Sandakan: Sandakan Viewpoint and Sabah Hotel

During our trip to Abai Jungle Lodge and Kinabatangan River Lodge, we managed to stop at the Sandakan Viewpoint and Sabah Hotel for lunch as part of the package. They mentioned that since we had some spare time, they could bring us to the Sandakan viewpoint nearby the Agnes Keith house. 

The observation pavillion was donated by the Rotary Club and is located about 5 minutes outside the main Sandakan Town area. While we were there we managed to see a few eagles soaring through the sky (those eagles similar to the Langkawi icon ) and enjoyed the great expanse of the ocean.

After stopping for about 15 minutes, we made our way to Sabah Hotel for our lunch that is included in the package. It was at the hotel coffee house, and they served a half-buffet, which means we got to order from a set of meals for the entree, and the appetizer and dessert was buffet style. I quite liked the open airy concept of the Sabah Hotel lobby and will probably bring my family here if they ever come to Sandakan.

They had a quite unique statue of a man on a horse outside the restaurant.

Lunch was just so-so, with a combination of Malay, Western, and Indian entrees. I had the Nyonya Assam Pedas but the fish was a little dry. Again, I'm not a food blogger so I will not comment on the food. After lunch, we had a look at the pool before waiting for the ride to our airport.

 

Tour package Details: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/rainkinabatangansia10.htm
Company and Hotel Website: www.sabahhotel.com.my
For more account of my entire 3D2N Abai and Sukau trip, click here.

Sandakan: Abai Jungle Lodge

I stayed here for 1 night as part of the 3D/2N Abai and Sukau Package Tour. It is about 75 minute speed boat ride from Sandakan Jetty to the Abai Jungle Lodge via SI Tours. The boat ride was a little fast, but it got us there safely and on time. We got assigned Room 18, and we believe that that is the best Twin Rooms to be assigned as it is close to the boardwalks/jungle area at the back of Abai Jungle Lodge. We stumbled across orangutans in front of our rooms twice, one in the early morning and another time during mid-morning.

The rooms are basic, but it had the important amenities - attached bathrooms, electricity the whole night, clean running water, a shower, towels and a fan. They don't provide hair shampoos, but I believe there is biodegradable body shampoo. There are about 4 rooms in 1 block, and each block had a nice veranda and hammock for relaxing and wildlife viewing. Don't expect AC, but the rooms were clean and functional.

The food here is reasonably good - I had one average meal (lunch upon arrival) here but the rest of it was pretty good. For dinner we were provided fish, prawns, vegetables, rice, fruits, and soup. We even had a Jungle Breakfast where they had an outdoor deck to serve the guests breakfast. It was certainly an experience to have breakfast out in the wild like at with nature all around you. The breakfast included baked beans, eggs made to order, sausges, toast, orange juice and fried noodles. The package tour I was on also arranged lunch at the nearby Abai Village and it was absolutely delicious.

An orangutan spotted outside our hut

This is a very memorable hotel - it has many highlights. Orangutans around the hotel, the nature boardwalk where guests can take off independently and view wildlife on their own, the Jungle Breakfasts, the decent food, and the warm and friendly staff. They provide welcome drinks, and warm towels upon arrival and also coffee and tea on a 24/hour basis.

Jungle breakfasts at Abai Jungle Lodge

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While the river safaris at Abai are not the best, it is certainly worth it to stay at least 1 night just to enjoy the hotel, the lunch at Abai Village and the tree planting activity. If there is one tip I can provide, do not sit in front of the boat, as you tend to feel the most of the wind as the boat speeds back to the hotel and sometimes, wayyy too close to the wildlife (like snakes).

Nature boardwalk at Abai Jungle Lodge

Tour package Details: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/rainkinabatangansia10.htm
Company and Hotel Website: www.sitoursborneo.com

To read more about the Sandakan Viewpoint and lunch at Sabah Hotel after we returned to Sandakan, click here.  

Sandakan: 3D/2N Abai and Sukau Kinabatangan Safari by SI Tours Sdn. Bhd.

I went on Uncle Tan's Kinabatangan Safari during New Years 2012 and had a very good time, even though I did not see many animals - I especially wanted to see the icons of Borneo- the orangutan and the proboscis monkeys. After I returned to KL I immediately made plans to go back to Sandakan, and this time I went on the Abai and Sukau tour, as I found out that Sukau was where all the wildlife was. I was not dissapointed as I indeed saw a lot of animals on this tour.

Let me provide a run down of the tour itinerary:

Day 1 Sepilok/Boat to Abai
09:00 Pick up at hotel, proceed by land to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
10:45 Depart to Sim Sim Jetty
11:45 Scheduled boat deparure to Abai Jungle Lodge
13:15 Lunch at Abai Jungle Lodge
14:00 Check in Abai Jungle Lodge
16:30 River cruise to the Kinabatangan River and witness fireflies
19:30 Dinner at Abai Jungle Lodge
20:30 Night walk at Abai Jungle Lodge (on platforms)

Day 2 Pitas/Tree Planting/Sukau
06:30 Morning cruise to Pitas Oxbow Lake
08:00 Jungle Breakfast at Abai Jungle Platform
10:00 Tree planting, Village walk
12:00 Lunch with Villagers or Lunch at Abai Jungle Restaurant
14:15 Boat ruising upstream to Sukau
15:30 Check in Kinabtangan Riverside Lodge
16:30 River cruise to Menanggul River
19:30 Dinner at Kinabatangan Riverside lodge

Day 3 Boat to Sandakan/Market
07:00 After brakfast, scheduled departure by boat to Sandakan
08:30 Toilet stop at Abai Jungle REstaurant
10:00 Arrival at Sandakan Jetty,
10:15 Proceed to Sandakan Central Market
11:00 Lunch at local restaurant
12:30 Transfer to Sandakan Airport/Sandakan hotels

Recommended Personal gear
Insect repellent, raincoat, hat, binocular, sunscreen.

I booked this tour via journeymalaysia but the tour was actually run by SI Tours based in Sandakan. I stayed in Paganakan Dii again before being picked by SI Tours the following morning. Read more about Pagnakan Dii here.

I felt that this company was a good tour comapny. It was very professionally run, and although the price was steeper (3x more expensive) than the one I paid for at Uncle Tan's, I felt it was worth it as it provided the following:

• Electricity at both the hotels the whole time and not switched off after 10pm.
• Clean running water, instead of running river water
• Attached toilets
• 4*star treatment - provided warm hand towels and welcome drinks, coffee, tea and water provided 24 hours, some toiletries, towels and fans provided
• Safety and Transportation Features - lifejackets were provided on the boats and were made compulsory for the trips. The transportation boats were covered to ensure that we were protected from the rain and the river cruises were open to ensure maximum exposure to wildlife
• Guides- Good quality guides who are knowledgeable about birds, wildlife, sabah and history. They also had a tree-planting project where we took part in and a village lunch which was so delicious. The guides also kept everyone on schedule and we departed and arrived on time.
• Hotels- Hotels were beautiful, well maintained and clean. At Abai Jungle Lodge, there were special touches such as a Jungle Breakfast, as well as the nature platform walk where guests can walk around independently. I've spotted orangutans on those broadwalks twice, and others have spotted wildboars and etc.
• Food - I only had one average meal at Abai Jungle Lodge. The other dinners and breakfasts I had at the hotels were delicious with fresh prawns, fish, vegetables, and fruits,

The list of animals I saw (not exhaustive) during the tour is as follows:

• Orangutans
• Proboscis Monkeys
• Short-tail and Long-tail Macaques
• Crocodiles
• Rhino Hornbills
• Pit Viper and Pythons
• Eagles, Herons, Storks (Egrets) and Kingfishers
• Sambar Deer

All in all, I felt that this was a very professionally run tour and I would recommend this company and this tour to whomever who wants to visit the Kinabatangan in a luxury way (as luxury you can get in the Jungles at least).

Sim-Sim Jetty where we took our speed boat to Abai and then Sukau. The journey took 75 minutes to Abai from Sandakan.

A visual of the speedboat we took (complete with lifejackets)

Site of the Tree-Planting Project. They provide you with a serial number and a certificate with the serial number and your name printed on it for RM 15. This cash goes to the villagers of Abai.

The Jungle Platform at Abai Jungle Lodge where we had our breakfast.

Lovely nature boardwalk at Abai Jungle Lodge.

An orangutan was spotted in the Abai Jungle Lodge premises twice while I was there.

The tree planted by myself at the tree planting site at Abai.

Tour package Details: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/rainkinabatangansia10.htm
Company and Hotel Website: www.sitoursborneo.com

To read more about Abai Jungle Lodge, click here.

To read more about the Sandakan Viewpoint and lunch at Sabah Hotel after we returned to Sandakan, click here. 

Kota Kinabalu: Things To Do

Here are some interesting things to do in the city of Kota Kinabalu, picked up from a hotel brochure. I have only selected only some highlights, and not all activities listed in the brochure. The price listed here is the approximate price at January 2012.

Kinabalu National Park Tour: RM 170 nett per person
0830 Hours depart from hotel to Kinabalu National park. On arrival at Kinabalu National Park, jungle walking with the guide. See the smallest orchid in Borneo and the different vegetations. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Exhibition Hall and Mountain Garden. Afternoon, transfer to hotel in Kota Kinabalu. ETA 1630. (L)

Poring Hot Spring & Kinabalu Park Tour: RM 190 nett Per Person
0730 Hours depart from hotel to Poring Hot spring. Upon arrival, go on a jungle trail via the Canopy Walkway and take a dip in the hot sulphur reservoir. After lunch, proceed to Kinabalu National Park. On arrival at Park, visit the Exhibition Hall and Mountain Garden. Afternoon, transfer to hotel in Kota Kinabalu. ETA 1830. (L)

2D/1N Mt. Kinabalu Climbing Tour: RM 950.00 nett Per Person
Day1: Meet at hotel at 0730 & transfer to Kinabalu Park HQ to register. Later to Timpohan gate to begin trek to a resthouse. Packed lunch provided. Refresh, dinner & overnight at the accomodation. (L&D)

Day 2: Wake up at 0230 hours to climb to the summit. Witness the mystical sunrise at 000 hours. Then return to the resthouse for breakfast & descend to HQ for the certification. After lunch depart to hotel (B&L)

Inclusive of: All tranfers and meals as per itinerary, entrance fees, climbing permit, insurance, certificate, mountain guide and tour guide.

Kiulu White Water River Rafting: RM 170 nett per person
0830 Hours depart from hotel to Kiulu River. On arrival enjoy light refreshment before transferring to the starting point at Pukak or Sukang. After a safety briefing, start rafting down for about 2 hours. The end point is Kiulu Town - an area covering approximately 7-8KM. After changing, enjoy BBQ lunch by the riverside. Then transfer to hotel in KK. ETA 1500 (L)

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (Sapi, Mamutik, Manukan Islands): RM55 nett per person per island. Island hopping : RM190 nett per person.

City Hotel to Jetty Schedule: 0935hours, 1135
Jetty to City Hotel: 1455 Hours, 1655 hours

For Island hopping Tour: 0830 Hours pick up from hotel and transfer to jetty for boat ride to manukan Island. Free at leisure on the Island. In the afternoon, boat transfer to Sapi Island for a BBQ lunch and free at leisure. Late afternoon, transfer back to the mainland and return to hotel. ETA 1500 Hours (L)

Please note that I do not guarantee the quality of the tours listed here or the attractions. By listing this sample itineraries and cost I hope to provide travelers to Kota Kinabalu an idea of what they can do, the timing involved and the cost involved, provided by a local tour provider.

Sabah: Shangri-La Rasa Ria Nature Reserve

During my stay in KK, I made it a point to visit all the top resorts of Kota Kinabalu. Due to unavailability of the hotels during CNY and last minute bookings on my end, I couldn’t stay at any of these resorts, and therefore felt the need to visit them to appraise them via my hotel critique lenses. J I love hotels, resorts, B&B and what not, and even though I don’t get to stay in them, I love visiting them and checking them out for future purposes.

One of my first spots to visit was the Shangri-La Rasa Ria – particularly for their own private Nature Reserve. I was very impressed by their facilities and the nature reserve and will definitely be back one day to visit. I managed to grab one of their fact sheets for public information for anyone interested to visit:

Rasa Ria Nature Reserve Concept Statement

The Rasa Ria Nature Reserve was established by Shangri-Las Rasa Ria Resort in collaboration with the State Wildllife Department of Sabah in June 1996. The main purpose of setting up this protected ecological space was to help facilitate rehabilitation programmes for endangered species of fauna as well as those endemic in Sabah.

· The fauna are given sanctuary, sheltered from human-induced injury as well as from risks of being collected and domesticated by people. If released into the wilderness of the jungle in their current states, the fauna are unlikely to survive or fend for themselves. The Rasa Ria Nature Reserve provides a home until they reach an appropriate stage when they are ready to be rehabilitated into natural habitats.

Highlights of the Nature Reserve Activities

In Search of the Orang Utan

10am and 2pm for 1 hour. Conservation fee: RM 50 per person, non in-house guest: RM 65.00 per person. 72 hours prior booking required.

• Learn about the orang utans, its natural habits and related rehabilitation and conservation efforts.
• Watch our orphaned baby orang utans from a viewing platforms.

Summit Breakfast

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. 6.30am for 2 hours. Rm65.00 per person. 72 hour prior booking required.

• Witness the sunrise with backdrop of Mt. Kinabalu – South East Asia’s highest mountain
• Enjoy continental breakfast at the 15ft high observation tower located at the highest point of the nature reserve
• Suggested attire: T-shirt, good walking shoes, hat

Noctornal Animal Watch

Nightly. 9.00pm for about 2 hours. Conservation fee RM 20.00/adult/10 child.

• A chance to encounter rare species of Borneo’s nocturnal wildlife like the sambar deer, barking deer, mouse deer, civet cat, slow loris, common porcupine and many more.
• Suggested attire: long trousers, long sleeves and track shoes.

Visit to Canopy Walkway

Every Thursday, Tuesday and Saturday. 3.00m for about 2 hours. Conservation fee: RM40.00per person. 72 hours prior booking required.

• Trek through the rainforest and witness life in the treetops as you walk along the 10m high canopy walkway. You may be able to see birds & butterflies below or a group of long tailed macaque monkey jumping from tree to tree.

Orang Utan viewing & Canopy Walkway visit

10am for about 2 hours. Conservation fee: RM70.00 per person.

• Combination of two activities
• Proper jungle attire with good walking shoes, hat and insect repellent

Kota Kinabalu: Hotel Promenade

I visited Kota Kinabalu for a family event in CNY. I booked this hotelfairly last minute for the CNY holidays - and obviously my first priority was to get the top rated places on TA - Rasa Ria, Tanjung Aru, and all the resorts. However, they were either fully booked, or extremely overpriced - RM1200 a night in Rasa Ria!!!

This hotel was recommended to me as an alternative as it was closer to town - at first I was apprehensive seeking reviews here, but after coming back from a good 5 day stay at the hotel I have nothing but praises as they charged me only RM 300++ for a Double Deluxe SUITE which included breakfasts and high tea. When was the last time you had high tea for 2 included in your suite stay for RM 300++? Well, this is a first for me. Having the kiasu traits of the typical Malaysian, the more features packaged in my deal, the better. You should be able to book the hotel on their website – I strongly suggest the Double Deluxe Suite.

I requested a corner suite with a sea facing view and it was a very good choice. I had a nice living room area, a big bathroom area with bath and shower, 2 TVs (one in bedroom and another in the living room) and a large king sized bed. The room had all amenities - TV, coffee making facilities, fridge, ironing board and iron, bathrobes, etc. For the iron itself, you have to order it from room service and they will send it to you within 10 minutes. The view was fantastic.

I would suggestion to take only the rooms with Promenade Floor Club privileges - which means rooms on 10-12th floor. This way, you are able to guarantee some standards in terms of the rooms.

What impressed me most was that gym was working properly - it was well equipped, the jacuzzi was working and so was the sauna and steam. Typically what you see at hotels is that one or a few of these facilities are not working. It is actually a gym that is open to membership from outside, so it’s well maintained with personal instructions willing to help you and watching over the gym facilities. If I had any complaints it would be that it closed too soon at 6.30am-9pm.

The pool was fine, if a little small. They also had a few restaurants in the building - a bakery, a chinese restaurant, and if you stay on the Promenade Club floors, you have a mini cafe up on the 11th floor as well. The food we had on the 11^th floor was ok. Breakfast was a little dull but the high tea or they call it (sunset cocktail) was really good as they had tea, coffee, wine, spirits and etc on the house as well as the usual high tea fare. In that case it was extremely value for money. They even had a balcony on the 11^th floor café that you can sit at and enjoy the views of the oceanfront.

The hotel is about 15 minutes away from the Air Asia Kota Kinabalu Terminal. They have a taxi service from the hotel to the airport that costs about RM 30 – in a nice luxurious family van.

I have had no issues with the service there - in fact they were overly nice to me! Based on the reviews I’ve read on other websites I was expecting lots of surliness but I received none of that. Everyone was super smiley and helpful.

I traveled with my family this time and it was nice to go into a hotel with lots more domestic travelers and locals. I don't see many foreign tourists here - so if you are from overseas and would like the company of other travelers I doubt this is the place for that - being a frequent traveler myself. If you are here in KK and would like to be in town, and want to get things done, this is the place for you.

Hotel Details:

www.promenade.com.my

Sandakan: Hotel Nak

During my trip to Sandakan, I stayed at Hotel Nak after my Jungle Experience. I picked this hotel based on the reviews on Tripadvisor. I knew that after coming out from a 3D/2N Wildlife experience I would like a hotel experience to clean up, have a nice luxurious bath, and indulge in a cafe experience if needed. I was not wrong – this place was great for that purpose.

I booked a Classic Single Suite for RM 88 but when I got to my room, the air conditioner was not working. They upgraded me to a bigger room - and it was really nice. The walls were painted in red and it had a nice seating area, a bath tub, a double bed, tv, tea and coffee making facilities. What was lacking was perhaps a fridge.

The toilet was really nice – even my original Classic Single Suite had a bathtub, and I particularly liked the oriental bowl they used as a sink and the red walls. The shower had a nice pressure and I also liked the ladder they used as a rack to hang the towels.

However, the place was not flawless or without fault. I know that they have recently upgraded the place into more a boutique hotel feel with Chinese/Peranakan touches. However, I feel that they could have done better to ensure that all details were upgraded along. For example, outsides the rooms, the walls were still stained and dirty and my cupboard in room 405 was really old and did not look clean. In fact it looked like it was from the 1980s and has not been upgraded since. They also had only 1 elevator working.

Nonetheless, the roof terrace cafe on the roof of the hotel made up for a lot of things. It is called the Bailin Roof Garden Terrace. Coming from Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, I am perpetually surrounded by chi-chi cafes so I have high standards for ambience and variety on the menu. So I wasnt expecting anything much for a Roof Garden Terrace in Sandakan.

The cafe at the hotel surpassed all these expectations as the food quality and the drinks were of very high quality. Even their Lemonade had some pizzazz and wasnt one of those coloured cordial drinks that chain hotels gave away.

I initially wanted to go get some dim sum for dinner but was turned off by the heavy rain. (Additional tip: dont go to Sandakan during the rainy season). Instead I sat down with my laptop at Bailin and ordered a delicious mojito (RM18) and a plate of chicken wings (RM18). As you can see, these are all KL prices but they taste a lot better. I espcially enjoyed the mojito – although the chicken wings was just so-so. They came in a set of 6. The place overlooked the ocean and there were lots of people there enjoying the environment even though it was rainy.

The staff was also really friendly and helpful. Wi-fi is available only in the lobby and at the restaurant upstairs. Taxi to the airport from Hotel Nak cost me about RM 25 at the time of writing.

Hotel Website:

www.nakhotel.com

Sandakan: Uncle Tan's Wildlife Camp (3D/2NPackage)

Cruising on the Kinabatangan Searching for Wildlife

Coming back from Kenya I have developed an addiction to wildlife viewing – as Borneo was known for the rainforest and as such, its inhabitants such as the orangutan, proboscis monkey and pygmy elephants I decided to take a trip to Sandakan to view these animals on a river safari. I found Uncle Tan's Wildlife Camp (website and details of the package available in the link below) and the 3D/2N package on Tripadvisor – and found it to be fitting to what I want – basically its value for money at RM 390 for 3D2N, it has wildlife viewing, and there are NO leeches as the highlights of the camp consists of river safaris.

I register at the counter and was invited to partake in lunch. It was a so-so affair in terms of lunch – just white rice and selection of dishes to accompany it (mainly seafood and vegetables, perhaps some poultry). The crowd was mainly foreign tourists – just as I expected. I already knew that eco-tourism is not big with Malaysians. Certainly no Malaysians I knew ever camped 3D in Sandakan for orangutan viewing.

After a quickie briefing at 2pm, we carefully wrapped our bags in black plastic bags – as we were going to take a boat upriver for about 40 minutes, whether it was raining or not. The boats were not roofed, so it was vital to keep our belongings dry, especially vital for me as my laptop was in my bag. The journey took about 1.5 hours by land and we arrived at the Bukit Garam jeti for our boat ride.

I was particularly kiasu - as I had on leech socks, raincoat and a life jacket. I wasnt used to the fact that we had to carry our luggage into the boat though. The boat went pretty fast on the river, although there was not much animals that we could see exccept for monkeys (2 species of them) . I enjoyed the boat ride very much and was glad it did not rain – although I had the raincoat just in case. After 40 minutes we arrived at the wildlife camp. We were served coffee/tea and some snacks and shown to our huts.

The huts contain plain mattresses with mosquito nets. However, they had no pillows – nevertheless at least it was on a raised platform where we will be safe from leeches, insects, snacks and the like. Food were stored in a bin to prevent animal coming in and taking our food.

The unfortunate part was that I went during the raining season and it rained during all of our activities, and there werent' many animals visible. The some that we saw was - owls, different species of monkeys, proboscis monkey, a python, birds, hornbills and monitor lizards. While I wouldnt recommend this trip for orangutan/pygmy elephant viewing during the rainy season, the jungle environment was quite a nice change from city life.

Attraction details:

http://www.uncletan.com/

Itinerary:

http://www.uncletan.com/wildlifetour.html#package