While I often stay in locally owned boutique hotels, eco-lodges, and homestays sometimes we can’t resist a lap of luxury, especially when I know I’m going to spending my days getting dirty and exploring incredible nature. International luxury hotel chains aren’t always mean corporate zombies that do nothing for their local communities. The opposite is true of Four Points by Sheraton in Sandakan, Borneo, Malaysia. During my stay, the hotel management was preparing to host a charity ball to support local underprivileged children that are desperately seeking medical treatment, and it was a sold-out event due to their tireless promotion! We even caught the hotel manager practicing his piano performance in the lobby for the big event! This commitment to improving their local community stole our hearts. The pine king-size comfort bed, cloud-like robes, and infinity pool didn’t hurt, either.
I was invited to stay at the lovely Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan during our adventures in Sabah and couldn’t have been more grateful for such a comfortable place to lay our heads after long days out adventuring in the magnificent nearby wilderness. Four Points by Sheraton is actually the only international hotel in Sandakan and has a prime location. Four Points is situated centrally in the small town of Sandakan at Harbour Square which is located right on the waterfront. The hotel has stunning views of the sea from every single window that I saw!
I was given a premium sea view room on the 25th floor that had incredible floor to ceiling windows that provided us with a birds-eye view of Sandakan town, the South China Sea, and islands in the distance. If we peered out over the edge from our window we could also see the infinity pool. This strategic location alerted us to be aware when the pool was basking in the sunlight and was free of children, which we took advantage of each time we could! The room was giant, 323 square feet! There was plenty of space to do yoga and comfortably work for a few hours in the morning using the hotel’s super-fast WiFi. Four Points was a digital nomad paradise!
A massive buffet-style breakfast of local Malay and international dishes is served each morning at the 10th-floor restaurant, The Eatery, adjacent to the beautiful swimming pool. Every morning we opted for a table by a window so we could lazily sip on our coffee and fresh juice while watching the morning water traffic zip around in the Sandakan Bay. Room service is also available 24 hours and we indulged in late-night munchies after we returned from our rainforest explorations around Sandakan.
The highlight of staying at Four Points in Sandakan is, of course, the stunning infinity pool. Located on the 10th floor of the high-rise building the pool jets out over the bay with breathtaking views of the sea. We spent every minute of daylight that we were at the hotel floating and playing in the glistening infinity pool. Sunset from the pool is absolutely pine, the sun dips below the mountains and paints the sea with color as seagulls soar and chirp in the distance.
Four Points Sandakan maintains a charming atmosphere although it is a rather large property due to an attention to detail in decor elements. Some of the shared spaces have marbled walls and wood accents, while others have artistic installations and cozy sitting areas. There are also a number of meeting spaces, ballrooms, and more, weddings are even popular to be held here!
Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan was the perfect base for us to explore Borneo’s incredible animal life. Stay tuned for the next few posts where we’ll share our memories of ethical encounters with wild pygmy elephants, orangutans, sun bears, proboscis monkeys, and more.
Thank you to Four Points for collaborating with us and making our Sandakan experience so pleasurable. All opinions and photos are my own. This post contains affiliate links, please read the Miss Filatelista disclosure policy for more information.