Thursday, July 2, 2009

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.

8 comments:

ian yusof said...

Sabah is indeed a nice place. I don't mind staying there for good. :) I go to sabah very often, and have stayed in Nexus thrice. It's not that I want to stay there, but somehow, they are our clients :) I don't find the place that appealing except the white sandy beach. Rasa Ria is a much better resort. Nexus's room is so rundown, even the facilities aren't that great....but, the food is REALLY GOOD! They have good chefs there, especially the Chinese Restaurant's Lotus Duck :). yup, food is pricey, and there're no eateries nearby except the seafood restaurant near Salut. Glad u had blast there. U shld try Sipadan & Mount Kinabalu in your next trip.

Rajan said...

CA: Bro...you are right about the rooms... quite run down. i was actually a bit disappointed with it.

Yah... i got friends all bugging me to climb the mountain already. It seems there is a Japanese guy which can do the climb and decent in 2 hours 15 minutes or something.

maybe next year... but i gotta train myself up for it-lah.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

welcome back brother.

i've never been to sabah -let alone Nexus Karambunai- so i cant really give my 2 sens.

but contrary to what's written here, all feedbacks i heard were all positive in nature. some even gave their 2 thumbs up. i guess its down to individuals la in this case...lain Ulu Lain Parang, Lain Bulu Lain orang...hehe...

btw Rajan, you may want to check out the link below i found at MT. you may not agree with it but the humor sure to crack you up a little.

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/23796/84/

Rajan said...

Kerp: You should check it out if you get the chance. really nice place...i mean KK town itself.

BTW, can't access the link you gave. have to go home to check it out.

MultiBiz said...

Bro,

Wah! so 'stim' to read bout your holiday in KK :-) ... Krabi beach should be the right place for you to go for your next holiday lah ... Krabi indeed one of the most virgin beach free from development ... Let say if you plan to go somewhere in the mid of Dec its gonna cost u around 322.00 myr per pax or if you plan for next year in Jan ... it is around 238.00 via airasia if you book now. The only thing is, there is only one daily flight ...

Rajan said...

M-Biz: Bro... memang bes-lah going to sabah. Me and my wife memang tgh planning to go to Krabi next.

BTW, how your trip to jakarta? bes tak?

anfield devotee said...

Dear Achilles,

RE: Borneo Head Hunters

That is the name of famed tattoo studio (appeared on national Geographic).

Maybe ye should get a stick on tat or two before wearing said tee . . .

Rajan said...

AD: mmm... stick on tats are OK... as you know, me is terrified of needles.