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This was our third season at the Palace &we were unsure of what to expect, realising our expectations maybe too high. Sabah, Borneo was our third stop this WinterOur first surprise was the lack of welcoming committe at the Airport, we were sure that there would be someone to meet us, but no - only the shuttle bus was there to pick up our luggage. The driver made a moment of some kind & there they were coming from behind some pillars. So we got our hugs afterallOn our arrival at the hotel, members of staff that were at the hotel our last season were,on the steps waiting for us. It was a lovely feeling of coming back home. A light meal was prepared for us - bananer fritters which they knew that we liked. During our meal our incheckning was taken care of. We sat together for a while talking about events of the last year - getting uo to date with what was going on at the hotelPersonal from our previous visit remembered our small peculiarities ; extra power card (I have medication that has to be kept at a certain degree ), blankets, pillows, fruit baskets, extra teabags etcWe arrived a few days before New Year, we were going to go their New Years Party, knowing it was to be the same artist as the last time " Elvis from Sabah" ( very good ), but this year fell a bit flat, guests turning up in everyday attire ( shorts & T-shirts) & mobiles. It seems people cant do without those apparats for 2 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!As this was our third stay at around the same time of year, they knew that my husband would be having his birthday during our stay. We didnt say anything but we got a dinner invitation from the GM, also a surprise party at the hotel. They are very good at keeping "secrets" as we passed the party table a few times without being aware that it was usIt was Always pleasant to go to breakfast, with the "Good Mornings"& smiling faces of the staff. The downer on this was that they need to improve their English, too many misunderstandings occurred, especially what kind of egg you wantedA trekking walk was made whilst we were there, plus a relaxing area med bbqAnother downer was that some guests couldnt / wouldnt read or understand the rules about the pool area. Some just Went bathing with what they had on, screaming or shouting, no regards to other people, small children in the adult pool, this was ractified whilst we were there by setting up a wall between the two pools. Housekeeping need to be on the alert for empty trays in the corridors, these colud be smelly after being there the whole day. Our complaints were soon taken care ofWe warmly recommend The Palace for pairs, singles, & buisness funtions, they have lots of rooms for different kinds of functions. Very popular for wedding receptions

i was a bit disappointed with the Palace Hotel. I wasn't expecting anything special but I didn't enjoy my stay here. The hotel smells very damp and musty, You notice it as soon as you go in and it's especially obvious in the lifts and corridors. The staff were nice and helpful and the gym is good too but overall it's overpriced and not in an especially good location, It has the feel of a run down conference hotel. There are much better, cheaper options in KK. The aircon in the room was really loud too.

My husband and I spent one night here and, to be frank, that was enough. It took ages to check in, primarily because the credit card machine wouldn't make a connection. We were then given a room card without any explanation as to where our room was, where the restaraunt etc were or how to connect to the wifi. I had explained that we would be checking out early the next morning and asked the receptionist to book a taxi to the airport for 5.15am. I confirmed this with him twice. I don't think he was listening though (either that or his english was poor) as he proceeded to tell us that breakfast would be served from 6.30am!The fact that he wasn't listening and/or didn't understand was confirmed when we received an impromptu call to our room at 11pm asking us if we wanted a taxi booked for 5.15am. This was incredibly annoying as we had only just dropped off to sleep.The room itself stank - I think it was cigarette smoke as the smell was even worse outside in the corridor. It was clean enough and the beds were comfortable, but the furnishings were shabby. We had a standard room and I think these are all smoking rooms so if you are going to stay here and you are a non-smoker book a superior room. The smell really was terrible.The only favourable thing I can say about this hotel is the pool (which is fantastic), and the free shuttle service which we were told about by a member of staff wearing an "IT" badge - he was incredibly helpful and friendly. More than can be said of the reception staff.When we came to check out early the next morning we encountered yet further problems with the reception staff. I had asked them to put some icepacks in the freezer as I have medication that needs to be kept cold at all times, including in transit. The receptionist was different to the one who had checked us in the day before and couldn't find the icepacks anywhere. We were stood waiting about 15 minutes, with our taxi driver waiting aswell, and in the end my husband asked to look in the freezer himself to see if he could see them. I have a serious medical condition and we couldn't leave without the icepacks - my medication has to be kept cold at all times or it is otherwise rendered ineffective.The receptionist clearly didn't want my husband to go out into the kitchen to look in the freezer, but in the end had to let him as time was marching on. He probably didn't want us to go out there as, according to my husband, the kitchen was dirty and disorganised - in the freezer and kitchen there were fish just chucked on the floor without any sort of packaging, and it didn't look to be a particularly clean place to prepare food.The icepacks were eventually located in the freezer of the hotel's shop. The staff clearly do not communicate with each other as is evident from both this and the taxi issues. We were 25 minutes late getting to to airport and, to top things off, the taxi driver tried to short change us by RM50. Not an experience I can recommend.

Really nice Hotel, Clean and the staff are very helpful. The breakfast is really good and fresch. They have a nice gym and pool. I enjoyed staying at this Hotel. It's located 15-20min walking distance from the centre(nice way to explore the area), but they have a free shuttlebus service.

Such a comfortable, relaxing place!Despite some of the reviews we read on Tripadvisor prior to our stay, the Palace Hotel is located only a short two minute walk from the city centre. It's a great place to stay with friendly staff, lovely food at the restaurant, a nice pool, clean modern decoration, and excellent modern rooms with a great shower!We would definitely stay here if we were in Kota Kinabalu again, had all the hallmarks of a modern 4 star hotel from the UK!Enjoy!...