I had just returned from KK and this is my second trip. The first one was way back a few years ago with my family. This time I went with a friend.

We stayed at Imperial Boutec Hotel, located on 7th floor of Warisan Square. Having managed to grab the promotion deal of 130MYR per night, the room was ok but a bit too small and can feel crowded at times. Our room was facing another room and in between there's a small walkway. If you prefer to have sea view you can choose the room type albeit more expensive.

We went to Manukan Island on the second day, previously I have gone to Mamutik Island and I can say both are breathtaking. We took a boat which cost 23MYR (inclusive of terminal fee). Upon arrival at the island you will have to pay another 3MYR for entrance fee. When you arrive there, you will be amazed that the sea water is crystal clear and you can see colorful fishes swimming around. The small fishes are apparently not afraid of swimming and circling around your legs and I managed to take some pictures of them hovering near me.

Shopping wise, I can say you can find almost anything you want here. They have the new shopping complex, 1Borneo which have designer brands etc...There is a free shuttle bus which you can take in front of Warisan Square and it departs hourly. Warisan Square itself has shops but the selection is not much since not many shops are available there. Moving around in KK was easy, the only cab that we took while there was the cab from airport to hotel and back to airport, which cost us 40MYR return. Other than that we walk and explore on our own since all the places are within walking distance, except for 1Borneo which explains the shuttle bus.

We also managed to set our foot at the Atkinson Clock Tower which was built in 1903 by Francis George Atkinson - the popular first District Officer of Jesselton during the British North Borneo Chartered Company Administration who died of "Borneo Fever" at the age of 28. It is one of the historical attraction in KK....We went to Gaya Street as well, something like a flea market selling food, pets, t-shirts, plants etc...

Overall it was a very enjoyable trip and I am looking forward to visit KK again in the near future. For those interested in shopping, there's a new shopping mall under construction called Suria Sabah, managed by the same Suria Group of Suria KLCC so you can expect a Sabah version of KLCC soon :)

It was my dream to visit Sabah since young. I did my research on Sabah attractions and the way to move around since last year from internet and books. Nothing beats the real thing!

I just return for a 5-day trip from Kota Kinabalu. The amazing thing was I went alone & being Asian and a woman, it was almost unheard of. Normally people would travel in groups or book a tour ahead. I just determined to do it my way. I was discouraged by my other half and friends. I stuck to my guns, packed a bag and just left Penang for a Sabah experience.

I had the most wonderful time, absorbing culture and savour the sceneries.

I stayed at Tune Hotel. Albeit mixed reviews in Tripadvisor, I found the hotel to be convenient, clean and overall a pleasant stay. I spent most of my time out anyway with so much things to do. I knew I could not do everything due to time constraints.

The first day once I reached there, I just enjoyed shopping in 1-Borneo as I didn't get enough sleep the night before I came to KK(too excited to sleep).

I booked for a guided half-day city tour with a local tour company from the brochure I picked at the airport on the second day. My tour guide was patient and bear with me when I take loads of pictures and had a quick shopping spree of souveniors at the Handicraft Market at Sinsuran (where Waterfront was located). I returned to the hotel after a 4-hour tour.

With a map, I took 1-Borneo free shuttle and spent my time at Waterfront which provided the best sunset I had ever seen. I was only at the second floor of a popular bar at Waterfront but it was as if I was higher. I could see the islands nearby and the sun slowly descended. It was so beautiful, I was awed.It was so romantic, yet I didn't feel lonely. I felt so relaxed.

I continued shopping at Warisan Square. There was a souvenior shop with really friendly staff and the prices are really reasonable considering it was at a high-end shopping complex.

The third day, I was at Sinsuran/Waterfront and I saw from afar hundreds of local people waiting for something opposite Wisma Merdeka. I saw some officers in uniforms from a few countries at the beginning. The further I walked, the number grew.

I looked at the banner under a canopy and saw "Freedom of Entry". I found out later from the newspaper that it was an annual procession of the Royal Malaysian Navy(RMN) into Kota Kinabalu. It was a relatively new event which was first held in 2007. The 1,200 participants from 6 countries really put on a stellar march with drums and flags or just plain marching with gusto. There were even participants dressed in sea lion costumes. What a performance!

After taking pictures and video-recording Entry of Freedom, I walked to Jesselton Point which was not far away to board a boat to Manukan Island. I met a group of new friends in the boat.
Manukan is really tourist-friendly. I fed the fish which can be seen clearly with some bread I brought with me.

My new-found friends from Sarawak went for snorkelling while as I was not a strong swimmer, I took time walking around and found a gem in the island, a museum cum research centre.

There were skeletons of a whale, dolphin, dugong, turtle and preserved sea creatures, corals and plants. I was given an insight on marine life by one of the museum staff. I was so glad I found the museum. I wanted to ask my friends to come over but museum was to be closed at 3pm. I was even shown 2 baby turtles from eggs found at Manukan.

I was told that there is a sunset point up the hill. I would certainly hit Sunset Point on my next trip!I didn't go but instead, I went back to the group of friends to chat. Then I went sunbathing. The museum staff and the lifeguard showed us some jellyfish they rescued from the sea. For the first time in our lives, we held a very alive jellyfish. It was such an experience. It was goey but we felt excited...

4th day came, I went to Gaya Street. I was not really interested in buying food or souveniors as I had bought quite a number on my first 2 days in KK. I chanced upon Keningau bus/taxi station. I took a rented van to Mount Kinabalu. I chatted with some foreign tourists in the van but as we ascended towards Mount Kinabalu, I was dumbfounded by the sheer beauty of the mountains that I couldn't help but stare at the view. It was many times better than the Mount Kinabalu I had seen on postcard or on documentary/online.

There I found a great guide, Minor. For a reasonable fee, I was taken around Kinabalu Park, then to Kundasang to view the Kundasang War Memorial by car. It is a pristine area with a botanical garden. It has a bird-eye view of Kundasang village and Mount Kinabalu. There was a market nearby. We later went to Poring hot springs near Ranau. I tried having my feet in the water. It was almost scorching hot. I was probably not used to hot springs because a crowd had their whole bodies in other pools and seemed to be real "cool".

There was a canopy walk, an insect research centre, a herb garden and a bat-shaped small waterfall after minutes of walk in the wild. I have news for folks out there who thought Mount Kinabalu is only for climbing to the peak. There are so many things to see and to do and do not require super stamina.

Children and those of golden years would enjoy these too. I am really relieved that i did not skip Mount Kinabalu. On the way back to KK, I was once again taken in by the sceneries. Surprisingly, so the locals who might have seen Mount Kinabalu and the forests could not take their eyes off the view.

On my maiden trip to Borneo, I had tonnes of fun and excitement!I love the people and everything about Sabah. I will return with my loved ones to experience a more challenging side of nature.

Next time, I would go climbing Mount Kinabalu, water rafting and go diving at Sipadan. Or go to Kinabatangan River for a river cruise and view the wildlife and fireflies. There is so much to offer in Sabah.

The wonderful part, I manage to meet new friends and smiling locals along the way. I may book a tour. It is a thought...

I ve been Kota Kinabalu with my husband for 3 days. It is a wonderful place that i love this place very much. People here are friendly evethough there have a lot of difference races here. Hotel here are cheap & clean. There are a lot of seafood here. For those who love to eat seafood,here is the place u must go. Seafood are fresh, big & the price are reasonable.

There is also a lot of mountain & island. For those who love diving, snorkeling or swimming,u can choose here as the island are not far away from the jetty. It takes about 15 to 20 min to reach the island. And the sea is clean and u can see the fish swimming under the jetty.

I think i will introduce my friends to come here again for my next vacation.

Our trip of a lifetime to Kota Kinabalu,Borneo started today.We had an uneventful flight from Birmingham to Dubai and then onto Kuala Lumpur..

Then we had a major panic after collecting our bags as it dawned on us that our onward Air Asia flight to Kota Kinabalu was from a different terminal and it departed in approximately 1 hour. We learned it was a 25minute taxi ride. We met another group who had made the same mistake.This information should be made clear at the time of booking. The next flight which left in an hour would have been less stressful in timing.

However we landed safely in Kota kinabalu ( soon to be known to us as KK. )The airport is close to the town and a very helpful and informative taxi driver drove us to our hotel. About 20 minutes.

Tomorrow is another day.