Best Hotels in Gaya Island, Malaysia

We spent 3 nights at Gaya Island Resort and had a great time, I thought I would write a review because there are a few things worth considering before you go. Firstly, the place itself is amazing, the staff are super friendly and caring - probably the most professional I have ever experienced in my many years of travelling. So all in all it was a wonderful stay. The things worth noting are as follows: 1. The sunbeds, I think may have mentioned it and it's worth mentioning again - there are nowhere near enough. When you pay and arm and a leg to stay at a beautiful resort it is annoying that they haven't found a way to add more sunbeds. People get there early, throw on their towels and stay or disappear and the seat is gone for the day. This is a solvable issue and the resort should so something about it. 2. Check in is after 3 - could be later - and it's not flexible, so if you are arriving earlier be prepared to sit around waiting for your room. It would be nice if they could flex a little as waiting hours for a room without your bags is not a joy, but it is what it is. 3. Eating - you are on the resort, so you are eating in one of their restaurants - no other options available. There are a few restaurants so not really a problem (we did the hot pot restaurant and it was great), but good to be aware. By far the most expensive places we ate in Malaysia, but I guess given the quality of the resort it wasn't a surprise and the main restaurant is reasonable enough. 4. Activities - my wife and daughter did the cooking class and loved it, we did the night walk - which was fun and me and my son did the coral garden. The Coral garden was fun and I was lucky to see a big old shark. However there is a large amount of plastic floating on the surface of the water that is quite concerning and makes the whole place not feel so clean. The corals and fish look healthy so may be fine, but be prepared to swim through bottles and crisp bags to see the fish. The local resorts and local authorities should really work together to resolve and you pay the tourist tax, so not sure where that's going, but not to plastic clearance by the look of it. Hope that's helpful. all in all, it's a beautiful place to stay, could just do with a tweak here and there to make it even better

Great resort. We stayed at ocean villa 30 for two nights. Well maintained and special place. The staff are truely amazing. A special thanks to Karl the resort manager for listining to our feedback and returning some good karma. Also many thanks to the restaurant chef for the best food we had so far in Malaysia. Some small improvements: - airconditioning is a bit too loud even in sleep mode to keep on during the night - during and after a tropical rainshower the plumbing could not take it anymore, we accept that, but not the smell it gave inside the room. The positive: - free water sports, kayak, subs - kayak to the mangrove, do it yourself - breakfast at your own jetty - very good food, best value for money - sevice orientated staff all around taking very good care of you - daily plastic cleanup from the resort. Remember it is not their waste. They do anything to minimise the plastic footprint, even providing your own drink bottles - very clean rooms, great beds, amazing bathroom - only a short boat trip from KK away Terima Kasih Echoresorts :)

Fantastic service from the staff. Love the toiletries and bug repellent spray from the resort's spa, even though we weren't into spa treatments. The restaurant menu is limited, but the food tastes good. There's not much to see if you're into snorkeling, but kayaking and paddle boarding are fun alternatives. The island is easy to reach from Kota Kinabalu city center, but you wouldn't be able to see sunrise or sunset from here. Evening high tide brought some debris to the shore, but the resort would clean them up in the morning. And they have buffaloes to deal with sandflies.