Sandakan Backpackers Hostel

All a bit old fashioned and ramshackle. Some toilets not working. Staff were nice though.

Don’t recommend- some kind of biting bugs on beds, filthy kitchen, not a nice atmosphere

This is one of the worst hostels. Ants in the bathroom, no toilet paper, no sink in the kitchen, not friendly staff, when checkout early after just 1 night they didn’t even ask why. My bed was missing the curtains that others had. Water on the floor in the room. Curtains in the room to the window couldn’t open so it was dark all the time. Everything in the kitchen seems nasty and not clean, you don’t feel like eating anything that has touched the kitchen. Wall says snitches get stitches. 0...

Good hostel to stay in before the Kinabatangan tour !

Good for a stop before the river cruise, very friendly staff. Showers barely worked and weren’t very clean.

It was decent for just the one night before I travelled onwards to Kinabatangan. The staff are very friendly and helpful when it came to booking tours/ transport. Free breakfast was great too!

This is a great place to stay in Sandakan, the roof terrace is a good place to hang out and the room was very nice (sturdy beds, with curtains too). Bathrooms could have been cleaner tbh but not a big deal if you’re not picky. The breakfast was also nice and I love the refill water tap.

Wir wurden sehr nett empfangen von der Dame am Empfang. Die Unterkunft ist etwas ausbaufähig, aber es ist halt ein Hostel in Malaysia. Für eine Nacht war das völlig okay und total günstig.

I was a bit worried to come here after reading recent reviews but it really wasn’t that bad! It’s in an ideal location & the rooftop is a nice hang out. I stayed in a female dorm and it was clean, my bed was really hard but others were fine. How sociable it is depends who’s there, i met 4 nice ppl. The shower and toilets were combined so the floor was often wet and it didn’t feel thattt clean but it was also fine. The reception lady is nice, and the breakfast for the price is decent ...

Bathrooms were not nice, and there is a sign warning that they cannot guarantee there will be any water and that the water will be clean. There were bugs all over the bathroom floor aswell. Breakfast was good tho and the bed was comfy and there’s a water dispenser which is good

The staff is very friendly and you can organise your trips to sepilok and kinabatangan from there. The location is very central. The facilities are not dirty but also not remarkably clean. Overall a good experience though

I stayed at Sandakan backpackers hostel for 1 night on 7th September It was a nice laid back place with friendly and helpful staff. The next day I was staying overnight at Selingan island to see the turtles coning up the beach to launch their eggs and they let me leave my big pack at the hostel and pick it up when I returned. The hostel is located in a central part of sandakan and there is a terrace at the top of the building where you can look and admire the sea views.

Quite dirty. Close to the waterfront and the smell was accordingly.

Staff friendly, hostel not really that clean and beds not comfy at all...mine creaked every time I moved but there were no bed bugs which is a plus! No individual lights or a shelf in the bunks are the socket is quite far away from the bed so not great if you don't have a long cable or want to read your book in the evening. Shared spaces are nice, the hot water ran out one morning when I wanted a coffee and was told that was it they couldn't refill it. Better hostels around for the same price

Great location and a lovely rooftop. Cleanliness of the bathrooms and the kitchen is somewhat lacking, however. Ran into a bit of an issue with laundry service, as I was assured it would be done in 24 hours, which is wasn't, resulting in me leaving with a backpack ful of wet clothes.

Okay Hostel, nothing special

Great location in centre overlooking the bay. Helpful friendly staff. Cheap and cheerful. The rooms could really do with a few simple amenities, like a shelf to put your stuff on, or a few hooks to hang things. Everyone's stuff was strewn all over the floor. Showers rather old school. Perhaps its time to redecorate.

Pretty smelly place (but I’d say is a property of that area of Sandakan), and not really clean. The space under the bed was all dusty and there was also trash. Some of the drawings on the walls were good but overall it gave a sense of caos not really pleasurable. The showers were smelly and not really functioning. Overall, pretty high price for that kind of experience

We stayed in a private room even if we booked for two beds in the dorm without extra charge, which was great! They have organized a mini van to go to Sepilok for 10 ringitt.

Nice hostel.