When going on holiday with children it is important to pick a good hotel or resort to stay at so that both children and parents are happy. If the budget is important, Malaysia is a very good place to visit as hotels usually are fairly cheap. Kota Kinabalu has a huge range of different hotels in all different standards. These are three of the most child friendly resorts.
Beringgis Beach Resort
Beringgis Beach Resort is the cheapest alternative. It is a good three star hotel located on the beach. The rooms are fairly spacious but of varied standard. One of the blocks has been updated quite recently, so ask for a room in block 9. It is also possible to access internet for free in this block.
The pool is not very big, but it has a small children’s pool attached to it. It has also got a slide, but this has seen better days. The best feature of the resort is the beach. Sit and relax in the restaurant looking out over the deserted beach or let the children play by the water. As there are hardly any people using the beach it feels very exclusive. One thing to keep in mind though is to watch out for the water buffalos that come out a few times a day.
The downside with this resort is that it is located about 45 minutes from the airport and there are no restaurants nearby. The hotel restaurant offers a pretty good breakfast buffet, but the lunch and dinner menu is limited and mainly consists of Malaysian cuisine. A taxi into Kota Kinabalu costs around 50RM or the resort offers a shuttle bus for 15RM per person.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10
The Pacific Sutera Harbour Resort
The Pacific Sutera Harbour Resort is a five star resort at the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu. The hotel is located close to the airport and about five minutes from the centre of Kota Kinabalu. The hotel offers a shuttle bus or a taxi will cost you around 10RM. A taxi to and from the airport will set you back 20RM.
The rooms vary in standard and the cheapest room, Golf View Delux, is perhaps not up to a five star standard. However, the rooms are spacious and clean and the bathroom has both a shower and bath. Overall, this is a very good hotel for families who would like to be close to the City Centre of Kota Kinabalu.
The food is of a good standard and there are many restaurants to choose between. The breakfast buffet consists of both Malaysian and Western Cuisine.
The resort has a great pool with a pool bar and a small beach. There is also another resort in the Sutera Harbour Complex, Magellan, where you can use the pool and children’s club.
My Rating: 8 out of 10
Nexus Resort Karambunei
Nexus Resort is located about 45 minutes outside Kota Kinabalu and a taxi costs around 50RM. It is a five star resort, but some parts of the resort are a bit run down. The family rooms are spacious and have a nice terrace or balcony. There is free internet access in all rooms.
The breakfast buffet in this resort is disappointing and food is fairly expensive. There are many restaurants to pick between and there is also a mini mart at the resort.
The long and nice sandy beach makes up for the expensive food and it is probably the most child friendly resort out of the three. It has several pools, one which is very shallow and perfect for toddlers. The resort also has a children’s club where parents can leave their children over 4 for a small fee.
