Small budget : cheap hotel Malaysia in Kota Kinabalu

If you are looking for a cheap hotel Malaysia, and if you want to visit
KOTA KINABALU here are two hotels that could interest the smallest budget.
These hotels are located in the center of Kota Kinabalu, a strategic place to visit the city and the islands!
As usual, you will find a video on our Youtube channel.

Hotels in KOTA KINABALU

One of the advantages of Kota Kinabalu is that you will find a wide range of accommodations on Kota Kinabalu including the following:

• Luxury hotels and classic 5-star hotels: Hilton, Meridien, Hyatt, ShangriLa, etc. The rates can be very interesting, especially if you book in advance, for the low seasons. From June to August, the prices go up.
• Villa to share, which can be an excellent compromise, if you travel in group.
• Apartments, especially on Airbnb.
• Mid-range hotel from 4 to 5 stars: some 5 stars are of lower level than the above hotels. The price difference can be large or very small.
• Budget hotel: you will find quite a few, from 8 euros per night. This is what you are looking for on this trip.
• Dormitory: you will find several also, from 3 euros. You will also find accommodations to take a nap for a few hours (you pay by the hour). Ideal for smaller budgets.

My selection criteria

During this trip to Malaysia, I was alone for various professional reasons.
The family stayed in Kuala Lumpur, so I was able to travel “lighter” and differently.

For these hotels, my selection criteria were:

• Cleanliness: poorly cleaned rooms, with hair from previous residents for example lying around, I’m not much of a fan 😅. Poorly cleaned sheets, with blood stains, even less so…. (YES, it’s true!)
• Private shower: I didn’t want to share the showers, nor the toilets.
• In the center of Kota Kinabalu: to avoid taking and paying for car trips (even if the Grab is not very expensive). You will also save time, as the city is overloaded with cars. Traffic jams can ruin your day!
• Economic: we are used to book 5 stars hotels (when we find good deals), but also very low-end ones (as long as it is clean, for our children).

Hotel 1 : CJ Residence

Hotel address

The hotel is located at the following address:

NO. 4, 2nd Floor, Block J,
Lorong Sinsuran 5, Sinsuran Kompleks,
88000 Kota Kinabalu
Sabah
Malaysia

The cab will be able to find it easily.
On the other hand, from the outside, it’s quite ugly and I would never have imagined finding an accommodation in this place.
This hotel is located near the bus station and the NIGHT MARKET SEAFOOD.

How to book

I booked on booking.com
You will also find it on other booking sites.

It is very well rated on google (4.9/5)

Hotel 2 : Qlio

Hotel address

This second hotel is located at the following address

No3, Lot 7 Blck C Segama Shopping Complex,
88814 Kota Kinabalu
Malaysia

How to book

I also booked on booking.com
This hotel is closer to the port, but further from the bus station.
The prices on site are the same as on booking.com (when I was there anyway).

Conclusion: what is the best hotel?

Personally, I preferred the CJ Residence for the following reasons:

• The cleanliness was above the Qlio,
• the availability of the person who manages the reservations via Whatsapp,
• the available refrigerator, contrary to the Qlio.

And you, which hotel do you prefer?

Do you have any other hotels to recommend 😀