Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu Hotel

, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Explore Kota Kinabalu
Review this Hotel
Popular Travel Destinations

Recently Reviewed Hotels Around Kota Kinabalu

Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu Hotel

Pantai Dalit - Kota Kinabalu - 89208 - Malaysia 60-88-792-888
1417 Traveller

Reviews - Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu Hotel

10/10
Paradise in Borneo
Submitted by: Angela in 06/03/08
  • Age Group: 41 - 50
  • From: United Kingdom
  • Traveller type: Mature Couple
We stayed here on the way back from Australia and we could not have asked for a better place to finish our 5 week trip. This place takes great care of you from the minute you step out of your transfer vehicle into the hotel. We had such a great time. We primarily chose Borneo to see the Urang otans, the rasa ria has its own nature reserve working in conjunction with sepalok. We did not realise there were so many other things to do in Borneo, we only stayed 5 nights and are definitely planning a fortnight return. The hotel and its staff are first class, they are friendly and very helpful. I celebrated my birthday here and they left chocolates in our room with a card. The restaurants are great, stop at the bar by the beach to see their nightly visitor! Quad biking was great, the spa to die for, I could have spent a week just at the spar and golf for those more energetic!
Go to Borneo before it becomes too much of a tourist trip and enjoy it.
Check Rates and Availability for the Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu

Historical Traveller Reviews of Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu Hotel

lovely position

from magsrich
We just spent a week at Rasa Ria, the position is lovely, such a bonus right next to their Orang utan sanctuary where we were able to watch the 5 orphans in their natural environment.
The staff regard themselves as a large family and they certainly work hard but we did encounter some problems, however the management went out of their way to put things right.
As the hotel was at 100% capacity nearly every night the facilities were stretched at times though at other times it was hard to beleive so many people were there.
I cannot recommend Block 8, its regarded as a seaview but only has that from the balconey, sitting in the room you look out at the other blocks. They tell me that next year they will build a new wing with larger rooms.
With so many guests they really need a second pool , most days it was impossible to get a lounger to sit on anywhere--usual rude guests who go out before breakfast and hog the seats all day even if they are not there for some time!
The rooms were quite charming though not large but the walkways looked patched and some tiles were lifting, so this hotel lacked the polish of other Shangri la properties.
We did visit the sister hotel in Kota Kinabalu and whilst the property seemed to better maintained again only one pool very crowded and we preferred the Rasa Ria.
I have seen reviews noting that the 40 minutes to town is inconveneient, acually our transfers and shuttle visits didnt take that long and we only visited twice as there were so many other things to do where we were.
I would rate this hotel high for staff but lower than I expected on the general appearance.

Fantastic resort away from it all!

from Zak_and_Family
Stayed here for 10 nights and can highly recommend this hotel/resort. The staff are fantastic and always smiling. If you have kids (we have 2 young ones) the staff are very attentive to your needs and make you feel special and the Kids Club is great with lots of different activities. The rooms are great and overlook the gardens but some can be a bit of a walk from reception or the restaurants.

If you are planning to go on any trips you will find that the hotel offers it's own from the desk near the Shop but these are expensive. You would do better to walk to the side of the Shop and at the end of the hall there are two companies offering a much greater range of trips and activities at cheaper prices. I went on the Kinabalu Park and Canopy Walk trip which was a great day out but be warned it takes 3 hours to get to/from Kinabalu park from the hotel and it is a steep walk to get to the Canopy Walkway. I also went on the full-day excursion to Brunei which means an early start (pick-up at 6am) but is an excellent day out. You see the Main Mosque, (which is very beautiful), the National Museum (which I didn't think I would enjoy but it was excellent), a Water Village (the biggest in the world they say) and to top it all you are taken to a 5 star hotel for a buffet lunch. Both of these trips were booked through Borneo Travel in the hotel and the staff, guides and organisation were excellent.

Some minor points as follows:

As others have said, you need to pay to take the shuttle bus to town.
You need to get your sunbed early in peak season otherwise they will be gone by 9am.
The live band in the bar near reception can be loud so if you don't want to be disturbed then ask for a room as far away as possible and on a higher floor.

Overall, this is a great place to stay if you want to get away from it all and just relax.

s Rasa Ria Resort

from JWRIGLEY
We have just returned from two weeks at the Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort what a wonderful holiday, service first class, nothing too much trouble for the staff. beautiful setting. would definately stay again.

Some possible improvements

from A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed at the Rasa Ria for 12 days and had a really relaxing time.

GOOD POINTS
- great range of activities (water sports, trekking, crusies, golf, horse riding etc)
- very good spa facilities
- general standard of food and friendliness of staff very high. (malaysian bbg and coast very good)

NEGATIVE POINTS

- very limited evening entertainment. (repetitive live band in the lounge bar EVERY night...and nothing else really through the rest of the resort). The main bar could do so much more but felt like it needed an injection of life !
- not enough sun loungers! It amazes me that a 5 star resort doesn't have enough beds for every guest ! There is more than enough space.
- found it a bit dissapointing the the hotel shuttle was not free! RM 25 each to go to kota kinabalu !
- they have a captive market due to the lack of local alternatives therefore prices were high (RM12 for a bottle of water versus RM 2 in the city)!
- sometimes the drinks serivce could be a bit slow...

Overall the resort is well run and and the staff make it a very pleasant stay. They did say that during the peak August season people could be waiting to be seated at the restaurants (not good for a 5 star hotel!!)

Wonderful, relaxing holiday

from Joblow
We had a gloriuous 6 nights there, wish we had stayed longer. Met so many people from all over the world. The cleanliness and service was first class. Would definitely recommend it to others. Will stay at Shangri La hotels again if possible.

Overall it was great

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed 10 days over Easter. Resort was lovely, people beautiful. Rooms very nice, huge bed, although hard as a rock. We were on the top floor overlooking beach. Beach disappointing a lot of plastic bags washed up. Food & service great. Internet facilities excellent. Shuttle bus into town costs money, nothing is free. Hotel was undergoing painting and some rooms refurbishment, workers very friendly, they made no disturbance. 1/2 price happy hour at beach bar best value for money. The men found some local beer which was good and 1/2 the price charged for known brands. Spa treatments absolutely wonderful, although expensive. Golf course was very good, don't buy golf balls in the golf shop as there are boys diving for the ones you hit into the water and selling on the course much cheaper! Only niggle with golf shop was the price, quite expensive and no exceptions made, price included buggy each, but you only had one buggy between two people and they would not budge on price. Was very dry when we were there, but they were managing to keep things fairly green. We hired a car and went to Poring Hot Springs, tree top walk was well worth the effort of getting there, pity they charge you when you enter, then you walk half way up the hill and they charge you again, visitors much more than locals. Wanted to charge us up to 40MYR each to see a Raffelsia flower, we passed on that. Buy goods at top of hill near lookout, cheaper than markets on the way up the mountain. Heavy fog driving back to KK. We flew to Miri to see long house, interesting, but would have preferred Sepilok to see Orangs. Mowgli is absolutely gorgeous (hand raised Orang) at Rasa Ria, would have liked to see some adult Orangs. Work place health and safety has not found Sabah yet. Painted tattoos & massages at Rasa Ria expensive and tattoos washed off within day or so. Shopping was poor, clothing don't waste your time. Food/drink in supermarkets very cheap compared to resort. Fake watches, bags, wallets etc cheap as. South China sea pearls at markets good value, I started at 860MYR and paid 170MYR. Overall it was quite third world, very interesting, but enjoyable, weather was perfect. We just felt we always had our hand in our pocket, but realistically it was value for money. We felt safe wherever we went.

Wonderful Shangri-la!!

from AnnaH21
We stayed at the Shangri-La Tajung Aru for 10 nights in May 2005. We were delighted at the hotel situation (right on the beach) and the room we got was excellent. If you are an avid golfer ask for the Tanjung wing ground floor (ie: room 171) as it overlooks the pitch and putt golf course and the beautiful islands. The staff at the hotel were very accommodating and were happy to help you. The tour "behind the scenes" of the hotel was most interesting and great fun. The food was great value especially at Coco Joe's and the Sunset Bar. The italian restuarant was very expensive. We ate out most nights - the food at the Waterfront complex was great and very cheap. I went for several massages which were great but quite expensive (AUS$50) for 1 hour. The gym equipment was OK but a bit old and worn out. We went out to one othe islands (cant remember its name it started with a S) for snorkelling - which was very average. The monkeys on the island were DANGEROUS - do not approach. Go to the larger island that has a restaurant, which looked like it had clearer water and good snorkelling. The shopping in KK was very disappointing - fine if your very skinny (size 8/10 AUS or 1/2 US) and the quality of the clothes not good. Shopping is better in Bali/Singapore!! Overall I enjoyed my holiday and would recommend the Shangri-la to others.

Loved the people

from A TripAdvisor Member
We spent a week there and loved every minute. Stayed for three nights in KK and then went out to the amazing Rsa Ria, the service at this resort is amazing and well worth it and we cant forget the wildlife. There is something for everyone here from adventure sports to sitting on the beach and having a cold cocktail. I have traveled alot and would have to say the service was some of the best I have ever expreniced. If you go dont spent to long KK just a couple days to see it then get out to one of the resorts they do it well.

Two tumbs up for Sabah we will be back...

Wonderful place

from UkTravelr
Wer'e just back from the Rasa Ria, and cannot praise too highly. The staff are excellent, and made us feel very welcome. Nothing was too much trouble. The resort is currently undergoing a refurbishment, but we did not find this an inconvenience. Although we stayed in one of the rooms still to be refurbished, the standard was great. The new rooms must be wonderful!
We found the food to be excellent, with a wide choice, and reasonably priced considering there is no local alternative. The evening buffet is particularly good.Although the resort is some way from KK, there is plenty to do. A good range of excursions is available, together with trips on the resort's own boat, and visits to the Nature Reserve adjacent to the resort - or you can just relax and sunbathe! We would unreservedly recommend this resort, and plan to return as soon as we are able.

Best Hotel on the Island

from UlverstonKiwi
We stayed here for 6 days on our honeymoon and I cannot think of a more idyllic place to spend it. The staff were fantastic and amazingly attentive. There was a mixture of people from couples like us to families staying there but the public spaces are so well designed that it doesn't feel crowded. The excursions were excellent and keenly priced. We would recommend the day trip to Sepilok to see the orangutans. As for food, we would recommend 'Naan' restaurant and as we got upgraded as honeymooners to one of the beachfront gazebos at 'Coast' we'd recommend that also! If you have the money this is an amazing experience. it's like being a lottery winner. Your own staff for the evening and a saxophone serenade halfway thru dinner (!!). Rooms were well designed and there was ample space. All in all a great place for a relaxing holiday. We would go back again.

Top Local Tips for Kota Kinabalu

Nothing special We found KK a typical asian small city, not much bigger than a town really, there are plenty of shops, but no shops selling any quality items. The people are friendly and if you smile, they smile back. There's no hassle.

A very good alternative to Bali Kota Kinabalu was still coming of its own as a tourist destination for Westerners in 2005 - the city is pretty revolting but geat affordable department store shopping and food. I notice it has been heavily promoted the last couple of years so may well have scrubbed up a little more by now. The scenery up around Mt. Kinabalu is stunning. Experience oranutans in their natural environment a must! The Shrangli La Rasa Ria Resort and it's staff are really what made this holiday exceptional (although I spent a day in the city by myself being only one of very few western women, and had a ball)

Excursions Although it is hard to drag yourself away from the resort, get out and see the wildlife and the peoplewho live in this wonderful place. The water villages are amazing and the children are lovely. We were not impressed with Kota Kinabalu as a shopping place and would not bother going back there.

(hotels)loading

Other names for Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu Hotel

  • shangri las rasa ria resort
  • shangri las rasa ria hotel
  • shangri la rasa ria resort
  • shangri la rasa ria
  • rasa ria resort
  • rasa ria
  • Address: Pantai Dalit - Kota Kinabalu - 89208 - Malaysia
Travel Library Traveller Rating?
9.0/10

See All 1417 reviews

Review this Hotel
Candid Traveller Photos
  •  Loading Image...
  •  Loading Image...
  •  Loading Image...
  •  Loading Image...
(hotels)loading

Hotels Near Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort Kota Kinabalu Hotel