Gayana Marine Resort

An idyllic location at Gaya Island off Kota Kinabalu. Arrive by ferry from "KK" and from then, if relaxing far from the maddening crowd is for you...then this IS the place. Clusters of overwater bungalows set the scene. We were in a "Palm Villa" right at the end of the pier in deeper water. The villa was split level - oversized - with a sitting room (TV) living room with glass flooring to view the sea life below (amazing), steps up to a king size bed, separate bathroom including a two person shower and spa bath. The highlight however is outside, a private deck for lounging, table and chairs for dining, plunge pool and jetty steps straight into the water. There is only one dining /restaurant, but it caters to all food and special needs - Eduardo is exceptional, service, manner and willingness to please while Spencer the head chef took on my food allergies as a challenge and won out spectacularly. Some memorable eating to be sure! There is also an upstairs bars and a relaxing spa catering to all needs. Water activities are the main attraction - no fishing, it is a marine protected area and has a dedicated information center to explain about regeneration. Snorkeling, diving (equipment available) paddle boarding and kayaking. Bush walking is optional also. This tranquil resort is hard to beat if you want a chilled, relaxing holiday in a beautiful location with super attentive staff (shout out to Narmioah as well) who really only want to please and ensure you have everything you need, such a boating up breakfast to the villa's rear deck ! No rubbish in the water which is pristine, although we were advised that seasonally mainly in monsoon times, seaweed and flotsam can was in to the bay from the ocean - we saw none.

Absolutely fantastic resort. I was originally tempted to cancel due to seeing some negative posts but so glad I didn't. Everything was perfect. Eduardo and Rechey are the best!

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the staff at Gayana Marine Resort for their outstanding service and warm hospitality. From the very beginning, I was impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of Mr. Santos and Khai, who assisted us even before we arrived at the resort. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the entire team, which made both my partner and me feel incredibly special and happy. A big thank you to the Front Office Manager, Mr. Steve, as well as Awang, Mei, and the two lovely ladies who greeted us. Mei was especially helpful, handing me the life jacket during the boat ride—thank you, Mei, for your kindness and care. The restaurant was wonderful, and I’d like to give special thanks to Terry and Alno for their attentive service. I also want to mention the hardworking uncle at the restaurant—I didn’t catch his name, but he very hard working person. Last but not least, thank you to the reservation team for the complimentary room upgrade to an ocean view. This gesture made our celebration even more meaningful, and it’s something we’ll never forget. Thank you, Gayana Marine Resort, for making our stay so memorable. We truly appreciate the exceptional service and genuine hospitality Best regards Syafiq

1. First impression was very positive, and our villa was really beautiful, and the staff at the restaurant was very nice and helpful but furthermore staff at the reception managed to spoil our whole stay in this hotel. 2. There are tons of plastic junk in the sea at the territory of the hotel, on the surface and across the sea bottom. Even though they have "a free of plastic " zone here(sounds good for the nature lover, right?), they even took our plastic bottles with drinking water out of our bags upon arrival. 3. They told me that it's 50 MYR for the trip to the mainland and back, if i use everyday checkin-checkout boat of the hotel. I even double checked it to avoid any misunderstanding. 11:00 departure from the island, 12:00 -departure from the mainland. But upon arrival they charged me another 50 MYR. These attempts to cheat on small things greatly spoil the whole impression. 4. Even though I told staff that I need to the mainland to go the pharmacy and to buy some fruits, they did not tell me that it's not allowed to bring fruits to the Hotel. They just took away mangos that i brought with me upon arrival.

My wife and I came here for our honeymoon and stayed in the palm villa. Was the best get away I’ve had, the staff were incredibly kind and the level of service is unmatched! We also want to recognize Tina and Siti at the spa for an amazing experience! For anyone complaining about garbage in the water and leaving a bad review, get a grip. This is a marine research centre focused on preserving the giant clam species, they are not dumping garbage in the water, it’s a bay and is coming from other islands. The garbage comes in faster than they take can get rid of it. Every morning the team goes out and cleans up and keeps it under control the best they can. Thank you so much Gayana for a wonderful honeymoon, we will definitely be back!