Gayana Marine Resort

My stay at Gayana Marine Resort was marked by significant disappointment, particularly due to the management's lack of responsiveness to an environmental issue we encountered. While the resort promotes itself as an eco-conscious destination with a strong commitment to marine conservation, our experience told a different story. Initially, the stay was satisfactory, aside from minor debris in the waters. However, one morning we woke to find plastic and debris surrounding our villa and the resort. Despite reporting this to the staff and being assured the problem would be addressed, very little was done throughout the day. The cleanup efforts were minimal, and no action was taken near the pool villas, where we were staying. Even after raising the issue with management, the problem persisted, and the debris only lessened when the tide receded— not thanks to any effort by the resort. The manager claims that the staff did try to solve the problem. Yes for 10-15 minutes. 10-15 minutes!! This is how much the resort cares for the environment. We never blamed the resort for the plastic and other debris coming from the sea, but we had an expectation that they would do something about it. Nothing! More troubling is that this seems to be a recurring issue, based on previous guest reviews. Despite this, the management has made no effort to inform guests or take proactive steps. One would expect a resort that prides itself on environmental responsibility to be transparent and take swift action. Instead, what we encountered was negligence, with little concern for the impact this had on our experience and the wildlife of the sea. The final straw was when we departed. The resort arranged a private boat for us, even though a regular ferry was available. When we questioned why we couldn’t use the ferry, we were told it was because we had "ordered" a private boat. The ferry was running empty - to collect employees in Kota Kinabalu - alongside our expensive “private boat”. This “private boat “ is by the way owned by the resort - according the driver. This unnecessary arrangement emphasized what became increasingly clear during our stay: the resort seems more focused on maximizing profits than protecting the environment or ensuring guest satisfaction. In conclusion, Gayana Marine Resort’s poor handling of environmental issues and the clear prioritization of economic gain over eco-friendly practices left us disheartened. Finally you will now see the manager (Karl Sims) commenting my rewiew in a negative way, trying to blame me. Do yourself the favour of reading his comments to the people giving just ONE STAR! I think these answers tell all you need to know about the management of the resort! STAY AWAY.

WARNING: read all bad feedbacks on this resort before you book! Our stay at Gayana Marine Resort was unfortunately marred by several disappointments, largely due to the management's lack of action and responsiveness. While the resort promotes itself as an eco-conscious destination with a strong commitment to marine conservation, our experience told a different story. One morning, we woke up to find plastic and debris surrounding our villa and the resort's waters. Despite multiple reports to the staff throughout the day, very little was done to address the issue. The minimal cleanup efforts were limited to a brief attempt near the reception area, leaving the waters near the pool villas completely neglected. As a result, we were unable to swim for the entire day, which severely impacted our experience, given that swimming and enjoying the ocean were key reasons for our stay. More troubling is that this seems to be a recurring issue, based on previous guest reviews. Despite this, the management has made no effort to inform guests or take proactive steps. One would expect a resort that prides itself on environmental responsibility to be transparent and take swift action. Instead, what we encountered was negligence, with little concern for the impact this had on our experience. To make matters worse, after raising our concerns with Karl Sims (manager), I received no response after leaving the resort. I did send him documentation for the lack of solving the problem. This lack of follow-up seems to be a recurring problem based on other guest reviews, further emphasizing management’s disregard for guest feedback. While I appreciate that ocean debris may not originate from the resort, the complete lack of adequate response from management during our stay, coupled with their refusal to offer compensation or proper solutions, left us with a very negative impression of what is meant to be an eco-conscious resort. Only thing that matters is profit! The resorts solution to the plastic contamination, is waiting for the tide to remove plastic and other debris. Additionally, the transportation arrangement was needlessly costly. The resort insisted we take a private boat, despite a regular ferry being available, which felt like another example of the resort prioritizing profits over guest convenience and environmental impact. Cost for the boat MYR 305,-. We were sailing alongside the normal ferry. Additionally they advised us to take a prearranged taxi from the harbour to the airport. Price 170 MYR. At the airport we realised that a taxi via Grab would be 10-15 MYR. A price of a least 1/10 of what we paid. In summary, Gayana Marine Resort’s failure to address environmental issues and their lack of communication left us deeply disappointed. The inability to swim for an entire day, coupled with poor management response, detracted from what should have been a relaxing and eco-friendly vacation. Being part of a big charter company, I stay on hotels for more than 100 days every year. The stay at Gayana Marine Resort will be rated among the 10 worst experiences ever.

Beautiful resort! The wooden reception and restaurant buildings are very nice; the pool is wonderful - overlooking the sea. We had a Breeze family villa on the water. It was beautiful, spacious and elegantly decorated, with all the amenities one could need. The staff at the restaurant, as well as at the dive center and the reception, are very friendly and welcoming. They do everything they can to make you feel at home. Prior to our stay, we read about garbage washing up on the island, due to the proximity of Gayana to the city of Kota Kinabalu. There is some of that, but the staff try to clean this up promptly. We didn't feel it was very present. A nice extra that this resort offers is that you can borrow snorkel gear, as well as kayaks and paddle boards for free. The food at the restaurant is good; the breakfast especially is excellent! Try the fresh, warm berry bread or the crispy coconut french toast.

This resort is so beautiful and has so much potential. The staff are so friendly and attentive and the rooms are divine! If you don’t look down then you will truly feel like you’re in paradise. If you look down you will see a sea full of rubbish. The island unfortunately sits only 20th it’s away from Kota Kinabalu and on the east side of a floating village. Every day piles of rubbish comes in with the current. The staff clean up the bay every day but it’s a massive problem. The resort is trying to minimize their plastic use and do have great info for guests to follow but the pollution really lets this place down. I probably wouldn’t come back based on the rubbish. The restaurant is amazing and they catered anything to be vegetarian for me. The food and drinks aren’t too expensive but definitely not a cheap restaurant. The pool is lovely and has a wicked view. The spa is pretty expensive too but a nice thing to do obviously :) The complimentary hiking activity was fun- take mossie repellent and allow 45minutes up. The dive tour was better than I expected and we saw some pretty healthy coral considering! The other islands are nearby and easy to get too but again full of rubbish and many tourists flapping around in high numbers. We did a guided kayak tour as well which was nice but later found out you could do it for free without a guide haha The services and amenities were fantastic. That bed Omg.

My experience at this resort was the worst experience I ever had. Upon arrival as we walked towards our cabin, the first thing you notice is a foul smell coming from the water. Our second day when we went to swim we encountered a fair amount of garbage in the water, things from old Shampoo bottles to used shaving kits, napkins etc. Their only entertainment room was closed and their excuse to this was "maintenance" but there was nobody in the room performing maintenance duties, therr was no "spa" services, all you had was water and kayaking. However this was the least of it, during our checkout process, they charged my boyfriend for a "docking" fee because we booked scuba diving with a different company and not them. We were NEVER made aware of this Docking fee, our boat didn't even park at the dock they just picked us up and dropped us off. We were also never aware of their scuba diving services because THEY DON'T ADVERTISE IT ON GOOGLE. Their argument for this fee was "because they didn't know we booked with a different company", so what? Can't we come and go as we please? Why do we have to pay you in order to leave the resort? People are going to want to leave at some point during the stay because they don't have a variety of activities for their guests. We had the unpleasant chance to speak to Mr. KARL SIMS who is the resort manager and he had to be the RUDEST business manager we ever encountered. From the beginning as we were trying to explain to him the situation from our end, he kept interrupting and dominating the conversation by raising his voice which portrays some seriously poor customer service skills as well as a Lack of manners towards customers. DO NOT VISIT this resort.