Travel & Living Journal of DT: Sabah

Showing posts with label Sabah. Show all posts

#2024, Accommodation, Around Malaysia, Goin' Places, Sabah, Travel

Ausvilla Kundasang

January 13, 2025 3 comments

My first official post for the year 2025 - of course non other than sharing about my beloved hometown.

Among few of the accommodations I've experienced and stayed in Kundasang, I have to say that Ausvilla is one of my favourites. Strategically located just adjacent to the Mount Kinabalu Golf Course of Mesilau, the villa set against the backdrop of the iconic Mount Kinabalu making the stay here is more unique and memorable one.

There are 8 different type of rooms that able to accommodate guests ranging from 2 pax up to 10 pax which makes the villa a perfect stay for couple, family and even large group of friends. Since there were 5 of us and an infant, we decided to book 2-Storey Deluxe Home Suite which comes with 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms.

2-STOREY DELUXE HOME SUITE

Now, let me show you how is the ground floor looks like:

Spacious living room with Smart TV and seater sofa

Dining and kitchen area complete with kitchen & cooking utensils, kettle and fridge

Separate toilet and shower room. There is even hairdryer and hand & bath towels provided inside the villa.

The room that we booked even have private balcony with breathtaking view of Koi Lake and Mount Kinabalu

Whereas for the second floor, this is where all the 3 modern-looking rooms located and sharing a bathroom:

Room 1: King Bed overlooking the majestic Mount Kinabalu

Room 2: Queen bed

Room 3: Bunk bed with two single beds

Date Stayed: 9 - 10 July 2024 (1 Night)
Type of Room: 2-Storey Deluxe Home Suite (Mount view)
Room Rate: RM600 per night (Booked from the official website)
Breakfast: Not Included

Check-in Time: 3pm
Check-out Time: 11am (late check-out will subject to extra fee)
Deposit Required: RM100 upon registration and check-in time

VILLA RESTAURANT:

Opens from 8am to 9pm daily, Ausvilla Restaurant serves variety of food ranging from local Malaysia cuisine to Western, Chinese and Japanese fusion for the in-house and non-in house guests to savour throughout the day and night.

Ausvilla Restaurant opens from 8am to 9pm

There is even an outdoor dining area for you to enjoy the panoramic views of both lake and mountain

For your information, the breakfast wasn't included in the room rate.

Besides hearty Western breakfast, they do serve fried rice and fried noodle too

My current favourite pose with little baby Daniel

However, there are few downside of Ausvilla:

No lift and not wheel chair accessible.
Plenty of flies in the restaurant which make the dining experience is unbearable one.
No room slippers provided - Considering it's getting more colder at night (sometimes might reach 12 degree), you might need these room slippers especially going to the bathroom.

Overall, Ausvilla Kundasang is more than just a place to stay - it's an experience that immerse yourself in the beauty of Sabah's nature while providing all the comforts you need for a relaxing and rejuvenating short gateway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Highly recommended for anyone who is seeking to unwind and spending quality time with your loved one and families in a picturesque landscapes of Kundasang.

By the way, do make sure to book from their official wesbite here. Don't fall for any scams that you happen to find in Facebook or any social media.

#2022, Accommodation, Around Malaysia, Goin' Places, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, STAYCATION, Travel

Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu & Kozan Teppan-Yaki

September 15, 2023 1 comment

For your information, there are two Shangri-La Resorts in Sabah; which are Shangri-La Tanjung Aru and Shangri-La Rasa Ria.

Previously, I blogged about Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu.

For this post, I will share about my experience staying in Shangri-La Rasa Ria Kota Kinabalu.

Talking about location, Shangri-La Rasa Ria is situated nearly an hour from Kota Kinabalu International Airport. So, either you need to do early arrangement with the hotel for the pick-up, or taking Grab (approx. RM60-70 per way) or perhaps, you can consider to rent car from a reliable and trustworthy car rental such as Mirai Travel. Despite the location which it's quite distance away from the city centre, this hotel is absolutely the perfect spot for you to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take this moment to unwind your body, soul and mind.

GARDEN WING & OCEAN WING
With just shy of 500 rooms and suites, Shangri-La Rasa Ria is split into two distinctive wings - the Garden Wing and Ocean Wing. Both wings have their own gracious lobby for the guests to do check-in and there are plenty of spacious parking lots too.

So which is better?
Rooms in Garden Wing are popular among the family, especially with small children as the children's facilities are more closer, such as kids club, swimming pool with slides and an outdoor playground. Whereas for the rooms in Ocean Wing, each and every room has its own oversized outdoor bathtub built at the private balcony. Because we don't have any lil kid and the outdoor bathtub looks pretty inviting, hence we chosen to stay in the Ocean Wing.

#1: Garden Wing - Perfect for family with children

#2: Ocean Wing

OCEAN WING JUNIOR SUITE SEAVIEW KING ROOM

Right after we parked our car, we went to the open-air lobby at the Ocean Wing building. The check-in process was pretty fast and smooth - they just required our identification card for verification and after that, we're given two room cards.

#3: Check-in process at Ocean Wing's lobby

#4: Ocean Wing Junior Suite Seaview King Room

To our surprise, the room is indeed spacious and enormous. Furnished in warm earthy tones with natural wood furnishing, the room is well-equipped with:

Luscious king-sized bed
Marble-clad bathroom with twin hand basin, a separate toilet and shower room
Walk-in wardrobe with dressing table and ironing facilities
Flat screen television with numerous in-house movie channels
A dining table and writing desk
Mini bar including mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea facilities. They even stocked some snacks and soft drinks.
Cozy long couch next to the bed
Large private balcony with oversized outdoor bathtub and sitting area

#5: Large bathroom with a separate toilet on the left side and shower room on the right side

#6: L'Occitane toiletries

#7: Walk-in wardrobe with dressing table

#8: Mini bar stocked with snacks and soft drinks

#9: Private balcony with oversized outdoor bathtub and sitting area

#10: And the best part of our room - facing the sparkling South China Sea

#11: Can even witness the most gorgeous sunset view from the balcony

Date Stayed: 15 January - 16 January 2022 (1 Night)
Type of Room: Ocean Wing Junior Suite Seaview King
Room Rate: RM600 per night (Booked from the official website)
Breakfast: Included

DINNER AT KOZAN TEPPAN-YAKI
As for our dinner, my husband and I decided to dine-in at Kozan Teppan-Yaki which located below of the main lobby at the Garden Wing. You don't have to worry about walking from one wing to another cause both wings are connected internally.

#12: Kozan Teppan-Yaki located at the below main lobby of Garden Wing

Kozan Teppan-Yaki offers 4 different sets of Teppanyaki and both of us chosen the Kaze set which indicates the wind in Japanese. All sets are inclusive of appetizer, sautéed mixed vegetables, garlic fried rice, Japanese pickles, miso soup and dessert of the day.

Our Kaze (wind) set comes with:

Hokkaido scallop
Tiger prawn
Norwegian salmon
Boneless chicken thigh

#13: Kaze (wind) set Teppayaki

For more info Kozen Teppan-Yaki especially of their menu, you can check out here.

#14

BREAKFAST

For Ocean Wing guests, we got to enjoy our breakfast at Oceano Modern Grill where they served breakfast in ala carte buffet style. We even got the choice either to sit indoor or outdoor and definitely for sure, we opted for the latter seating. Not just that we able to enjoy the extravagant breakfast with gorgeous view, we're also enjoy listening to the birds' chipping in the early morning. Such a relaxing and peaceful environment!

#15: Outdoor seating for breakfast

#16: Breakfast at Oceano Modern Grill

RESORT FACILITIES

There are two main pools within the resort, one for each of the wing. Ocean Wing's pool is more bigger but less crowded compare to the one in Garden Wing. Garden Wing's pool is towards more kids oriented with a water slide. The perk of being Ocean Wing's guest, you can access to both side of the pools.

#17: Pool at Ocean Wing. More bigger and less crowded. There is even an infinity jacuzzi.

#18: Pool at Garden Wing. More kids oriented with a water slide

#19: Mini outdoor playground for the little kids

#20: Sunrise jungle trekking at Rasa Ria Reserve. You can read my post here.

#21: Early bird catches the early sunrise with a glimpse of Mount Kinabalu

#21: Highly recommend to book the room with seaview because this is Sabah bah!

If you are looking for a family-friendly hotel, then Shangri-La Rasa Ria will be the best option as this resort offers plenty of activities to do. Apart from the swimming pools, recreational facilities, golf course and a nature reserve, there is even a stunning 3km white sandy beach where you and your family can enjoy the swim there and some watersport activities.

#2021, Accommodation, Around Malaysia, Goin' Places, Huawei Mate 20, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, STAYCATION, Travel

Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu

February 23, 2023 4 comments

Apparently, Sabah has two luxuriously styled 5-star hotels under the Shangri-La Group; Shangri-la Tanjung Aru and Shangri-la Rasa Ria. For this post, I will blog and share mainly about Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa. If you prefer to stay within Kota Kinabalu city center under this group of international chain hotels, then this is the one that you're looking for.

#1: Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu

Approximately 10 minutes by road from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Kota Kinabalu (STAR) offers luxury beachfront accommodations in Tanjung Aru. And in case if you are wondering, Tanjung Aru beach is famous for being home to one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.

If you are driving with a car, fret not as there is ample of parking space for the hotel guests to park for free. No transport? Then, you can even arrange for shuttle service from the airport to hotel.

TANJUNG KING ROOM SEAVIEW ROOM

The resort is divided into two separate areas; Kinabalu Wing with the rooms facing either the mountain or the sea, whereas those rooms in Tanjung Wing are overlooking the tranquil South China Sea and islands.

Initially the room we booked was Kinabalu Wing Mountain View Room but we got free upgrade to Tanjung King Room Seaview Room. The room is pretty spacious with 47sqm and we got the luscious king-sized bed.

#2: Tanjung King Room Seaview Room

Other facilities that are available within this room:

Flat screen satellite television with countless of in-house movie channels
Wired and wireless Internet access
Writing desk with armchair
Cozy couch
Minibar including mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea facilities
Complimentary bottle waters
Wardrobe/closet with ironing facilities
Safety deposit box
Bathroom with Shangri-la toiletries, towers, separate shower cubicle and soaking tub

#3: Flat screen satellite television with countless of in-house movie channels

#4: Minibar including mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea facilities

#5: Wardrobe/closet with ironing facilities

#6:

#7: Bathroom with separate shower cubicle and soaking tub

#8: Full set of Shangri-la toiletries

#9: The icing on the cake - Spacious private balcony with uninterrupted, panoramic view of the ocean and islands beyond

BREAKFAST @ CAFE TATU

The breakfast is served at Cafe Tatu in buffet-styled. It's enormous and extensive with wide spread of selections from pastries, waffles and omelettes to noodles, fried rice, curries and nasi lemak. Better yet, it's all freshly made, cooked and baked too.

#10: Breakfast buffet served in Cafe Tatu

#11: Wide spread of selection of both local and Western dishes

#12:

RESORT'S FACILITIES

There are numerous pools at Shangri-la Tanjung Aru that cater both adults and children. There is even a water slide and splash playground with water bucket.