Gaya Island Resort

I chose Gaya Island Resort to celebrate my birthday, and it turned out to be one of the most peaceful and meaningful stays I’ve had. Special thanks to Mr. Rajaie & the remaining GIR staff for truly made a difference with their warmth and care. As a solo female traveller, I felt safe, respected, and genuinely looked after throughout my stay. Small thoughtful gestures and sincere hospitality made this experience unforgettable. Thank you for making my birthday so special. I will always remember this stay.

My wife and I came to Gaya Island Resort on our honeymoon and had an incredible stay. We booked through luxury escapes and our package came with great inclusions and was fantastic value. The staff at the resort were so friendly and welcoming. Every member of staff we walked past during our stay always said hello with a huge smile. The resort is beautiful and excellently maintained. We stayed in the Kinabalu Villa which had an incredible view and was so spacious and luxurious. Each day there were a long list of activities available - free and extra charge. The food at all the venues was 10/10. Lots of variety and all good quality. The buffet was different every day and the chefs came and spoke to us personally each night. The island is a wildlife lovers dream! We saw snakes, monkeys, fish and lizards everywhere but always felt safe with caring staff always looking out for us. Our waitress even guarded our table during lunch because there was a monkey nearby! Would recommend to anyone looking for a mix of relaxation and nature based activities.

A slice of paradise! From the smooth check in at Jesselton Point to the scenic 10- minute boat ride across to Gaya Island, everything was effortlessly. The resort is set in a conservation Marine Park surrounded by rain forest and coral reefs - breathtakingly beautiful. My jungle canopy Suite was luxurious, private, and peaceful, with a balcony that extended and looked into the treetops, I loved the sound of the jungle each morning. The resorts main restaurant was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese Shabu Shabu - and the emense breakfast buffett was a real treat. I enjoyed the kayaking through the mangroves, even if it rained, and snorkelling with Safwan, yoga with Gisele, and a heavenly spa massage. The staff - Shawn, Terence, Hani, Rachel and Safwan - made my visit exceptional. Highly recommended for anyone seeking tranquillity, nature and luxury combined Janet Courtney #thetravellingcouturier

We had an exceptional stay at your stunning resort oct 19-22. The surroundings were absolutely beautiful, with meticulously maintained grounds and elegant décor throughout the property. Our room 822 was spacious, clean, and incredibly comfortable, providing a perfect retreat after a day of exploring. What truly set this experience apart, however, was the staff. They were consistently courteous, attentive, and eager to assist with any request, which made me feel truly valued as a guest. From the warm welcome at check-in to the helpful concierge and housekeeping teams, every interaction was pleasant and professional. A special thanks to June from Food & Beverage, who went above and beyond to assist us. Although the pool bar stopped serving food after 5 pm, we were craving the tuna wakame salad, and June made an extraordinary effort by repeatedly coordinating with the main restaurant and chef to prepare our meal for 8 pm, following our massage. Her proactive, can-do attitude is truly commendable and greatly appreciated I highly recommend this resort for anyone seeking luxury, comfort, and outstanding service.

Definitely a holiday to remember. We stayed at the Kinabalu Villa for two nights. The views are stunning, facilities are adequate and well maintained. We had our meals at the Village Feast restaurant and at the private beach. All meals are delicious and the buffet food are a plenty. But the best of all are the staff and the services they provided. They are very friendly and very helpful as well. We are well taken care off during our stay. Highly recommended.

This resort is located in a spectacular position on the island. We were blown away by the views from our villa, and the whole experience felt luxury, thanks to all the helpful staff, the air-conditioned waiting room for the speedboat, and the beautiful finishings. It’s also a place to have a good balance of relaxation and activities - we took part in meditation, the nature walk, snorkeling and marine talk which were all at no additional cost. Angel and Dhiv, who hosted our nature walk and marine talk respectively, were friendly, knowledgeable and made their activities very enjoyable.The dinner buffet was impressive with fresh spiced fried chicken and fresh juicy grilled prawns. I also had a banoffee cheesecake that changed my life, credits to the pastry team! We also appreciated the local Malaysian foods available in the breakfast buffet like roti jala and nasi lemak.The private beach’s highlight is the marine center and the coral and turtles it houses - we didn’t have the set lunch there but we’re okay to give it a miss.Our one gripe was unfortunately spotting lizard faeces near the bathroom which was a bit of a mood killer, but the room was otherwise spotless.Would definitely come back here again!

If you are used to beautiful exotic 5 star resorts you may be disappointed. The location so near to a big city means loads of rubbish floating in the see everywhere. Big ships very close to the shore. View of the Kinabalu mountain spoiled by tall buildings. The resort is also very tired. Well overdue a major refurbishment. Everything seems to be closing or breaking down and looks rather shabby. We had several leaks in our suit. Things not working and falling apart. Even the resort shop was "closed for refurbishment" without any sign of any work being done. The staff were very helpful and polite but they had very little to offer. No trips or activities to speak of. The diving company they are using is not as the resort's website claims Padi approved. They do not offer any Padi courses but the hotel does not seem to even know about that. On the positive note the food was delicious and it was very good value. The spa treatments were delightfull but hard to come by as they seemed to be booked up all the time. Suspect not enought staff as the spa village seems big enough. The service wasn't up to the 5 star standard, either. The people were very nice just not told what's required. There was nobody at the beach to assist with the towels, offer drinks or snacks. Bad business sense. They are missing out on a lot of trade. I would have paid to have a treatment every day, spent much more on drinks and snacks, ordered better wines if they had any and spent money in the shop and on the trips and activities. We booked a trip to Kinabatangan river and had several dives for the three of us with an external provider. We still had a lovely time mainly due to the staff that were very friendly and tried really hard and surrounding us gorgeous Bornean nature

The resort is very luxurious and you’ll be greeted by some of the friendliest staff who will go out of their way to help you with your needs. While the resort is on the expensive side, you’ll be amazed by the facilities, food and activities. Unfortunately the hotel rooms are in serious need of renovation as there are squeaky fans, broken hinges, and in our case even a faulty tap that wouldn’t turn on and had to be fixed. Renovation is due though, management told us it’ll happen in the near future so this is likely a temporary problem.

Wow. I don't even want to describe my experience here because it means more people could show up, but I feel I've got to support this business. Words cannot even describe my experience here at Gaya Island, but I will try to sum it up best I can. I was in Borneo for 2 weeks with a friend and we wanted to splurge on one place for 2 nights after heavy budgeting throughout the trip. We both were thrilled to pick this as our splurge point. Resort: Stellar accommodations. Resort was built relatively recently but everything is in tip top shape. It has beautiful modern pools of water surrounding the lobby area, an infiniti pool with resting mats to look out to the ocean, relaxation chambers with a view of the beach, multiple shaded beach chairs on the sand, a gorgeous modern library, clean gym with AC and much more. Accommodation/Service: We stayed in the Kinabalu Villa with views of Mt. Kinabalu and the ocean. Our deck/patio had a lounging sofa/cushions to just relax and take in our surroundings. Gorgeous rooms with king bed, walk in closet, standing shower with glass doors, bath tub and more. Staff were extremely pleasant and friendly, but greater yet, they were sincerely kind and happy to help you with anything. Jack is the man. He will take care of you and he made sure our stay was excellent. Dining: Wow. Their breakfast (included) and dinner was buffet style with a range of both Western and Malaysian/Chinese dishes. Did not care for the western (you're in Malaysia, why are you even there if you won't try local food) but the Malaysian dishes were extremely tasty, with stellar spices, seasoning and unique tastes. Fisherman Cove is a very intimate setting (we were in the gazebo) with only a few tables overlooking the ocean, where phenomenal food is prepared by a team of chefs focused only on the people in this area. My fish was absolutely killer, and the crab appetizer was out of this world (I seriously doubt I'll have something that good again, I will be back.) Being on a budget, we stuck with the fresh catch meal, but we could not have been happier or more filled. Worth the splurge. Activities: They have so many activities that there is no way you can be bored. They have morning Yoga and meditation sessions (free), snorkeling, scuba diving, a private beach just a boat ride away, mangrove kayaking, nature walks, and much more. Check them out. SUMMARY: There is only so much I can write. Check out their site or better yet, just book your room with them. You won't believe what an experience this can be, and the price is extremely reasonable for what you get.

This will be a part 2 review. One, this resosrt is not worth the money. If you compare this to Banyan Tree, this is 1 on a scale of 5. Service is terrible, and you have to hike to your villas. A bottle of beer costs here more than in luxury resorts anywhere else. If you want prosecco and any brut, doesn't exist here. Staff is nice but English is bad. Had multiple encounters where I booked trips and they were canceled without informing me. Also, nothing to do on the island. There's is no beach. Just some chairs near the small pool. Avoid avoid avoid.

A great place to spend a holiday, great value. We stayed for two nights and left a good memory.