Rasa Ria Reserve by Shangri-La — Attraction in Sabah

ocean wing room with balcony bathtub and ocean wing pool had lovely romantic views! and driver from airport was really patient (we made 3 pit stops lolol)

firefly guide (unfortunately didn't get his name) was humorous, horse riding, jetski, atv, archery, banana boat guides and drivers were all so friendly and knowledgeable! saw an alligator, oyster farm and sea gypsies

used lavender oil for sandflies at the beach, spf130 sunblock and basic insect repellant works. better to overpack than underpack because the weather is finnicky. scheduling and rescheduling activities would almost have been a headache if not for the patient staff.

breakfast buffet at garden wing, lunch at ocean grill and drinks at garden wing bar was alright - ended up grabfooding from Abadi restaurant (right next to jetski area) twice! amazing crab, prawns and seafood. have to shoutout to room service dining - masala prawns was DELICIOUS!

live music in the evening at garden wing bar...

Checked in between the festive seasons Christmas & New Year, the check in process was so so so slow with only 3 counters, average check in time for each customer may be around 15mins (being modest here, mine took more than 45mins plus queueing time). If you do not have patience, pls check out the online check in & check out facilities.

After checking in, depending on the occupancy rate, you may have to wait beyond the "standard check-in hour 2pm". I only got my room about 30mins after 2pm. Same disasterous process happened during check out. You might not be able to get the bell boy around 11.45 to 12.00pm as everyone would be rushing to leave before getting penalised with extra charges for late check out.

Having said the above, resort facilities are nice, beach is clean, food is superb.

My latest overall experience staying here would be a 3/7, that would be an odd...

Thank you Thim, Dhino, Ezra, and a few others at Rasa Ria Reserve /Discovery centres. To us, They were more than just guides, they did their daily routine of hiking, entertaining and keping all guests happy and satisfied with an one-off unforgettable experience! They are what I call as serving selflessly with passion. Thim has vast knowledge and good observatory skills, Dhino is a joy and highly experienced with his stories and Ezra with smiles of angel. The hikes were easy and can be done for all ages if you are fit, I promise the best sun rise view if you are lucky, in entire Malaysia. We enjoyed the canopy walk , the archery, the stingless bee tour and wall climbing! Well done guys...