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Reviews of Paganakan Dii Tropical Retreat

2.5 out of 5
Paganakan Dii Tropical Retreat
Mile 14, Jalan Labuk, Taman Hiburan Jalil Alip, Sandakan, Sabah

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 30 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 28 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 68 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 68 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

8.2/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Tom

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

cara

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room much nicer and bigger than expected (family room) with lovely views. Nice breakfast options and lots of trip options and lifts if needed. Limited food options in evening but food good.

8/10 Good

Victor

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
This review is for the private room. Our room was nice with 1 Queen bed and a bunk bed. All beds had netting in good condition and the view was excellent. Our private bathroom was almost outdoors so that made for an immersive experience. Food was ok; the amount of protein was in some dishes very small and the menu never changed but it was cheap. Breakfast was included and was eggs, 2 white toasts and small amount of fruit. Plus tea or coffee. The big buts we’re maintenance;e.g. door latches didn’t work, loose safeguard netting for the balcony and cleanliness. Under the beds they didn’t clean and the reception/restaurant area was not very clean. Leftover food was left for hours and floors weren’t swept. The bathroom there was filthy. The big plus we’re the leading ladies who multitasked booking tours, checking in/out, taking restaurant orders etc. They eeee always serviceable and with a smile. Lots of families and younger travellers.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Richard

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Staying in the bunk longhouse could be classed as roughing it a little, but the lodge as a whole is inexpensive the staff are very helpful and it is a fantastic adventure - a base from which to explore Borneo's wildlife. Our teenage kids loved it, once they had adjusted!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bradley, Lincoln

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great accommodation surrounded by beautiful nature. Staff was very helpful and kind. Would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

8/10 Good

Jo

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A family run retreat who make you feel like part of the family. Basic and rustic, it fits perfectly into the surroundings. Close to the attractions in Sepilok so location is convenient. While breakfast is provided and other meals can be purchased, the menu didnot change (we were there 5 nights) so some variety would be nice. Outdoor bathroom attached to the room makes you feel like you are showeri g in the jungle. Don't leave anything in the bathroom though. My husband's toothbrush mysteriously went missing!!
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Regina

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Jungle stay
Great place close to the jungle!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Basic but fit for purpose, staff and food great
Basic wooden hut stay in the jungle so has to be judged as such. Staff were really friendly and helpful. Food was great and very reasonable. Rather remote so you have to get the shuttle provided or sort out your own arrangements. We couldn't get Grab from the hotel but could get it at the attractions in town. Room itself was basic, no towels provided, no cleaning service. Shower was hot. Served its purpose and would recommend for a few days to see the sights of Sepilok.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Wendy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a great time staying at Paganakan Dii. The hotel is rustic, but clean. It is a quiet location and you really feel like you are in the jungle when you are staying there. The staff are very friendly and it is lovely that they organize shuttle services to the Orangutan Sanctuary as well as the Rain Forest Discovery Center. Our kids loved staying the bunk beds and the mosquito nets added to the adventure.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is a retreat built in the jungle and has to be judged accordingly. We stayed in a wooden chalet which was clean and spacious with a private outdoor bathroom. We slept under mosquito nets and were careful not to leave outside lights on unnecessarily so as not to attract the insects. You will need insect repellent in the open dining/sitting areas particularly in the evening. Tha staff were particularly friendly and helpful. This is a great place to stay to visit Sepilok and surrounding areas with the staff helping if you wanted transport or trips arranged.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Adila

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
true nature
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great lodge in the heart of Sepilok. Good facilities and very tasty basic food. Staff amazingly friendly and helpful, especially when organising trips. Very child friendly. The kids loved chilling in the hammocks and listening to the spunds of the jungle. Free transport to Sepilok, Sun bears etc. If yoi have time dont miss out the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Almost deserted and haven for wildlife. Saw orang utans, flying squirrels, slow loris etc. The night waalk is a must! Paganankan is also highly recommended as a lodge, especially if you have kids!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
The location is great, the cabins lovely and the staff fantastic!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We really enjoyed staying here. It is basic but a different experience to the other lodges. Rooms where the walls slide away to bring the outside in. Comfortable beds with mosquito nets. Outdoor shower. Lots of hammocks to relax in. Communal areas to sit and meet other guests. The food wasn’t special but was good enough.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
The property is OK, did its purpose. The staff are wonderful and the location is perfect for the orang-utans sanctuary. The location is not good for anything else unless you have your own car or want to spend money on cabs - there is nothing around. You rely on their meals and services. The internet service is only available in the common area of the meals area and is barely useable. My advice, if you have urgent emails or bookings to do, do it before you get to this property.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
A real rainforest retreat
This resort is really in the jungle with not a lot around it. Although it is close to the Orangutan sanctuary, the Sunbear conservation centre and the rainforest discovery centre (within 5km), they is really not much else going on in the area. It is about a 45 minute drive from the town of Sandakan. The room is what you would expect to find in a tropical retreat. The rooms are pretty basic but do have an air conditioner, a fan and a mosquito net as well as an outdoor bathroom. The staff are pretty good at the resort but there is room for improvement and make it a better experience for their customers. Overall it was nice to be close to the main attractions of the area
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

4/10 Poor

Sophie

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
No windows!
No natural light, one bedroom has no windows at all and the other (with only window in whole apartment) faces a wall.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 3 nights in May 2019

8/10 Good

Eric

Very basic accommodation but good value for money. Good location for access to Orang utang centre and Rainforest Discovery Centre
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dark and depressing place in the jungle
This place from the photos looked unique with a romantic setting in the lush jungle, but when we got there we couldn't be more disappointed. Both the common areas where people can sit at the tables for a simple meal or drinks and the rooms were dark and depressing. There's not much one can do at this place. The treks through the jungle were not maintained and closed off. The outdoor bathroom was the only nice feature, but we had to be mindful to keep the door between the bedroom and bathroom closed all the time for fear of mosquitoes.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff were very friendly! I didn’t have a blanket in the dorm and it got pretty cold at night.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Summer, Bali, Indonesia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fun and unique place right in the jungle. The rooms are pretty basic cabins, but they do have balconies overlooking the jungle, air conditioning and outdoor bathrooms with hot showers. I saw a monkey outside my balcony when I arrived! Their ecological approach and ethos is great. And the staff is friendly and helpful. It was handy to have food available there. I also met some other interesting travelers there -- it's easy to meet people while staying at Paganakan Dii.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Elizabeth

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Nice, unusual place but don't expect luxury.
I only stayed here one night, and I knew I wanted somewhere quiet, surrounded by nature and that's what I got so I was happy with the location. As other reviews have said, there's a long, very steep path up to reception. I felt bad for asking the taxi driver to take me there! There was a mix up with my booking so I had to go back to reception to ask to be moved to my ridge hut rather than the standard one. From what I understood from other reviews elsewhere it was a slog to get to them, but they were worth it for the views. Mine was just around the corner from the first hut, and lower down the hill. It was identical to the first one on the inside so I don't see what the upgrade was. The room itself was nice and big, and the aircon worked extremely well. The huts are quite cool and rustic, but this does mean they aren't exactly airtight so critters can get in. Watch out for droppings. The sliding wall leading onto a private balcony was the reason I booked here, and it was fun to use. The view is of a pond and a palm oil plantation, not the rainforest, but it's still interesting and quite beautiful. The people were nice and friendly too.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mun, Kuala Lumpur

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place where you can be so close to nature. All the staff is so helpful and friendly especially Rose and Midi!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great experience...only upset had others booked for early morning to go to see monkeys...they cancelled but the family driver got me there on my own and was great...five stars
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome hideout
Love this place! We had an amazing room with a beautiful view. The food was pretty good at the restaurant. Free shuttle service to the sanctuaries was awesome. A few things to note: our outdoor bathroom shares a wall and lack of roof with our neighbors bathroom, so you could hear each other.... doing everything... made it a bit awkward sometimes, but wasn't the end of the world. Also The place could definitively be taken care of a bit better, the restaurant could use a good sweep now and then and maybe a wipe down. But you are in the jungle so just embrace it. It's nothing fancy but it's very peaceful and secluded, we loved it.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

10/10 Excellent

Kim

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is a such a great place to stay if you want to escape the crazyness of the city and be close to the main attractions. The outdoor rainfall shower was a highlight :-)
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

An authentic experience where you felt immersed in the jungle, but the location was difficult- compared to other hotels in the area where you can walk to all the main attractions you lack independence in this hotel as you rely on the staff to drive you everywhere. There is a long steep unsurfaced driveway that taxis have difficulty going up and down so can be left walking up it alone at night. That said we still enjoyed the stay as it was quite an adventure. The rooms themselves are very rustic. The best part was the bathrooms which were almost open air and had a nice jungle feeling.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Katharina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Everything was fine :)
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

susi, Frankfurt

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really nice if you want to relax, calm down, enjoy the jungle and stay quite close to Orang-Utan Park. Food was really tasty!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really helpful & friendly hosts / staff. We had a great time here.
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

callum

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Little taste of wilderness wi peace n quiet
Great place away from crowds surrounded by trees n small lake lots of wildlife around top for chill few days and base for local trips free lifts to the activities
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

NEA, uk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close to Jungle
Very friendly staff who were very helpful. They were happy to arrange lift to next venue. Overall very relaxing.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Room comfort
Atmospheric but stressful
The hotel is literally in the middle of nowhere (and not in a good way). It's in the middle of some oil palm plantations - 6 KM away from the main area in Sepilok. There is a steep unpaved road that goes up the hill to the resort and the taxi driver unloaded us at the bottom saying that he couldn't turn at the top (he lied) and we had to heft heavy luggage up the hill in the rain. But from the reception there's a muddy washed out path that goes further up the hill to the rooms. The place is atmospheric but you get all the bugs and critters that come with a 'plantation' type hotel. I think it's better to stay in Sandakan and do Sepilok as a day trip. No towels until we asked for them and the room aren't cleaned during your stay. Probably good for price-sensitive back packers who can slum it out in their dorm. We had another back experience while checking out at 6 AM - also because of the hotel's location. The hotel told us that they had booked a taxi for us but no one showed up. Incidentally, there were an English family who were getting a drop with the hotel's own car (not sure why we weren't offered this) and the driver told us not to worry. Come 630, we still didn't have a transport and we were completely stressed out. Then, one of the staff sauntered up the hill and told he would drop us because apparently the other driver had called him and he had called the taxi driver who had decided not to come (possibly because he'd have to climb a dirt track).
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Lovely chalet type accommodation. Mozi nets didn't keep out multiple small insects. Good breakfast. Shuttle to local sanctuary appreciated
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

sally

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing nature retreat
This is a great place to stay on a low budget to experience Sepilok. Our room was fantastic - basic wooden bedroom but with an incredible view from the balcony and an amazing outdoor bathroom with the same incredible view while showering. What a way to wake up in the morning! Book room D1 or D2 for the best views. If you prefer more of nature than luxury resorts this is the place to stay

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Hayden , New Zealand

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great experience with wildlife
The room was good and felt like you were right in the middle of the rainforest. Free shuttle to the sanctuaries in sepilok was helpful and the food was pretty good and affordable for it being your only option for dinner nearby.

10/10 Excellent

Jaime

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place! V low-key and friendly. Kids loved the hammock and the jungle around.

6/10 Okay

Darren, Kota Kinabalu

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Great place, ordinary staff
This place is amazing. We rocked up and the room and grounds have an eco friendly feel. The room , bed and semi outdoor shower were fantastic. Now the downside . When we arrived we were not given towels or toilet paper by the very uninterested woman who was supposed to be serving us. She was more interested in her phone than us. The food is nothing to write home about and they seem to only be able to cook one order at a time ie 1 hr wait for chicken and rice. Breakfast was the same.......long wait. Didn't get breakfast on last day as she couldn't be bothered taking orders and settling the bill as well. The guy on the second night was okay even though he spent all night on his phone. At least he served us with a smile and some enthusiasm. So, if the staff were more attentive and friendly this would be a great place to stay. It's location is pretty good although it is a fair way off the main road to the orangutans. I rang the resort from Kuching and asked if a shuttle could pick us up from the airport as it states on their website and the lady told me they don't do that. Unfortunately these few things happened to the other guests as well.

2/10 Terrible

tan, aussie

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Booked 3 nights,stayed 1
Not at all comfortable. Would not go back. Went to a different hotel in Sandakan instead. Better to stay in some comfort and still a shirt trip to attractions.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice jungle lodge with good quality facilities and helpful staff. Breakfast could be improved a bit.

8/10 Good

Adriana

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
For nature lovers only
This place is for nature lovers. It's not plush accommodation. Be aware that no towels are provided. It's a great place to be to watch nature, birds, listen to the sounds of the jungle. It could do with a bit more organisation in the reception/meals area: more information about tours, timetables, costs, recommendations. And a bit more variety in the breakfast. The individual huts are great as they have ensuite and aircon. It's a great little place to go to see the orangutans and sun bears, since they give you lifts in their own van. But it's not a luxury retreat.

10/10 Excellent

Haley, Yorkshire

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would return.....
Great views of the rainforest, free transfer to the orangutans/sun bear centres, white linen, limited but delicious food from the onsite kitchen, really helpful staff - would definitely return

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Room in the jungle
We loved our stay here, with a room that looked out over the jungle and an open air bathroom. And the staff were really friendly and helpful!

10/10 Excellent

Elise

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful cabins
We only stayed one night but really enjoyed our time there. We stayed in a private double - it had a grest mosquito net and lovely partially outdoor bathroom. We caught the free shuttle to the orangutans in the morning.

8/10 Good

Hans Peter

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Das Preis/ Leistungsverhältnis war okay
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024