Sepilok Forest Edge Resort

Beautiful scenery and great location. Comfortable, quiet room, no daily cleaning. Nice restaurant with very good food, kind service, beautiful setting on a terrace. Reception staff very kind and helpful. I wish the communication would have been better before arrival. I had several questions regarding programs and dynamics around the stay ahead of arrival, and the answers were delayed and not detailed enough. Thus, I’ve made the mistake to hire a driver suggested by the previous hotel in Sandakan to take me to Sepilok and drive me to Kinabatangan, which was absolutely unnecessary.

Delightful. We had booked a standard chalet but were upgraded to a deluxe and very nice it was too, situated up on the hill with a wow-factor view of the trees from the balcony. All very comfortable. Decent air con, too. We enjoyed the plunge pool very much, and relaxing with a drink while watching the birds from the beautiful (covered, but outdoor) restaurant deck was wonderful - even when the heavens opened as they do in Borneo (each room is supplied with an umbrella which is a lovely touch). Dinner and lunch were much better than breakfast - the latter was very mixed in quality, but our meals the previous day were very enjoyable. The staff are absolutely terrific - friendly and very helpful, going way out of their way for us. Useful information: I’d read various reviews mentioning that although it’s easy to get a Grab *to* the area, it’s a different matter when it comes to getting one *from*. Our departure was time-sensitive as we were catching a flight so I took the precaution of booking a taxi via the hotel. Although obviously more expensive than a Grab, it was very fairly priced and was utterly reliable - the taxi was ready and waiting for us when we turned up, even though we were actually a little early. Unfortunately the hotel jungle trail was closed for repairs while we were there, but the rest of the grounds that we could wander through were gorgeous, and it really is walking distance to the orangutan and sun bear centres.

Staff were brilliant - always helpful and friendly . They went out of their way when we left to get us a taxi to the airport when we realised that a Grab to airport wouldn’t work . Rooms are clean and have a lovely balcony . The resort is a 15 min walk to the orangutan sanctuary and about a 30 min walk to the Rainforest centre - down a gravel track to start with but quite safe lots of people walking it . Restaurant area is good and a reasonably priced menu . The plunge pool is nice after sightseeing.

we really enjoyed our stay here! Although you are never guaranteed, we saw many different kinds of animals and plants including two orangoutangs! You really are in the edge of the jungle. The beds and cabin was comfortable. The plunge pool (about 2 feet deep and 25 feet diameter) was a very relaxing place to cool off. The staff were very friendly. One of the guys there was looking for wildlife and would point it out to you-he is the one who spotted the two orangoutangs and came to our cabin to let us know they were close because he knew we really wanted to see them! The breakfast buffet was small but always delicious. This resort was a bit more expensive than we usually pay for a place in Southeast Asia, but it was absolutely worth it!

The location was amazing, the grounds were stunning and on several of our walks around we encountered orangutans, gibbons and red leaf monkeys, some of which were right outside our hut! The grounds also had a lake and little plunge pool which was nice for a cool off in the humid afternoon, there are also some walks you can take further into the rainforest which we enjoyed. From this resort it was only a short walk to visit the orangutan and sunbear sanctuaries, and a short taxi drive to the rainforest discovery centre. The staff were very friendly and helpful, they helped us to book our trips and organise transport etc. The restaurant was also very nice, it is situated overlooking the beautiful grounds and the food was tasty with a lot of variety on the menu, cocktails, beers etc. The breakfast was a buffet and had a fair bit of variety, we enjoyed the food and atmosphere overall. Would highly recommend this as a place to stay in sepilok, a great stay!