Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu

Basti S.

A beautiful resort with an incredible beach, but showing its age and quite isolated. Our stay at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria was an overall pleasant experience, primarily due to the stunning location and the exceptional service provided by the team. While the resort offers a grand and beautiful environment, there are a few factors that guests should be aware of regarding the property's condition and its location. What we enjoyed: The Beach & Sunsets: This is definitely the highlight! The beach is huge and offers plenty of space for everyone to enjoy the most breathtaking sunsets. Watching the sun dip into the ocean here is truly magical. Nature & Guiding: We loved the rainforest area right next to the resort! We took a guided tour and had a wonderful time. Our guide was fantastic and shared so much fascinating knowledge about the local flora. Even though we weren't lucky enough to spot many animals, the experience itself was absolutely worth it and truly beautiful. Exceptional Service: The staff is consistently friendly, professional, and attentive. We felt very well looked after throughout our stay. Dining: The breakfast and dining options are excellent. The buffet is comprehensive, delicious, and caters to every possible taste—you won't be left wanting for anything. Sustainability: We appreciated the thoughtful detail of providing fresh water in glass bottles in the room. Areas for improvement: Location/Accessibility: Be aware that the resort is quite isolated. If you want to explore Kota Kinabalu, it requires a taxi ride of nearly an hour, depending on traffic. It’s a great spot if you want to stay within the resort, but less convenient if you plan on visiting the city frequently. Room Condition: The hotel is clearly an older property. You can see signs of wear and tear, such as aging carpets and wallpaper peeling in some spots. Bathroom: The bathroom felt quite dated. Having to use a classic bathtub-shower combination is a bit outdated for a hotel of this category. Beach Cleanliness (Surroundings): While the hotel does a great job maintaining the beach directly in front of the resort, the situation changes drastically just a few meters outside of this zone. The beach is huge and invites you to go for long walks, but unfortunately, you end up in areas with significant amounts of waste very quickly. It is disappointing to see that the pristine natural environment ends so abruptly right next to the resort area. Verdict: The Shangri-La Rasa Ria is a massive, beautiful resort with a lot of charm, but it is in need of some modernization to truly justify its category. If you prioritize a fantastic beach, great food, professional service, and a beautiful natural forest setting—and don't mind the distance to the city—you will still have a wonderful time here.

Nur Qashirah Heromizan Yusoff

My short staycation here was a wonderful experience. As it was during the holiday season, the crowds were understandably overwhelming at times. However, the staff handled the situation exceptionally well, and their efforts to ensure a smooth and pleasant stay deserve special praise. The room was immaculate, comfortable, and well worth the price. The food was absolutely outstanding, every meal was a delight. Overall, this is a fantastic place to unwind, relax, and escape the hectic pace of city life. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and would gladly return in the future.

Eko Dharmawan

My stay at Shangri-La Rasa Ria on 11 May 2026 was truly memorable. The resort offers a perfect combination of luxury, nature, and relaxation. From the moment I arrived, the staff were warm, professional, and very welcoming, making the whole experience feel special. The room was spacious, clean, and very comfortable with a beautiful view that made the stay even more enjoyable. I especially loved the peaceful atmosphere, private beach, and the lush greenery surrounding the resort. The facilities were excellent, including the swimming pool, restaurants, and recreational activities. Breakfast had a great variety of food with both local and international selections, and the quality was excellent. The service throughout the resort was consistently attentive and friendly.

VE NO

Had a wonderful stay at Shangri-La Rasa Ria! I booked the room for my in-laws and sister-in-law, and the hospitality was truly amazing. Even though the booking was originally for 2 pax, the hotel kindly provided a free extra bed for us without any extra charges, which we really appreciated. Special thanks to the Front Office and her Manager for the kindness and excellent hospitality. Your gesture truly made our stay even more comfortable and memorable 🙏🏻 The food was also super delicious! The pizza was so good, and the Mee Tuaran was seriously sedapppp 😍 One of the best hotel food experiences we’ve had. Beautiful resort, excellent service, great food, and very accommodating staff. Highly recommended for family staycations and relaxing holidays in Sabah!

John Chin

Unacceptable check-in experience today at Ocean Wing How disappointed I am with our check-in experience today. As a returning guest, I chose your resort expecting a 5-star standard, but today was an absolute operational mess. I booked 3 rooms for 3 days and 2 nights in the Ocean Wing. Knowing it's peak season, we purposely arrived at 3:30 PM (after the 3:00 PM check-in time) to avoid the rush. Instead, here is what happened: The Delay: The check-in process took 25 minutes, and by 4:00 PM, only ONE room was ready. Staff couldn't tell us when the other two would be done. The Lounge: We were sent to the Ria Lounge for complimentary high tea. The lounge was tiny, packed with tired people, and completely messy. Tables were full of dirty plates and cups, and they ran out of clean plates and even milk for the coffee. We had to leave. My elderly parents were exhausted and just wanted to rest. No Communication: By 5:00 PM, nobody had called us. I had to call reservations myself, only to find out the second room was finally ready. Ignored at Front Desk: When I went down to get the key and asked about the last room, the front desk agent just handed me the key and completely ignored my question. I sat there patiently for another 30 minutes, asked nicely again, and she still didn't answer me. It is now 5:45 PM and I am still sitting here waiting. Your resort has been around for over a decade. Sabah has public holidays and tourist seasons every month, so high occupancy is not an excuse for bad planning and terrible communication. Why didn't the team plan ahead and put extra resources where the bottleneck was? If you cannot handle the crowd and maintain quality, you shouldn't take so many bookings. Reputation takes a long time to build but can be lost instantly. We are celebrating Visit Malaysia 2026 this year, and this is a terrible way to welcome tourists. A simple "sorry" doesn't fix the hours of rest my family lost today. I want to know how management is going to solve this and make things right for us. It is 6:00 PM now and we still haven't received the key to our last room, while many other guests are asking about their rooms too.