State of Sabah Travel Forum

Has anyone used Kota Kinabalu Tours or Borneo Authentic Adventure tour agencies before? Any problems you have encountered with either of these companies? Thinking of using them for Kiulu rafting and the Wetlands cruise. Thanks.

Hello, im planning my first trip to KK for 3D/2n.
Would appreciate if anyone could provide some recommendations.

1) Accommodation - for 2 persons, need clean rooms & easy accessible to waterfront & centerpoint. On my list have Promenade, Tang Dynasty, Cititel Express & Imperial International Hotel. Which would be highly recommended?

2) Seafood - any good recommendations?

3) Pub - looking for one with nice ambience for relaxation. heard about B.E.D , is it good? or any good recommendations :)

4) Spa/Massage - need a good massage too. any nice one around city center?

Thanks in advance ^^

We will be climbing Mt.KK on Feb 26-27. I would like to ask after our climb on Feb 27, How do we go from KK HQ to Poring hotspring? Is Kinabalu Park and poring hot spring at the same place? If we arrived in the afternoon, will we be able to enjoy the hotspring (as to arriving in the afternoon)? Is the hotspring closes at 4pm or 6pm? and How do we go back to KK City from hotspring?

Is there a free shuttle from wawasan mall to 1borneo mall? what is the schedule?

Thanks for your help!

thinkin of staying at this hotel during this coming Feb 2010.
pls recommend on things to do and must-see sights.

total 4 of us with 2 children(below 10 yrs old).
so we prefer not so busy areas, is tanjung aru a good one?

also, where do i get the cheapest rate for this hotel? through agent or online??
Any website to recommend?

thanks a lot all VTers

I'm trying to rent a car in Sandakan in February but most of the rental companies seem to be in KK and are charging a supplement to deliver a car to Sandakan. I've seen a couple of rental companies mentioned in Sandakan eg BM Rent a car, but none seem to have an email or website address. Can anyone help with details of companies I can contact to enquire of prices etc? I'd prefer this via internet than telephone in order to avoid misunderstandings on whats required.

thanks

please tell me where is the Ranau Bus Station are? I can't find any agency that sell bus ticket from Ranau to KK. Please help me. Thanks in advance.

Hi,
I'd like to make a 2-day climbing Mt Kinabalu in March 2010.
Do I always need to book a tour through a travel agent?
Is Laban Rata the only place to rest overnite on the way to the peak?

We wish to fly to Sandakan to do a 3 day trip and then fly on to Tawau, so would like to leave the bulk of our luggage at the airport. Can anyone tell me whether there is a left luggage facility at the airport please?

Hi, I will be travelled to KK soon, would be appreciate if someone can recommend a good driver who can bring us tour around.. and roughly how much will it costs for chartered a driver for a day. Thanks.

Hi

I would like to spend a day at Mt Kinabalu surrounding area (not to attempt the climb as yet!!). I find that there are buses that go to Mt Kinabalu in the morning (from KK) but I couldn't see any information on buses coming back to KK in the afternoon / evening. Will be very grateful if anyone could help me with information on schedule, where to get the bus and perhaps roughly the cost. Other alternative if there aren't any?

Thanks very much for your help!!

Ara

Hi, when I am in KK, its my boyfriends 30th birthday on 4th Oct. Any ideas on the best restaurant to eat at on this day or a special activity to do?

Hi -

My friend and I will be climbing Mt. Kinabalu this weekend and arriving Kota Kinabalu Airport this Friday, around 6pm.

1. Can anyone please help me find an affordable to to stay near the Mt. Kinabalu National Park HQ?

2. Is it possible to commute from the airport to the hotel/lodge near the National Park?

my email address is ansaldivia@yahoo.com

Appreciate your response.

Thanks!

Dear reader

Is it worth the effort to get all the way to Banggi?
Is the accomodation ok, is there a beach close to the pier (clean!)?
Is transport possible to nearby coral islands (price?)?

cheers
Ronald

Dear reader

Is there any midrange or homstay accommodation north op Kudat on the peninsula. I only find camping on the norther tip and an exclusive resort on the Riviera?
The only homestay I find is south of Kudat city.

Does anyone have information on snorkeling and coralreefs close to the beaches?

Thanks
Ronald

Hi,

Does anyone can help me, how far from Langah Beach Resort to Tanjung Aru Beach? I will travel there next month.

Is there any buses to take from the Resort to the beach for the seafood dinner?
How much have to pay for the bus fare & the Taxifare?

How about transport from LBR to KK city (Lavender Lodge)? About how much to take bus & taxi.

Wanted to take SPA massage at KK, any good recommendation? Like at the beach or at the KK city.

Thanks.

Kath
Singapore

Hi,

I understand from certain sources that the accommodation at Laban Rata is no longer open to individual bookings, but must instead be booked through a tour package. If it's true, then thats basically the end of the cheap cost of climbing Kinabalu.

Can someone please confirm this information?

Is the BBQ buffet at Pulau Sapi only available under a package deal, or can we go to Pulau Sapi on our own arrangements and pay for the buffet BBQ?

Hi folks,

After channelling between availability and non-availability of flights to KK, I managed to get a good deal with MAS to KK that arrives Tuesday 1st Sep 10:25pm, and leaving KK Thursday 3rd Sep 6:05pm. I am hoping to do the KK hike on the Wednesday with the overnight stay at Laban Rata and morning climb to the peak. I was told that if the peak isn't good enough to climb on the day then no one goes up, so banking on climbing on just Wednesday is a bit of a gamble but yeah that's the risk I'm going to have to take as I have to fly to Singapore on Thursday.

My questions are as followed :

1. Upon arrival, is there anything open in KK city after 11pm? I was thinking of tgrying out the local food and walking around a little before taking the first bus to KK mountain.

2. What is the earliest bus to KK mountain and how long does this take?

3. For the photographers, should I bring a tripod?

4. When the climb to the peak is done, how long does it take to climb back down again?

5. Would I have time to do anything else in KK city before boarding my 6pm flight? I do hope to sample some seafood and walk around a bit.

Many thanks!!

We are two seniors couples which will spend minimum 5 nights at KK middle of May 2010. We are coming from a diving trip around Cebu.
We like nature, walking, activities, communication with other people. Three have Belgium passport and one German (diving instructor). Can somebody give us advices what to do?
We will need an non de luxe accomodation. Where to stay? Our next stop will be two nigts at Kuala Lumpur.
Looking through the forum, it seems a good idea to rent a car with GPS. Can also someboday give us some good advice where to rent and how much it cost?
I am Karate (Goju Ryu), Tai Chi Chuan and Kyusho Jutsu instructor. I can share my knowledge to local people.

We would like to make a trip to Pulau Sipadan in June 2010. There are about 8-10 of us in the group. I would like to find out:

1) what is the latest cost to stay at Uncle Chang's in Mabul Island?
2) How much does he charge to take us out snorkelling?
3) What about renting of snorkelling equipment?
4) Will we have a chance to snorkel in Pulau Sipadan?

Tx for any replies!

Pauline

Hi all. Your advice would be much appreciated. I am going to KK in Oct, arriving on 1st Oct. I plan to stay in the Sutera Harbour resort until Tuesday morning where I plan to visit the islands around, go on a Mt Kinabalu trip just for the day, go on the Firefly trip and visit markets etc....thats it I think in KK, unless I am missing something good!

The second half is what I am having problems with and I cannot book my internal flights until I find out what to do. I planned to fly to Sandakan early flight and go to the Orangutang centre in Sepilok and then I was wondering whether to do the Uncle Tans tour for 3 days/2 nights but I was also interested in going to Turtle Is, so I wont have enough time if I do the 3 day/2 night tour as I need to fly back to KL Fri morning from Sandakan.

Can anyone suggest a good tour operator/company to do the Orangutang/Kinabatangan River/Turtle Island.

Thanks

Anwen

Hi all,

Im seeking for an advise on what are things that is a MUST in Kota Kinabalu. FYI, me and my future wife are planning to spend our honeymoon in Kota Kinabalu. We have booked to stay in Nexus Karambunai for 3 days and 1 day in town area. What are pros and cons staying in Karambunai? We still have not booked hotel in town area. Maybe you can advise?

Thanks

Hi
Is it possible to make a one day trip to Brunei from Kota Kinabalu?

Hihi. can anyone help? i will be travelling to KK in Aug 09 (excited and worried i might get lost!)

1) i will be arriving at KK airport around 1125am in the morning. Approxi how long does it takes to clear the checkpoint and grab a cab to kk town? i read some other posts that there is a fixed price for taxi to kk town that is RM25. any changes to the rates lately?

2) i will be staying at Jesselton hotel. how long does it take to get from Jesselton hotel to Jesselton jetty? i am planning to make a quick trip to either sapi or manukan island to relax a little. can anyone confirm that the last ferry leaves the islands at 5pm? i hope to visit the beach.

3) i will be climbing mt KK on my second day. is the long bus terminal to kinabalu park HQ walking distance from Jesselton hotel? or must i cab there? WHat time does the last bus leaves the long bus terminal to kinabalu park HQ? i hope i do not miss the bus to KK cuz the taxi fare is pretty steep.

4) my last day (after 2D1N climbing KK) will be spent at kk town again. this time, i will be staying at Le meredien. Is it walking distance to Sedeco sq (the place that sells seafood?).

thanks in advance for your advice. I hope someone can help, especially on the transportation part to Mt KK headquarters. that's my main concern. thanks thanks

I would like to stay in Nexus Resort cos of the Promo it has at currently. however i read that the city shuttle bus the resort has is not free. from the website, the nearest bus stop is 15min away from the resort, hence i would like to explore the town via public bus. anyone can help me with the bus info around the area? thkQ!

Hello

We are travelling with our sons 14 and 7 years to Kinabalu for 5 days on September.
Need some below informations:
1. good itenarary
2. any great experience with the nice hotel budget around RM 200
3. is it worth it to take the train to Beaufort or Tenom?like Kiles river
4. any idea of rental car for getting around to the hilly area near Mt.Kinabalu
like Hot Spring
5. hotel near the Hot Spring and how about the nightlife in this area
6. Can we take a day trip to Gaya island or Manukan island how about the price
7. any idea of staying in Gaya island

Thank you very much

Cheers
Tenny

hi,
me n the wife are travelling to kk at the end of sept begining of october & are stopping at the langkah syabas beach resort for a week but due to our original flight from the uk to kul being cancelled we brought our flight forward so we now have 2 extra nights in borneo.
instead of booking 2 more nights at lsbr , i was wondering if anyone could recomend (not too expensive) anywhere that we could spend our extra first 2 nights before we go to lsbr.
& also if anyone could please recomend things to do whilst there & what we should be expecting weather wise.
thank you,
dave.

We are coming to Kota Kinabalu in March next year and would like to know a few things about it.Firstly we are looking at staying at Beringgis Beach Resort and would like to know iff there is anywhere we can go to eat locally,as we always do that when we visit Penang.How far is it from the airport as our return flight to Penang is at 7am and do not want to travel to far.Does anyone have any suggestions for Hotels in the city iff we decide to stay there instead.
Pete

Hi!

I'm wondering if anyone will be in Kota Kinabalu from July 28 to August 02 and who's interested to climb the Mt. Kinabalu and go down via Ferrata. I've been in touch with some tour operators and we can get a good deal if we're in a group. I'm travelling solo, so if anyone's interested. Please let me know.

Also, if anyone's from Kota KInabalu, is end of July a peak season for climbing? Would it be easy to get a good bargain upon arrival instead of booking the climb before I arrive? My only concern is that all the sites are saying that the accommodation up in the mountain is always fully booked.

Looking forward to your replies.

Cheers!

Our family of 4 (all adults) would like to plan a 5-7 day vacation in the State of Sabah (late July/August). Some sandy beaches mixed with shopping for local crafts and sample of local food, no heavy hiking or diving (although the hike up to the volcano may be an option), just relax, some boating/jet skiing and stuff ourselves with local seafoods (and shop till she drops for my wife - her usual way of vacation!)

Can anyone reccommend an intenery? hotels (fairly comfortable) etc.

Thanks