Our top 10 places to stay in and around Sandakan
Classic hotel in quiet location
Out of the noise and hurly-burly of the city centre, Sabah Hotel Sandakan offers classic mid-range comfort and a relaxing swimming pool is a lush garden setting.
Deluxe rooms overlook the pool from a multi-storey block and are the rooms to go for here, as they are better value than those in the less expensive “Borneo Wing”. Superiors offer the same facilities as deluxe, without the view. Styling is a little grandma’s parlour, but quality furnishings and finishes mean no lack of satisfaction. Loud floral carpets are clean and soft underfoot, beds are bouncy and a selection of snacks and a minbar will satisfy cravings. Roomy and light-filed, the clean air-con rooms offer desks and WiFi to work and comfy chairs and a flatscreen TV to relax. Marble bathrooms, clean and classically styled, are appointed with bathtubs and separate hotwater shower.
The swimming pool area is pleasant, but a little dated. Oasis-style palm trees surround the large organic-shaped pool, complete with arched bridge, slide and waterfall features. A separate flower-shaped kids pool also offers a slide, but we’d be watching the kids here, as the water appeared too shallow to be sliding into. Plenty of sun lounges and shady huts offer après pool relaxing. You’ll want to get a swim in as soon as you come back from sightseeing, as the area closes at 20:00. For fitness junkies, a gym will get you pumping and the spa relaxed.
A somewhat overpriced restaurant and separate cafe sit poolside, plus there’s also a formal Chinese restaurant and a karaoke bar. Sitting amid a sea of green, the hotel graces the side of the main road leading into Sandakan, about one and a half kilometres from town, meaning it’s just scraped into our central area.
Staff are friendly and the concierge is super helpful, and can arrange taxis and tours. The hotel is rather old-fashioned, but offers good midrange value, and we like the quieter location. For a modern four-star, Four Points by Sheraton by the waterfront offers good deals.
Address: Km 1, Jalan Utara, Sandakan
T: (0892) 13299; F: (0892) 71271
Email: sales@sabahhotel.com.my
Web: http://www.sabahhotel.com.my/index.cfm
Coordinates (for GPS): 118º6'53.81" E, 5º50'55" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: 120 to 250 ringgit
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
| Standard double room | 180 ringgit | 180 ringgit |
| Superior double room | 200 ringgit | 200 ringgit |
| Deluxe double room | 220 ringgit | 220 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
