Dolphin Bay Island Resort - Kota Belud, Sabah

Aleksandra M.

Unforgettable stay.
Romantic, clean, sandy beach ideal for snorkeling. Very tasty malaysian dishes full of local seafood. I definitely recommend it for holidays with family.

Nickitta D. D.

It’s my first time having one night stay in this resort and I have so many to say about.

1. Before I book this resort, I made sure I was able to talk with the reservation team and ask a few questions but it was so poor service as my inquiries were passed to 4 different WhatsApp numbers and the only staff who responded well to me was Ah Soon (he’s probably the resort manager) and not the reservation team. Reservation team with the one who has the resort official WhatsApp number wasn’t being very helpful at all and was not very responsive.

2. Be aware pickup time at the jetty is actually 2:30PM if you book through Agoda
. You can literally park near the jetty and it was safe, at least for our car. Staff mentioned that family member will take care of the car but there’s no one around when we first parked there. I guess it’s safe enough

3. Staff helped to carry our bags all the way to our room from the boat drop off which was 1st floor that was very nice

4. One thing weird and disorganized was they do have reception counter but when we arrived staff lead us to a restaurant and there were a couple of men sitting at a table and had form for us to fill in like name, IC number and sign. There wasn’t any briefing or welcome, staff just passed us the key and lead us straight to our room. It’s more like airbnb hospitality and not even a resort hospitality and I even felt like it’s like a school trip 😂

5. Toilet smelled funky, I think management should invest in better and good quality cleaning materials.

6. We were keen to do some snorkeling and they had snorkeling gears for free rental actually, but when we suggested that we need to try them to get the sizes correct for our fins, staff literally lead to us to this storeroom which was so far from the main building and to be honest it was so dodgy and the storeroom area wasn’t maintained properly with tall grasses, rubbishes everywhere. Staff was just sitting and watch his phone as we were figuring out which sizes fit us better, and actually made a dry joke like “OH SIZE 12 / XL will probably fit you!” sitting down, playing his phone and laughed his head off. We felt that was very uncomfortable, rude and not helpful, I guess there wasn’t any dive center team to help around. We finally got our right sizes and head to the beach ourselves. 1 star for the service and attitude

7. When we did snorkeling at the beach and was told where the corals at, it was okay. There were a few of healthy corals (mostly bleached and dead) and little fishies: but I think this island where the resort is at has better spots than where we went. If you’re looking to snorkel at the beach, please use their free rental kayak and kayak to the other private beaches next to the resort and I think the corals there probably look way better from the resort beachfront. I also suggest if you don’t mind the lack of hospitality but keen to check out the underwater sites, stay more than 1 night here to do them “kayak & snorkeling”

8. We didn’t go and watch the traditional performance after dinner by the staffs as we were tired from the water activities, so we just stayed in the room.

9. There is no bar at the resort so expect no alcohol unless you bring your own.

Would I stay again in this resort? Yes and the reason was I just wanted to checkout the other hidden beaches at the island and that would take me few days to explore. So if you’re an adventurer and a water baby, this might be a great place for you to have vacation. If you expected high hospitality and good customer service, this might not be the one.

I personally think the resort can enhance their hospitality and service by giving more training to the staffs and hiring professional ones especially in reservation team and water sport team. But literally everyone does everything there. It’s very disorganized.

giredue M.

Communications were efficient and clear, the whole booking process was. Once at the island everything was perfect, food, rooms, cleanliness. The staff was very friendly from the start to the end of our stay, very smily and skilled during the night show which was surprising, they made us dance and after that they made a fire show.
The bay is very private and the beach clean and well kept. This place is definitely worth the price we paid. For nature and peace lover

alfanatix

Very nice resort. The sand the beach the water the resort the staff and the owner. All very nice and friendly. Recomended to go and relax here.
Alot of activities here lika kayaking, fishing, they will bring to snorkel. Very nice resort and environment.
And the night time performance with fire show ⭐️.

Me my wife and my 3 kids love it.

Trip.com M.

First of all,let's start with the booking process.all is smooth.the instructions to the location are smooth. BUT,my family was quite disappointed with this trip. For the price,i don't think this place should be called a resort. The place is already rundown. They are using the old pictures.the swimming pool no longer operating.no umbrella by the beach.no watersport activities. There is 1 block of abandoned building quite disturbing the whole view.The staff is not friendly,they should improve their service.but they are nice people.The curtain in the room is already torn out.but the room is clean. There are so many monkey. It is not safe to put your belongings at the beach while you out for swim.The highlight of this trip was the fire performance.please don't use the old pictures to sell this place called "resort".

Rose M.

Six of us stayed at Dolphin Bay earlier this month. What a pleasant surprise!
The resort is located in an idyllic bay just a short boat ride from Usukan Bay Jetty. The golden sandy beach is immaculate and totally private. The water is clear and little fish swim around your feet.
There kayaks to enjoy and excellent fishing off the rocky headland.
The property has just 50 immaculate new rooms and the resteraunt serves excellent buffet meals including afternoon high tea.
Most unexpected was the evening entertainment. It included authentic traditional cultural dancing performed by local villagers and a spectacular display put on by the warriors. I'm sure it will surprise you as much as it did us.
If you are seeking somewhere special, we can highly recommend a few days at Dophin Bay.

Bart ?.

Amazing week in paradise with diving, sun, great food and wonderful people(and dogs)

Trip.com M.

The place is well kept. Staff are friendly. Nice place to relax and the food provided was great.