Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa

This hotel has the best of both worlds....it's just a short drive from the airport and the town, yet it feels as if you're a million miles away. The staff are friendly, professional and charming ... always! The rooms are comfortable, clean and spacious - what more could you want? After a long, hard day lazing by the pool or the small, exclusive beach, or in the hotel's extensive gardens (all the while being pampered by the attention of smiling cycling staff who cater to your every need), take a leisurely stroll to the Sunset Bar for, what else, the best sunsets EVER! Enjoy cool Happy Hour drinks as you watch the horizon become a blazing ball of orange fire ... every night at the same time! Then, feast on the delicious local and international food available in a range of outlets. It's no wonder that we seemed to see a lot of honeymoon couples there ... it's the perfect spot for such a special time! The best thing about this hotel is that you don't really feel as if you're in a hotel ... it's more like dropping in on a (very rich!) friend and hanging out with his/her extended family! Is there a better way to spend a vacation? I don't think so!

What can I say? Shangri la maintains its high-standard of service anywhere. Tanjung Aru is not exception.

All aspects - food, facilities, location, service, room - are top-notch. but of course, it is more pricey than other hotels but every cent is worth it.

When we went there, they overbooked the deluxe rooms, which we reserved. No problem! We were given a free upgrade to a junior suite!

If you are not familiar with the area your visiting and do not have any idea where to stay, if you can afford and when available, just stay at Shangri la. You can never go wrong with this choice.

The second time we've stayed at a Shangri La hotel and it's a wonderful experience. During our first week (we were in an 'ordinary' room) we spent 2 nights away on a jungle trip and on our return were offered an upgrade to a suite at a greatly reduced rate. We had been perfectly happy with our first room (large, spotlessly clean, sea view, etc) but the suite was just out of this world. We also enjoyed membership of the Kinabalu Club with breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails on the 6th floor of the Kinabalu wing. The hotel grounds are superb with plenty of space for everyone, two pools, pitch & putt and other activities.

We didn't try any of the special restaurants and only ate at the main restaurant a couple of times - the food was fine but not great, we preferred to eat locally or take a taxi into Kota Kinabalu. One word of warning though - avoid the large 'shed-like' chinese fish restaurant at the end of the road near the hotel (unfortunately I can't remember the name).

Would we go back again? Not likely, the Shangri La Tanjung Aru, Borneo (and especially the jungle) was a fabulous once-in-a-lifetime experience but overall we prefer Peninsular Malaysia, both the mainland and the offshore islands.

As a family with a son of 11 this was our first trip to Malaysia. As mentioned by other reviewers, our arrival was a fantastic experience and the best I am yet to receive. From the door being opened at the steps to the lobby, from the drum to signal your arrival and the welcome from Francesca, our guest adviser, we were greeted with cold flannels and lemon grass water in impressive surroundings.

We had considered upgrading to the Kinabalu lounge when booking but decided against it, instead this was offered at a discounted rate when we arrived and we are glad we accepted.

Our suite was located in the Tanjung wing and put simply, it was fantastic. From the two bathrooms, to the fresh orchids, the attention to detail was admirable. Everything you would ever want from a hotel room was here; bottles of water aplenty, a fruit bowl on the table and toiletries replenished daily and something I really appreciated, the daily local English newspaper left on the door handle each morning. We overlooked the golf course and the sea, making for a quiet experience.

Returning to the Kinabalu lounge for drinks, Johnny and his staff were attentive, whilst not being overbearing. The lounge offers excellent views of the gardens and South China Sea, so we stayed and watched the sun go down. Our first few hours at the hotel could not have been better.

The location of this Hotel is stunning and only 10 minutes from the airport. The gardens superb – I recommend taking the Kinabalu lounge lift to the ground floor and spending a few moments at this pond and waterfall. The swing chairs are a great way to spend time in the beautiful area.

With a youngest that loves water we spent a lot of time at the pool. Plenty of sun beds and no need fight for a spot.

We wandered down to the Spa when we arrived and by now it was approaching dusk. This is a magical place at night. One of the staff showed us around and this set the mood for my wife to sample the treatments. The prices were reasonable and the attention given by the staff wonderful.

Unlike other reviewers we did not experience issues with waiting for drinks at the pool.

We also booked this trip for the Orang-utans, visiting the sister hotel the Rasa Ria on the third day. The trip was arranged by our hotel and involved a 45 min coach ride. first. The centre is adjacent to the hotel and a visit involved a 30 min video presentation, then a 10 min climb into the jungle to the viewing platform. The 3 young Oran-utans did not disappoint and we spent almost an hour in their presence.

The Rasa Ria is also a lovely hotel but the Tanjung is better. The Rasa Ria seemed very quiet.

Having spoken to other guests who had said that Sepiloc Centre was disappointing, our next trip was for the proboscis monkeys on the river trip. This was arranged at the hotel and although the monkeys stayed high in the trees (it is the wild after all), the highlight for me were the fire flies, these realy did look like Christmas decorations. We even managed to see some crocodiles on the return trip at night.

Food wise we sampled all of the restaurants. The breakfasts in the Kinabalu Lounge were a highlight, with Coco Joes offering good poolside fair. The Shanghi Palace provided good Chinese but then its clientele was mostly Chinese! It was Peppino’s the Italian restaurant was a disappointment, with very little atmosphere although the food was acceptable – no wow factor here. The best found we ate was at the Borneo Lounge by the main lobby. Our first meal, the fish finger was a delight - this arrived with deep fried fish pieces held in a tortilla type basket. Fantastic!

At the end of our stay we kept on the suite without any fuss and booked out in minutes.

All in all this the best hotel we have stayed in to date. We have already looked at other Shangri-La hotels in the Far East for next year and in a couple of years, we plan to return to this one!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for sharing your kind comments. I have happily passed them onto my colleagues.

While I am glad to hear that our poolside service efforts have resulted in improvement, I note your comment regarding ambience in Peppino's and will be looking into this with the team.

Many thanks again and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

This is a great resort for a relaxing stay, service was excellent and the staff very friendly. I would recommend taking a package on the Club floor and enjoy all that it has to offer from a slow relaxed breakfast to afternoon tea and evening drinks and finger food after all this there was not much else we could ask for.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for your kind comments.

We are all delighted that you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Shangri la all the way, stopped in three different shangri la hotels now, and they were al fab.

only drawback at this one is that the bed was a little hard and the pillows very soft, but hey thats just a personal thing, and what suits one person doesn't always suit everyone else, so no complaint from me.

staff were impeccable,

rooms excellent,

Food great too,

probably the best hotel in town.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for your kind feedback.

I note your comments with regards to the bed. We would be delighted to arrange a mattress or topper and firmer pillows per your preference on furture visits. Please do let us know if you are visiting any Shangri-La and we will make the necessary arrangements as well as noting it for future visits

We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

My friend and I stayed here 19-26th May and this hotel certainly has the Wow factor!! On arrival the splendid reception was heady with the scent from a spectacular lily display and we were welcomed with cold flannels and lemon grass water before being escorted to the Kinabalu lounge. I had upgraded at the time of booking after reading reports on Tripadvisor and it definitely was the best of decisions. Our arrival coincided with the club cocktail time and so check-in was a painless and civilized affair conducted at our table as we sipped perfect G&T's and had our first taste of the chefs delights, a truly relaxing experience after a long and tedious journey.

The club was everything, and more, than hoped for and the staff so professional and yet so warm and friendly - I wanted to take them home with me! Thanks to them all for making our stay so special but particular mention must go to Linda, Jonathan, Ling Ling and Gerald.

The location of this Hotel is stunning and the gardens superb - colourful and immaculately kept, a real joy. Beautiful pool area (with very comfortable sun beds) which only got busy at the weekend. We had a mountain view room and I loved sitting on the balcony around 6am watching the sunrise, listening to the dawn chorus and catching sight of many of the birds. The bedroom was large and the beds extremely comfortable. It was obvious that a great deal of thought had gone into every detail right down to a night light setting and socket in the safe for charging cameras etc. Orchids in the bedroom and bathroom and the vast array of Shangri-La lavender toiletries echoed the theme we felt throughout the hotel - that of serene calmness and total relaxation. Housekeeping and turn down service were excellent & included fresh bottles of water, fruit bowl and toiletries replenished, info on the following days activities, quotation book markers & daily newspaper.

We didn't use the Spa but had a poolside reflexology which was very good and a reasonable price. We had a few light lunches around the pool which were tasty and affordable-I recommend the gaspacho and bruschetta. Had a couple of negative experiences when ordering drinks here though, taking in excess of 25 mins to arrive even though it was very quiet. On one occasion they arrived so late I asked if they could be taken to our room or if we could borrow a tray. The waiter did not understand me so we had to struggle with all our bags and two of the biggest, heaviest coconuts imaginable, containing about 1ltr of juice, to the other side of the hotel! We laughed only afterwards but hey, this was only one niggle in a more than perfect week.

The main reason for visiting Borneo was to see Orang-utans especially as I had two adopted for me recently. Having read mixed reviews of Sepilok we decided to try Rasa Ria first. We did a back to back observation -morning & afternoon visits on the same day and were not disappointed encountering 3 who were very playful in the morning (one in particular who thought the visitors were more fun than the forest) and the same 3 more interested in feeding and climbing etc in the pm. A wonderfully enchanting experience spanning a total of 2 hours.

The Rasa Ria is also a lovely Hotel with super staff in a fantastic setting but we both felt STAR definitely had the edge. However, we couldn't understand the difference in the pricing policy for sister hotels. All food and beverage at STAR is subject to 15% tax but included in the price at RR which is also much cheaper eg a coke in STAR 10RM+15% tax. In RR 5RM including tax. I have been impressed by management taking time to read and respond on Tripadvisor so would be interested in Philip Dewars comments on such a difference.

We booked the five island tour through Beach Bums which included stops on three + BBQ lunch. A lovely day out, stunning scenery with fab snorkelling in the warmest water and no jellyfish, in fact we saw none all week. Also did river cruise booked through agents at hotel but only saw a few monkeys due to extreme heat (thank goodness for zoom lenses) but the fireflies were amazing, a real spectacle to commit to memory as cameras/videos are unable to record.

We walked the 10mins or so to First beach on a couple of evenings and felt safe. A few restaurants, bars and bit of live music there made a pleasant change. Went to KK one eve and had arm and foot/leg massage at waterfront - highly recommend and really cheap. We felt a little uncomfortable walking around so didn't see much but plenty of bars and restaurants there. Returned for the Sunday market & as expected was hot, crowded and smelly. There is a bit of everything but don't go if, like us, you are an animal lover and can't bear seeing crying puppies, kittens etc far too young to be separated from their mothers crowded in tiny cages in the sun without water.

Our flights were reconfirmed for us in the lounge and check out was again conducted painlessly. We were able to keep the room on for an extra 3 hours which made all the difference on a late departure - everyone was so accommodating & I simply cannot recommend this hotel and the Kinabalu club highly enough. Although widely travelled this was my first visit to this part of the world and now so desperate am I to return to this hotel to relive the whole experience that I think the rest of Malaysia may have to wait!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and your kind comments, which I have passed onto the team and in particular my Club Lounge colleagues.

Your comment regarding the poolside service is well noted and we have been working vigorously on improvement in consistency in this area. My apologies that we did not provide our usual standards of service to you.

As to the pricing relative to Rasa Ria; there are a number of factors which have led to the discrepancies over the years which we realise is an issue. Part of our current pricing review is to bring prices between the properties to a similar level while taking into account the different promotional offerings both properties have.

My partner and our 5 teenage/adult children stayed at Shangi-la for a week and it was fabulous.

We went there to get married - we stayed in the beach front corner suite (magnificent and the kids had mountain views (it was all about us).

Hotel had great facilities and eateries. Plenty of pools, outdoor activities and water sports with jet skis and para-sailing as well as scuba training. They even had snake handling, blow dart competitions and an on site Buddhist calligrapher who did scrolls for you based on your life.

Breakfast could be had at the beach head or indoors in the main restaurants.

We ventured in to Kota Kinabulu daily by hotel supplied bus or taxi.

Pearl market, department stores and restaurants by the wharf give you plenty of choices for things to do.

You can get alcohol readily but please remember this is a Muslim country so ladies need to be respectful in their dress outside the resorts as you will draw unwanted attention or looks.

The resort organised our wedding which was at the peninsula on the beach and their wedding planner was excellent and all the staff fully supportive,

Make sure you go on the glass bottom boat to the islands which are only a few kms from the resort and do some snorkelling at the reef ( it's not Phi Phi but it is pretty)

Congratulations!

I am delighted to hear that we helped with making your special day memorable and have gladly passed your kind feedback onto the team.

I trust we will be able to welcome you back again for your 1st Anniversary!

I have just returned from a 6 night stay at the Tanjung Aru resort and Spa on from nights in KL. I can honestly say that the resort is absolutely beautiful set on the south china sea it is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing and romantic break.

When we first arrived our car doors were opened by lobby staff and we were directed to the sofa areas where we were told o sit and wait to be checked from the sofas, we were greated with cold lemongrass water which was lovely, but we had no cold towels like the other guests had been given. This unfortunately was the start of our stay that had made us feel a little like we were being treated differently to other guests.

I had read reviews and researched in depth about our forthcoming stay at Star as i was concerened about the cost of dining within the resort as for us the whole point of going on holiday abroad is also that you hope its cheaper than paying London prices. when i had read about the newly introduced 'dine around' offers brought in in April i was at ease that we could enjoy dining and ordering cocktails at the resort with some discounts. However upon checkout i was presented with a bill for 100% of my purchases and when i asked about the dine around program they told me it had finished on the 21st may and so as i checked in after this date we were not elegible. Fair enough i thought but i was a little disheartened since we had spend quite a bit on resort and i thought the whole reason of introducing the program was because of the comments on here about not being value for money. (I suppose i should have checked at the beginning of our stay, i just assumed it would last longer than a month).

I also enquired about the cost of upgrading to gain access to the Kinabalu Club lounge for our breakfast and inclusive drinks and snacks, i was informed at check in that this would cost an additional 200RM per night, when i questioned why it had gone up from 150RM since i enquired via email 2 weeks prior she insisted that they were last years prices and that it now cost 200RM to upgrade. I decided to decline the offer since i knew we would be out and about. Later during my stay i chatted to another couple who said they had upgraded for 150RM, this made me sad that i had been told a higher price to what other people were being charged and it made me think why are they discriminating us is it because we are a younger couple? we have money to spend too!!

Apart from the above which i felt i needed to mention we had a wonderful magical holiday. My partner even proposed to me under the stars in the wooden chair swing by the coi fish pond! :) We ate at Coco Joes for dinner and snacks and the food was good, we also ate at Shang Palace and i have to admit the food was ok but not the best duck i have tried it was a little tough. We had the dim sum on sunday which is RM45 pp and it was great, so much choice that we accidently ordered too much but they boxed some of it up for us to take back to our room. Breakfast was excellent, as is mentioned below the choice is huge and it costs RM64 per person. We did opt for room service breakfast a few mornings which was a little cheaper at RM52 for american breakfasts, choice of eggs and bacon etc, fruit plate, cereals, yogurts and toasts, as well as hot drinks and juices, it was literally huge and was lovely eating on our balcony.

We went on a few occasions to Blue Note which is a very classy bar, the cocktails there were lovely and i thought that they were reasonably priced at RM22 ish, which is about £4, in london you will easily pay £8 for a cocktail. I was suprised to find that the food and drink at the Rasa Ria (we went for a day to see the orangutans which was an amazing experience) was considerably cheaper than at Tanjung. I ordered 2 cokes by the pool at the Rasa which cost me RM10 inc tax and services but the same drinks at the Tanjung cost me RM23 with tax etc, more than double. I suppose you pay more for the town location as the Rasa Ria felt a little too remote for my liking although an also lovely resort.

We ventured into town a couple of nights and ate at the local restaurants which were very good value for money, 2 courses for about RM100 for the both of us with soft drinks. The taxi ride is very reasonable and only costs RM15 each way and takes about 10 mins.

I cannot comment enough on how lovely every single member of staff was on the resort, despite the awkward price confusions, we were treated with most respect during our stay and the kind people made our holiday a magical experience for us. We will definiately be returning hopefully in the near future.

Congratulations on your engagement!!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for taking the time to provide feedback.

My apologies for the oversight with arrival towels and miscommunication with regards to upgrade prices. The upgrade price depends on what the original booking was, so I will be making sure we conduct additional training in this area.

As to the Dine Around program, we did make the decision to suspend it as we had meantime introduced some alternative food and beverage offers, including happy hours, poolside specials, dim sum lunch etc. We continue to work on developing our pricing based on business and feedback. This includes revisions in conjunction with Rasa Ria.

Many thanks again for posting your message and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

We stayed at this resort for 7 days and did not want to leave! We upgraded to a Club Kinabalu room with use of the Club Kinabalu Lounge and it was definitely worth it. We had a beautiful sea view from our room, across to the islands. The room was excellent, great size, very comfortable bed, just wonderful! The turn down service in the evening whilst we were at dinner was great. The restaurants were excellent, great service and very extensive choice. The pools were great, with plenty of comfortable sunbeds everywhere around the resort. The food at CoCo Joe's was fab!

Everything about this resort is excellent including the service provided by the very friendly and helpful staff and management team who work very hard to make your stay extra special.

Special thanks to Johny and Linda in the Club Lounge. We hope to return very soon!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for your kind comments.

We are delighted you enjoyed your time with us and look forward to welcoming you back soon.

I first stayed at the Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort in Kota Kinabalu back in the 1980s - I was 10 years old and my parents took us there from Hong Kong on a family holiday. I now live in the UK, so the trip to KK constitutes long haul, but when my parents returned there a couple of years ago, they said we had to go again if we get a chance. That chance came in April 2009, when I took the trip with my wife.

Arrival

It was a long trip - we flew Royal Brunei, so with the various stop-overs, transits etc en route, we were travelling for nearly 24 hours. As a consequence, we were shattered by the time we reached the hotel. We had a taxi booked by our tour company (Kuoni) which took 10-15 mins from the airport. Upon arrival, the conscierge escorted us to a sofa, where we sat down just as a receptionist came over and took our details. As the lady processed the booking, we sat listening to live local music, sipping on ice cool lemon grass infused water and dabbing our faces with a cool towel - both of which the conscierge had provided. Check in was an easy pleasure and in no time we were directed to our sea view room in the Kinabalu wing.

The Room

The Kinabalu wing is the original one - where I had stayed 20 years previously. It has aged well and still has a lovely feel to it. Our room was on the 4th floor overlooking the swimming pool and sea. The room was clean and well appointed. There is a luxury bathroom (well, no bath, so 'shower room') with all the usual - shampoo, shower gel, moisturiser, razors etc. Plenty of soft white towels and flannels were provided. The main bedroom was a decent size with very effective air conditioning. The bed is the biggest and most comfortable that I have ever slept on. There is good lighting options, a desk, a refridgerator and a TV. The TV channels provided ample choice through Star TV. Complimentary water arrived each day, and on a couple of days a fruit bowl. There was a large balcony outside with a light and a fan, as well as somewhere to dry clothes/towels etc. Complimentary flip flops and robe were provided, as well as ample cupboard space.

Food

We booked breakfast. This is served as a buffet and is fabulous! Just about anything that you can imagine is available - fresh fruit, omelettes to order, any type of eggs you want, pancakes, waffles, cakes, currys, noodles, fried sausages (chicken), bacon (beef), toast, juice, coffee, tea etc etc etc. It is served inside and outside at Cafe Tatu.

For evening meals, we ate mainly at Coco Joes - a pool bar type restaurant with various food options. If was nice and prices (for someone living in London) were pretty good, given that this is a 5 star resort. We ate at the evening buffet in Cafe Tatu also. Again, there is a vast array of good food cooked fresh at various 'stations'. Drinks are extra. There is also a Chinese restaurant (Shang Palace) and an Italian (Peppinos), but as we didn't go to either, I cannot comment other than to say that Shang Palance looked very nice.

We had drinks at the sunset bar, which was fantastic, sitting watching the sun set over the South China sea whilst sipping Pina Coladas!

We didn't use the Borneo Lounge (where live music is played) or the Blue Note bar.

One thing to note is that the resort operates a 'Dine Around' programme - the more you spend, the larger the discount. This actually makes a big difference when you get to the end. My only complaint was that we had to remind reception of this when we checked out - when we did, they were happy to reduce the bill.

Facilities / Activities

Complimentary internet was available in the business centre, which is a great offering. Connection speed was good and I had no issues with this. There is a well equipped gym, offering treadmills, bikes and weights, as well as jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. We used this several times - to work off some of that breakfast!

There is a nice little pitch and putt course with 9 short holes, and a petanque (boules) area. There are two main swimming pools, each with shallow/deep ends and life guards on duty. There were always plenty of sun beds available and towels are complimentary to guests. Occasionally, the staff pass around with fruit and water. Otherwise, if you don't want to spend too much, the shop in the hotel sells food and drink at very reasonable prices. It is attached to the gift shop which is also pretty well stocked.

In the grounds near the pool and on the water front there are under cover areas used for foot and shoulder massage. This is in addition to the excellent Spa (more later).

There are tennis courts.

Beach Bums is at the far end of the resort and offers a whole host of water sports (jet skis, parasailing, windsurfing, kite surfing) as well as trips to various outlying islands.

Excursions

We took a trip to Sapi Island with Beach Bums. It is only 10-15 mins away, and once there offers excellent snorkelling, as well as a nice beach to relax on. There are also monitor lizards wandering around the beach - some up to 2m long. There are also food/BBQ options I believe, though we didn't do this.

I highly recommend booking onto the bus to the Rasa Ria - another Shangri La resort. The Rasa Ria is more remote than the Tanjung Aru. It has a beautiful (if under-used) beach, and a more 'family' feel over all. The attraction for us was that there is a nature reserve there where you can go and see baby orang utans. They are nurtured here until they are old enough to go to the famous Sepilok reserve, and this is a great opportunity to see them up close, but still in the 'wild'. Beware that the numbers for the trip to the Rasa Ria, and the orang utans viewing, are limited so do book well in advance if you can.

Kota Kinabalu. There is a bus that runs into town, but this is on a first come, first serve basis, and we really couldn't be bothered to risk not getting on - so got a taxi for about £4. The hotel order this for you and give you a card on the way back to show the driver. It's an easy journey (20 mins max). There's lots of shops in town, plus on Sundays there is an excellent market - ask the hotel for details and a map.

The Chi Spa

The spa is relatively new to the hotel and was purpose built on a peninsula a couple of years ago. When we arrived we were given a voucher for a complimentary treatment. I had such a good neck/shoulder massage, in such stunning surroundings, that when I'd one, I immediately booked my wife and I in for the Borneo Therapy the next day. It is not cheap, but it is most excellent and highly recommended.

Weather

This is the tropics, so you have to be prepared for rain. That said, we didn't see a drop. The first day was overcast, but the remaining 7 were blue skies and 30+ degrees. It is humid, but then if it gets too hot - the pool is always inviting!

We had a fabulous 7 nights at the Tanjung Aru and cannot recommend it highly enough. Every single member of staff we came across were friendly, helpful and seemed genuinely concerned with making sure you had a pleasant stay. I will definately try to get back there at some point.

One point - my parents went to KK as a 4 day trip from Hong Kong. If you are planning to go somewhere else in Asia, it is a much easier hop to KK than doing it as a single long haul destination.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for your kind comments.

We are all delighted you enjoyed both your first and more recent stays!!

We hope it will not be so long until your next visit and look forward to welcoming you again.

We were lucky enough to spend four days at this hotel as part of a family holiday to Borneo over Easter. Our daughter has a severe dietary restriction that makes it somewhat difficult for us to find places where she can eat safely. We contacted the hotel ahead of our visit and we had the most fantastic reception (even better that the normal reception that guests receive at the hotel) from the catering manager and Denis Vecchiato, the Executive Chef when we arrived from the airport.

Our dining options were clearly explained to us and we were given instructions to call the head chef at anytime that our daughter wished to eat. As a result our stay at the hotel was better than we could have ever imagined. Our daughter could eat exactly what she wanted and had the chefs at her beck and call. She felt like a princess when Chef Rosario Seminatore made her special pizza at Peppinos ! They even made special bread and muffins for her every day for breakfast.

This fantastic treatment made our stay even more wonderful than it would have been in this outstanding hotel. There was nothing we could fault! The location and the service were exceptional.

We can not praise the hotel enough

It was a pleasure to be able to take care of you and your family while you were with us recently and I am delighted to hear that Chef Denis and his team helped make the holiday memorable for your daughter.

Please do come back and visit us again soon.

After trawling through Trip Advisor for hours before booking our holiday to Borneo we felt we had to write our bit as we found all the reviews so helpful in planning our trip. Our perfect holiday is usually spending a little time inside the hotel grounds but most of it is spent experiencing the culture and the food outside, so if this is your type of holiday we hope this review helps -

Arrival

On arriving at the airport we took a taxi to the Tanjung Aru which was RM20 (£4) and just a 10 minute drive away. We were greeted warmly by the staff when we arrived and were given a cold towel and lemongrass water which was very refreshing!

Room / Service

We were delighted to find that our upgrade had been approved and we were duly shown to our room in the Tanjung Wing which overlooks the gardens and the South China Sea. The room had everything you could wish for and more - absolutely spotless, comfy bed, quiet air con, balcony, tv with a number of english speaking channels.

Top tip - plenty of complementary shower gel/body lotion, also free use of towels for the sunbeds so no need to bring your own.

We were offered the upgrade as described by previous reviewers of breakfast/drinks/nibbles but declined with a view to checking out the prices first. We were glad we did as we ordered our breakfast via room service every morning - prices start at £3 for cereal (try the Bircher museli its gorgeous). The same members of staff delivered our breakfast each morning which was nice as you got to know them and they were always so polite and cheerful - especially when they woke us up and we had to answer the door through bleary eyes!! We also had evening room service a couple of times after day trips and the food and service was fabulous, just as good as if you had eaten in the restaurant.

We have to give a big shout out for the lovely lady that cleaned our room every day - my husband was ill for a couple of days and when she found out she was fantastic bringing us more water and a plate of fresh fruit - sorry can't recall her name but we left her a glowing report.

Eating/drinking

The prices in the resort are quite high (in line with UK) but you don't have to spend a fortune. We took advantage of the saving incentive that they have on a the moment which is saving up to 25% on your final bill providing you spend RM1000 (£200). You can also buy water, beer, sandwiches etc at the resort shop which is cheaper than buying from the mini bar/restaurants. There's also some shops on the road to the resort (10 min walk) where you can buy the same for less.

We ate at Coco Joes a couple of times which was lovely, BBQ style food al fresco, overlooking KK lit up at night, listening to the sea lapping up in front of you and watching the lightening light up the sky - fabulous!

The Sunset Bar is also worth a visit most nights as you can never get enough of the Sabah sunsets, the torch lighting ceremony, oh and the drinks are BoGoF!

We also ate out in KK. BB Cafe at the top end of the town is great value and fabulous food (RM48 / £10 for a 2 course meal incl. beers). The Waterfront is also great for drinks and watching more amazing sunsets - the Irish Bar and the Cock and Bull have good atmospheres and also have live kareoke style music - prices here are more than the top end of town but still less than the hotel.

Trips

We took a few trips into Kota Kinabalu, one was via the hotel shuttle bus which was free and the other was via taxi (RM15 / £3 to the shopping centre or RM20 / £4 if you go to the Look Out Point, the taxi driver will wait for you to take pics as there's nothing else up there and then drop you off again in town).

We also booked our own trips in Kota Kinabalu at the Wisma Sabah Building where there are 100's to choose from. Its a bit mind boggling trying to choose as they all do the same trips but we were given a map by the hotel's Concierge and in one of the adverts Mountain Trails Tours and Travel were giving 10% off so we chose them. We were not disappointed. We did the Kinabalu Park Canopy Walk (amazing) and Poring Hot Springs (an experience not as disappointing as some have reported) (one day RM190 each minus the discount), and the Klias River Trip to see Probiscus Monkies, Water Buffalo and Fireflies - fabulous. Top tip - take insect repellent. (Pm and eve RM190 each minus the discount) - both trips included very friendly English speaking guides, hotel pick-up/drop-off, water and meals.

Top tip - after booking your trips go across the road to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe for a frappe and cheesecake - delicious! Also visit the markets on the Waterfront and buy some of the sugar cane biscuits native to Sabah - they look like big pretzels.

We also took the ferry (found in the hotel grounds) to Sapi Island - amazing fish/snorkling and also even spotted a monitor lizard - my only negative comment is on the conservation of the Islands as more could be done here - litter can be found both in the sea and on the islands and more care should be put in place to protect the marine life and the coral. Most of the coral in the areas where you are allowed to snorkle look to have died, probably through the number of tourists visiting here but also though people standing on and touching the coral - more should be done to educate visitors otherwise in later years there maybe nothing to see here. Still definitely well worth a visit though.

It is also possible to take a trip to the Rasa Ria resort to see the Orang-utans at the Rehabilitation Centre via the hotel Shuttle Bus at a small cost. This centre currently only holds 6 young apes but they are gorgeous and its well worth a visit, once they are older they move onto the Sepilok Centre where they will continue their rehabilitation before being returned to the wild. We spent 2 nights at the Rasa Ria so had the chance to visit the apes a couple times (cost is RM50 each for Rasa Ria hotel residents, I think you have to pay slightly more if you are not a resident and you also need to book). Feeding times are 10am and 2pm for 1 hour on the viewing platform.

Top Tip - Well worth going in the morning and spending the day by the pool (beach/sea is sometimes not an option here due to sandflies and jelly fish) and then seeing the 2pm feeding - don't forget insect repellent, long trousers and sleeves and comfortable shoes as you have a 10 min walk through the jungle to the feeding platform.

Weather

Even though May is classed as low season and is quite humid I would certainly come at this time of year again. We had a couple of mornings where it was overcast but this made it more bearable when visiting KK and going to Kinabalu Park. At night you regularly saw lightening, which was a great sight, but no rain ever appeared.

All in all we had a fabulous time in Borneo, we hope the above has been informative as these were all questions we were looking for answers to before we booked.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for sharing such kind feedback.

We are all thrilled that you enjoyed your time with us and in Borneo.

I trust we will be welcoming you back soon.

We stayed at the Tanjung Aru for ten nights and all I can say is that this hotel was just perfect, we had a Kinabalu club sea view room which was gorgeous and the thing that made our holiday so special were the staff in that club lounge. Wett Bian the club manager was wonderful, every day he made us feel so special along with all his staff who were each so kind, and genuinely warm and caring with a special mention to Linda, Jonathon and Johnny who kept my husband up to date with all the world of sport (especially the footie) on our return to the club lounge each night for a coffee before retiring to bed.

The thing about this hotel was all the little things that make you feel special, every where you went you had a warm smile and a Malay greeting, with the managers, housekeepers and chefs asking if everything was well with your stay. The club lounge is worth every penny, the food incredible, breakfasts calm, relaxed with anything you want from pancakes to poached eggs, afternoon tea is a must with cheesecake and carrot cake and canapés in the evening from all over the world, washed down with Tiger beer or a large G&T!

As a birthday surprise for me, my husband upgraded us for the last five nights to a suite in the Kinabalu wing for a very reasonable rate. Wett arranged the whole thing and whilst I was out Wett and the housekeeper and my husband ran along the corridor moving all our things into the room before I returned. The hotel put a huge chocolate cake and flowers in the room for me, it was just perfect. Wett and Linda were out on the club lounge balcony looking over to see if I was happy, I certainly was, it was incredible I felt like Pretty Woman!!

I have to echo everything that Trevor and Christine and Starafurzina wrote below and would have written the same. Other things to add would be the CHI Spa, I have been lucky to visit spa’s in other hotels but this was something else! Please book something and see for yourselves, the attention to detail was extraordinary. You meet all the staff and then have a short consultation to find your element sign which helps them to focus on what oils to use. You are then shown to a small private villa which smelt wonderful and was spotless, you are left to change into the fluffiest robes I have ever seen and when you are ready they show you into the treatment room and together you have a feet wash, followed by a soak in a huge outdoor bath with rose petals and coconut milk under the stars with the sound of the ocean beside you! We then had a massage which was excellent.

On my birthday the spa also sent a present to my room, a tray with coconut, milk, rose petals for the Jacuzzi and a huge aromatherapy candle, how thoughtful was that!

People have written about the prices to eat in the Hotel but with the ‘Dine around’ service introduced by the manager where the more you eat and drink the bigger the discount and eating at Tanjung is a must. You pay for the quality and service and it is definitely Value for money and the different restaurants cater for different budgets, we ate in them all, we loved Coco Joes as it was relaxed on the waterfront and very romantic. I warn you the portions in the Shang palace are huge, the crispy duck is a crispy duck not like here in a couple of pancakes!! We did also eat out in KK, lots of choice and we felt like you could capture the atmosphere of the locals, we used the lonely planet guide and ate at the Phillipino barbecue one night on the seafront and it was such great fun, huge prawns and tuna with Nazi (rice) for little money.

We took the trip to Sandakan with the Kuoni rep at the hotel and it was more expensive than arranging it yourself but we were really looked after, we went to Sepilok to the Orang Utang reserve and then onto the Kinabatangan river where we were the only ones on the boat and did not see any other boats on the river, just probiscis monkeys and birds and butterflies the size of your hands. The timings were excellent and the rep also took us to a Malay water village and into Sandakan on the way home to show us around as we still had an hour before our flight. Very personal service and well worth the money.

We had originally planned to go to the Rasa Ria but it was full and we visited it for the day. Seeing the baby Orangs and finding about their rehab programme was informative and heart warming. I have to say the Tanjung suited us far better. The Rasa Ria was beautiful but was so busy; the staff said this was because at Tanjung people are out at the other islands, or in KK or on the trips so the hotel has fewer guests in the grounds all at once. The Tanjung felt calmer and more intimate/romantic although everyone we met at Rasa Ria was just as kind so either hotel would be a good choice.

There is so much to tell but such little room, please E mail me if you want any more info this was a holiday of a lifetime and honestly the only time I have ever been tearful at leaving, and this was because of the thought of not seeing these wonderful people again. Thank you to everyone at Shangri la Tanjung.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for your kind comments. I have gladly passed them onto my colleagues, particularly Wett and his team in the Club Lounge.

We are all delighted that you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Firstly, I found reading the reviews on here extremely helpful when deciding where to stay in Borneo so really felt I should come back on and add my piece!

On arrival we were seated in the huge traditional Malay-style open foyer and given some chilled water whilst we were checked in which happened with no wait whatsoever. One of the first things that struck me is that the way the hotel is designed you feel close to nature and your surroundings and looking out you can see beautiful lush tropical plants and orchids and hear the birdsong.

We were asked if we would like to pay to upgrade to the Kinabalu club but we said we would see our room first and if we were happy we probably wouldn't. We were actually more than happy with our seaview room in the Tanjung Wing which was spacious and well-decorated with a huge bathroom and a large and private balcony with a fan. After 3 nights there I wasn't sleeping too well though as we did have some noise from the hotel laundry. For someone who has grown up in a hot climate and is used to air con noise etc. then it may not have bothered them (my husband slept through it!) but I thought I would ask if we could move rooms. Reception were more than helpful and offered us a move to a different room but then we remembered the Kinabalu club deal and decided we would see that room as well.

When we saw the Kinabalu sea view room we were sold, as being on a higher floor you got an absolutely amazing view out to sea. After trying the hotel breakfasts by then we had decided that they were pricey but well worth it as there is so much choice and the quality and variety really is excellent. In the Kinabalu Club breakfast is included and you also get use of the club lounge with free afternoon tea and cakes, free internet, and then drinks and snacks between 5-7pm in the evening. We loved this and it really added to the holiday.

The hotel is well-located for KK town (a short taxi ride away) and also getting to the islands - the jetty is literally at the edge of the hotel grounds and I would really recommend this, esp. to Mamutik where the snorkelling is fabulous. We didn't really use the tiny hotel beach as the islands provide a better overall beach experience. The pools at the STAR are lovely though and nicely divided into a kids one and one which is more peaceful and adulty.

One of the nicest things for me was the hotel grounds which are completely stunning. They are beautifully maintained with lovely trees and bright tropical flowers. The hotel has quite a lively buzz in the main areas but the grounds are big enough that you can find quiet spots if you wish.

As other reviewers have commented, the prices of the hotel bars and restaurants are 5 star hotel prices. I don't think this was particularly a negative for us and we wanted to explore the city anyway and it was definitely easy to get out and do this but worth bearing in mind if you are planning you eat mainly at the hotel.

Drinks at the sunset bar are definitely recommended though, especially when they do the traditional torch-lighting ceremony (around 5.45 daily I think). The sunsets in Borneo really are incredible.

If, like us, you don't plan to spend every waking hour of your holiday in the hotel then it is very easy to organise trips out. We did a day trip to Poring Hot Springs and the Canopy Walkway in the Mount Kinabalu National Park which I'd definitely recommend - the canopy more than the springs though. We also went to Sepilok and then stayed overnight in a lodge on the Kinabatangan river which was brilliant. And one of the best trips was the nearest - visiting the orangutans at Rasa Ria. The hotel has agencies for organising trips but with the newly launched Air Asia you may find organising trips to Sepilok (which involve a flight to Sandakan) easier yourself, as the tours tend to book you flights with Malaysian Airlines whereas Air Asia were half the price for us.

Lastly, I think that one of the my lasting impressions of the resort is the staff who were without exception helpful and friendly and incredibly polite.

Overall it was a wonderful holiday experience and I would whole-heartedly recommend Borneo and this hotel. I only hope we do get to return someday!

Many thanks for spending your honeymoon with us recently and for sharing your feedback.

We are all delighted that you enjoyed your time with us and hope that we will see you again for your anniversary!

I have noted your comment about the sound from the laundry and am looking at how we can do something about this with the team.

Once again, many thanks and our best wishes.

We have stayed in many resorts all over the world including Mexico, Maldives, the South Pacific, Northern Australia, Indonisia and Thailand and this really is the be the best of the best. We met travellers in Samoa a few years ago who said that the best holiday they ever had was in Borneo,... at this resort , we put that in the back of our minds and after other scheduled holidays we decided this year to see if they were right ........and yes they were spot on!!! The destination, ambience and feel of this resort is just unbelievable.

The resort

Is situated about 10 minutes from the airport and the township of Kota Kinabula and is set in acres of beautiful tranquil gardens on the sea edge. The rooms are spacious and very contemporary in the Kinabalu wing. We have been advised that the Tanjung wing rooms are larger and will definitely try them when we stay next time. Our room was very comfortable with a fantastic balcony view of the sea. The room had some lovely extras like fresh fruit supplied daily and a wonderful night light in the bathroom so you can find your way in the middle of the night. There are plenty of pool loungers and we never had a problem finding somewhere to sit. We even had our own special place which funnily enough no one else seemed to sit in - close to Coco Joes (the out door restaurant) the pool and the beach. The shops also were very handy as were the tour organisers.

The Food and Drink

Well, what can we say - we did not leave the resort for the first 7 days ( we stayed 13 days) as everything we needed was available. The food was exceptional - we ate in every restaurant at least twice.

Starting with breakfast in Cafe Tutu - this was excellent, we had omeletes, fried eggs, poached eggs and on the healthy days cereal and fruit - wonderful. We are not buffet eating fans but did partake one evening and the meal was great, plenty of seafood and anything else you could think of.

A couple of days we had lunch - Coco Joes hamburgers are fantastic - we challenge anyone to eat one themselves! The meat is just so fresh and real meat at that! We have had experiences of sauage meat being promoted as a beef burger and can attest that the Tanjung Aru beef burger is what it is.

The Chang Palace The resorts Chinese & seafood restaurant- wow !! Try the duck a la orange - we went back just to have this again it was amazing, so were the prawns - just awesome.

Peppinos, the Italian restaurant - well what can we say - just more amazing food and Rosario the chef coming out to make sure that everything was okay was just wonderful .

Room service - yes there was one night that we felt like staying in and can we say ,what a magnificent meal it was; soup, ceaser salad (with prawns) steak and pizza and we could not finish it - just wonderful.

Borneo Lounge - must admit we spent a bit of time in this area in the evenings and even had meals there - the calamari is to die for as are the chicken wings. (Thanks Reza!!!)

Sunset Bar

WOW! To go to a humid country and be able to sit in a great bar overlooking the ocean watching the most amazing sunsets with the most welcome breeze is blissful! We can't think of anywhere else in the world we have been with similar climates where the breeze is so prevelant - just gorgeous!

Blue Note

We are not the average age of habitants of nightclubs but decided one night to check it out - Belinda who greeted us was wonderful and on the second occassion that we went she remembered us and gave a lovely greeting. It is a great settting and the staff were all wonderful. The music wasn't too loud and we even recognised a couple of the tunes!

The Staff

Just amazing - everyone was just so friendly and accommodating - we did not experience one rude member of staff and have to particulary mention, Reza, Timothy, Charlie, Zu, Joe, Joseph, Belinda, Katrina and the lovely ladies who tended to our room - you are all absolutely gems!

The Management

We always refer to Trip Advisor before we book any accomodation and were very impressed that the management respond to comments about this resort - whether they be good or bad.

We actually had the pleasure of meeting Phil Dewar ( the Resident Manager....who is the responder to comments on this site) and can confirm that Phil does exist!!! We were so impressed by his attentiveness to guests - he can be observed walking around the resort talking to everyone whilst they are sunbathing or drinking in the bar and attending to any queries that guests may have - isn't that just great? Other hoteliers should take note of this!!!!! Just a lovely guy and we thank him and Andrew the GM for making us feel so welcome- thanks guys!!!

Surroundings

We decided to go into Kota Kinabalu one morning and arrived about 10.30 am - not much opens before 11 00 - 12.00 so go a bit later.

The Wildlife Park is a must - you will guarantee seeing at least one Orang Utan - we saw 4 one being a lovely little baby who was just finding his feet - jut amazing! This venue is only around half an hour's travel from the resort.

The head hunters village was also very interesting - Rose was a wonderful guide and we really enjoyed our couple of hours there - just remember to cover yourselves in insect repellant as it is very close to the river.

Rasa Ria - we decided to spend a day at the Shangri-La's sister hotel and to see the Orang Utan's there - just wonderful and Timothy the GM is a real gentleman - thank you! Will definitely be back!!

Cost

We have read other reviews and have noticed some concern of the prices.......We felt that the price of food and drinks were very reasonable, particulary as management have now introduced a program which gives a discount on food & beverage within the resort...check out the two for one drinks at the Sunset bar for happy hour (which goes for around three hours).

Summary

We met some amazing people on this trip - one couple have spent every year here since 1988 - isn't that just great ?........and that just about sums up this resort. There has only been 2 instances where we have actually wanted to stay longer on our holidays and this is one of them - we will most certainly be back and have let our travel agent know that THIS is the place to stay - we would most certainly recommend to everyone that this is the place to go.

Warm greetings from all of us at Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa!

Many thanks for staying with us and for your very kind and extensive feedback which I have gladly shared with the team. We are all delighted that we have delighted you!

It was a pleasure to meet you while you were here and please do let me know whenever you are able to return. We will ensure a warm welcome "home".

We loved staying at this Hotel. Although we were booked into a fairly standard room, we decided to upgrade and stayed in The Sepilok Suite. It was beautiful. The Suite has a luxurious bathroom, which included a very deep jacuzzi bath (and equally deep Shangri-la towels!) and complimentary L'Occitane products (maybe it would have been more appropriate to have traditional Asian products?). The bedroom area was well laid out with views over the sundeck & water feature. The bed was huge & comfortable with lovely linen and again very comfortable pillows, which I think are crucial to a great night's sleep. There was a dining area, lounge area & separate 'powder room'. The fridge was re-stocked each morning & evening with bottled water and the room was kept exceptionally clean & tidy by housekeeping (Veronica was very good). One really nice extra touch was being able to choose from a selection of 4 aromatherapy oils to have in the oil burner each evening. It was lovely going back to the room after dinner to find the bed turned down and a really pleasant aroma wafting through the Suite. Mosquito repellent tabs were also provided for inside and outside the Suite.

The verandah was really large with sun loungers, table & chairs (& a separate dining table & chairs) and they had rubber feet on them, so no noisy dragging around of furniture which you so often get at other hotels. We had stunning floral arrangements in the Suite and fresh fruit replenished frequently.

The hotel was very busy for the first few days of our stay, and it's very popular with families with small children. A slight disappointment was that there wasn't a separate 'adults only' swimming pool, which meant that it wasn't at all relaxing around the pool area. Although the pools can get quite deep this doesn't deter a lot of kids. There is a large separate garden area, with lots of sun beds, where you can escape the kids, but it doesn't have a pool and it's not on the beach. The pools did stay open until about 8pm, and it was fantastic being in the water in the evening (with one or two other guests!).

The beach area is man made and quite small, but it's still very attractive.

Every day there are various activities happening around the hotel. These range from exercises in the pool to 'behind the scenes' tours of the hotel. There are also complimentary yoga sessions, which I can highly recommend. What could be better than having a yoga session in a very peaceful room (at The Chi Spa) over-looking the South China Sea. Miss Cheng was a very good teacher and I feel quite motivated to continue with the yoga.

The Chi Spa is so beautiful. I had been to a Chi Spa before, in Oman, so I knew they offered a fantastic experience. The treatments are not cheap, but they are very special. I was slightly miffed because they were offering complimentary facials with certain spa treatments, but I didn't realise they were at restricted times. I felt that I should have been informed of this when I made my booking and also when I had my appointment. Unfortunately by the time I realised about the complimentary facial there wasn't an opportunity for me to take it. (I think the appointment times are 10am Mon - Thurs. I went in to the Spa at 11am on a Tues to see if I could get an appointment but unfortunately not. The strange thing was that the Spa wasn't that busy so I felt they could have been a bit flexible and offered me another time).

The Cafe Tatu is a large, buffet style restaurant. When the hotel was busy it felt like a bit of a scrum at times, especially breakfast. However, the food was fantastic with the most amazing selections. The evening buffets were superb. My mouth is still watering at the thought of the Mongolian buffet, but I think my favourite was the dhal curry & rotis for breakfast. Absolutely delicious.

There's a smart Italian restaurant (Peppino) which we sampled once. The food was special as was the service and decor. We also tried the Shang Palace Chinese restaurant, but didn't particularly enjoy it. It was so typical of a Chinese restaurant in that the lighting was too bright and it didn't really have any atmosphere.

There is also a poolside restaurant called Coco-Joe's which has a good selection of light & main meals. We could definitely recommend the satay.

(Incidentally, if you don't want to go out, try room service. There's a good selection of food on offer and although not traditional Asian food, the cheese-burgers were really delicious!).

One of the advantages of upgrading our room was that we became entitled to use the 'Club Room' in the Kinabalu Wing. They serve a la carte breakfast there which was very civilised, but without the huge selection, understandably, at Cafe Tatu. You can have afternoon tea between 2pm and 4pm and from 5pm to 7pm you can have alcoholic drinks with a lovely selection of hot and cold appetizers. All the staff there are extra special (Johnny & Linda were especially lovely). The Club Room is also a great place to watch the sun set. There are also 2 PCs with free internet access.

We did some scuba diving while in Borneo, which we hadn't pre-booked. We arranged this through a company called Dive Down Below, who are based in downtown KK. I emailed Joanne at DDB and she arranged everything for us. We were collected & returned from/to our hotel and everything went really smoothly. DDB are professional, yet very relaxed and well organised. It felt quite luxurious as we didn't even have to put our own kit together. All the dive guides were great & very calm. I would definitely recommend DDB for experienced and novice divers.

All in all we had a fantastic time in Borneo. The staff are so helpful and welcoming and I felt quite sad to leave. If we were planning to stay there again I think we'd check on what the local public holidays are as it made a lot of difference when there were fewer little children.

Thankyou for staying with us and for taking the time to write such extensive and complimentary comments. I have gladly passed them onto the team here, particularly Johnny and Linda at the Kinabalu Club Lounge.

I note your feedback on how the the spa offerings could be improved and will be addressing this immediately, however I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed the complimentary yoga classes.

We are studying the addition of an "adult-centric" swimming pool and expect we will be finalising it towards the end of this year, so please do let us know when you are coming back and we will keep you updated on progress with this project.

Thanks again for your feedback and I look forward to welcoming you back soon.

We had a fantastic time at the Tanjung Aru and very much enjoyed our stay. The only downside was the Jelly fish. Although there is a sign warning about Jelly fish this sign was some way out to sea and to one side of the bay. We did not see this sign until after my daughter was stung on our very first night there!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and sharing your feedback.

While I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay, I do hope your daughter has recovered from her encounter with a jellyfish, which unforunately are present at some times during the year. We do provide signage at four places (at our towel counter, on the beach shower, and at the left and right hand sides of the beach) as well as a comprehensive netting system at our private bay. This limits the number of incidents greatly, but some do inevitably get through.

I do hope that we will have the pleasure of welcoming you back soon.

We stayed for 9 nights at Tanjung Aru in early May. We really enjoyed it and had a fantastic time. Its a beautiful location overlooking the islands that make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. We got a free upgrade to a Tanjung Aru room which was the wing we had hoped to stay in - preferring it to the higher-rise Kinabalu wing. Our room overlooked the Pitch & Put course and South China sea and was a good size. We were offered an upgrade to the Kinabalu club for 150 ringgits per day, but declined and intended to maybe give it a try later in the holiday but in the end didn't feel the need to as there were so many great places & restaurants to go to, we didn't want to be tied to the hotel so much.

As other reviewers have said - food & drink is very expensive at Tanjung Aru - bizarrely it was nearly twice the price of the Rasa Ria despite being the same chain which we found odd. Although having said that the staff and service is fantastic at Tanjung Aru, whereas when we ordered some food & drinks at Rasa Ria. We waited 30 mins and still nothing had turned up so we had to cancel our order as we were catching the shuttle bus back to TA.

We did an independent trip to Sepilok Orangutan sanctuary - pre-booked Air Asia flights for £25 return each and got a Taxi from the airport (35 RM each way & 20 RM for the Taxi driver to wait). Buy a coupon from the taxi counter at the airport on arrival, and negotitate with the taxi driver for him to stay and take you back. Much cheaper than £200 per person if we'd booked it directly with Kuoni. If we'd paid that much then we would have been disappointed with Sepilok. It does give the opportunity to see Orangutans in the wild but is fairly limited. We also saw the Orangutans at the Rasa Ria resort and you do tend to see them for much longer although they are younger and less wild than at Sepilok but the price is much cheaper than a Sepilok tour.

There's plenty of bars & restaurants in Kota on the Waterfront, although this is the more touristy area but locals do also eat there in certain places. We really liked Oregano cafe which is next to the Seafood restaurant and has really friendly staff with good value food. My wife particularly liked the Tiger Prawns from there. We also ate at Kohinoor there which does some great curries.

If you are looking for authentic Chinese food then highly recommended is the Moon & Bell Northern Chinese restaurant (as recommended by Down Below diving) where we had lots of courses and drinks for less than 90RM. The owner Karen is really friendly and will recommend food for you - Brinjal was a particular highlight. Its round the corner from the Little Italy restaurant.

Closer to the hotel there's the First Beach cafe at Tanjung Aru beach which has fantastic views and good for breakfast/lunch or evening drinks. We also ate at the Mediterranean restaurant nearby which does great food, and also Pizza for about £5 if you fancy a change from all the rice & noodles!

We also took a trip over to Mamutik island via the Beach Bums boat ride. Beautiful island altho a fair bit of rubbish on the beach. I even saw a nappy floating in the sea which was disgusting. There's fantastic snorkelling round the South west side over a coral garden, if you take the small path up and round at the south end of the beach. Highly recommended.

All in all a great trip. It only rained for about 2 minutes on our whole trip although we did see/hear thunder & lightning occasionally. Saw some amazing sunsets too, and the people were really lovely.

Greetings from Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa.

We are all delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us recently. I note your comment about the pricing relative to our sister property, Rasa Ria and will be investigating and taking action on it.

We look forward to welcoming you back again soon.

A lovely hotel, with a brilliant position and super facilities. We stayed in both wings and I would recommend upgrading to the Mount Kinabalu wing for the view out to the islands. Very friendly and helpful staff. Nice touches like iced water and fruit by the pools. We tried 2 of the restaurants very good food but drinks very expensive especially the alcohol.

The sunset bar was nice and quiet once the torchlighting ceremony was over! Lots of activities if you wanted them.

Close to airport and town center.

Taxi rides from hotel to anywhere in KK only 15 ringitts

Many thanks for staying with us recently and for your kind comments.

We are all delighted that you enjoyed your stay and trust that we will have the pleasure of welcoming you back again soon.

My wife and I stayed at the Shangri-La for 14 nights in April. On arrival we were offered an upgrade to Kinabalu Club which we accepted. Although a little expensive it really made the holiday. Magnificent views (islands, sunsets etc) from our room on the 6th floor and leisurely breakfasts in the lounge in the morning with views over the South China Sea. The staff were so friendly and helpful and always smiling. This really did add so much to the holiday, many thanks.

We had dinner at the restaurants down the road at Tanjung Aru beach (10 minute walk) and restaurants in KK. Don’t be put off by the barn like appearance of the Seafood Restaurant at Tanjung Aru Beach, the food is excellent. We had a particularly nice meal and good value in KK at the Sri Melaka Restaurant 9 Jalan Laiman Diki.

We visited the sister hotel, Rasa Ria to visit the Orangutan Sanctuary. Well worth a visit and although we didn’t visit the Sanctuary at Sepilok, on talking to people who visited both, the Rasa Ria is more interesting and better value.

We also visited Manukan Island for a day to do some snorkelling. Again a most enjoyable day

Just one suggestion for improvement: I feel that a hotel of this quality should have an ATM machine within the hotel. The nearest ones are in KK or at the airport.

Overall an excellent holiday and we are going to make every effort to return.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for taking the time to write such kind comments.

I note and will look into your good suggestion of an onsite ATM machine.

We are delighted you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you back soon.

What can I say except WOW! We have just come back after a 12 day stay at the Tanjung Aru and we can honestly say that we had a fantastic stay. Our start was a little wobbly as I was ill on arriving at the hotel, and the staff were so helpful in making sure that I was checked in immediately and we were also given a free upgrade. As we had arrived at 8pm we couldn’t see the sea view but in the morning we were greeted by a blazing hot sun and beautiful blue south china sea.

We stayed in the Tanjung Aru wing which I understand isnt the new wing, but as it is so well maintained we wouldn’t have been able to tell. The room was really spacious with a huge comfortable bed. The cleaning staff did an excellent job. From my experience I would say that the Tanjung Aru wing was quieter than Kinabalu wing.

Café Tatu does an amazing buffet dinner – the only buffet dinner we have had where we have really enjoyed the food, however this was marred by the price – approx £30pp which for buffet was a lot. We did have buffet breakfast and again the food was excellent but expensive. We found that it was cheaper to have room service (which we did for breakfast) because you get so much food that you can keep some of it for the late afternoon.

Coco Joes had a really good evening bbq menu but as a vegetarian I did find it limited.

Along the front of the Tanjung Aru wing they have 2 seater swings where you can sit and watch the most amazing sunsets – truly romantic.

If you continue along this path you will come to a gate that gives you access to the public beach. This beach is so much bigger than the hotel beach, although as its a public beach it isnt maintained as much as the hotel beach. Its amazing when the tide goes out.

If you book at the health spa, you and your partner can have a full body massage by the south china sea – only downfall is that the path is right in front of the massage beds which can be distracting if there are loads of people walking by.

The beach is small but perfect and only a stones throw away from the pools. The loungers were set out in a way so that you could get away from screaming kids.

Dont be put off by the weather forecasts before arriving in Kota Kinabalu - before departing the UK we were looking at the weather forecasts and were expecting tropical rainfalls in the afternoon etc – we didn’t have a drop of rain!!

We took a shuttle to the Rasa Ria and found that we could book our places at reception – it was 20 RMpp one way. If you are planning to visit the Orang-utan sanctuary then they can call ahead and book a place for you – its 65RMpp. To book your return, go to the reception at Rasa Ria and again it was 20 RMpp.

Ordering taxis to get into town was so easy – the guys at the entrance would call one and give you a card with the taxi driver number. It was 15RM one way.

The location of the hotel was ideal for us and we are so glad we changed our booking from the Rasa Ria to Tanjung Aru - we enjoyed being able to get into town and not being restricted to the hotel.

Eating places at the waterfront were plentiful – I recommend Aeshas corner – so cheap and fulfilling, Kohinoors and Little Italy. Bar SU was a strange place – really trendy club but the food was awful. One tip – you can sit in the Irish bar and order food from Kohinoor or Aeshas corners.

We used Borneo trails to book our excursions – not sure if we got real value for money here – check out the in house tour agent or walk along the front of the hotel to Beach bums – they have a number of tours that you can book through them.

We did do a trip to Sepilok Sanctuary as a day trip – feeding time is at 10am and 2pm and they don’t really hang around much. So if you do a day trip then make sure that its packed with other stuff otherwise you will have a long day just hanging around in the heat. We went to see the probisicous monkeys and had lunch at the Nipah Lodge. Lunch was really good and this sanctuary is in the middle of a palm tree plantation. Very peaceful. In some ways we preferred this place to Sepilok. Would recommend going to Rasa Ria first before booking Sepilok as a day trip. Nature trails at Rasa Ria looked good but they were a 7.30am start.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and have come back refreshed and relaxed.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for giving us your kind feedback.

We are delighted you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

We arrived at the hotel around midnight and were greeted by friendly staff, the lobby/enterance was beautiful! Our room was spacious and very clean. During the day we didnt really want to go out that much because the hotel was so nice, so we just sat by the pool ordering drinks & food. The prices were reasonable and the food was great. We had dinner at Coco-Joes which is just oppisite the pool, the service was very good and the scenery of the ocean was spectacular. There was a wide range of activities avaiable we participated in floral decorating and the pitch & putt golf tournament. The staff were VERY polite and helpful. It was sad when our holiday came to an end.

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for taking the time to write such kind comments.

We are delighted you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to welcoming you and your family back soon.

My husband and I spent a long weekend at this resort. Everything was perfect - from the service, to the food, to the beautiful view. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would recommend this hotel to everyone. Be sure to use Wildlife Expeditions as your tour agent. We had a fantastic day trip to Mt. Kinabalu and Poring Hot Spring with our guide Kennedy.

We'll be back soon!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for taking the time to share your kind feeback.

We are all thrilled that you enjoyed your stay with us and we trust that we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

In one word this resort was 'AMAZING!'. Firstly, it was so conveniently located about 10mins from the city and airport. Although close to the city it felt like you were far away from everything. On arrival we were seated and had to wait for about 15mins before we were spoken to and advised that our room would be ready in about 1hr (this was the only downfall of our stay and not one to fuss over!!). When we did check into our room it was everything that I had expected. Large room with balcony and a huge, clean bathroom. The rooms were always cleaned within a reasonable time and in the evenings they had a turn down service which refreshed the room.

The buffet breakfast in Tatu Cafe was fabulous. Both my partner and I agreed it was the best buffet breakfast we had ever had. They had a huge variety of hot foods, both local and western with a fantastic selection of sweets including fresh waffles and ice-cream! The service was also very good.

The resort facilities were also great. We spent most of our time by the pool and each day they had a cocktail special which was a jug for around 40 ringitt (AUS$17)...very cheap! Food and drinks at the resort were what you would expect ranging from 30-80ringitt (AUS$14-$35) but if you want cheap food then you go into the city which is only a 15 ringitt taxi fare (AUS$6 each way).

Overall this Resort was fantastic. We actually changed from one of the other hotels a few weeks prior to leaving which was the Nexus as that had received poor reviews. I'm glad I made the change as we did see that hotel on our travels and other than its location with a great beach, the hotel Nexus looked very tired. The Shangri-La Tanjung didn't have ideal beaches, however a 10minute boat ride takes you to the Islands for crystal blue waters and perfect for snorkelling.

This resort is perfect for families or romantic holidays and I would definitely stay here again!

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for sharing your feedback.

We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and we trust that we will have the pleasure of welcoming you back soon.

My apologies for the delay in your check in. I would be appreciative of further information so that I can investigate fully. I believe the issue may be related to our proximity to the airport and a number of incoming flights at or around 11.00am. This presents challenges with many guests arriving at once and well before our 2.00pm check in time. While we always do our very best to accommodate early arrivals and room requests, we occasionally cannot due to occupancy and logistic reasons.

Once again, thank you very much for your comments.

From the constantly friendly and helpful staff to the great balconies and breathtaking views this hotel will not disappoint. Civilised touches such as free internet in the rooms and highly effective mosquito coils (we were not bitten once in ten days on Borneo) add to the comfort.

The swimming pools are well designed for all types, the kiddies pool has a sun awning across and great shade to sit nearby. Plenty of loungers even though people are selfish and reserve them with towels. Was a little concerned that the nearby stilt village probably uses the local sea as a latrine, it is very close to the hotel. Kept out of the sea pretty much.

The hotel offers a Chinese restaurant (which was never busy), an Italian (which seemed a little pricey), a buffet (where I overate) and the seaside.poolside Coco Joe's which serves simple but tasty snacky meals. In KK there are endless fresh fish restaurants but not much else. At the end of the road to the hotel are a couple of restaurants within walking distance, otherwise it's a taxi ride. Tourists pay 15 ringgits to and from town and 20 to and from the airport. You can insist on a metered ride in some cabs but why worry, 15 isn't much.

Hotel watersports seemed reasonably popular. Trips to the nearby islands were available. Hired a car through the hotel (excellent service) and explored, no problems, 540 ringgits for three days unlimited mileage. Some maniacs on the road but generally OK. Mount Kinabalu park and Poring Hot Springs (Boring Hot Springs) not that wonderful. Hired a boat on the river at the Proboscis river lodge to see proboscis monkeys - wonderful. Flew to Sandakan to visit the Sepilok Orangutang Sanctury. Arrived at 11 and was told that there was nothing to see until feeding at 3pm. In fact you can walk around the park and see some wildlife. Saw two O/tangs, one with a baby, made the trip worthwhile. People next to us had visited the previous day and none came to feed at all.

Overall on our trip to Borneo

Malaysian Airlines food - pants

Tanjung Aru resort - wonderful

Malaysian people - best anywhere

Borneo food - uninspiring

Tourist attractions - so so

Scenery - great

Wildlife - great when you find some

Thankyou for staying with us recently and for sharing your feedback.

We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us and we trust that we will have the pleasure of welcoming you back soon.

My wife and I stayed here for a total of 4 nights in December 2008, either side of climbing Mt Kinabalu. This was towards the end of a 3 month world trip, primarily staying in hostels, so we thought we would splurge here! So glad we did, it is a fabulous hotel, and a couple of days of luxury R&R was incredibly welcome after the hard work of trekking up a near 4,100m mountain!

Having stayed in a few fantastic luxury Asian resort style hotels in recent years, our expectations were high, and I am glad to say they were met in every way!

We stayed in a deluxe seaview room in the Tanjung room - the room was very large, beautifully furnished and very well appointed. The views from the terrace, across the putting green, out to sea were great for watching the sunset from.

Even just in our couple of days there, we slipped into a lovely routine of rising late, enjoying a buffet breakfast, lounging by the pool until it was time to go in and shower, then having a couple of cocktails in the bar before dinner in Cafe Tatu. On the occassions we weren't too full after dinner, another cocktail or two after dinner always went down well!

The buffet breakfast was vast, with the huge amount of choice which you come to expect from these types of hotel. It was always very busy, but the wait staff were always most efficient in showing to a table and brining over some coffee. The food was always kept fresh and replenished, and was of a very high standard. The only thing I could quite get used was, being a Muslim country, the bacon was beef bacon, and the sausages were chicken sausages. But then there were so many other delicious items to chose from, I simply didn't worry!

Come dinner time, we only ever ate in Cafe Tatu (where breakfast is served), a couple of times opting for the buffet, and a couple of times ordering a la carte. The buffet again is vast, and there are a couple of interactive cooking stations for stir-fries, pasta etc. The options vary night by night, and was always very high quality. This does mean that I succumbed to the temptation of overeating, but it was so nice. It was c.RM300 for the buffet, 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine. Most people seem to opt for the buffet night after night, but for a lighter (and cheaper!) option on a couple of nights we went for a la carte, and again the food was excellent - 2 mains and 2 soft drinks were RM115.

The service was excellent throughout the whole resort, the staff couldn't do enough for us from the moment they presented our welcome drinks and cold towels on arrival - exceptionally welcome after coming straight off the mountain!

The resort is a beautifully relaxing place - we had a brilliant stay and just wish we could have stayed longer!