The Best Place to Stay in Kota Kinabalu

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If you’re like me, you can spend hours going down a rabbit hole of Booking and Airbnb reviews and still have no idea where to stay in a place.

Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo) is one of those places where it is really hard to sort through the rave reviews and horror stories to find a good place to stay. Every place is both amazing and terrible, depending on which reviews you read.

Look no further. I’ve got you.

We thought the King Park Hotel really hit all the marks for a reasonable price.

And no—this post is in no way sponsored (although I might make a few $ if you book through my link)! It’s just that when I find a gem, I want to let people know about it.

Let me give you all the reasons why the King Park Hotel is the best value for money in Kota Kinabalu.

Location

The King Park Hotel location doesn’t look great on maps, as it’s a little on the edge of town and not in the thick of things.

But in reality it is a relatively easy walk to just about anywhere you would want to go in KK. To be fair, we are walkers. But even then, I’d say the King Park Hotel is within a 30-minute walk of any major place of interest in KK. For example:

• It’s about a 10-minute walk to one end of the Jalan Gaya (Gaya Street) Night Market.  
• It’s about a 15-minute walk to the KK waterfront.
• It’s about a 20-minute walk to Jesselton mall and waterfront.
• It’s about a 30-minute walk to Imago Shopping Mall.

If you don’t love walking, grab a Grab for a short and cheap ride to wherever you are going.

The King Park Hotel is also right next to a major minibus hub, very convenient if that is how you like to get around. Signs indicate that there is a bus stop right in front where you can also get a bus to the airport.

And, very importantly for my long-term travelers, there is a decent laundromat (Cleanpro Express Self Service Laundry – Kampung Air, Kota Kinabalu) just a few blocks away from the King Park Hotel!

Price

The King Park Hotel will typically run you about US$40-60 per night. So, no, this isn’t the cheapest option in town, but it delivers on value.

If you pay around US$2 more per night, you can get the breakfast included. The breakfast buffet has quite a few options and varies from day to day. The breakfast typically includes local, western, and Chinese options…and even dessert! Don’t forget to bring your breakfast coupon; they are pretty strict about it.

The coffee at the breakfast buffet is not great, but there are some good cafes around town to get your fix.

Room and Amenities

The rooms in the King Park Hotel make you feel like you are on a business trip! For a cost-conscious traveler like myself, that means it felt a little fancy.

I will admit the rooms aren’t super spacious (some people even complain that they are small…c’mon people!). But there was more than enough room for our needs. They even had a little table/desk.

The rooms have the standard water kettle and tea/coffee and a little minibar refrigerator. And they also provide a hairdryer! Whoo hoo! That’s a real luxury for me.

If you are feeling fancy, they also have an ironing board and iron. You know, since you just did your laundry around the corner.

Other Places to Stay

If you aren’t convinced, there are, of course, other options for places to stay in Kota Kinabalu. Here are a few ideas for places to stay in different neighborhoods and at different price points.

Just know that I haven’t stayed in any of these places and am basing these suggestions only on thorough research and reviews!

Foreign Hotel (on Points)

If you are on Team Hyatt, the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu is a great option. One might argue that it is in an even better location than the King Park Hotel, and very walkable to all the main attractions.

Even if you aren’t staying on points, the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu can sometimes be found for only a bit more than the King Park Hotel (though breakfast is not included), so it’s a great choice.

Budget

There are a few hostels in KK. Escape Backpackers KK looks like a really good option with a great location and solid reviews. The breakfast here is especially popular. Best of all, you should be able to get a bed for around US$10 or less.

Around the corner you’ll find the Signel Hostel for a little more money, around US$14.

Furnished apartment

You’ll find a lot of affordable apartment rentals at The Shore. We looked at some when we were trying to book in KK, and I think they weren’t really done with construction.

The biggest issue we found was that there wasn’t wi-fi, which is a non-starter for us.

But a year has gone by, and they have come a long way, and I think most places have wifi now. The Shore also has a pool, which is a plus on a hot KK day (which is, I think, most days). The downside of The Shore is that construction seems to be still ongoing so there might be some noise related to that.

Final Thoughts

Save yourself some time on the endless search for hotels in Kota Kinabalu and just book the King Park Hotel. It will feel a little bougie for the cost-conscious traveler, but it won’t break the bank.

We liked it so much we stayed there twice!