Kota Kinabalu Travel Forum

My husband and I are travelling to Kota Kinabalu over the holiday period. We are booked into the Shangri la Tanjung Aru, and the hotel has included both Christmas Eve and New Year eve dinners with our package at the hotel. From past experience of these types of hotel events, neither my husband or I want to attend these dinners, as we find them very boring and contrived. We would prefer to find restaurants that will also be festive and different from the norm. Can any one make any suggestions for good restaurants that might be more fun and exciting for us in town?? Any websites or information you can recommend us to check out? Is Christmas and New Year a big deal in KK?

No idea about restaurants but Xmas is relatively big in KK as a sizeable chunk of the population is Christian-but with globalisation, who cares about religion when the shopping centres are all open and it's a public holiday?

New Year's I feel is well celebrated in KK. It's a nice setting with the beach nearby-in that sense you're staying at a nice spot as thousands congregate at Tanjung Aru for new years, but it is very different from the western precept. The Bluenote Bar at the hotel isn't bad if you wnat to spend it indoors but can get quite pricey -I recommend spending it outdoors.

hi hi, im sure u'll hv a good stay in town. theres a slightly upmarket restaurant just out of town called atmosphere(www.atmosphererestaurant.com) that will be quite happening during the new year countdown. they even hv a 60s theme going on for the new year.

u could also try the waterfront stretch of restaurant n pubs tht will be quite lively i think.

tht said, the hotel should be quite fun as long as u enjoy the company u have :D