This is my favourite place in Sabah to getaway with friends and family. The lodge is a great place for anyone trying to find a little quiet time away from all the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. I went there with my family when they first opened and are still regulars there, we go back at least once a year for a short holiday.

A nice hotel built on a hill with chalets scattered around the premises. Definitely not suitable if you are older and/or have troubles walking. Even I found the entrance a bit strenuous: walking uphill with all your luggage and steps without a hand rail to hold on to.

The rooms were dimly lit, which made it difficult to find something in your luggage. There was a foul smell in the bathroom and the shower was one of those 'whale of a time' ones, which I find pretty rubbish. You find them everywhere in Borneo, so I guess other people think about this differently. We had twin beds instead of a double bed :-(

The food and breakfast were nice, but the bar was very poorly stocked. Beer and wine were the only options available. There were a huge amount of insects being attracted by the lights in the bar area, which resulted in a lot of mosquito bites.

Nice hotel for a one-night stay, but I would not want to be there for a longer time. One thing I found weird is that upon checking out, you are requested to write something nice in the guest book and they are adamant about taking your picture.

In principle this place is indeed of a special kind. 2 to 2.5 hrs drive (in low traffic conditions 1,5 hrs in a perfect place. However, there were drawbacks. Other reviews mentioned the terrific meals, but we did not have that experience. Perhaps because of Ramadan, but the food was generally uninspired and rather bland during the 4 nights stay. Breakfast was more western which was preferred by the kids. The rooms were in itself OK, but we missed mosquito nets which were necessary after rainfall in the evening. Luckily we brought them ourselves. Another major issue are the sandflies. Although we read about them, the impact was much larger than expected. There are two kinds: the ones you see and feel, right after the bite, but with limited effect, and the ones you do not see and feel, but with effect a few hours later. Staff did not inform us of anything, and only the next day (after spending a few hours on the beautiful beach) did we find out to be covered in literally a hundred itchy bites which woke us up at night, resulting in infectious wounds/spots, probably leaving marks on our skin. DEET did not help and i suspect they even come through the mosquito net. This has truly spoilt our stay. The only thing that helped, temporarily,was to be out in the warm sea (close to 30 Celsius) which stops the itch. Be sure to bring itch relief medicine (like Benadryl) and DEET spray and use it constantly, or be prepared to go mad. Probably individual susceptibility to the effects of these bites play a role, but it was no joke to us.

We have stayed in this lodge 4 times in the last 5 years. The reason we kept coming back was the friendliness, location, and great food.
LOcation still great for what we like but unfortunately it was not so friendly anymore. The main receptionist especially. A real shame. We were not the only ones who noted it. Two other families found the same when we got talking. More geared to money making first rather than making a relaxed and fun atmosphere first. We will not be back.