Kudat Riviera Private Beach Villa Resort — Hotel in Borneo

We (a couple with a 1 year old) spent one month at Kudat Riviera, our time was split between Tranquil Seas and Frangipani villas (Frangipani was a far better choice by the way, hands down different league). We booked the place based on beautiful pictures and top notch reviews and we were really looking forward for this part of our trip but we left disappointed. The following points are based on our experience with a 1 year old so some may not be relevant for everybody:

Positives

beautiful villas on large plots of land, plenty of room private pool at your villa beach nearby which is often completely empty (the reason may be below) quiet place beautiful sunsets Sunbeam/Tranquil Seas villas living room is all outdoors (can be also a negative due to mosquitoes, rain etc.)

Negatives

illusion of safety; this place does not provide keys to your room so you cant lock your room when you leave your villa (?), during the first week of our stay housekeeping stole ~500 EUR of cash from our bedroom and the management didn't care about it too much.. what a great start. Villas are at two levels with lots of stairs and all sorts of obstacles, very challenging or even not suitable at all if you're travelling with a baby or you have disability (especially Sunbeam and Tranquil Seas villas which also have ground level pathways filled with fist size pebbles and we had to ask someone to come with shovel and take the stones away...) remote location; middle of nowhere means no restaurants etc. nearby, either you cook or the staff cooks for you (there is one restaurant offering delivered take away but quality is very questionable). Also as other reviews recommend, it is a good idea to have a car to drive around to supermarkets etc. no phone signal poor wi-fi; you will probably struggle to binge on your favorite Netflix shows variety and quality of food provided; breakfast is either Asian (noodles/rice/chicken) or Western (eggs, toast, deep fried frozen potato wedges and sausages) and afternoon tea is either deep fried bananas or prawn crackers - and by deep fried I mean properly deep fried, no saving on oil... All this is probably fine with a lot of people but if you are after anything even borderline healthy, the answer is no can do and you need to fix it yourself. privacy; you wont see other guests too often but staff keeps on running around the villas all the time - this is especially true for Tranquil Seas villa, staff heading to Sunbeam villa will take short cuts through your villa as they please. beach; our visit was mid Feb - mid March and we had relatively high waves, truckloads of sand flies and occasionally large numbers of jelly fish, so not the most tempting place to swim and hang around.

And lastly, the wildlife; this is Borneo so you have to expect some of this but just so you know, the villas are practically next to the jungle so be prepared for visitors and plenty of mosquitoes (villas are equipped with repellant and after party lotions).

As a conclusion, strong positives and if the negatives we experienced don't bother you, this could be the heaven you have been...

I have to say that Kudat Riviera was beyond my expectations. I knew from the videos and pictures that it's a gorgeous place but it truly is a different beast all together when you get there and experience it. We were greeted warmly by Roger, the manager of Kudat Riviera, and was given thorough instructions on how to arrive at the booked resort. The house, the yard and the pool are maintained daily and is kept really clean. Breakfast is on the house with options for dinner at additional expenses and the cooking is top notch. I have to say that for a place so far out, it is kept tidy and the bugs that get into the house are far less than imagined. They provide mosquito repellent and umbrellas so that’s a plus.

The most surprising and memorable thing is actually the staffs, they are very professional, warm and welcoming! During our stay we experienced a tropical cyclone that caused a power shortage to our house. With heavy rain, Roger and his staff bared through the weather to carry two giant batteries from our house to the front entrance and back just to ensure we have electricity. Roger and his staffs really goes above and beyond to ensure that we are comfortable during our stay and it’s really touching. Everyone was so caring that it felt like a family :)

As a final word, Kudat Riviera is truly an amazing to stay. The beaches, the food, the view, everything is just exceptional. And though you leave, a piece of you will always stay with Kudat Riviera and everyone there. Try it and you’ll see...

"Sceptical but I was wrong"

We have heard about Riveira for quite sometime. Because we have had great time staying at villas in Phuket & Bali, we were a little bit sceptical about the standard of service of Rivera Kudat. I am glad that we were proven very wrong right from the moment we drove through the guard post. My wife and I have been working non stop for almost 2 years and we were in a messy state of mind before arriving; And all of the sudden, at Riviera, we could let ourselves loose and felt at ease immediately. The warmth welcoming from everyone, the quality of the facilities, the breathtaking scenery, the serene atmosphere left a loving imprint in our hearts. Our jaws dropped wide open most of the time. We gratefully enjoyed every second of our stay there. It was absolutely amazing. We will definitely be coming back for sure.

Great for: Short weekend getaway, honey moneys, family gathering Notes: Mosquito or insect repellent are provided and saved our lives; Great wifi available at villas; No cellular phone signal; They do take-outs from Tip Top Restaurant and the quality of food is great (love that they support the small community businesses surrounding them to boost local economy and...