Our top 10 places to stay in and around Sandakan
Cosy, bright and well located
Opposite Sandakan Central Market, neat and simple Marine Bay Hotel overlooks the waterfront.
There’s not a lot of space for cat swinging in the tiny rooms, and in a few twins and triples, you’ll have to jump from one bed to the other, but rooms are comfortable enough and some offer sea views through smallish windows.
Despite the diminutive size, rooms are bright and light-filled, and along with warm wood laminate floors and pale walls, the ambience is calming and cosy rather than cramped. Rooms are clean, air-con and furnished with comfortable beds sporting crisp white linen and bedside tables and lamps. Window drapes are both sheer and heavy light-blocking, good for a holiday sleep-in. Open hanging space and benches provide storage, and you can watch TV or make yourself a cuppa, but instant coffee only.
Superior rooms offer substantially more space plus a minibar. Simple, smart and spotless bathrooms have hotwater showers. WiFi is free. Breakfast isn’t included, but the market opposite opens early and the top floor is full of food stalls. Marine Bay Hotel is good for a comfortable sleep, although you won’t want to be hanging around all day, and the location is excellent for early morning photography of the comings and goings at the Sandakan Central Market—a good no-frills flashpackers choice. Nak Hotel offers simple and calm rooms with a bit more elbowroom.
Address: Block HS-14 Lot 130-131 Sandakan Harbour Square, Sandakan
T: (0892) 03399; F: (0892) 09933
Coordinates (for GPS): 118º7'13.53" E, 5º50'18.71" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: Under 60 ringgit
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
| Standard double room Back view. City view: 98 ringgit. | 88 ringgit | 88 ringgit |
| Deluxe double room City view | 118 ringgit | 118 ringgit |
| Superior double room Sea view | 148 ringgit | 148 ringgit |
Reviewed by
Sally Arnold
Sally spent twelve years leading tourists around Indonesia and Malaysia where she collected a lot of stuff. She once carried a 40kg rug overland across Java. Her house has been described as a cross between a museum and a library. Fuelled by coffee, she can often be found riding her bike or petting stray cats. Sally believes travel is the key to world peace.
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Sandakan
