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| Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort/ photo: hotel |
THE ANIMALS may not all be soft and cuddly, but Borneo is a bunny-huggers’ paradise. The lovable orangutan, the big-nosed, potbellied proboscis monkey and the tiny mouse deer are just a few of the state’s 40 mammals. And the more hugging, the better – for Sabah’s once-remote rainforests are sadly disappearing in the relentless wake of loggers and agriculture, putting many of its creatures under severe threat. The world’s biggest flower, the Rafflesia, continues to bloom, elusively, at the Tambunan Rafflesia Centre, an hour’s drive from Kota Kinabalu. Although the once-feared headhunters have changed their ways and their longhouses are vanishing, Sabah is still very much a rainforests and diving cocktail, not to mention pool-side pampering and the ultimate thrill: climbing mist-enshrouded Mount Kinabalu.
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The gateway to Sabah is its capital city, Kota Kinabalu, from where you can either take a short flight to a more far-flung destination, stay put in one of the city’s luxury resorts for some rest and relaxation or set off over land for the thrill of your choice. Taxis are often not run by metre – you’ll pay about RM13 from the airport to Kota Kinabalu town.
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A 10-minute drive from the city centre, you’ll find a cheery welcome at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, set in 25 acres of landscaped gardens by the sea. Its large reception area with cooling overhead fans augur well for the rest of your stay. It’s a big resort. There are 495 rooms and eight restaurants, and enough activities to keep boredom at bay – from plant tours around the resort and scuba diving to Malaysian cuisine cooking demonstrations and traditional rice wine tasting. There’s a kids club, too. A speedboat day-trip to one of the nearby offshore islands for swimming or snorkelling along the coral reefs is well worth it. The newlook Kinabalu Wing unveiled in early 2008 sports a crisp contemporary look with upgraded rooms and suites. Tanjung Aru guests can also enjoy a nine-hole putting course and work on their body beautiful at CHI, The Spa, where extensive treatments and yoga are on tap on a secluded private island.
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| The Shangri-la's Tanjung Aru/ photo: hotel |
Tanjung-Aru's sister resort, Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort, is a family-friendly place about 45 minutes’ drive from the airport. It is set between tropical vegetation and a long beach. It also houses a 64-acre nature reserve, a conservation effort between the resort and Sabah Wildlife Department, with the only rehabilitation programme for orang-utans on the west coast of Sabah. You can help the primates’ diminishing population by fostering one. The new Ocean Wing that debuted early 2008 offers luxurious surrounds with 90sq m Premier Rooms where you can swing a cat and more by the tail. Balconies include a soaking tub for couples. Next to the resort, the Dalit Bay Golf Club has a challenging 18-hole golf course. The club also houses The Spa at Dalit Bay, where all treatments begin with a “purifying foot ritual”.
The sprawling Sutera Harbour Resort with a mind-boggling 956 rooms and suites, 15 restaurants and bars and an Olympic-sized swimming pool, is closer to town, near the Tanjung Aru. Other facilities include several more pools, a 100-seat movie theatre, a wide range of water and other sports and the 104-berth Sutera Harbour Marina. Golfers can swing out at the 27-hole day and night golf course and 41-bay driving range. The resort has opened a second spa, Body Senses by Mandara, which is aimed mainly at business travellers (the Mandara spa is geared towards couples and women craving “exotic indulgence”).
The Sutera Harbour Resort also runs the North Borneo Railway (www.northborneorailway.com.my/nbr), featuring a British Vulcan steam locomotive and six restored steam train carriages, running through the main stations of Tanjung Aru, Papar, Bongawan, Beaufort and Tenom. Take a trip back into colonial times by booking a four-hour tour from Kota Kinabalu to Papar and back, including lunch (RM180 nett per adult, RM130 for children six to 12, and children under five free).
In addition, the resort also runs several Sutera Sanctuary Lodges (e-mail: info@suterasanctuarylodges.com, www.suterasanctuarylodges.com), at Kinabalu Park, Mesilau Nature Resort at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, Laban Rata (where Mount Kinabalu climbers break after the first day’s hike up the mountain), Poring hot springs and Manukan Island (the second largest island forming part of the Abdul Rahman Marine National Park).
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| Sutera Harbour Resort/ photo: hotel |
About 30km from the city, the luxurious and sprawling Nexus Resort Karambunai has a 6km sandy beach, lush gardens and yet another championship golf course, the 18-hole Karambunai Resorts Golf Club. The Borneo Spa is perhaps a less taxing place to be. Should the city lights beckon, there’s a regular shuttle to Kota Kinabalu. Farther up the coast from Karambunai is the Tuaran Beach Resort, an unfussy and simple affair with a large free-form pool. Expect tea and coffee-making facilities, TV, and small private balcony. Yes, the resort offers karaoke.
The brand new five-star Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, with 306 guest rooms, is located in downtown KK, within walking distance of the city’s wet market and waterfront. The Deluxe guest rooms, meeting rooms (with natural light) and outdoor pool all have sea views. The Le Royal Club brings extra privileges. Another city-based option is The Jesselton Hotel, a “boutique” property built back in 1954 but completely refurbished about 10 years ago. It has 31 guest rooms and one suite, which, intriguingly, features a small fishpond. Also in the city, next to the Merdeka shopping centre, is the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, which has recently had extensive upgrade work done.
Kota Kinabalu is an attractive city, and well worth a day trip of sightseeing. The tranquil Poh Toh Tze temple is alive with bougainvillaea and greenery. The city’s shopping malls are nothing to write home about, but browsers and bargain hunters will enjoy the Handicraft Market, more commonly known as the “Filipino market”. Also take a wander in the Central Market, open daily until 5pm selling food, vegetables and essential items. If it’s antiques, batik, pottery, or even pets that you’re after, the Gaya Street Sunday Market – also a great place to sample local dishes and snacks – is the place for you. Come early – it’s all over by noon.
For atmosphere and nightlife, the new City Waterfront (Anjung Samudra) is the spot to be seen, particularly at night when the nightclubs and bars fill with locals and visitors. Try the buzzing Port View seafood restaurant (tel: 221-753), which has a reputation as one of the best in town. It’s best to book ahead. Also at the waterfront, you can shop for souvenirs at the Borneo Trading Post. Catch the sunset from the City Waterfront Esplanade (Anjung Senja), with many sidewalk cafes and foodstalls.
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| Nexus Resort/ photo: Jessica Ng |
Sabah is known for its delicious seafood, but Chinese food dominates the more informal restaurants. Try Ocean Seafood Restaurant, and Kampung Nelayan, which also offers cultural performances while you dine. The Sri Kapitol at the Hotel Capital (tel: 231-999) is popular for Malay dishes such as ikan asam pedas (sour fish curry) and rendang (spicy coconut beef). Expect to pay between RM15 and RM50.
Jothy’s Banana Leaf Restaurant near the waterfront has had rave reviews from travellers. The South Indian dishes, at round RM4 each, come highly recommended if you’re looking for a cut-price meal. For good barbecued seafood, there’s Chuan Hin on Jalan Kolam (next to Cottage pub, Luyang, tel: 235-960; meal between RM15 and 50).
Seeking an adrenaline rush? Head to the Padas River for a half-day of rafting. (Set aside a full day, though, as it’s about a three-hour journey by road and rail to the starting point.) There are many tour and travel operators in Kota Kinabalu, with desks at all the major hotels, so it’s easy to arrange the trip, but word on the ground is that you should try not to pay much more than RM120 per person for the excursion (usually including a “buffet” lunch). There’s also rafting on two other rivers, the Kiulu and, lately, also on the Papar, but Padas is still regarded as the best for rapids and accompanying thrills.
At 4,095m, soaring Mount Kinabalu is Southeast Asia's highest peak and perhaps Sabah’s most famous tourist attraction. You can arrange permits, guides and porters through Sabah Parks (www.sabahparks.org.my). The entrance fee to Kinabalu Park is RM15 for a non-Malaysian adult (RM3 if you are Malaysian), the mountain guide fee from RM70 per trip (one to three climbers), and the climbing permit RM100 for a non-Malaysian. Add to that insurance (RM7 per person), and RM10 for your certificate at the end. The porter fee (to the summit) is RM100 for 10kg.
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| North Borneo Railway's steam chugger |
If you are fit and healthy, you shouldn’t have a problem getting to the summit in two days, but take warm clothing (including extra socks, gloves and a warm hat; temperatures fall rapidly as you ascend), high-energy snacks such as chocolates and nuts, sunblock, a raincoat and mosquito repellent.
Tour companies such as Sabah Sightseeing (www.sabahsightseeing.net) also arrange climbs. Or book a two-night Mount Kinabalu package (rooms and meals) for RM550 per person (double) through Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. This includes a night’s stay at Kinabalu Park and a night’s stay at Laban Rata and meals, but you have to organise the rest yourself.
If you prefer to stay on terra firma, the Kinabalu Park World Heritage Site is 754sq km of rugged mountain covered with pristine jungle. The dramatic, densely forested Crocker Range divides the coastal plains from the rest of Sabah. It takes about 90 minutes to get to the park by car from Kota Kinabalu (three hours by coach). At the park, you can go on guided walks to see exotic Borneo tree orchids and wild ginger plants. The temperature here is cooler and less humid than in Kota Kinabalu. The park supports lowland, mountain and alpine vegetation.
About 39km from Kinabalu Park, the Poring hot springs and nature reserve in Ranau has Japanese-style open-air baths and sulphurous hot water said to have curative properties. It sounds appealing, but I was put off by the crowds and physical appearance of the baths. More appealing was the 20-minute hike to the canopy walkway, 41m from the forest floor. Apart from the entrance fee (RM5), you have to pay to take in your camera (from RM5 per camera) or video equipment. The concept of communal longhouses have fascinated me since childhood, but unfortunately I did not get to Kudat, about two-and-a-half hours north of Kota Kinabalu, where visitors have a chance to explore the traditional longhouses of the Rungus tribe.
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| CHI, The Spa at Tanjung Aru/ photo: hotel |
But if what really brought you to Sabah are the orangutans, you need to go closer into their remaining natural habitat. A quick 45-minute flight from Kota Kinabalu is sleepy Sandakan, on the east coast of Sabah, from where you can set off for the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (www.sabah.gov.my/jhl/Sepilok.htm; entry for non-Malaysian adults about RM10). Except for the reserve at the Rasa Ria resort, this is the main sanctuary for orphaned baby orang-utans, who are cared for and rehabilitated here. It is also a safe haven for wild orangutans, and there is also an enclosure where you can see another rare Sabah local, the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros.
The centre is located at the entrance of Sepilok Forest Reserves, and while you don’t actually really see the primates “in the wild”, you can watch them being fed on a wooden platform in the forest twice a day. Orangutans’ natural habitat is shrinking at an alarming rate as logging claims increasing sections of the remaining Borneo rainforests. Stay overnight at the nearby wooden bungalows at the Sepilok Nature Resort (www.sepilok.com), which is also a good starting point for excursions on the Kinabatangan river and the surrounding Sukau area.
Back in Sandakan, the Sabah Hotel Sandakan is a five-star hotel nestled in lush foliage, and the only “international class” hotel in the town. The atmosphere is mellow and the people friendly.
Sandakan is also your springboard to explore the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, a forest-covered alluvial floodplain with some of the last remaining freshwater swamp forests. The Sukau rainforest, about a two-hour drive from Sandakan, teems with wildlife. Arrange your trip and a stay in a jungle lodge through a travel agent, as public transport is virtually non-existent in this area. One option is the 20-room, eco-friendly Sukau Rainforest Lodge (www.sukau.com), which is to be upgraded.
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| On the Kiulu River/ photo: Vijay Verghese |
The Sukau River Lodge in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, and the rustic Borneo Rainforest Lodge (www.borneorainforestlodge.com), which accommodates 60 people at most, in the Danum Valley Conservation Area (for which you need a permit) offer jungle treks and bird watching. Get here by flying to the town of Lahad Datu, the gateway to Danum Valley, from Kota Kinabalu. The Borneo Rainforest Lodge is a two-hour drive from Lahad Datu.
The Labuk Bay Proboscis Sanctuary (www.proboscis.cc) is perhaps the only place in the world where you can see the odd-looking and very shy proboscis monkeys in their natural habitat from fairly close by. The sanctuary has an observation platform, where they can be watched when they come for their meals twice a day, at 11.30am and 4.30pm. The sanctuary is about an hour from the airport along gravel roads and through plantation estates. You can stay over the Bangkatan House lodge nearby.
The islands near Kota Kinabalu are well worth a day visit (the closer of the five islands of the protected Tungku Abdul Rahman Marine Park are 15 minutes by boat from Kota Kinabalu jetty), but they are tame compared to the pristine beauty of the waters further afield. A divers’ paradise is the small rainforest-covered island of Sipadan, reached by taking a flight to Tawau, followed by a land transfer to Semporna. Sipadan is reached by boat from Semporna jetty and requires an official permit for diving. The Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort, built on stilts and resembling a village built on the water, is about 15 minutes from the island. The resort can take care of dive permits for foreigners. The place may be remote, but it does have Internet and a satellite phone. Guests stay in wooden chalets with private balconies and bathrooms, all linked by walkways. Book your accommodation in advance through Pulau Sipadan Resort & Tours (tel: [60-89] 765-200), which also operates the Lankayan Island Resort on the virtually uninhabited Lankayan Island in the Sulu Seas.
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| Beachside at Rasa Ria/ photo: Vijay Verghese |
Sipadan is in the centre of the richest marine habitat in the world, the Indo-Pacific basin with more than 3,000 species of fish and hundreds of coral species. The Sipadan Water Village Resort on Mabul island, a 35-minute boat ride from Semporna, has elegant water cottages built on wooden stilts, with private sundecks. The resort also has a diving centre.
Typhoon-free Sabah was called “the land below the wind” by the early seafarers. To them, it was a sanctuary from the fierce Southeast Asian tropical storms. Today, the state with its friendly people offers a different kind of refuge – a break from skyscrapers and the corporate rat race. Prefer to kick back, or raring to go? It’s your call entirely.
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