Gayana Marine Resort

We stayed at Palm villa for four nights in September and loved it! The villa is well maintained and all amenities are as you would expect from this level of accommodation. (Bear in mind this is provincial Malaysia and not Maldives who specialise on luxury). The view from the villa is amazing. If you are lucky to get villa No 87 you will have a fantastic view of Mount Kinabalu.The staff are extremely friendly and try really hard to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. The food at the restaurant was top notch and the singanure massage was excellent.

We had To Come To this hotel,because Bungaraya hotel was suddenly closed due To bad,rainy weather caused some problem with waterpump. The staff In this hotel is the friendliest we have ever met anywhere,they are super!! Food is also tasty. Room itself is big,clean and nice. BUT the view from our room was a big disappointment: balcony was towards the forest. I see no sense To build a room towards forest In a place like this. In the pictures on booking com website there is no real pictures of the view. Second disappoinment was the beach In front of the main building: It is terrible. We got a free dinner for our unhappiness, which we appreciate,but anyway I believe we would have been happier In Bungaraya hotel

Staff here are very friendly. That’s it when it comes to 5 star. This is a 3 to 4 star place at best. I’ve stayed at many 5 star resorts and this is not like them. Frustratingly, there’s a few boats that they have that go to Kota Kinabalu during the day and they will charge you to go on them. When you’re paying $600+ a daY to stay here and there’s not a lot to do, you would think they would encourage this. But I assume they want you to spend your money at the resort. Everything there is way overpriced. A small 375ml bottle of champagne in the mini bar was over $130 AUD. A massage was over $100AUD (1hr) and so on. If you do go here, it’s not worth more than 1 or 2 nights just to do nothing and relax.

The location is undeniably beautiful, and the idea of a secluded retreat sounded promising. Unfortunately, the execution fell short in several key areas. Maintenance & Comfort The villas appear charming at first glance, but closer inspection reveals serious neglect. Roofs are deteriorated to the point where the underlying structure is visible, and many buildings have shifted, leaving gaps under doors. Paint is peeling, and basic comfort was lacking: the shower provided only brief bursts of warm water and was mostly cold — a frustrating experience in a resort of this supposed caliber. Facilities & Availability Although the resort markets itself as a PADI dive center, diving was not available during our stay. Weekdays were quiet, but on Saturday we saw a large influx of tourists arriving by ferry. This raises concerns about the availability of facilities like kayaks and paddleboards during peak times. Restaurant & Food Safety The restaurant offers a limited menu, but the food served is generally well-prepared and nicely presented. However, the menu includes health warnings about potentially undercooked food — and unfortunately, these were not unfounded. Two of us fell ill, likely due to food poisoning. Upon arrival, we were also asked to sign an extensive waiver, including a clause releasing the resort from liability — hardly reassuring. Staff & Housekeeping Staff were friendly, polite, and professional — consistent with what you’d expect from a resort at this level. Housekeeping, however, was subpar. We had to call them back multiple times due to missing toilet paper and towels. When towels were provided, they were simply stacked rather than properly arranged in the bathroom. Cleaning was superficial: mold in the bathroom and only a quick sweep of the floors. Value for Money Prices are exorbitant by local standards. Given the high occupancy rate, the resort’s revenue must be substantial. One would expect a state-of-the-art experience — but that’s far from reality. The quality offered does not justify the cost. Misleading Presentation Photos on Tripadvisor and other platforms appear carefully staged and do not reflect the true condition of the resort. The reality is far less polished. Conclusion The natural surroundings offer peace and beauty, and the resort has all the ingredients to be a top destination. But due to serious maintenance issues, limited facilities, poor hygiene, questionable food safety, legal disclaimers, and a price point that wildly exceeds the actual quality, that potential remains unrealized. A missed opportunity for what could have been a luxurious escape into serenity.

An excellent resort in Sabah with floating villa. Staffs are all helpful and very nice. The water quality is excellent that there is no more plastic rubbish in the sea as mentioned in some previous comment. There is also an research centre in the resort to introduce the marine life and protection. Kids learn a lot. We stayed in Palm villa for one night. My kids were surprised and enjoyed a lot in the villa. Recommend to everyone, no regret.