Borneo Nature Lodge, Sandakan, Sabah. — Hotel in Borneo

Our two families spent 4 days and 3 nights in your property, Borneo Nature Lodge. We are writing to say Thank You for excellent accommodations: cabins and meals were as advertised, and met a very high standard! The service staff attended our needs beyond what we expected—courteous and timely, tasty meals and snacks prepared and served in a relaxed atmosphere.|The atmosphere of the property was very intimate—limited number of guests, garden pathways and separation between cabins laid out on wooden walkways—very relaxing!|The highlight of our time in Borneo was the river cruises with our guide Azies and boat driver Samson. We enjoyed 4 cruises (rain stopped an additional one), and stimulating animal sightings in-camp, one in the afternoon, another on the morning of the last day. Azies was the key to our successful observing, understanding and appreciating the similarities and differences between numerous birds, various primates and monkeys; and ended our time together as we returned to the airport with a stop to see the orangutans, including lunch. Again, Azies' knowledge and passionate ability to deliver it in interesting conversations helped us to feel equipped as we cruised the river and drove the countryside. He and Samson working together helped us see what our un-trained eyes and ears never could have enjoyed on our own--or with less-experienced guides and coaches!||The Smith and...

Our two families spent 4 days and 3 nights in your property, Borneo Nature Lodge. We are writing to say Thank You for excellent accommodations: cabins and meals were as advertised, and met a very high standard! The service staff attended our needs beyond what we expected—courteous and timely, tasty meals and snacks prepared and served in a relaxed atmosphere.|The atmosphere of the property was very intimate—limited number of guests, garden pathways and separation between cabins laid out on wooden walkways—very relaxing!|The highlight of our time in Borneo was the river cruises with our guide Azies and boat driver Samson. We enjoyed 4 cruises (rain stopped an additional one), and stimulating animal sightings in-camp, one in the afternoon, another on the morning of the last day. Azies was the key to our successful observing, understanding and appreciating the similarities and differences between numerous birds, various primates and monkeys; and ended our time together as we returned to the airport with a stop to see the orangutans, including lunch. Again, Azies' knowledge and passionate ability to deliver it in interesting conversations helped us to feel equipped as we cruised the river and drove the countryside. He and Samson working together helped us see what our un-trained eyes and ears never could have enjoyed on our own--or with less-experienced guides and coaches!||The Smith and...

Great location to see wildlife however there is absolutely no vibe and no effort is made to create a vibe. It’s dirty, rundown and they don’t serve enough food for everyone, which is a bigger problem than what it sounds like because the only food available to you there is what they serve. You cannot leave the lodge unless you arrange for a boat to come get you to bring you somewhere. There are no shops, or other restaurant choices. Heck the bar isn’t even open at the lodge, although you can buy cans of beer or wine. Twice we arrived later to meals from tours than the other groups, and the other groups had eaten most of the food. When we asked if we could get hash browns and beans from breakfast because there were none left for us when we got there, they gave us 3 total small hash browns to share for the 2 of us, no beans. We don’t eat pork so couldn’t eat the random hot dogs that were leftover from the other groups’ breakfast. Watching the chef cook through the window I can confirm that the vegetables are from cans. With regard to the boat/nature tours, it is super unlikely you will see elephants or orangutans in the wild. It is nice going up and down the river on boat, but honestly I’d try another place, or just stay one night and move on as we did see lots of probiscus monkeys, other small monkey breeds, birds and crocodile so for one day it...