Sandakan Hotel Reviews
Interesting city and people, not many visitors. If you are going up the Kinabatangan river, then Borneo Eco Tours provide a really good trip. If you are lucky you''ll get to see the pygmy elephants, which were around at the end of April 2005.
Be sure to allow time to stay at one of the lodges on the Kinabatangen River to see the wildlife!
Outstanding seafood restaurant, Ocean King Seafood Restaurant, 7km outside Sandakan on the front overlooking the sea. A 10 ringit taxi ride and the food was very good. Wildlife Expeditions was the best tour company in our opinion.
Recommend "Ocean King Seafood Restaurant" although found the slogan "we don''t serve pork" quite amusing. Visited Sepilok Orangutans which was OK, but the Gomatong cave and the river cruise were excellent.
My stay in Sabah included accommodation at the Sabah Hotel, more basic accommodation at Kinabalu National Park and a night in the Promenade hotel in Kota Kinabalu. The Sabah Hotel was the best. Self organised excursions included the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, easily accessible on my own rather than an organised trip (may attention though to opening times which caught me out). Other organised excursions assisted with regards time in the area which was limited. Kinabalu National Park is a must if you are in the area. Fabulous location. If attempting the mountain don''t leave too early as you will have hours at the resthouse where there is nothing to do. Aim to reach the resthouse by late afternoon and enjoy the park first as your legs won''t want to the next day. Much is made of the need for a torch on the mountain, my tip would be a head torch, ideal and allows both hands to be free for the scramble.
Definitely recommend Sepilok and also a cruise on the Kinabantangan River. Wildlife Expeditions are a good company to arrange things through, they are based at the Sabah Hotel.
The hotel is well-located with easy accessibility to Sandakan town and the airport. I made all my tour arrangements (Turtle Islands & Sepilok) with the Wildlife Expedition company, located right in the hotel. I must say that the tours were very well organised with well-trained staff giving you helpful information prior-to as well as during the tour. Sandakan''s the place to be if you want a great holiday " in search of wildlife"!
It is easy to acess city center and uphill observatory also beautiful English Tea House, in fact, you do not need to take taxis all the time, there is a local bus stand only 100M to hotel. Also you can take bus to Sepilok there instead of going to town center bus terminal.
Sandakan is a dirty polluted town filthy with litter. My wife was stared at everywhere we went with rude and indecent comments made wherever we went. This was very uncomfortable as they obviously didn''t realise I understand some bahasa and knew what they were saying. More pallatable is nearby Bandar Indah which is clean and safer. Place definitely worth a visit are the Australian War Memorial and the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. Sepilok Orang Utan rehab centre is ok but not much different than visiting a zoo. In general I would not recommend Sandakan as a tourist destination. It would be better to visit the attraction on a day trip from Kota Kinabalu.
Used this hotel as a base to go on the Uncle Tan''s River safari and also to visit Turtle Island. Former excellent value the latter quite interesting too. For Turtle Island, book directly with Quest, on the seafront, you will save lots of money. The English Tea House by the look out point, not far from the hotel, is also worth a visit.
We did not visit the immediate area. We enjoyed a stay on the river very basic at Uncle Tan''s and then went to the Danum Valley Five Star both were physical activities and were very good and we used the Sabah Hotel to relax which was also very good.
The best thing about staying in Sandakan was definitely a visit to the Agnes Keith house, which was very interesting, and lunch or afternoon tea at the English Team rooms. This was a gem and really lets you feel how life was lived in the 30s. We had two lunches and a dinner there. The food was delicious and served by very friendly staff. You can even play a game of croquet while you wait for your traditional afternoon tea to be served! Don''t take one of the overpriced Colonial Sandakan Tours - the place is only a short walk from the Sabah hotel or you could take a taxi for 5 ringits. We took the local bus from the town centre to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary for the grand sum of 3.60 ringits (for two). The ride is hot, but it does provide some local colour - much better than the airconditioned bus!
I tended to walk (yes, mad in that heat) but it is a great way to see the people and the businesses. Taxis are incredibly cheap. The town of Sandakan is a facinating and lively place..not for the faint-hearted! The Ocean King restaurant was worth a detour.
If you have your own car it is easy to get around in the area, maps are clear and signs are found at regular intervals along the main routes. Enjoyed the trip to the nearby Turtle Islands, booked through Borneo Ecotours who were very well organised and had pleasant and helpful staff. You should also go to Sepilok to see the Orang-utans and to the Sandakan War Memorial (easily visited on the return journey). The English Tea Rooms, not far from the hotel provide excellent views across the bay and lovely food.
Took the orang utang tour from the tour office at the hotel and it was very well organised and the guide very informative. Would recommend getting a taxi to the chinese temple on the top of the hill outside Sandakan, the views are superb.
We rented a car in Kota Kinabalu and drove over to Sandakan. It was adventurous. Better to fly and rent a car in Sandakan. Good seafood, restaurants along the shore are easy to find. English Tea House is highly recommended. To be visited, church, Chinese temple up the hill, American author who lived in Sandakan, war memorial. Visiting the orang utan sanctuary was disappointing. We didn''t see much. Overall, Sandakan was a surprising find.
Downtown Sandakan has some very good street food and some funky shops in the non-glossy SE Asian style. The people are friendly and helpful in the Malay and Chinese manner. I suggest flying to K.K. rather than the hazardous bus ride of 5hrs where all you see are palm oil plantations where once the view was of primary rainforest.
Turtle Island is a must - a truly unforgettable experience. Sepilok Orang Utan sanctuary is also worth a visit. If you have time, take a trip down the Kintabangan river.
Mount Kinabalu is a must, The monsopiad village was very nice and the Italian restaurant (in a hotel) across from the shopping Mall was very good.