on site and put proceeds from the hotel into protecting marine life. Their water sports centre will rent you a kayak or snorkel for free. And if you want a change of scenery you can hop on a boat to their sister resort Bunga Raya, which has a gym and a beautiful beach. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the resort and would definitely recommend other go there.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2018

8/10 Good

Ash, Seoul

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
While everything else was pleasing, the water and shoreline next to the pool was somewhat dirty. I witnessed a foreign tourist family actually cleaning the shore of trash, which was what should have been done by the staff.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018