Easy Check in and check out, fair price

Stayed in August 2025

Located in the heart of Sandakan; Spacious room; Clean shared bathroom; Comfortable bed; Big windows

Stayed in August 2025

The washing machine was out of order which was a shame. My room door was difficult to lock and unlock so this was a bit annoying to do every time I need to go to the bathroom or the kitchen.

Good location, right above 7/11 and shops/restaurants nearby. Comfortable beds, clean bedding and plump pillows. Good AC. Fridge available in kitchen area which was useful. Plenty of showers/toilets and all were clean.

Stayed in July 2025

The cleaning of the bathrooms and the facilities can be slightly improved.

Basic and simple hostel with all you need. It matches my expectations for such a cheap price. Overall I recommend it because it is well located (in the centre of Sandakan). The staff is kind and available and replied to all my questions.

Stayed in July 2025

Had many local middle aged men stay at the hostel. They dirtied the toilets and also roamed around shirtless in the common room. Was very uncomfortable. Also, don’t meet many travellers so, not really a hostel vibe.

The hostel is nice and comfortable. Very close to the sea. Walking distance to all harbour restaurants and the sandakan big mall. Owner is very responsive on WhatsApp and helps with all details and requests.

Stayed in June 2025

never actually met the staff lol which is fine just unusual - gotta call them to let you in and your key is waiting on the bench

really good facilities - stayed in the female dorm- basically had our own bathrooms there’s even washing machines here - plenty of food options near by and shopping and an atm just next door to you - was quite a nice hostel - let me leave my bags there while going to sepilok- was good i recommend

Stayed in May 2025

Very clean and very comfortable beds, good facilities and close to everything needed

Stayed in May 2025

Bathrooms were generally OK but require more frequent cleaning, as well as privacy film applied to the windows.

The hotel is secure and in a great location close to a couple of good restaurants, the seafront and the mall. There is a 7/11 next door with an ATM. The room was large, bright and clean with a comfortable bed and nice lighting. There were plenty of shared bathrooms and sinks.

Stayed in May 2025

Maybe the self check in and the front door. Access was a bit hard so had to call the owner.

The location was good and also the room was okay and had everything you need. There was complimentary coffee and tea.

Stayed in May 2025

The decor/vibe is very basic, it has the barebones to meet your needs but nothing special Staff were hardly present but were friendly when they were

Good aircon and comfortable room Great location right by the waterfront also a 7/11 underneath and a zus coffee across road The bathroom facilities have 2 showers and 2 toilets and were always available, however, although not dirty could have been cleaner.

Stayed in May 2025

We had pre booked an airport transfer but on arrival there was no one waiting for us. After contacting the property the eventually sent a grab to pick us up but it would’ve been cheaper to just book the grab ourselves. If you are arriving late make sure to get the code to the door - they happened to send it to us when we were dealing with the transfer issue but when we arrived another guest was stuck outside unable to get in.

We only stayed for one night before our Kinabantangan river cruise. The room was clean and location is beside a 7/11.

Stayed in May 2025

Nothing relevant

The place is conveniently located in downtown Sandakan, sort of dilapidated but fascinating setting. Rooms are proper and decently clean, as are facilities and showers. AC in our room, washing machine and tumble dryer in the common spaces. Staff was helpful.

Stayed in May 2025

I did not like how some of the showers had weak water pressure. The main gate did not look nice, the walls need to be repainted they smelled a bit moldy near the entrance, the chairs and tables were outdated and did not look so sturdy and nice, the instructions and hostel information were literally just written in the walls - could have put a little bit more effort to make it look nice at least, the place was not cleaned as often, sometimes the trash was too full and there was just trash by the trash can.

I like how friendly the staff are and they were very responsive in the chat and helpful with any questions I had about the hostel or about places to go and tours to book. I like how it was close to food places and the waterfront. It was also close to a jetty. They also had good tour packages - I did book a bilit kinabatangan river tour which was fun. They also had info about a bus to the sepilok to see the forest and wildlife which was fun too. I met amazing people in this hostel. The guests here are amazing, friendly and I had good conversation with the people here. I like how they provided house slippers. The bed was comfortable. I like how easy it was to check in on my own, good self service check in. The wifi was good.

Stayed in April 2025

Clean, comfy beds with curtains

Stayed in February 2025

No hot water in the shower

Stayed in April 2025

It was noisy outside and hard to get a Grab.

It is clean, well located, staff was friendly.

Stayed in March 2025

It's all a bit run down and the bathrooms were not so clean.

Comfortable bed in the dorm. I could do a late checkout. Good location right next to shops and restaurants. Easy check in and friendly staff.

Stayed in March 2025

We really enjoyed our stay at AeCOTEL Mingle. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The room was nice and clean and especially the sanitaries were good. The price performance ratio is great.

Stayed in March 2025

Some info upfront for check-in would be great as you need to call/chat via Whatsapp but only know this when you stand in front of the door. Many guests didn't read it directly and rang the bell several times before they got inside

Great Location, clean and comfy room. Shared facilities very clean. Washing machine is a big plus.

Stayed in February 2025

Nothing really. I had problems getting hot water out of the shower. The man showed me what to do, but I only managed once. I think you probably have to keep the switches on for a long time. A mirror in the room m8ght have been handy.

The hostel was opened in 2024. It was spacious, the room was quite big. There were four rooms on my floor with two showers and two toilets, which was more than adequate. The hostel is very central, though there is practically nothing to do in Sandakan. It had a kitchenette with a washing machine and dryer.

Stayed in February 2025

dirty kitchen, no hot water for a cup of coffee in the morning...

Love the vibe, friendly staff

Stayed in February 2025

The check-in was very confusing. We rung the doorbell and another guest openend. Our room key was on the reception desk with a stickynote with our name on it. For the rest no welcome or information about the facilities (for example how much the washing machine cost to use, that we can take coffee whenever we like, etc). At the least this could have been communicated through booking or whatsapp. For the rest there was 0.0 atmosphere. Just by replacing the weird tire chairs with some couches or hanging up 1 or 2 paintings the place would have gotten a much better vibe.

It was quite clean! The manager seemed to clean it on a daily basis. The beds were also comfortable. The location is also super. All in all this is a budget accomodation but it has all the basics you need.

Stayed in January 2025

The air conditioning could be cooler, but overall it’s great value for money.

I stayed here for a few days and loved it! The staff were super friendly, the place was clean, and the pantry was great. Having a washer and dryer was so convenient. I’ll definitely stay here again when I’m in Sandakan!

Stayed in January 2025

Washing machine available and the staff was very helpful through WhatsApp.

Stayed in December 2024