Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts - accommodation in Gaya Island

Beautiful hotel, Beautiful views over the water, veey helpful, very nice English speaking staff, the buffet meals offer many tasty types of food.. Now stepping outside onto the sidewalks is another thing altogether. Pollution, trash in the water and along the streets is horrible, add to that the broken city sidewalks and hawkers along some of the shops. Fortunately you can grab very decent cabs using Grab, local equivalent to Uber and very inexpensive, to go anywhere without stepping off of the property.

We stayed in a Palm Villa and it was amazing. Loved everything about it, especially the breakfast delivered by boat. We spent a lot of time on our deck and in and out of the water. All staff were friendly and genuine. Food at all meals was great. Snorkeling around the property to look for giant clams was a highlight.

A wonderful resort for our honeymoon, and one we’d highly recommend particularly the plunge pool villa that overlooks and has private access to the beach. The jetty was a particular highlight — very well lit, and every night we would walk there looking at the marine life; it was like having our own private aquarium. Some caveats. Don’t expect parties, activities and shows — this is a great resort to unwind and recharge, particularly if you love nature (exactly what we needed for the tail end of a mammoth 3 weeks). The jungle hikes and snorkelling trips are definitely worth doing; the snorkelling around the resort is good but you do have to swim out for the best coral. We considered private boats to KK but didn’t feel the need when you can party with monkeys, monitors, hornbills and wild boar at your doorstep. There are only 2 restaurants on site which can feel a bit limiting, but the food is varied and excellent so we didn’t mind. The staff were warm and attentive throughout without ever being intrusive — a tough balance to strike. And the wine list from their amazing cellar is simply one of the best we’ve ever seen — serious depth in Australian wines alongside some genuine heavy hitters: First Growths, Grange, Sassicaia. Exceptional.