Papar Homestays

Some improvement needed in Room Cleaning, stickers on shower wall left by previous guests still seen in Room 206. The Television has no reception and toilet seat cover is faulty in Room 206. Shower pressure is low and inconsistent in Room 201. Breakfast did not offer much varieties. Had lunch at the HornBill, food was delicious though !! Many swimmers in the pool are not with proper attire but in their home clothes..maybe its the local trend?? Beringgis Beach Resort & Spa is a beautiful resort fronting the South China Sea full of activities along the beach. However we find it very hectic to carry our baggages down two flights of stairs followed by dragging them along the pathway to our room. Surely be great help if there is a trolley ramp or Porters to assist !!!

What a great, relaxing place this is! We booked our room by sending them a message in WhatsApp and had no issues. The location is around 15 km south from Kota Kinabalu airport which is great, because you get away from all the traffic noise of the city. You can hear the planes every now and then, but it is nothing like the noise in the KK center. For us the quiet surroundings were the really big thing. There are just a few sea view rooms and even when there were other customers, it was still peaceful and quiet. Sea view rooms have their own pool so most of the time it felt like having an own private pool just for us. The staff is friendly and helpful. They helped us to organise our next destination and also gave a hand when one of us got sick and needed to see a doctor. Their laundry service is great too: we gave a huge bag of laundry to them in the morning and got clean clothes back on the same day. Liza, the owner, is such a great personality and we had a great opportunity to taste a potential new sparkling wine with her. The restaurant is spacious with lovely view to the big yard and to the ocean. We liked their buffet breakfast, but on the last two morning they switched it to à la carte. For us it didn’t make a huge difference, because the food was plenty. It was pretty much the same as the buffet options but served to the table. The dinner menu has more western options than typical Malaysian restaurants. We tried spaghetti, lasagne and fish and enjoyed them all, but at the same time wished more local options. They do have surprisingly good selection of wines from all over the world. In addition to a few glasses of house wine, we ended up enjoying a bottle of Italian pinot grigio on the Valentine’s Day dinner.

The restaurant is relatively expensive compared to typical street food joints. Luckily, there is a really good local restaurant just a short walk away and we ended up eating there our last dinners. The Palm Square shopping area is just a quick Grab drive away and there you can find more local restaurants. Getting there costs 5 ringgits. Sea view rooms are clean and spacious. Shower has warm water, but sometimes it took a while to get it. Water pressure was weak but we managed with it. It is a really nice bonus that the pool is just few meters away from the room. Each room has their own decked terrace with a fan and two sunbeds. Like other have mentioned, there is a beach but it is not very good. They clean it, but the trash from the ocean piles up anyway. Annoying fact that affects so many beaches in Sabah. We spent five nights here and really enjoyed our stay. Highly recommended!

We stayed at the Beach House Room 1 & 3 which had private balconies looking out to an amazing to die for sea view & sunset. The rooms were spacious & clean with comfortable beds. Breakfast was simple but delicious. They served good lunches too. Ask for Room 1 which is bigger with a sofa sitting area and a bigger balcony right next to the sea.

Uncle Ho Motel is located in Papar, within 38 km of Filipino Market Sabah and 33 km of North Borneo Railway. The property is situated 34 km from International Technology & Commercial Centre Penampang - ITCC, 36 km from Sabah State Museum & Heritage Village and 43 km from Likas City Mosque. Free WiFi and room service are provided. All units are equipped with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a kettle, a bidet, free toiletries and a desk. With a private bathroom equipped with a shower and slippers, certain rooms at the motel also provide guests with a city view. At Uncle Ho Motel every room is equipped with bed linen and towels. At the accommodation you will find a restaurant serving American, Malaysian and Asian cuisine. A halal option can also be requested. Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is 30 km from Uncle Ho Motel, while Petagas War Memorial is 31 km away. Kota Kinabalu International Airport is 31 km from the property.

We took a boat to Dinawan Island from the pier (Beringgis Seafood Restaurant), located 30 minutes from the center of Kota Kinabalu and 15 minutes from the airport. The boat leaves the pier at 9:00 and arrives at the island in about 15 minutes. The beautiful sea is sure to take your breath away. Check-in to the room is after 14:30, so you cannot use it immediately after arriving, so it's better to change into your swimsuit when you head to the pier. We head to the island with about 40 other day trippers, and when we arrive, we have free time until 10:00, where we can swim, kayak, or rest in a hammock. At 10:00, we head to the snorkeling point by boat and can do boat snorkeling. Unfortunately, when I went there, there were jellyfish, so I had to retreat 5 minutes after entering. (I was stung...) It was unlucky because there were no jellyfish the day before. . They take you to the top of a large coral reef. There were a lot of fish, but unfortunately the coral wasn't very colorful. After we got back, we had free time again, and we kayaked in the beautiful sea, snorkeled over the coral reef near the buoy to see the fish. My son enjoyed playing in the sand on the beach. In the lounge (a lounge and dining room with a roof and sofas underneath), you can drink coffee, water, tea, etc. for free. We had a BBQ for lunch, and the chicken skewers were delicious. We also had Malaysian food, yakisoba, fried rice, etc. I like Asian food, so I enjoyed it, but my husband and son, who don't like it, didn't seem to like much. After that, we had snack time while snorkeling and playing on the beach. We were served donuts with round crusts and banana donuts. (My husband and son were very happy to eat them, saying they were the best they had eaten in Malaysia lol) After we were relaxing, we were told that our room was ready, and we had three suitcases carried to our tent. The toilet and shower in the room were a bit questionable, but the bedroom was clean and nice! The family tent was spacious, with a large bed and a bunk bed behind it. There was also a simple air conditioner, which worked surprisingly well. Please note that the electricity is only on from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. the next morning. Unfortunately, it started raining in the evening, so we couldn't do the evening kayaking, sunset viewing activities, or the campfire we had planned after dinner, but we played billiards and table soccer until dinner. The day-trippers had left by the time we checked in, and there were only two families, including us, and one other guest at dinner. There were no Japanese people there, including the day-trippers. Dinner was also mainly Malaysian food. When I said I wanted to fish, they lent me my fishing rod at the pier from around 9 p.m., and I fished from there. There are tens of thousands of fish like silver-striped herring under this pier, but we didn't catch a single one even after an hour and a half of perseverance... The German father and son who were with us also didn't catch anything. It was a very pleasant early morning, and we could see Mt. Kinabalu clearly, which we couldn't see at all in Kota Kinabalu. We went snorkeling before breakfast, and my son swam with the schools of fish under the pier. Breakfast was at 8:00, and they also had juice and yogurt. *They also grilled it on the spot. The return boat departed at 11:00, but we were able to use the room until then. The electricity was already gone lol, but we took a cold shower and got ready. The next guests arrived, and we returned on that boat. Compared to places like Sapi Island, which is easily accessible, you can enjoy the quiet and beautiful sea. The snorkeling level may be about the same as Sapi Island, but even looking back now, the beauty of Dinawan Island is outstanding. It may be a bit of a tough beach resort for those who want cleanliness. If you don't mind that much, I think you'll have a great stay!