Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu or JESSELTON as it was formerly known is the capital of the state of Sabah and situated at in the Northwest Coast of Borneo Islandfacing the South China Sea. One of the best tourist getaway. Location is in the East Coast of Malaysia.Flying here from Kuala Lumpur airport will take approximately 2.5hours by AirAsia or Malaysian Airlines.

Activities



As for my own experience being there twice for a 3D 2N  stay and if you want to compress your trip below would be my advice.3 main items to do for a short trip. Do not miss going to their sister islands nearby Gaya/ Sapi/ Manukan/ Sulug/ Mamutik.As for me I did't really get a chance to go to all the 5 islands but managed to go to Gaya/ Sapi/ Manukan. But it was more of a pleasure sight seeing boat trip and some snorkelling. They do have accomodation here and it seems really good but at that point of time I had already made my booking at the Magellan Sutera Harbour in Kota Kinabalu.

Recommendation (3d2n)

Start of by visiting the city of KK and most likely you will end up in the filipino market. Great place to shop but make sure you do some bargaining. Get yourself to the jetty and arrange yourself to the boat rides to the islands mentioned earlier on. This might take away your whole daylight. At night you can try out Shenanigan's Fun Pub where they play good club music and usually they will have some filipino live bands playing. Other places you could visit would be the White Room Bar Club Lounge, Shamrock's & Ice Bar.

2nd day- You can start of by arranging a trip to mount Kinabalu. Magnificient mountain beauty and nice weather. You have a heritage park here called the Kinabalu Park. Journey from KK to the mount will take you 2 hours by car. Well this mountain is famous for one of the world’s richest orchid flora with over 800 species and 600 species of ferns. This place will take most of the steam out of youand by the time you get back it most probably will be heading night time. You can start back at the clubs/pubs again just to quench your thirst.

3rd day - head back. :-(

Getting around KK is not difficult as they have a good bus system and taxi's are ample. For those who want to shop don’t worry I believe there is enough for you. Centrepoint, Karamunsing Complex, KK Plaza, Wawasan Plaza & Wisma Merdeka.On Sundays you have the flea market where you can find all sorts of stuff ranging from poultry, handicrafts, traditional music instruments and many many more.

Budget/recommendation

Wouldn't have wrote about this place if it was not good. Noticed many locals and expats really really like this place as you have the beauty of nature at the same time having it in a city like atmosphere where you won't be left out and it is rather slow here compared to KL. Fully recommended - Budget - can go as low RM 1000/ inclusive flight(if you manage to get a good deal) and budget hotels plus all the sightseeing + food etc etc As for me during the Magellan stay + Malaysian airlines = RM2000 + RM700-RM1000 for other expenses. Thumbs up for Magellan Sutera Harbour but it is a bit costly but I would say still worth the money. Best if you request a room facing the sea or pool as in the pictures I posted.

Magellan Sutera Harbour- picture shot from room balcony

 Islands are realtively beautiful much better than Penang/ Langkawi but still few classes below Redang Island.The good part about being in Kota Kinabalu is you have options. You want to be doing something in the city like atmosphere you can, you wanna laze around the beach you can & you have the highest mountain in Malaysia here and if you are some mountain climber or just someone who wants to enjoy some good views Mount Kinablau is there for you. 

Mount Kinabalu

 The nightlife scene in KK too I would say is rather good with good hotel lounges/ clubs and also some dodgy karaoke bars with many filipino girls that serve you drinks.