Borneo Eagle Resort review, Sabah, Malaysia: Borneo's five-star island resort

THE PLACE

Borneo Eagle spread its five-star wings on a secluded idyll off the north-east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo, the world's third biggest island, for the first time just last year. It was launched by the enterprising conservation-minded Malaysian Echo Resorts group, which, a few hours to the north, also own and operate two other eco-minded properties on Gaya Island, just off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, the flourishing state capital. This latest resort, with just 13 huge, lavishly-outfitted one-bedroom villas each facing the South China Sea, is distinguished by its geometrical-cum-traditional architecture with main buildings, jetty and accommodation subtly referencing the physical features of an eagle such as impressive wingspan and pronounced beak. As for the resort's name, it's said to have been inspired by an eponymous raptor that the Malaysian owners say they spotted above them on the first time they set foot on the island.

THE LOCATION

Borneo Eagle is reached following an easy two-hour or so drive south from Kota Kinabalu followed by a short transfer by launch to the island, known in Malay as Pulau Tiga. This tiny, barely-inhabited volcanic idyll is where, notably, the first series of the US reality television series Survivor: Borneo was shot in 2000. As for the richly bio-diverse but environmentally-threatened Borneo, it's home to unique wildlife such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys and pygmy elephants as well as the 4095-metre-high Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia's highest mountain.

THE VILLA

Pure luxury, if faintly sterile with a slight excess of glass and tiled flooring. The huge, residence-like villas, starting at 171 square metres in size, all face the beach and ocean with Bornean mainland mountain views visible on clear days. Some of the immensely comfortable villas, for which little or no expense has been spared in their outfitting, feature an eco-friendly, 45-square-metre, salt-water, rock-lined swimming pool overlooking the secluded beach and sea as well as in-room spa amenities.

THE FOOD

When this reviewer visited last year, the resort was in its so-called soft-opening mode and I opted during my single night to stay for dinner, featuring appetising local Bornean specialities and other south-east Asian cuisine, served with aplomb on the expansive verandah of my villa. Now the beachfront Eagles Nest restaurant, featuring Asian and Western dishes is operational in the main building along with the Landing Bar and the poolside Sandbar with much of the produce and ingredients for meals at Borneo Eagle sourced from the resort's own kitchen garden and farms.