Gayana Marine Resort

My wife and I came here for our honeymoon and stayed in the palm villa. Was the best get away I’ve had, the staff were incredibly kind and the level of service is unmatched! We also want to recognize Tina and Siti at the spa for an amazing experience! For anyone complaining about garbage in the water and leaving a bad review, get a grip. This is a marine research centre focused on preserving the giant clam species, they are not dumping garbage in the water, it’s a bay and is coming from other islands. The garbage comes in faster than they take can get rid of it. Every morning the team goes out and cleans up and keeps it under control the best they can. Thank you so much Gayana for a wonderful honeymoon, we will definitely be back!

Brilliant stay, despite the recent poor reviews we only experienced excellent service & minimal debris in the water. We nearly didn't book due to the reviews & photo's of rubbish but found a great offer through Lux Escapes. Very happy we did. We had an excellent 4 nights before we started our main Borneo tour. We saw minimal plastics in the resort water & sadly there is massive issue with plastics through out the oceans. Tides & currents dictate levels of pollution. We saw plastics on every beach & river in Borneo. Gayana Marine resort was actually one of the cleanest. We did see staff fish items out of the water as did we when we saw any. It was low season so not crowded and great service. Rooms were very comfortable & well maintained.we stayed in an Ocean view room, always fun to be on the water. Macca's restaurant menu was very good , esp compared to the other places we ate at in Borneo. we also had massages at the spa that were great. The conservation tour wasn't over whelming & we couldn't do the hill walk due to the muddy conditions. Excellent sport activities & great diving set up. Despite bad weather I was spoilt with a private dive boat & Richie the instructor was excellent. Not amazing dive sites, limited by weather & poor Vis but still enjoyable. We can highly recommend & we are pretty particular travellers!

If you’re looking for luxury on a par with the Waldorf you will be disappointed but we rated our stay 5 out of 5 for the following reasons. We were lucky enough to stay in the palm villa. The decor is traditional and could probably do with a modern touch but the plunge pool, terrace and privacy outweighed this. Watching the sun rise and set is very beautiful and tranquil. Being able to see the marine life in the glass floor was a bonus. The air con fans were noisy at night but they kept the villa cool. There are areas around the resort that need a little bit of TLC but the food, staff, spa, kayaks, pool, beach and access to the sea outweigh this minor issue. There were signs that updating and renovations were going on. We spent a day in Kota Kinabalu using the scheduled boat which we did pay for but would be no different to paying for a taxi if we were at a landslide hotel. The shopping is good and cheap compared to Western Europe prices and again everyone is very friendly and helpful. We would definitely visit again as nothing is too much trouble for the team at the resort and hope to visit again in the future.

Our experience at Gayana Marine Resort was extremely disappointing, and the resort’s lack of action and responsiveness is unacceptable—especially for a property that promotes itself as eco-conscious. One morning, we woke up to find plastic and debris completely surrounding our villa and much of the resort’s waters. Despite notifying the staff multiple times throughout the day, no meaningful action was taken. There was a brief attempt to clean near the reception that lasted about 10 minutes, but no effort was made near the pool villas. As a result, we were unable to swim for the entire day, which was incredibly frustrating considering access to the sea was one of the main reasons we chose this resort. The manager, Karl Sims, claims that the staff made efforts to clean the surroundings. However, we were there the entire day—unlike Mr. Sims—and only witnessed 10-15 minutes of cleaning. Yet, Karl Sims uses this brief effort to argue that something was done. This demonstrates a total lack of environmental responsibility, as the resort seemed content to wait for the tide to “solve” the problem. Even though we tried to contact Karl Sims, he did not make time to meet or call us the entire day. Mr. Sims appears to be more concerned with preventing compensation claims than addressing guest concerns. He insinuated that our dissatisfaction was linked to a desire for compensation. If a stay in the resort was booked via a Scandinavian agency, then the guest would be entitled to get compensation through Legislation. Regardless, my review would remain negative even if compensation had been offered. However, I would have at least acknowledged, “We received some compensation.” The resort's pricing for private boat hire, use of the jetty, and prearranged taxis is absurd. Yes, it’s listed in fine print for those who read every detail, but this only reinforces my point: this is a resort where you need to scrutinize everything. Their focus seems to be purely on financial gain. Be warned: the "private boat hire" is simply a boat owned by the resort. If you arrange your own boat, you’ll be charged MYR 250 just to use their basic jetty. It’s clear that financial gain takes priority over guest satisfaction. I encourage everyone to read the negative reviews from other guests. Also, take a look at the manager’s responses to these reviews—they speak volumes about the management and the resort. Rather than taking responsibility, they make strong accusations against dissatisfied customers.

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.