01 February 2014

Borneo Sandakan Backpackers was a pleasant surprise. It’s a clean, friendly, comfortable backpackers in the heart of Sandakan, with an attached tour company that has some of the most efficient staff I have ever met.

A head’s up from a friend (read their blog of six months touring in South East Asia) told us to use this backpackers as our stop off point in Sandakan and also arrange our Kinabatangan river tour through them.  We followed their advice and were not disappointed, not even once.

Good points at the backpackers were the clean rooms and bathrooms, airconditioning in the private room, 24 hour desk service, delicious breakfasts (egg, toast, jam, coffee, oats) and friendly, efficient staff.  It is also in the Harbour Square location in Sandakan, which is close to the mall, the bus terminal, the minibus terminal, restaurants and the markets. The staff (especially Jonathan) are especially helpful and friendly when it comes to giving free advice on travelling in and around Sandakan.  There are maps, posters, bus schedules and tourism brochures available at the backpackers to help you plan the best trip for you.

A Bad point was the dripping shower overflow (kept us awake a little), but that was all.

TIP: Be careful about backpackers with similar names like Sandakan backpackers, Borneo backpackers etc – especially if you are booking online.  This is Borneo Sandakan Backpackers and Borneo Sandakan Tours.  It is a red and white logo as on the website.  Read TripAdvisor Reviews for more information.