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Planning a family trip to Kota Kinabalu? Our 2026 review of Sutera Harbour Magellan Resort covers its fantastic kids' club, expansive pools, and playgrounds, perfect for families.
On my last business trip to Kota Kinabalu,
I stayed at The Pacific Sutera Resort,
and for this vacation,
I chose The Magellan Sutera Resort!
Sutera Harbour Resorts
1. Resort-style: Magellan
2. Hotel-style: Pacific
The Magellan is
highly recommended for families traveling with babies!
The Pacific is
super clean and modern since it was recently remodeled.
The photos below show
the Magellan Deluxe Garden View
Twin Room.
And here is
the Deluxe Sea View room.
The pool is absolutely massive, right?
There are so many pools to choose from at Sutera Harbour!
You can use the pools at both
the Magellan and the Pacific,
but it's way too hot to walk back and forth... haha.
On the ceiling of the guest rooms,
there was this little green arrow...
I wondered what it was, and it turns out
since Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, it points in the direction of prayer (Qibla).
Ah, makes sense!
The room below is
the Executive Suite!
It looks so amazing~
By the way,
the breakfast buffet didn't have many options for babies, sadly. ㅠㅠ
My son, Ppoong-i, is a 24-month-old boy,
and he was going through a bit of a food strike too...
Just in case,
I brought some instant rice and seaweed packs.
Even though outside food is prohibited,
they kindly let us slide when we explained it was for the baby.
Oh, and one more thing!
There are no microwaves
in the guest rooms or the breakfast restaurant.
No microwave anywhere!!! What a shocker! 😱
So how do you heat up the instant rice?
The Magellan Club Lounge
If you head over there, they will heat it up for you!
(Location: 1st floor of the building next to the kids' playground, behind the baby pool)
Maybe because they get a lot of Korean guests,
they recognized the instant rice packaging instantly! Thank you so much!
Sutera's breakfast is a tiny bit disappointing. ㅠㅠ
Everything else—the rooms, the pools, the location—is absolutely perfect, though...
Someone's in the best mood ever!
The baby's mood is just as amazing as the beautiful weather :)
Who knew a first family trip abroad
could be this much fun?~
Makes me feel like we started traveling way too late, haha!
Next time, we definitely have to bring Daddy and Grandpa along too lol
The walking paths around the resort are so beautifully designed.
Every morning after breakfast, before it got too hot, we took a stroll,
snapped some photos, and let him run around!
It's the absolute perfect recipe for a sweet afternoon nap~~
(But sadly, he only actually napped once during the whole trip... haha)
Come out, kitty cats!
He spent so much time chasing local cats around lol
Heading back to our room to change into swimsuits!
He looks so blissfully happy, right?
Honestly, he isn't usually a baby who smiles *this* much at home, haha!
There are so many great spots
for babies to play right inside the resort.
From the outdoor playground and indoor kids' club to the kids' pool,
everything is kept incredibly clean and tidy
for families traveling with little ones.
He absolutely hated walking barefoot, lol.
The hot ground and scratchy texture
totally set him off on a tantrum~
Magellan Kids Club
Indoor Playground
An absolute lifesaver
in the hot Kota Kinabalu weather! lol
You can play with your little ones in a beautifully cool, air-conditioned space!
They have different activities scheduled throughout the day.
I think we ended up coming here two or three times a day.
We'd drop by after breakfast and our morning walk,
come back again after swimming,
and make another visit
in the afternoon!
When it was busy,
there were about 6 kids playing together
(from all different countries!)
And when it was quiet, our little one had the whole place to himself!
There isn't a separate diaper changing station,
but there is a kids' restroom inside!
(No adult-sized toilets here)
If you call a Grab and wait in the lobby,
it arrives in no time!
Taking a Grab to the shopping mall
takes only about 10 minutes,
and the ride is super affordable!
While waiting for our Grab,
we had a blast playing with bubbles! :-)
The Magellan is definitely
the perfect hotel to visit with little ones!
If it were just me and my husband, I'd choose The Pacific haha,
but with a baby, it has to be The Magellan!
Kota Kinabalu
traveling with a 24-month-old
is pure happiness!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/T5RWiMewT1vjEnUz9
▼Check Out the Best Rates for The Magellan Sutera Resort▼
For families with babies, we recommend The Magellan, which is a resort-style accommodation. The Pacific has recently been remodeled into a clean, hotel-style accommodation, making it more suitable for adults such as couples.
Microwaves are not available in the rooms or the breakfast restaurant. Instead, you can visit the Magellan Club Lounge, located on the first floor of the building next to the kids' playground behind the baby pool, and the staff will heat it up for you.
There is no separate diaper changing area or adult toilet inside the Kids Club. Please note that only children's restrooms are available inside.
It takes about 10 minutes to reach the shopping mall by taking a Grab from the resort lobby. Grab fares are also quite affordable, making it a convenient way to travel.
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