푸라우 가야 호텔

We spent a couple of nights here with our 5 year old and had a lovely time. We wanted to leave a review to balance out some of the other reviews and so we’ll focus on the positives only. Worth reading a few reviews to get a holistic view but one thing I’d say is this isn’t a place to ‘avoid’ in our opinion. We felt it was a beautiful place to spend a few days as part of maybe a longer trip around Borneo. That’s from the perspective of having kids. Maybe couples would stay longer. Photos show the view from the pool in the morning when the water is up - it is STUNNING! Water crystal clear. When the water goes out later in the day, the beach is exposed and our son spent a lot of time playing there digging. We were there 30th Aug - 1st Sept and weather was perfect. Hot!! Sun is really strong here, cover up! Wake up for sunrise if you fancy a beautiful view! Rooms comfy and good space. Staff are generally lovely. The most beautiful people. A particular shout out to the water sports staff, the female manager (I think she’s called Rosie), and the staff who help you on and off the boat, thank you Raj for the recommendation to get an Uber! We loved the snorkelling - perfect with an adventurous 5 year old who saw lots of fish but it wasn’t too deep. You can snorkel from the sunbeds and grab a paddle board - great fun! Our air con didn’t work in the first room (I think this is rare) and we were moved swiftly to a new room. Air con was great after that and slept well in it. We heard great things about Cove restaurant - we didn’t go as kids under 12 not allowed but the food sounded very good. We always got sun beds around 8/9am but understand that later in the day they might be taken. We didn’t get a chance to go to the private beach and see the rescue turtles but next time we would do. The real gem for us of this place is the view from the sunbeds as per pics. Read a few more reviews to see if it’s right for you as we focus here on the positives! Thank you Gayá for your beautiful people and stunning views

Great resort. We stayed at ocean villa 30 for two nights. Well maintained and special place. The staff are truely amazing. A special thanks to Karl the resort manager for listining to our feedback and returning some good karma. Also many thanks to the restaurant chef for the best food we had so far in Malaysia. Some small improvements: - airconditioning is a bit too loud even in sleep mode to keep on during the night - during and after a tropical rainshower the plumbing could not take it anymore, we accept that, but not the smell it gave inside the room. The positive: - free water sports, kayak, subs - kayak to the mangrove, do it yourself - breakfast at your own jetty - very good food, best value for money - sevice orientated staff all around taking very good care of you - daily plastic cleanup from the resort. Remember it is not their waste. They do anything to minimise the plastic footprint, even providing your own drink bottles - very clean rooms, great beds, amazing bathroom - only a short boat trip from KK away Terima Kasih Echoresorts :)

We enjoyed our time at Bungaraya very much. After being in the jungle for 7 days, it was a very welcome bit of luxury and relaxation. We transferred across to Gaya Island whilst the sunset which was very special. It only took about 20 minutes. To disembark the boat, you have to literally climb over the seats to access the jetty which is not ideal. This could be very tricky for anyone with mobility issues. We were met by the manager Karl at the jetty, who gave us a welcome drink and a short tour of the resort by buggy before showing us to our room. Karl was a very attentive manger. He was always about chatting to guests and checking they were enjoying their stay. The grounds are beautiful, with 30 different varieties of Hibiscus. The resort was built with minimal impact on the jungle, with structures being placed between the trees, rather than cutting them down. There are 48 detached villas here but you wouldn’t know it from the water. This means the buildings are quite hidden from the beach, so there are no sea views as such unless you have a pool villa which are low level and in front of the beach. However, these were not very private. The rooms higher up the hill are much more hidden behind the tree canopy. There are very steep hills up to some rooms but there are plenty of buggys to get a lift. There was lots of wildlife around resort. We saw Monitor Lizards, Macaques, Hornbills, lots of butterflies, Geckos, Wild Boar, and Snakes. There were sand flies about at times but they did not bother us too much. It is extremely quiet here. Most days we had the pool area to ourselves. We only saw a handful of other guests throughout the day and at meal times. ROOM Very spacious with a nice large balcony area which had a lounge area and table and chairs. We enjoyed sitting out first thing in the morning with a coffee watching the Hornbills. The bed was large and very comfortable. The air conditioning worked very well. Showers were hot and there were plenty of good sized towels. Toiletries and a small insect repellent was provided. There is no WiFi in the rooms but we were in villa 17 which could pick up the WiFi from the Pantai Grill restaurant. They do offer room service for a 25RM charge but there is no literature in the room advertising this. The menu is on the Echo Resorts app but we were not aware of the app until we went to book Spa treatments. With no WiFi in most rooms I’m not sure how this service would work? RESTAURANTS The Long House Restaurant was closed for refurbishment when we were there unfortunately. We ate at the pool on the first day but service was extremely slow as all the food and most drinks were being brought up by buggy from the Pantai Grill. If we’d have known, we would have just walked to Pantai. The Pantai Grill restaurant was excellent. Very extensive menu, almost too much choice! We enjoyed every meal here. Very flavourful, hot and well presented. There are lots of staff who are so attentive, friendly and