Vacation in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo - Part III

On the third and fourth day of our vacation in Sabah, we headed off to the northern part of KK called Karambunai, about 40 minutes drive from the city centre. We checked into the 5-star Nexus Resort Karambunai, reputed to have a rather long and beautiful beach area which "some say it's heaven" or something along those lines.

The room we had was nice, clean, cosy and very much equipped with what you'd expect for a 5-star accommodation. Even the TV channels were pretty good and clear, plus the internet was smooth and fast. Strange feeling for me to have things in an almost perfect state since most hotels I've stayed in (even 5-star ones) would not have most things in order.

Food at the restaurants in Nexus Resort is splendid, nothing to complain there. The portions were obviously not meant for normal Asians, as there was enough for two to share for each meal ordered. Cool innit?

Things get pricey here though. The room I booked, called Ocean View Room, costed RM450 per night including breakfast, and that's the special rate when I booked through the net in September 2008. Normal rates would be in the range of Rm800-900 per room per night. And don't expect food to be any less than RM40 per meal, that'd be a hard thing to find here.

The beach - well, to me it's not really something to die for, I think the beach at Mamutik Island is better, the sands were smoother and fluffier. The Nexus beach is long, wide and quite flat, excellent for swimmers and beach games. The waves were a bit strong during the two days we were there, but then again that would be expected at this time of the year.

I'd recommend this place for beach lovers who enjoy a good swim, sunbathing, beach games and barbeques, plus couples who want a really private getaway where they can enjoy very, very long walks on the very, very long beach.

Let these photos help you decide if Nexus Resort Karambunai will be your next holiday destination.

Vacation in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo - Part II

This is Part II of my Sabah island excursion.

After Manukan Island, we took a 5-minute boat ride to the island of Mamutik. Mamutik is more suitable for swimming and snorkeling I feel, because the water is muc much more clearer than Manukan and there's amazingly less people there. Strange coz I think Mamutik is cleaner and more natural than Manukan. The waves are gentle and the sandy beach is just perfect if you want to laze around in your shorts and get a moderate tan. Crystal clear waters enable you to view the coral fishes as clearly as if they were in your living room aquarium. These photos are just some of those I took of Mamutik. Have to be there to savour the beauty, folks.

Vacation in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo - Part I

My family and I spent a wicked 5-day vacation in Sabah, Borneo Malaysia on 16th - 20th December 2008, just over a week ago. We had planned to go visit some of the well-known islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park located just on the fringes of the blue-green waters off the coast of Kota Kinabalu (or KK as it is lcoally known), the capital of Sabah.

The first two nights, we put up at a rather minimalistically dressed-up hotel called the Imperial Boutech Hotel, located on the 7th floor of Warisan Square building, in the heart of KK.

On the 17th December, our 2nd day in KK, we went off to the islands. To go there one needs to get to the nearest jetty, i.e. located at Jesselton Point, some 20-minute walk from Warisan Square. There you will find a potful of what I would refer to as island taxi-hopping service operators, who provide various island getaway packages. There are altogether 5 islands in the Park, namely Gaya, Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik and Sulug. We decided to visit two, i.e. Manukan and Mamutik. It costed around RM68.00 for 2 adults and 1 child, including jetty fees for 2 adults of RM6.00 per person. The Park charges RM3.00 per entry per adult which you pay upon reaching the first island. The boat ride takes a mere 20 minutes to Manukan and Mamutik from the jetty.

It was a great day out for us, and the images here captured some of the best views I've seen in these parts of the country. All of the images here are taken of Manukan.

In my next post I'll upload images of Mamutik.

New Zealand - Places to Visit

It's not uncommon to associate New Zealand with breath-taking, scenic views of its natural environment since the country is notoriously endowed with it. Some of the places I've found to be among the top locations to visit in New Zealand are Milford Sound, Stewart Island and Mount Cook, Canterbury.













I am reminded of scenes in the Lord of the Rings when I look at these images. The film was shot partly in New Zealand and most probably at some of these locations.

A country I must visit one day.