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Known for its amazing swimming spots and snorkeling, Kota Kinabalu has a lot to offer the traveler planning a beach vacation. This romantic destination has 40 beach hotels and other accommodation options to choose from, so it's easy to find one that works for you.
As you browse for a place to stay by the water in Kota Kinabalu, check out these top-rated beach hotels with positive customer reviews.
Borneo Beach Villas - 4-star family-friendly resort on the beach. It features an outdoor pool, free parking, and a café. Activities include horseback riding. Guests love the beach locale and proximity to shopping.
The Magellan Sutera Resort - 5-star luxury hotel on a private beach. Our travelers recommend its walkable location and proximity to shopping. This hotel boasts an outdoor pool, a spa tub, and 3 restaurants.
Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort & Spa - 5-star luxury resort on the beach. It offers 2 outdoor pools, free buffet breakfast, and a beach bar. Activities include beach volleyball and kayaking. Guest reviews highlight the beach locale and pool.
Nexus Resort & Spa Karambunai - 4.5-star luxury resort on a private beach. It features 3 outdoor pools, a beach bar, and 5 restaurants. Activities include hiking trails. Guests love the beach locale and pool.
Hyatt Regency Kinabalu - 5-star luxury hotel near the beach. Our travelers recommend its pool and central location. This hotel boasts an outdoor pool, a poolside bar, and 3 restaurants.
Good weather can be important during a beach vacation, so you can use these local temperature and rainfall averages to decide when to visit.
To get to Kota Kinabalu, book a flight to Kota Kinabalu (BKI-Kota Kinabalu Intl.), the closest major airport, which is located 4.1 mi (6.6 km) from the city center. To see more of the larger area, hop aboard a train at Tanjung Aru Station. You can find out about your water travel options at the local marina.
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On Expedia, you can find hotels located on the beach or within walking distance from the coast in Kota Kinabalu . Many hotels will have some rooms with a view of the beach or sea.
Kota Kinabalu beach resorts offer a full range of vacation facilities on a single site. Resorts are usually larger than hotels. Besides your hotel room, within the resort you’ll be able to enjoy several restaurants, bars and shops, along with recreational amenities. This often includes multiple swimming pools, family-friendly activity options and easy access to the beach.
If you are staying at a beach resort, there’s often enough to do within the resort itself that you barely need to leave the resort to enjoy your holiday.
*These are only guidelines as policies and amenities may vary across hotels. For more information, view details listed on each property page.
An oceanview room in a hotel means you can see the ocean or sea from your room. However, this does not always mean its a wide view. To qualify, a room only needs a partial view of the water from your window or balcony.
An oceanfront room on the other hand, is usually a higher tier room directly facing the ocean. The view will be better than an oceanview room. An oceanfront room usually costs more than an oceanview room.
Every hotel is slightly different so it’s best to check the room details of your hotel of choice. On Expedia, you can find out more about the different room types on the hotel page. You can also see what guests had to say about the view from their rooms.
A beachfront room generally means your hotel room is on the ground floor, where you can easily access the beach. An oceanfront room is usually located on the higher floors with direct view of the water. Potentially a better view of the sky too, to gaze out and watch the sunrise or sunset from your room -- depending of course on the destination itself. Beachfront rooms are usually more expensive.
In some hotels the oceanfront room is just a floor or two above the beachfront room so the view may be fairly similar. In other cases, beachfront rooms don’t have a view because of trees or other obstructions between the room and the ocean, so the main benefit is that you can stroll directly out of your room onto the beach.
*These are only guidelines as policies and amenities may vary across hotels. For more information, view details listed on each property page.
A partial oceanview or partial seaview room means you can see the water from your room, but it's not a wide view. Your room or balcony does not directly face the ocean. You are just able to see it from certain angles or corners of the room. Depending on the hotel and which direct it faces, with a partial oceanview room you might get a great view or only a small sliver of blue.
If you want a great view, oceanfront rooms are the better option. They tend to cost more.
The best beach hotels offer rooms with a wide view of the ocean, direct access to the beach, or a private beach just for hotel guests. There may be hotels in Kota Kinabalu which offer these -- look out for those when searching.
In general, beach hotels with large swimming pools, infinity pools and swim up bars, are usually highly rated by guests. Another thing to consider is whether the hotel provides beach chairs on the nearest beach that you can rent as a guest, and if they have a food/drink service while you are there.
If you are on a budget , look for beach hotels which aren’t directly on the beach or facing the sea, but still within walking distance.
On Expedia, you can also filter your search of beach hotels in Kota Kinabalu to display only hotels that have received excellent feedback from previous guests. You may also wish to search by price, area and amenities. Filter your search by 'Ocean View' to find the best rooms that are either by the water’s edge or offer a great view of it.
Some top features and amenities to consider are:
In some destinations, you may even find for hotels with water slides or water parks for extra fun.
Ready to find your hotel? On Expedia, search for hotels that are close to the beach, and select 'Ocean View' as a filter option under the Amenities section. Next, scroll to the bottom of the left-hand panel to the 'Trip Type' section and select 'Family Friendly' as a search option. This will ensure only hotels that include family essentials – such as in-room conveniences and child-friendly activities – are included in your list of accommodation options.
To set the romantic mood, look out for the following when choosing a hotel in a beach destination:
No, not all beach resorts are all-inclusive.
To find all-inclusive Kota Kinabalu beach resorts on Expedia, input your destination and dates, click ‘view all resorts’ then use filters on the left to narrow listings to all-inclusive resorts only.
All-Inclusive mean your booking covers your room along with food, drinks, recreation and entertainment available onsite. This often includes free use of lounge chairs on the beach, water sports like snorkeling and kayaking, and nightly entertainment that incorporates some local culture. Guests enjoy being able to enjoy all the facilities without having to carry a wallet around or worry about going over budget. Note that some premium items may be excluded from your all-inclusive package.
All-Inclusive beach resorts are typically located on a coast, with a range of water activities available. Non-motorized water sports like snorkelling and kayaking are usually included in the rate. Motorized activities and professional lessons are usually available for an extra charge. Jet-skis and scuba diving lessons usually fall into this premium category.