Shangri-La Tanjung Aru

“Perhaps one of the best places to view the setting sun”

East Malaysia is very different to the smaller peninsular country. Here the nature can be much closer to you and so while considering a place to spend two nights we decided on a resort outside the city centre of Kota Kinabalu. Shangri-La had two such properties here for quite some time now. Am... more

East Malaysia is very different to the smaller peninsular country. Here the nature can be much closer to you and so while considering a place to spend two nights we decided on a resort outside the city centre of Kota Kinabalu. Shangri-La had two such properties here for quite some time now. Among them, the Tanjung Aru resort next to the airport but still close enough to the city was easily the better choice. I booked for a Horizon Club sea view room for a Luxury Circle rate as my Shangri-La Jade membership had expired by then. The booked rate gave us breakfast, a room upgrade, 100 USD credit, a welcome amenity and the usual early check-in and late check-out. The booked room gave us access to the Horizon Club which is their club lounge that are maintained at a very high level consistently across all Shangri-La properties and hence we've always loved to have access to these. Our room was eventually upgraded to a Tanjung wing Executive Suite with sea view well before our arrival. Our flight from KL got delayed and as our Grab taxi drove into the resort at about 6:20 PM the sun had already set for the day. Nevertheless, someone was waiting for us at the entrance porch and she directly took us to our room to do the check-in formalities. The Tanjung wing where we stayed was the newer wing but in spite of that the external appearance was that of a big-box resort with a central tropical-themed courtyard while the rooms were all around it along the four arms jutting out from the centre. Our room no 338 was near the base of one of these arms, next to one of the elevators. This room was a true executive suite with two full bathrooms. The smaller bathroom right there near the entrance had all the kids-specific amenities stored in two cute little sea blue coloured bags. This also had a full-sized sliding door shower station. The living area had two beds for our kids already placed and decorated with flower petals proclaiming Happy 10th Birthday. One of the beds appeared to be inbuilt while the second one was an extra roll-away bed. The L-shaped sofa which otherwise was the main piece of furniture there was now lacking enough space because of the beds. The minibar cum Nespresso machine cabinet was on one side. Although the minibar was supposed to be free there was almost nothing inside except for 3 Nescafe drinks including a teh tarik. The round dining table with four chairs was at the other end of the room which had our welcome amenities that included a birthday cake, fruits, a note from the manager and then a bottle of champagne (Palmer & Co at Reims). The coffee table that was moved to one corner included our welcome letters, property maps etc. The bedroom had the very comfy king bed, a work cum breakfast table with two chairs, a large wardrobe and places to keep luggage. The main bathroom had a built-in tub, single vanity, separate toilet and shower stations and also a dressing mirror and chair. All toiletries were Shangri-La's standard Bergamote branded. The balcony was accessible from both the living and bedrooms which had a pair of lounge chairs and outdoor chairs waiting for us. There was a ceiling fan in the balcony and a clothes drier too. Overall, the suite ticked all the boxes. It was not super luxurious by any means but with the available space and the updated design and amenities we had a blast during our two nights here. The only issue was the view from the balcony of the sea which was a bit far away behind the rain trees and palm trees. But I guess for an upgraded room this was along the expected lines. After spending some time in the room we immediately headed to the Horizon Club located right across the reception while the kids went for the game room. At the horizon club we were in time for the evening cocktails and canapes. For cocktails there was a small menu while the canapes were from a mini buffet that included both hot and cold veg and non-veg items. The selections changed every day and we thought the food was very good for a club lounge. The lounge was quite spacious and during our two days we never found it to be crowded in spite of the size of the resort. We wanted to have dinner at their all day diner Cafe Tatu but that being the Ramadan month it was super crowded and instead we were advised to do dinner at Borneo, their lobby lounge. In fact, we were able to order food from Cafe Tatu's menu at Borneo. It being a lounge, the seating and lighting were not very comfortable for a dinner but the quality of food and the ongoing live music performance easily made up for it. The second night we had dinner at the outdoor Coco-Joe's Bar & Grill. During the daytime there is an excellent view of the South China Sea from here, while at night only the lights of Kota Kinabalu were visible. Here, the food took a while to come while some of the items we initially ordered became unavailable for us later. This included the burger and also the type of pasta we ordered. The lobster bisque was flavourful while the beef and mushroom burger was good except perhaps the beef patty was a tad overcooked. The Bolognese was served with penne instead of the usual but tasted all right. The service here lacked too but to make up for it they offered a complimentary dessert at the end with an apology. We had breakfast available for us at the lounge but could have also done it at Cafe Tatu. Unfortunately, on both the days the latter was extremely crowded and so we ended up having our breakfasts at the Horizon Club. They had a limited buffet supplemented by a standard a-la-carte menu and a special of the day item. We opted for the special on both our days which were different kinds of noodle soups and these were easily the best breakfast options at the lounge. We also tried some regular items from the menu and these too were consistently of a good standard. Moreover, the rather relaxed nature at the lounge meant we could have breakfast at our own leisurely pace. The biggest attraction of the resort was perhaps their mini water-theme park located right inside. This was a big draw for our kids so much so that we never got to leave the resort during our two days here. The kind of water slides and other water play areas available there could give some of the smaller theme parks a run for their money. The resort also had extensive landscaped lawns and walkways and we enjoyed quite a few things: the ice-cream bar, the small sandy beach, the sit down soccer/football game and last but not the least the magical sunset from near the sunset bar. I can't remember a better sunset experience from anywhere else and this was indeed something to be seen and experienced. We went to the Horizon Club to check out early at 10:30 AM to catch our flight. We learnt that they applied a poorer exchange rate to convert our 100 USD credit to the local currency and this meant we ended up paying some of our food bills. I think the hotel needed to clearly inform their conversion rate during the guest's check-in time which we were definitely not in spite of me asking. The luggage took a while to come and by that time our Grab had arrived. Life is short and I don't think I'll be ever back here or at this resort but the image of the sun "dropping" into the sea behind the Sulug island would be forever etched in my memory.

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“Excellent stay”

We had a great time at this hotel. We had a doublebed seaview room which had balcony. The room was very clean and spacious and had both shower and bathtub. We had a like baby who loved the bathtub. We had breakfast at cafetatu and dine in various restaurants from coco joe, shang palace , cafe tat... more

We had a great time at this hotel. We had a doublebed seaview room which had balcony. The room was very clean and spacious and had both shower and bathtub. We had a like baby who loved the bathtub. We had breakfast at cafetatu and dine in various restaurants from coco joe, shang palace , cafe tatu, snacks at borneo lounge, horizon lounge. We also used the pool which was warm and lovely and overseen by lifeguards. There were kids pool and floaters given for kids and adults if needed. There was ice cream palour and ample availablility of brunch and lunch time snack ordered dirextly to your sunbed. Sunset views were amazing especially from the sunset bar or infinity pool. The housekeeping was amazing and all the staff very attentive, courteous and helpful. They go extra mile for anything when asked and made sure you have a wonderful stay. They also remember your likes and needs which helps when you go next day. The entire team in this hotel is worth a praise. Wonderful people. Very smooth check in and out. There is alot of activities to do in this place. Especially for kids its just amazing. You can play VR, table tennis , kids rooms to play toys and slides etc , out door activities as per timetabled for the week, pool activities. List is exhaustive. I definitely will recommend staying here and also have a 28” inch pizza as an extra. Well done.

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“Wonderful!”

Great resort well located and extremely lovely staff. Especially Ms Velinda. They really made our baby daughter birthday staycation holiday special. The breakfast buffet was extensive and very good. The rooms was clean and spacious with a balcony and picturesque mountain view. The resort offers a... more

Great resort well located and extremely lovely staff. Especially Ms Velinda. They really made our baby daughter birthday staycation holiday special. The breakfast buffet was extensive and very good. The rooms was clean and spacious with a balcony and picturesque mountain view. The resort offers a multitude of activities and is great for families. Would definitely stay here again!

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“Lovely hotel”

We stayed here as part of a Borneo tour arranged by Trailfinders. We stayed at the end of the trip after staying at some more basic accomodation. Overall we were really pleased with the hotel. The rooms are however slightly tired in places and could do with a bit of a refresh. Breakfast consist... more

We stayed here as part of a Borneo tour arranged by Trailfinders. We stayed at the end of the trip after staying at some more basic accomodation. Overall we were really pleased with the hotel. The rooms are however slightly tired in places and could do with a bit of a refresh. Breakfast consisted of a large range of options, but was always very busy. The external grounds, pool etc were very nice and well maintained, as was the gym. Prices at the on site restaurants are a bit pricey, as to be expected. The location was fine for us, but you will need a taxi or other form of transport to go in to Kota Kinablu. Overall well worth a visit.

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