Trip to Sabah

I just returned from my trip to Kota Kinabalu, and it was a blast. I spent 2 nights in KK town itself and another 2 nights in the much talked about Nexus Karambunai… a beach resort that is totally isolated from everything and 6KM of prestine beach with crystal clear water.

I booked my flights for this trip about 4 months ago with Air Asia and managed to get it for RM 174 for a return flight for 2 people. What a deal. The rooms for Nexus is advertised at RM 880 on the net, but I managed to get it at RM 299 per roon per night from the MATA fair. Travel tip to all… book early and save loads of money.

Anyway KK town itself was great. We stayed in the Hyatt, which was centrally loacted to a shopping mall, the jetty and many restaurants – all within walking distance. What do you do in KK town? Shopping and my personal favourite Island Hopping. We booked a private boat that took us to 3 islands off the coast of KK – Manukan, Sulug and Mamutik. The water in all these islands were crystal clear, I could stand with water up to my neck, and when I look down, I could still see my feet. I managed to do some snorkling in these islands and the boat would come to pick us up whenever we want. Sulug was an abandoned island and the story is, they did try to set up a resort over there, but constant battering of waves caused the structure to be destroyed and hence now it is just abandoned. A whole day in a sea of clear water sure does wear you out.

While following wifey for shopping, I stumbled upon this cool T-shirt which has a skull on it and it says “Borneo Head Hunters”. How cool is that. But most part of the shopping was done buying gifts for colleagues and checking out the Phillipino Market…. And there a lot of Phillipino’s in Sabah…. Don’t ask me why. Maybe because it is close by.

After 2 days in KK, we travelled by taxi to the luxurious Nexus Karambunai. Honestly, this hotel is great and all, but I think it is a little over rated. The hotel is nice and beautiful, but it is a little old and not everything works as it should… which is a thumbs down in my book. The other thing I didn’t like about it, was that you are fully dependent on the hotel for everything, since you are cut away from everything else. The food choices in this hotel aren’t too bad, only complaint is, it a little over priced. But I figured that if you can afford to stay in this hotel, they expect you to be able to afford the food there as well.

The best part of this hotel – 6 KM of a private beach and the water is clearer than the tap water we get in our houses. It’s mainly a sandy beach, so not much coral or fish to see. But if you are a beach bum like me, it’s all you can ask for. They have loads of water and land activities from jet skiing to horse back riding. Again, didn’t try any of these activities as it was way way over priced.

Anyway after 5 days of being a beach bum and soaking in the sun, my skin is burnt and peeling away. The question on my mind now is “Where is my next holiday going to be?” Any ideas? Look forward to hearing your comments or sharing your Sabah experiences.