Where to Stay in Borneo (Sabah)
Part of the Borneo (Sabah) travel guide — see every topic in All Borneo (Sabah) Guides.
Sabah is not a destination where you pick a hotel and day-trip from it. The distances are too large and the experiences too specific, so accommodation here is largely a series of purpose-built bases: a city hotel in Kota Kinabalu, a lodge near Kinabalu Park, a river lodge on the Kinabatangan, a dive resort on Mabul. Each is booked as part of a package more often than not, and the choice of lodge frequently matters more than the choice of room.
Kota Kinabalu
The full range, from hostel dorms at 40–80 ringgit to international resorts on the coast at 500–1,500. The city centre puts you near the waterfront, the night markets and the Jesselton Point jetty for the islands, at 150–400 ringgit for a decent hotel. Tanjung Aru and the coast south of the city hold the resorts, with sunsets and beaches at the cost of being twenty minutes out. Gaya Island has luxury resorts reached by boat. Two nights in KK at the start of a trip is the standard pattern.
Kinabalu Park and Kundasang
Accommodation inside the park at park headquarters is limited and books out with the climbing permits. Kundasang and Ranau, ten to twenty minutes away, have a wide spread of guesthouses, lodges and hotels at 100–500 ringgit, several with views straight at the mountain — which is worth paying for on a clear morning. It is cool up here at around 1,500 metres, a genuine relief after the coast. Laban Rata, the mountain hut at 3,270 metres, is dormitory accommodation and is part of the climbing package.
The wildlife lodges
Kinabatangan lodges cluster at Sukau and Bilit and run from simple riverside chalets at 300–600 ringgit per person per night full board to comfortable eco-lodges at 800–1,500. Danum Valley has Borneo Rainforest Lodge at the upper end and the Field Centre at the lower. Tabin and Deramakot have their own. All are sold as packages including transfers, meals and guided activities, which is the right way to buy them — the guiding is what you are paying for and it varies more than the rooms do.
The dive resorts
Mabul has everything from backpacker lodges at 150–300 ringgit a night to water-village resorts on stilts at 1,000–3,000 per person per night including diving. Kapalai is a single stilt resort over a sandbar. Semporna town on the mainland is the cheapest base and involves a longer daily boat ride. Sipadan permits are allocated per resort and generally require a multi-night stay, so the resort choice determines how many Sipadan days you get — ask before booking, not after.
Where to Stay at a glance
| Kota Kinabalu | Hostel RM 40–80; hotel RM 150–400; resort RM 500–1,500 |
|---|---|
| Mountain | Kundasang lodges RM 100–500, several with Kinabalu views |
| Kinabatangan | RM 300–1,500 per person per night, full board |
| Danum Valley | Borneo Rainforest Lodge, or the cheaper Field Centre |
| Mabul | RM 150–3,000 per night depending entirely on the resort |
| Key point | Sipadan permits are allocated per resort — ask first |