We were at the Island last month and staying at Hill Side Villa No; 11. It was my 1st anniversary and my husband decided we celebrate at Manukan Island.

During arrival the front office staffs were there waiting for us and I’m impress with the service Welcome Drinks so nice and refreshing, the cold towel smell really good and the beads really cute.

Our checking progress was really good. The staff by the name Karen the one doing the registration, She was amazing!! At first my booking was in the Beach side villa where I’ve booked through the reservation. I've informed them I would like to have honeymoon room facing to the sea the reservation told me the honeymoon room was full which is at the hill side, and only beach side villa available which is the normal room. We had no choice to take it.

When we arrived at the island karen explaining to use about the island from A to Z with her smile and friendliness, and i ask again about the Hill Side Villa and she informed us they have it and really nice view and really suitable for those who come for honeymoon and so on.

I really impress with her explanation with her expressions and i and my husband decided to move there, although we need to top up few hundred but then again this is my honeymoon why not. Due to that she explain to us they need at least 1 or 2 hours to set the room back as my original room was already set for the honeymoon decoration and we agreed with it. She also suggested us went to the first beach where they're have setup the deck chairs and big yellow umbrella special for in house guest. We went there to take few pictures while waiting. Then we saw her at one room were trying hard to cleaned the room with one guy (uniform in brown helping her) then after 30 minutes she called us and informed us the room was ready and we were shock the room that we saw her cleaned up were our room. She soo energetic person and we really thank her for the effort and the room was so cosy and beautiful with the outdoor bath tub and the candle & the flower Patel setup and our bed was so cute and she is the one explaining to use everything in island and the restaurant. She the one explaining to us about the candle light dinner and the arrangement was so prefect.

I really recommend any others couple looking for honeymoon place. Manukan Island Resort is the perfect place for you.

I with my husband definitely will come back to Manukan Island.

I stayed at Manukan Island Resort in a two bedroom, single story cottage, with three other friends for two nights in January. The whole experience was excellent and exactly what we hoped for.

The rate included round trip transfer via the Sea Quest tour company but the day we were meant to travel, it was on and off torrential rain all day. We had to wait at the jetty for a bit until it was safe to travel, we ended up traveling in the rain anyway, which was an adventure in itself! The staff was very pleasant on check in and we were thrilled with the accomodation. The room was very cute, and while slightly dated and run down, added charm to the island experience. Admittedly, linens and towels were noticably old and could stand to be replaced, but as those things don't bother me, I wasn't particularly fussed.

The island, as we came to figure out, is flooded by day with tour groups, but very quiet at night. Even though there were hundreds of day trippers, we were able to spend the day down the beach and enjoy a bit of quiet. There are some things reserved for resort guests only (beach chairs and umbrellas, use of the pool), which was appreciated. The last of the ferries leaves the island by about 4pm so the rest of the day is very peaceful. While we were there, only 3 or 4 of the cottages were occupied so we felt like we had the resort to ourselves.

There is a nice hike to sunset point which we really enjoyed. The total walk is 1500 meters and at the end, there is a small path down to the rocky coast and provides beautiful views of the South China Sea.

The food is typical resort food, and while not fantastic, there is an assortment of options from traditional Asian to classic Western, and thought the prices were reasonable as well. Worth noting the service is quite slow, but since we had no where to be, it didn't matter too much. I can imagine it must be even slower when the resort is fully booked.

Overall, we LOVED the experience but must point out that it is not a 5 star luxury resort (and is significantly less expensive than the accomodations available on Gaya Island). While everything was fantastic and we loved the trip, there is a rustic feel which at times made us feel like we were on a deserted island.

We were on a 3D2N package in Manukan Island. Ours was a beach-front chalet.

Service was great. At the reception, apart from the welcome drink, i received a beaded necklace and my husband got a beaded bracelet. We arrived at 1pm and got to checked in on the spot instead of having to wait till 2pm.
Meals were included in our package and i was impressed by it. Every meal was different. From BBQ, to steamboat and even buffet..
The villa was much more than i imagined. Our bedroom consists of 2 queen sized beds and the amenities provided was excellent. From the usual toiletries to even cotton buds, shavers, etc.
When we arrived, it was low tide and therefore, the beachfront looked quite unsightful due to all the washed-up branches, shells, seaweeds, etc. We snorkelled during the high tide and it wasnt that bad at all. Even though there are still stuffs floating around, we were able to see a lot of fishes in the water. I didnt snorkel too far coz i was afraid. If you are adventurous enough, i will definitely encourage you to swim deeper. I did saw a couple of guys cleaning up the beach but somehow, i think it is quite hard to manage with all the big waves coming in.
The TV only had 4 channels namely Starword, AXN, HBO and ESPN. It was acceptable for a fact that our main reason for being there is to relax.
One thing i didnt like was the fact that the sea sports club could not accept card payments. I only have around MYR$500 and it wasnt enough for us to try all the sea sports as they had some that costs a whopping MYR$250 per person. Who in the right mind would bring so much cash to an island right? The water sports is one of the more expensive ones ive ever been to.
Another upsetting thing is that all SPA treatments was unavailable when we were there. the staff mentioned that the current company's contract has expired and they are waiting for a new one. It was such a waste coz the treatments were all quite cheap.

We stayed here for one night whilst on a sea kayaking trip with Seven Skies (an Australian luxury adventure company).

We had a a cabin close to the main reception area, which consisted of a living room, a bedroom with a queen bed and a bedroom with twin beds. It was all fairly comfortable although a little tatty in places, and the bathroom was small and in need of refurbishment.

It rained heavily during the afternoon that we were there, which wasn't a problem in itself, but there was a hole in the roof above the queen bed, which meant that it got soaked. There were a few other buildings that I thought were also in need of some care and attention.

The food and hospitality were fine, if nothing to rave about.

Would I recommend this hotel? If you're on a sea kayak and coming from Kota Kinabalu, then yes it's a perfectly decent place for a stop-over. If you're wanting to come by boat from Kota Kinabalu to an island resort for a while, then I would suggest that you stay at either Gayana Eco Resort or Bunga Raya Resort (both on Gaya Island).