Our top 10 places to stay in and around Tawau
Tawau’s best budget choice
Don’t baulk at walking up the stairs to Hotel Soon Yee.
It may look like yet another fleapit from outside, but Hotel Soon Yee has been popular with budget travellers since the days of the hippy trail, and once inside it’s easy to see why.
The hotel may be no-frills, but it’s bright, clean, and cheap. For less than the price of a dorm in nearby towns, you can have an airy, spacious, air-con room with your own (cold-water) bathroom. If the ringgit is tight, you can share a bathroom for five less. Have a look at a couple of rooms before deciding, as the first we saw was half the size of the one we chose.
Spartan furnishings include a comfortable enough bed, with just a bottom sheet and blanket and a chipboard desk with a plastic chair. Mod-cons are an old box TV and free WiFi. It’s old and basic, but has a touch of retro charm. Bathrooms are bare-bones, but the cold-water is warmed by the sun, and they are scrubbed clean.
Affable owner Joseph is a font of local knowledge, and au fait with the demands of foreign travellers. Hotel Soon Yee is in a handy location next to the central market. If you’re budget-conscious, get ye soon to Hotel Soon Yee. If you really want a hot-water shower head to Penginapan VS a couple of doors down, but it will cost you bit more.
Address: 1362 Jalan Stephen Tan, Tawau
T: (089) 772 447;
Coordinates (for GPS): 117º53'12.12" E, 4º14'40.88" 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.
| Dbl air-con share bathroom | 30 ringgit | 30 ringgit |
| Dbl air-con private bathroom | 35 ringgit | 35 ringgit |
Reviewed by
Sally Arnold
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Tawau
