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Gaya Island Resort

5.0 star property

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Gaya Island Resort

Outdoor pool, pool umbrellas, pool loungers
Kinabalu Villa | View from room
4 restaurants, breakfast, lunch, dinner served; seafood
Kinabalu Villa | Premium bedding, pillow-top beds, minibar, in-room safe
Kinabalu Villa | Premium bedding, pillow-top beds, minibar, in-room safe

Reviews

8.8 out of 10

Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Bar
  • Air conditioning
  • Spa
  • Gym
  • Free WiFi

Explore the area

Map
Malohom Bay, Pulau Gaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Gaya Island, Sabah, 88000
  • Tunku Abdul Rahman Park
    16 min walk
  • Suria Sabah Shopping Mall
    78 min walk
  • Wisma Merdeka Shopping Center
    78 min walk
  • Kota Kinabalu (BKI-Kota Kinabalu Intl.)

Room options

View all photos for Canopy Villa

Canopy Villa | Premium bedding, pillow-top beds, minibar, in-room safe

Canopy Villa

  • 47 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Kinabalu Villa

Kinabalu Villa | Premium bedding, pillow-top beds, minibar, in-room safe

Kinabalu Villa

  • 47 sq m
  • Partial sea view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Single Beds

View all photos for Bayu Villa

Bayu Villa | View from room

Bayu Villa

  • 47 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Single Beds

Similar properties

Exterior

Gayana Marine Resort

Pool
Hot tub
Spa
Kids pool
4.2 out of 5, Very good, (474)
The price is CHF 300
for 1 night
includes taxes & fees
1 Jan - 2 Jan
Gayana Marine Resort

About this property

Gaya Island Resort

Luxury resort on the beach, with outdoor pool
Catch some rays on Gaya Island Resort's private sand beach or spend the day relaxing at the full-service spa. Then enjoy a meal at one of the resort's 4 restaurants.
Gaya Island Resort offers 121 air-conditioned accommodations with minibars and a safe. Rooms open to balconies. Pillowtop beds feature premium bedding. LED televisions come with satellite channels. Bathrooms include a separate bath and shower with a deep soaking bath and a rainfall showerhead. Bathrooms are also outfitted with dressing gowns, slippers and bidets.

Guests can surf the web using complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and telephones. Additionally, rooms include complimentary bottles of water and a hairdryer. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered on a daily basis.

Recreational amenities at the resort include an outdoor pool and a 24-hour fitness centre.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on-site or nearby; fees may apply.

The on-site spa has massage/treatment rooms and couples treatment room(s). Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, Swedish massages and Thai massages. The spa is open daily.
During your stay at Gaya Island Resort, you're just a quick walk from Sapi Island. You'll find features such as free WiFi in public areas, plus 4 restaurants and a full-service spa.
  • Free WiFi
  • Drinking and dining options include 4 restaurants, a beach bar and a poolside bar
  • Take a swim in the outdoor pool
  • Indulge with deep-tissue massages at the spa
  • Services include babysitting, dry cleaning/laundry and a concierge
  • On-site recreation includes a 24-hour gym and yoga classes
  • Steps from Sapi Island and Mamutik Island
  • Airport shuttle service available for a fee
Unwind on the resort's private sandy beach. Pamper yourself with a treatment at the full-service spa and enjoy amenities at Gaya Island Resort such as an outdoor pool and a 24-hour fitness centre.

There are 4 restaurants on site. You can enjoy a drink at one of the bars, which include a beach bar, a poolside bar and a bar/lounge. Public spaces have free WiFi.

This 5-star Gaya Island resort is smoke free.

Feast Village – This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Fishermans Cove – This restaurant specialises in seafood and only serves dinner. Reservations are required. Open daily.
Pool Bar and Lounge – This poolside family restaurant serves lunch and dinner. A children's menu is available. Open daily.
Tavajun Bay – This beachfront restaurant only serves lunch. Open daily.
Omakase – This restaurant specialises in Japanese cuisine and only serves dinner. Open daily.

Awards and affiliations

The property is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Languages

English, Malay

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • No on-site parking available
  • Return airport shuttle (surcharge) from 7:30 AM to 9:30 PM on request

Food and drink

  • 4 restaurants
  • A bar/lounge
  • A beach bar
  • A poolside bar

Restaurants on site

  • Feast Village
  • Fishermans Cove
  • Omakase
  • Pool Bar and Lounge
  • Tavajun Bay

Family friendly

  • Babysitting (surcharge)
  • Free cot
  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Soundproofed rooms

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Free newspapers in lobby
  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Dry cleaning/laundry service
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Tour and ticket assistance
  • Turndown service
  • Wedding services

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • On the beach
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas

Full-service spa

  • Couples treatment rooms
  • Deep-tissue massages
  • Hot stone massages
  • Spa open daily
  • Spa treatment rooms
  • Swedish massages
  • Thai massages

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only

More

  • 2 floors
  • Banquet hall
  • Built in 2012
  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Free cot
  • Pillowtop mattress
  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Bidet
  • Deep soaking bathtub
  • Dressing gowns
  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Rainfall showerhead
  • Separate bathtub and shower
  • Slippers
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • LED TV with satellite channels

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water
  • Minibar

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Ceiling fan
  • Desk
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Phone
  • Safe
  • Soundproofed rooms

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; check-in end time: 9:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age - 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

Guests must transfer to the property via Boat and must arrange the transfers by contacting the property before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
This property offers transfers from the ferry terminal and airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
The check-in location differs from the property location; go to: [Gaya Lounge, Jesselton Point Jetty]
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staff will greet guests on arrival
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property ahead of time using the information on the booking confirmation
If you are planning to arrive after 9:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Speedboat transfers (surcharge) are required between Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal and Gaya Island Resort. Departure times are as follows: Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal to Gaya Island Resort: 10 AM, noon, 2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM and 9 PM. Gaya Island Resort to Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal: 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, 5 PM, and 6:30 PM. Guests who miss the last transfer of the day must board a private charter boat (surcharge). Rates for private charters are MYR 500 from 7 AM to 9 PM, and MYR 700 from 9 PM to 7 AM.

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
  • Free cots (infant beds)!

Payment types at the property

Important information

Fees

Guests will be asked to pay the following charges at the property:

  • Destination fee: MYR35 per person, per night. This fee does not apply to children under 1 year of age.
  • Boat transfer per adult: MYR 172.80 (return)
  • Boat transfer per child: MYR 86.40 (return), from 2 to 11 years old

We've listed all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Airport shuttle fee: MYR 140 per vehicle (one-way)

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

You need to know

This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business or profession.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
To get to the property, guests need to transfer by Boat. Transfers need to be confirmed in advance by contacting the property on the number on the booking confirmation. Gaya Island Resort offers transfers from the ferry terminal and airport (fees may apply). Please contact the property on the number on the booking confirmation with your arrival details prior to travel. The check-in location differs from the property location. To check in, guests will need to go to Gaya Lounge, Jesselton Point Jetty
To arrange for check-in, guests must contact the property in advance of arrival using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests arriving after 9:00 PM must make advance arrangements by contacting the property using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in information. Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival.

We should mention

  • Registered guests are the only ones allowed to be in guestrooms.

Property is also known as

Gaya Island Resort
Resort Gaya Island
Gaya Island Resort Malaysia/Pulau Gaya
Gaya MalaysiaPulau Gaya

Gaya Island Resort Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 244 out of 442 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 147 out of 442 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 35 out of 442 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 442 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 6 out of 442 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful location and views. Staff were always friendly, helpful and polite. Fantastic range of activities.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful location, well organised, excellent food, friendly staff, amazing rooms. Many hidden taxes ... and service charge added even for buffet meal (which was self service ... although did finally remove when challenged). The private beach had a huge rubbish dump just behind the sandy beach. Very disappointing to see on a luxury trip. Great to see the conservation work with rescued turtles and coral. Strange to see complimentary ice lollies being handed out by pool, but only if you agreed to a young waiter taking a photo on his mobile phone ... bizarre.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

8/10 Good

Lesley

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Had a lovely stay, would like to have seen more food options and later bar food service. Activities team were great, reception and waiting staff were not very friendly, expected a higher level of service.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Siu Chui

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The property has a beautiful setting with the sea and a primary forest as its backdrop. The hotel excursions are excellent with an added inspiration on marine and forest conservation. Coral garden snorkelling and forest trekking are highly recommended. The staff are all genuinely kind and attentive. A very good resort.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jane

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Tracy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sophie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Matthew

Travelled with partner
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Starting with the positives, Gaya Island Resort is in a wonderful setting. The accommodation is spacious with nice outlooks, though depending where you are you could have quite an uphill hike to your rooms. We had the buffet meals in the dining room and the standard of what was offered was very high. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The service however of the management and reservations team leading up to our visit was appalling. Despite having paid in full we were sent automated messages threatening to cancel our booking and keep any monies already paid. When we replied explaining payment had been made and asking for clarification we simply received the same message again. None of these messages came with a name or contact details. Several attempts to ring the reservations line all concluded the same way i.e. being told all the lines were busy and the phone call was dropped. Expedia's initial attempts to contact the resort also failed but we assume they eventually worked, as we received an email from the resort informing us we should ignore the previous messages. No hint of an apology was offered. On top of this, on two of the days we stayed there was, for different periods of time, no water and no electricity. Regarding the water, on one occasion this lasted for over 9 hours. Finally the cleanliness of the resort in some areas was disappointing. In particular the gym floor was covered in sand and even hairs - very unpleasant.
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Samantha, Li Cheng

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Villa was nice and spacious. Service was excellent. Food needs to improve
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Yen Ying

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful Gaya Island Retreat
My family and I stayed at GIR for 2 nights and had a great time. The rooms were enormous (complete with separate areas for walk in robes, bathtub, shower, toilet). Room amenities were excellent, with bug spray and ointment for insect bites. Our rooms had fantastic views across the sea to Mt Kinabalu, beautiful to watch the sunrise every morning. The staff were all very friendly and attentive to our needs. We will absolutely be back again. Thank your GIR for a great time!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Each room has a bath tub but there were less hot water in the evening. Even after water filled, many aunts was floating.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
suggest book activity or dinner reservation early, before arrive as not many slots
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved almost everything. The property and rooms were spectacular. pool was beautiful and the food was fantastic. The only thing I didn't absolutely love - mattress softness, having to rent watersports equipment rather than it being included
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Alice

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great hotel and staff. A very relaxing island escape.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The water was clear and beautiful, the staff was extremely welcoming, and the experience was overall very relaxing.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Jungle walk and snorkeling ..... . ................. .
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Norlida

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
excellent weekend in superb setting near KK
We had an excellent weekend at Gaya Island Resort. An amazing setting so near KK and yet so far away. Without exception staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The food was also perfect with the chef willing to go the extra mile.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Stella, Amsterdam

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful resort!! And from our room excellent view to the bay and all the pied hornbills, loved it!!!! A pity that the European and Japanese food were not good, instead of the local food, which was wonderful!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019