We arrived in the evening at KK airport after a long trip from Toronto. Arranged for the hotel shuttle to pick us up and the service was excellent. They were waiting for us with cool towels and chilled drinks. Took us about 45 minutes to get to the hotel, so by the time we got there it was quite dark. The driveway leading to the lobby was beautifully lit and the sounds of the jungle life were incredible. Greeted by several staff with another cold drink, the traditional welcome gong, and then they took us directly to our room to complete the check-in process.

When I awoke the next morning and walked out on the balcony, I was impressed by the orchestra of tropical birds and the gorgeous view. Stayed in a spacious Ocean Wing Suite with 2 adults and 2 children. Wonderful room with outdoor deep soaker tub large enough for the whole family on the balcony. Our room was on the second floor so we had a good view of the pool and the ocean. There is a privacy screen that can be lowered on the balcony if you are concerned about being seen in the buff while in the tub.

Breakfast at Coast Restaurant was great. Wonderful service and a large variety of foods to choose from. We arranged to have dinner outside in one of the covered pavilions beside Coast. Sunset view at dinner was beautiful on most nights, but the one night we had arranged dinner outdoors it was quite overcast and cloudy, unfortunately. So, the next morning, the staff arranged to serve us breakfast outdoors to make up for it. My daughters really enjoyed the experience of eating breakfast in the pavilion and the view of the beach and the ocean is fantastic in the morning. Lots of tropical birds coming by for scraps which just delighted my daughters.

Our daughters enjoyed the complimentary kids club / daycare and it allowed my wife and I some time to relax and enjoy the spa. We visited the nature reserve and it was fascinating to get up close to the orang-utans. Lots of other activities available through the nature centre, but our daughters were too young to enjoy most of them (4 & 2). We spent most of our time by the pool and the beach.

Had dinner at the Japanese teppanyaki restaurant one night. The food was lacklustre, but most people go for the show anyway. The food at the Indian restaurant was much better in our opinion. Also tried the poolside food and room service, both were very good.

The first half of our stay coincided with the Japanese Golden Week holiday, so there were many Japanese families at the resort. My wife is Japanese and my daughters are really comfortable speaking it, so they were able to make many friends which made the trip even more enjoyable for them. The second half of our stay was quieter with fewer guests, but that just made it feel even more exclusive for us.

Service was excellent throughout our stay. Very friendly staff who would do whatever they could to meet our requests. We had planned to stay for 15 nights to take advantage of their long term rate and discounts, but we had to cut our trip short due to serious illness of a family member in Japan. Despite only staying ten nights, Salinah Salam, the manager of the Ocean Wing was very kind and granted us the discounts.

The renovations were ongoing during our stay, but we found them largely unobtrusive. Some noise could be heard during the day, but it was quiet at night. We were granted a per diem 200 RM credit since we were staying during the renovations which was quite nice and unexpected.

We really enjoyed our stay at the RRR and we left with great memories and a few tears as the staff sang farewell to us as we left. We plan to visit KK again in May 2012 and we will try the Tanjung Aru Resort this time, but we will try to visit Rasa Ria Resort to see the nature reserve again and hopefully hello to some of the staff we met last time.

Some people have complained about the remote location and the cost of the hotel. The remote location is part of the appeal for us since it was a true getaway location. The jungle was literally surrounding the resort beach. If you want more go nightlife or to go clubbing, choose another destination. While RRR is more expensive than other resorts in Asia, it offers excellent service, facilities, and food. The old adage, "you get what you pay for", still holds true.