Sign in with FacebookShangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort
Hotel Class: 
5 Stars - 19 Reviews and 1291 Opinions
Pantai Dalit Beach, P.O. Box 600, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 89208, Malaysia
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1310 Opinions
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easterntrekker
- Reviews: 1949
User Rating
Helpfulness
Resident Orangutans
We were happy to see our hotel pick up waiting at the airport for us on arrival.
45 minutes later we were welcomed by the “bong” at the Shangri-la Rasi Ria.
It was an impressive resort with a lovely white sand beach stretching 17 km long. Mount Kota Kinabalu can be seen from the beach in the morning. The hotel has its own nature Reserve and scheduled orangutan viewings. This is what brought us here.
The rooms here are beautiful , with a split level dividing the living area and sleeping area. We chose the garden view as it was a bit less expensive than the beach view. The first room we were given however was very musty . To the managers credit , when he heard we weren’t pleased ,he insisted on moving us. The next room was much better ,but it was a bother to gather all our belongings ,repacking and moving .This is by no means a budget stay at $230.00 a night plus tax and no breakfast .Since it is a ways out of town we had no choice but to eat all our meals here which really added to our bill.It was lovely though for a bit of a splurge.
- Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
- Related to: Safari, Seniors, Jungle and Rain Forest
- Written May 4, 2011
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort
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gypsysoul73
- Reviews: 329
User Rating
Helpfulness
A beautiful , sprawling resort
I will be hard pressed to find a friendlier staff elsewhere. The Rasa Ria is a beautiful resort where one instantly feels at home. There are tons of activities for guests, and top-notch restaurants. I could stay here for weeks at a time!
- Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
- Related to: Romantic Travel and Honeymoons, Photography, Jungle and Rain Forest
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort
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Tizpad
- Reviews: 2
User Rating
Helpfulness
It's a "MUST" for Tourists
All the stuffs are simply perfect. Better if you can ask someone who lives there to reserve the hotel for you, (the rate is cheap if its a Malaysian citizen doing the reservation).
Unique Quality: Facilities, pool, massages, spa, Tv sat......and so on. If you cannot find what you are searching for...just ask and someone will provide to give you everything you wish.
Malaysia Airline offers very good offers into some packages tips for vacations. Try to see its website before you start booking a vacation.
- Opinion of Price: most expensive
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort Photo: Steamboat
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krotz
- Reviews: 17
User Rating
GREAT for families
We are Americans on a 3-year stint in Asia, and with so many vacation choices, we have actually come here TWICE (when kids were 2, 4, 6 and again when 3, 5, 7). Both times for a full week, and we never left the resort the second time. Great service, beautiful area, nice facilities. I would highly recommend this as a vacation spot for families
Unique Quality: The pool is super! Waterslide was a big hit, as was the 1 meter monitor lizard that swam across the pool when being chased by a couple of boys.
The OrangUtan sanctuary is nice...it is hard to get a 2-year-old into an animal that you are not right next to (you get ~15 meters away from them), but they are beautiful, and the walk to their platform was really nice. They have a small petting zoo, which ironically has a rather moody American Turkey that is none too happy to be in a petting zoo, and which I needed to shoo away from my kids a few times (its beak is at eye level for a toddler).
One thing not to miss is the Kids Club....LOTS of activities for all ages. Ask to sign up for the special ceremony they have each night where they have a fire dance....all kids ages 3-10 would love to participate. They have a pirate ship that can be climbed, one of those ropes with a pulley on it you can slide down (like the US Army boot camp advertisement), and a great trampoline that is built inground.
The beach is okay. Not great, not bad.
- Opinion of Price: N/A
- Related to: Family Travel
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort Photo: At sunset on the Rasa Ria beach
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Robin922
- Reviews: 135
User Rating
True 5 star resort, for a great price
It took several days, to figure out just how to explain the atmosphere... like a cruise ship, but on land. Your every want and desire is anticipated, excellent service, spotless, and the staff is multilingual. There is enough child activities to keep the little ones busy, and nice semi quite places for the adults.
There is a lot to be said for this resort, however it isn't for everyone.
If you just want a nice 5 star resort.
Have young children.
Like hanging out on the beach.
Feel the need to be pampered.
Rookie world traveler.
Just spent sometime in the 'real' world, and need to recharge.
This is the place for you.
If you want to to experience the real local culture, see an abundance of wildlife, or be close to shopping I would suggest checking other places.
Unique Quality: The property is large enough that you can don't feel crowded. The beach is over 2 miles long, of clean sand!
The sunsets are some of the best I've seen in the world!
The 'in house' tour desk, can set you up for an assortment of on property activities, such as nature walks (day or night), watching the orangs, and boat trips. (all for a fee) The also offer shuttle service to town.
The tour desk can set you up for off property excursions, ranging from a couple of hours, to several days.
Wonderful food! Many local dishes offered, however the spices have been tamed down noticeably.
One of the best beaches I've seen anywhere in the world. Cleaned daily.
Nice pools, including one for kids.
The orangs! All are young, going through stage 1 of their habitation. When ready the are moved on to the main sanctuary for stages 2 & 3, before being released (if possible). Staff is very capable and happy to answering questions.
- Opinion of Price: most expensive
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort Photo: Firey Sky
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Wyen
- Reviews: 2
User Rating
A Great Beach Resort in Kota Kinabalu
With an engaging range of outdoor activities, including a Nature Reserve, Orang Utan education centre and an ecologically friendly championship golf course, Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort offers the best of Sabah in a lush, 400-acre tropical setting beside exquisite Pantai Dalit Beach.
- Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
- Related to: Romantic Travel and Honeymoons
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort Photo: seaview room and suite
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SurfaceTravel
- Reviews: 275
User Rating
a good family resort on the beach
We prefer smaller exclusive luxury hotels; quiet places. For example, our favourite resort to date is The Datai in Langkawi. We could not find such a place on the Internet in or near Kota Kinabalu. We knew to expect less and were prepared for it.
We were surprised, therefore, at the absolutely amazing service at this hotel. In spite of the large number of guests with all their children, the staff was perfect and thorough in all respects. Our family had 2 rooms for 3 nights and the staff did not slip up once, not even a little bit. Management there obviously know what they are doing.
- immediate welcome upon arrival, escorted to sit in the lounge, welcoming cold towels and drinks
- the duty manager introduced himself and chatted for about 10 minutes as someone else completed check-in for us
- staff remembered our name
- On Day 2 the cleaners must have knocked our TV cable loose. We called to get the TV fixed, and was fixed within 5 minutes.
- Staff at the restaurants are clearly trained well and observe the guests closely. As soon as you turn your head looking for service, someone is right there, every time.
The food was delicious, especially the "night market". Our deluxe rooms were sound-proof, good but not decadent. The bathrooms were almost basic and sometimes the water pressure leaves something to be desired. We were on the sixth (top) floor near the centre with excellent direct water views.
The main complaint, of course, was the sheer number of guests, many of them with ill-behaved children and parents. The pool is nice, but not really large enough to handle the quantity. It was crowded enough to make my daughter nervous. This is definitely a family resort; I would warn couples to avoid this place if they want any kind of romance. (I have since read comments on the Internet contradicting this view. Maybe it was just the time of year we were there, July.)
If we go to KK again, we would stay at this hotel again. If it was a choice between here and The Datai in Langkawi, it would definitely be The Datai.
Unique Quality: The deck chairs were limited by the pool, but we usually found two after a few minutes and there were plenty more closer to the beach. There would be plenty of chairs if it were not for those particular families noted above, hogging them even when not used. The beach had nice sand and the water was reasonably clear (I tend to compare beaches with Bermuda, where they really don't compare). Once you leave the hotel grounds, there is lots of litter.
There are plenty of activities. The ATVs were fun, but we thought that the orang-utan centre was a bit of a tourist trap. It's not exactly like the monkeys are being taught to be self-sufficient, as staff dumped a bucket of slops to feed them at our 2:00 viewing (see photo). I think it's a money-making enterprise only.
Which brings me to the other major complaint. I don't mind paying good money for a good hotel, but at this place, nothing is included as part of the base price. Everything has an extra cost, and none of it is cheap, even by western standards. At the end of the day, the total might still be reasonable to a Londoner, but I didn't like the constant pay pay pay while on holiday at a resort. I would rather pay a bit more for the room and have some things included in that price.
On the same note, there are no stores or other restaurants nearby. Tip: stop in Kota Kinabalu on the way out to the hotel and stock up on munchies and drinks for the room.
- Opinion of Price: most expensive
- Related to: Spa and Resort, Family Travel, Jungle and Rain Forest
Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort Photo: Rasa Ria grounds near the beach
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nickgrifiths1
- Reviews: 1
User Rating
a little dissapointing
Dont go here if you are expecting a beach paradise, there are a lot better options in Malaysia. We found the beach and grounds to be dirty. The pool was crowded and the food average. On the plus side the deluxe room was lovely and the service was good.
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joolea
- Reviews: 9
User Rating
MY weekend getaway choice
One of the best resorts in Sabah, in my opinion. Lush landscapes, excellent rooms, service, food, facilities, you name it. One of the bigger ones as well
Unique Quality: the service is good but what I like most is the gradens or beachside landscapes. Among the trees and pool where you lounge, you get to see peacocks, goats and fat bunnies as well. its really quite beautiful!
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More about Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort
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Rasa Ria Sanctuary
Private dining room at Rasa Ria Resort
Forum Posts
The nature reserve at Shangri-La Rasa Ria
Hi all,
Just a question. My friends are going to KK soon and since I have been there, I recommended Magellan Sutera Harbour instead of Rasa Ria. They wanted to know if they can still go the nature reserve at Rasia Ria eventhough they aren't hotel guests.
Is it true that there are orang utans there too?
Many thanks.
Re: The nature reserve at Shangri-La Rasa Ria
Personally I prefer the Rasa Ria, it's a 5* and it has 400 acres of grounds. However yes, there were Orangs at the Rasa Ria when I was last there and they had 2 feeding times daily up in the rain forest. I am not sure if you can visit if you are not a guest but I would imagine you can. Best to 'phone the hotel and ask. They may charge a small fee to go and see them.
P.
Re: The nature reserve at Shangri-La Rasa Ria
This is the email I received from Rasa Ria a month ago:
Greeting from Shangri-la's Rasa Ria Resort, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Thanks for the email received. Yes, our Nature Reserve open for outsider visitor but only certain time of visiting. Besides, you need 72 hours or three days in advanced booking prior to the actual visit. Conservation fee for Orang Utan viewing is RM65.00 per person and children aged 6-16 years old is RM10.00 per person.
For more information, please contact us at (6088) 792888 extension 8012/8016.
With Nature,
Melvin George
(Senior Ranger)
recreation.rrr@shangri-la.com
Re: The nature reserve at Shangri-La Rasa Ria
Thanks so much guys!! :)
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the service is good but what I like most is the gradens or beachside landscapes. Among the trees and pool where you lounge, you get to see peacocks, goats and fat bunnies as well. its really quite beautiful!
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Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort
We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
- Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort
- Shangri Las Rasa Ria Resort
- Shangri Las Rasa Ria Hotel
Address: Pantai Dalit Beach, P.O. Box 600, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 89208, Malaysia