Foodaholic Tawau: Outward Vacay: Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Sandakan

Exactly one week after my previous course at Semporna, I was yet again been 'ask' to go to another work related course in Sandakan, Sabah. After a minute worth of internal monologues that shall remain private (for now), I finally managed to dragged myself to the district by driving a few hours from Tawau to Sandakan. I think it's my boss's way of 'cutting costs'. But since my boss promised me that the venue for this course is a so-called 'hotel with first class facilities' I relented (with a very sceptical thought of course - since the last time I went to Sandakan was when I was 10).

But thankfully this time around, he was right! An internationally renowned chained hotel managed by Starwood, the Four Points by Sheraton is a welcoming sight especially for somebody who'd just drove 5 hours non stop and in badly need of a comfortable place to crash. It's at the far end of the Sandakan's main town (as Sandakan is famous for its multiple towns) and is attached to the newly built Sandakan Harbour Mall, a somewhat high end mall in downtown Sandakan. Since it's at the heart of Sandakan, you'll find the place is surrounded by rows of old shops as well as a variety of local eateries nearby (yay!).

Now I'll try to keep my review as short as possible (or else I'll probably finished a novel by the time I'm done). Right from the start, their service were impeccable. The receptionists were really friendly and helpful. And I'm not just being polite here. I appreciate the fact that they actually remembered my name when I came back to inquire something from them the next day. The room was pretty good as well, what with its modern and elegant looking decor. It might be a tad small in size (as compared to other Starwood-managed hotel that I've been to before) but I still loved it. I got the Deluxe Room and I'm really happy with the partial sea view that I got from my window, since I love to see local people going on with their lives downtown. Unfortunately I did not have time to try out their restaurants (although I did visit their bakery/cafe - more on that later) since my 3 days course did not include food as well. I do however had stubbornly (I say stubbornly because I actually have limited time to spare and I decided to spend most of it there) wanted to try out their infinity pool (located on the 13th floor) and let me tell you, I kept going to the place every chance I get! The pool might not be huge but the view was just marvellous and very relaxing to watch, especially during sunset.

A tip for anybody who're driving to the place - do use their very reliable valet parking. Since the parking spaces in front of the hotel are limited, you can just leave your keys with the valet and they will parked your car for you whenever a spot is available, with no charges at all. Or else you have to drive all the way to the 8th floor of the Harbour Mall (with 'nausea-tic' effect, believe me on this) and had to pay RM2 per entry just to park you own car as the hotel will not cover the cost if you parked there. And do be careful of your surroundings when sight-seeing in town especially at night since there seems to be a lot of local people 'lepaking' nearby all the time. There's even quite a few couples 'dating' at the sides of the hotel.

For the ratings however...

Type - Deluxe Room
Room - 4/5 (the view was just breathtaking)

Price - 4/5 (a bit pricey but you get want you'd paid for)

Service - 4/5 (kudos to their well trained staff - especially their receptionists & valets)

Decor - 4/5 (very modern and elegant looking)

Facilities - 5/5 (their infinity pool is a must try - the view's just spectacular!)

Location - 4/5 (easy to spot but with confusing roads leading to the place)

P/S: Sorry for the excessive picture taking (see below) as I got over excited snapping up pictures around the hotel ;-)

These pictures are of the hotel's exterior & their lobby (or lobbies to be exact). Their reception area is on the first floor so you need to use the escalators to get there from the main entrance.