Gayana Marine Resort

We had an amazing 2 night stay here for our honeymoon. We stayed in an ocean villa and the ability to be straight in the sea snorkeling was amazing. The water is crystal clear and there is a good range of tropical fish and some coral. The service was amazing throughout, particularly in the restaurant where we were made to feel extra special due to our honeymoon. The room is luxury and the bed incredibly comfortable. This is an expensive hotel for anywhere, we stayed here as a treat and enjoyed it. The price of food was reasonable by the standard of expensive hotels (expensive for Malaysia). The food itself was outstanding. Over the two nights we had 2 dinners and a room service lunch coming to £200 total (including a splurge on an expensive £50 bottle of wine). A few areas of improvement would be the check out. They have a strict 11am leave the island rule unless you pay for late check out (1600 at 50% room rate plus private boat transfer). We would have liked to have stayed even without access to our room for a spa treatment and lunch but this opportunity was not available. We had an amazing stay and thank you to all the staff for making it so special.

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.

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.

The room is very tidy and has direct access to the sea with great view. The staff are all very friendly and caring. When my son’s tummy was not well, they arranged special food for him. The location is inside the national park with different species of sea creatures. Highly recommend to others who enjoy the nature. While guests are not allowed to consume outside food, the rules come with a good reason to safe the environment and reduce waste. You can see the Kinabalu when the weather is good.

"We had the pleasure of staying at Gayana Marine Resort, and I must say, it was an unforgettable experience! The resort exceeded my expectations in every way. The restaurant menu was impressive, with a wide range of delicious dishes to choose from. The food was expertly prepared, and the presentation was stunning. The service was top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff who made sure our glasses were always full and our plates were never empty. But what truly made our stay special was the staff's warm hospitality and attention to detail. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with smiles and made to feel like family. The staff went above and beyond to ensure our comfort and happiness, often anticipating our needs before we even had to ask. The resort's attention to detail was evident in every aspect, It was clear that the team at Gayana Marine Resort takes pride in providing an exceptional guest experience. Overall, I highly recommend Gayana Marine Resort to anyone looking for a relaxing and memorable getaway. The combination of excellent food, outstanding service, and warm hospitality makes it a truly special place. Thank you to the entire team for making our stay so unforgettable!" 5/5 stars.

Service is excellent. Staff do not hesitate to help, always address travellers politely, and take the initiative to serve water, give suggestions, overall making your experience smooth and fulfilling. Food is also very delicious — other reviews say the food is pricey, but I think it’s quite affordable and well worth the price. Rooms are large, comfortable and well-furnished. Will definitely be back!

I booked Gayana Marine Resort for my boys to chill because they love the water. I booked it the last minute just as I booked last minutes for Maldives. Maldives gave me clear instructions how to exit the airport, and their coordination was very thorough from check in to check out. I am quite disappointed and was humiliated all thru out the check in process. ONCE I booked with Trip.com, and got confirmation, I instantaneously messaged the property in request for airport pick - up or best possible way to get to the resort. I got NO instructions from the hotel nor trip.com. They both left the 3 of using hanging for 2 hours at the airport! I called the numbers provided, no hotel answer 6 times. I got an email saying it's Malaysian Festival, and the King's birthday June 2...which has nothing to do with our arrival. Last min I reached out to trip.com are 11:45 am, I was told to get a GRAB and go to the ferry for 12:00pm boat departure to Gaya Island. With the traffic there was NO way I could make it to the noon departure. I wanted to cancel the reservation and book a regular hotel so my kids and I can settle. Its not cancelable...Trip.com said they don't see any other boat departure, but I knew it was going to a pain in bottom to get my refund of $193 usd back! So I took a GRAB down to the ferry. I was told upon arrival I missed the 12 pm boat. The check in guy at the dock looked at my reservation (2 adults & a child for 1 night), which blatantly said on my reservation which I showed it to him with reservation number and pin.I was looked at with being deceitful, like I am lying in my bookings. I knew there was 160 myr ringgit I need to pay for my child. I told the guy and still I was humiliated. We waited til 4:30pm for the last boat to the island....it just ruined our plans and affected our hype to be on a bungalow island. It literally sucks to be looked at as lying on the reservations. They giy called trip.com and I can hear the Rep asking him to look at the detailed payments (which I showed him from mya apps). HORRIBLE 10 min at boat check - in and NO apologies here. I was charged on the spot 160 myr without any apologizes. Who would travel with 2 children and lie on a reservation when you know they will most likely to ask for passports and you need to boat out to an island? Once got in on the island, I spoke to Mr. STEVEN, manager. He offered to allow us late check out and allowed us to stay on the island until til 5pm to exit on a boat with his workers. I spoke to my boys and they were too exhausted at this point to take the offer.I hope the Resort will treat people with more dignity and respect, and send check-in instructions even if it's last min. The resort is able to take my credit card money that fast, but Mr. STEVEN, MANAGER said bc it's last minute, it's difficult. In our room, there was 2 free souvenirs tumbler. We opened one up from the outside was washed partially of the resort logo...inside it was left over tea....I called it in to the receptionist late night...very unsanitary. No check-Out instructions either. My boys and I hauled out backpacks and luggage out from our bungalow. I would never recommend to my family and friends.

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