Our Verdict: Affordable wildlife base with a swimming pool
Our route through this part of Sabah was built around Sandakan and Sepilok, with wildlife the main reason for coming. We were visiting the orangutan rehabilitation area, the sun bear sanctuary and Labuk Bay for proboscis monkeys, so we needed somewhere practical, affordable and with a pool for the hot, sticky downtime between trips. This Sabah Hotel Sandakan review covers our stay in an Executive Suite at an independent hotel closer to Sandakan town than Sepilok itself. It is worth considering if you need a realistic base for wildlife touring, not a resort pretending it floated in from a glossy brochure.
In this Sabah Hotel Sandakan review:
Hotel Details
Name: Sabah Hotel, Sandakan
Location: Sandakan, Sabah
Hotel Class: ☆☆☆☆
Chain: Independent
Loyalty Programme: None
Room Type: Executive Suite
Price bracket: £
Good for: Tourists, wildlife-focused travellers and practical Sabah itineraries
Accepts pets?: No
Location
Sabah Hotel sits in Sandakan, on Sabah’s east coast, which makes it one of the most useful bases for wildlife trips in this part of Borneo. Sepilok is the big draw, with the orangutan rehabilitation centre and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre both within easy reach, while Labuk Bay is great for seeing proboscis monkeys if you want something beyond the usual orangutan circuit.
Sandakan also has appeal beyond wildlife. It is good for seafood, local markets and a more lived-in side of Sabah that feels less polished for tourists. It is also a common jumping-off point for Kinabatangan River wildlife trips, although we did not make it there on this visit. That one remains firmly on the “why did we not add another two nights?” list.
The trade-off was transport. This is not a hotel to book if you expect to stroll easily between restaurants, shops and sights. Grab, taxis or a car made far more sense, especially for Sepilok, the Rainforest Discovery Centre or onward plans towards the Kinabatangan River.
During our stay, Grab journeys to Sepilok took roughly 25 to 35 minutes depending on traffic and were usually around RM30 to RM40. Sandakan airport was much closer, usually about 15 minutes away. Bring mosquito spray.
Check-in
Check-in was straightforward. We had booked several rooms, which can sometimes expose whether a hotel is organised, but nothing went wrong.
Sabah Hotel has no loyalty programme, so there was no status recognition, upgrade theatre or points chat to report. The atmosphere felt functional rather than polished, which matched the hotel’s wider role: a tourist base for wildlife trips, families moving through Sabah and travellers who need comfort without paying silly money.
Our Room
We booked an Executive Suite, which gave us more space than a standard room and made sense for this kind of trip. Sandakan days can involve early starts, humidity, muddy shoes, camera bags and the general admin of wildlife touring, so having a separate living area was useful.
The suite had a lounge area, desk, bedroom and bathroom. It was not cutting-edge luxury, and nobody is going to confuse it with a new-build city hotel, but it was comfortable, spacious and practical.
If you are choosing Sabah Hotel, I would consider paying extra for a larger room if the price difference is sensible. After a long, sweaty day out, the extra space does make the stay feel easier.
Facilities & Services
The pool was one of the reasons we chose Sabah Hotel, and that instinct was right. Sandakan and Sepilok days can be hot, sweaty and full of early starts, so having a proper pool back at the hotel was genuinely useful.
The hotel’s appeal came from recovery time. You go out for orangutans, sun bears or wider wildlife plans, then return somewhere affordable with a pool and enough space to reset. It is not a full resort setup, but for the pool, price and practical location, it worked.
Bars & Dining
Dining felt like part of the practical package rather than the main event. We encountered a buffet dinner, which suited guests arriving back from tours and wanting food on-site without arranging more transport into town.
After a humid wildlife day, the buffet was less about culinary discovery and more about sitting down, drinking something cold and not having to negotiate another Grab. Treat dinner as functional backup and research Sandakan town options if food is a priority.
Breakfast
Breakfast was à la carte during our stay, with Malaysian and Western choices available. There wasn’t any standout dish, so keep expectations grounded. It worked as fuel before heading out, which was what we needed.
Check-out
Standard check-out was at 11am, which felt workable for a hotel used by tourists moving around Sandakan and Sepilok. Transport again mattered, so plan a Grab, taxi or car for your next move.
BG1 Verdict
Sabah Hotel Sandakan is a practical, fairly affordable base for wildlife-focused travellers. It suits anyone visiting Sepilok, the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, Labuk Bay or the wider Sandakan region, especially if you value a pool and a larger room more than chain polish.
Would we return? Yes, if the brief stayed the same. Book it for function, price and location, not luxury theatre. The Executive Suite helped, the pool mattered, and the hotel made sense as a gateway base. Bring mosquito spray, budget for Grab rides and use the hotel for what it does best: supporting the real reason you came to Sandakan.
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