Sepilok Forest Edge Resort — Hotel in Borneo

Tourist trap and rip off.. After month of travel, the long house/dorm was the the worst accomodation so far.. You're close to the jungle, it's hot and humid, but there's no AC in the dorm room. So you'd like to sleep with the window open, but the mosquito nets are broken, have lots of holes, on one window they are even mounted with a huge gap so completely useless.. so you want to close the window but the closing mechanism is completely rusty and broken, you can't close the windows! Some glass planes even starting falling when I tried closing.. I asked the reception and they proposed to spray a Moskito spray through the room (which was actually to kill present mosquitos, not repell them). There wasn't really any reaction to me saying the windows are broken and don't close.. One of two bed sheets and pillow cases was really dirty.. I'd say it was maybe freshly made but then a bird pood on the pillow and some dirt came through the window or something.. unacceptable regardless. They changed it after I complained but weren't very apologetic or offered anything.. The rooms and bathrooms were in rough condition, lots of stains on the walls, paint peeling off.. The bed frames were dirty, lots of dust in the corners. Apart from that, we thought in general, floors and toilets etc. looked reasonably clean, but we witnessed people leaving the dorm one night earlier (!) because of the dirtyness and asking for a refund. The staff first declined and then suggested to write a complain in a guestbook and said they'll message them if a refund is possible.

There's 6 dorms with 4-8(?) beds and only two toilets/showers, not nearly enough.. When we waited for check-in there was NO water anywhere for hours, you couldn't use the toilet and order any drinks or food except pizza... the next morning the sink in the men's bathroom stopped working.

No WiFi in the rooms.

All that for 15€ per night per person!! In Kota Kinabalu we paid 6€ in a great hostel and 18€ for a hotel for two.. sepilok is not KK, but that's why I call it a tourist trap.. they know the tourist want to see the orang utans and don't have a lot of choices, so they get away with this..

The food was alright, but definitely overpriced. Breakfast had a lot of options, that's a plus..

Staff was friendly.

Yes yes.. the whole surrounding is great and the restaurant area is quite nice.. but if it comes to the basics it was bad.

I've read on a TV with a Diashow at the reception a quote from the designer "peter" along the lines: I didn't built this for financial gain, but for nature lovers to have a nice place to stay".. I think the exact opposite is true :D : They're building more houses instead of fixing what they're already...

My stay at Forest Edge Jungle Resort in a standard room in June was a truly wonderful experience. This resort is perfectly positioned right at the edge of the forest reserve, and I found its location absolutely stunning. You're completely immersed in lush jungle vegetation, with amazing wildlife to spot and the constant, soothing sounds of the rainforest surrounding you. It's also incredibly convenient, just an easy walk to both the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.||||My standard room was clean and functional, quite basic, and didn't have a porch, but it was very close to the restaurant. While everything was basic and simple, it did boast a surprisingly high-tech shower that took a little figuring out! I noticed the other rooms and chalets are more spread out and feature porches/balconies, offering an even more immersive jungle experience. I would have loved to upgrade, but unfortunately, no other rooms were available during my stay.||||The staff here truly shine. Every single person I met was incredibly friendly, helpful, and genuinely committed to ensuring I had a fantastic stay. Their local insights were invaluable; for example, they suggested walking the jungle trail behind the resort in the morning or afternoon for a chance to see wild orangutans. And luckily, I did!||||I also booked a day tour to the Kinabatangan River through the resort. I have mixed feelings about this particular excursion. While it's not the resort's fault, there were too many people packed into the boats, and everyone seemed to be visiting the same places at the same time. A little hint from the resort that this might happen would've been helpful.||Next time, I'd probably organize that part differently to try and avoid the crowds.||||The food at the restaurant was consistently delicious, offering a great variety of local and international dishes. The breakfast buffet was good, too, though I found the dinner and lunch menus to be better.||||My only minor complaint is the constant music in the restaurant area. It would have been so much better to have some hours, especially in the evening, without music to simply soak in and enjoy the natural sounds of the jungle.||||In summary, Forest Edge Jungle Resort offers an exceptional experience for nature lovers seeking a peaceful and authentic jungle retreat in Sepilok. Its prime location, comfortable accommodation, delicious food, and incredibly welcoming staff make it a truly memorable place to stay.||Would I come back? Absolutely! Though next time, I'll definitely be sure to book a...

Honestly... the location is great because it is in walking distance to the Orangutang and Sunbear sanctuaries.. but it's not worth staying more than 1 night. This resort could do so much more with itself. Yes its 3and yes it's a jungle location, but it seems to me that someone put a lot of effort in to building the place at one time and since then they've been lazy and it's had no maintenance apart from in the communal areas (reception, dining area). I have stayed in 2 jungle lodges that were better looked after. The lodge we stayed in could really do with TLC... so for example, if you're going to provide curtains, then make sure they're not hanging off the wall.. either that or just remove them. Make electric safe.. not lose on the wall/ lose sockets. Shower head falling apart and then fell off; bathroom light was flashing away like a discotheque; had to use my sock to plug sink in order to not waste water as no plug provided; outside garden area not maintained.. looked like it had been strimmed/ cut weeks ago and large masses of vegetation just left to rot where it had fallen. Super annoying there was no switch near the bed to turn the central light off.. had to turn off by the door and navigate way back to bed in the dark. Luckily I had brought a head torch. "Nest" cafe food at this hotel is not good.. why are you trying to do Western food and doing it so badly.. tasteless and overpriced🤮.. Breakfast is no better (frankfurters and chicken nuggets and baked beans.. seriously !!). Just do Malay food. There are no decent nearby street food stalls to escape to either, although there is a cafe a 5 min walk away which wasn't groundbreaking but at least it had rice and noodle dishes. Sepilok Forest Edge just feels unloved and I'm not sure the staff are very happy either. They have put in a "pool" ..but it's pointless as it's more of a paddling pool and quite green with algae & bird poo all over seating area.... would have been better spending the money fixing the wooden bridge to get to the lodges, as bridge is falling apart and full of holes. They also keep a flock of geese at this hotel, which are very noisy all the time...not what you want to be woken up by in the early hours of the morning. Only good things about this hotel were that the bed was quite comfortable and they give you plenty of free...