Thursday, September 24, 2015

Borneo’s Finest: A Review of the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu’s Bloody Mary


Man, it’s been a while…. Hi guys!!! Less than two weeks ago I was in the beautiful country of Malaysia, a land full of variety in terms of nature, culture, and cuisine. I visited a few towns in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as in Malaysian Borneo. And you’ll never guess how many Bloody Marys I had while in Malaysia… You would be surprised.

Because that number is ONE. I only had ONE Bloody Mary for two and a half weeks. Call me crazy, but a lot of the Malaysian population consists of Malay Muslims that do not drink alcohol at all (they aren’t allowed to use any forms of intoxicants!) and the weather is so hot that sometimes all you want is a sweet alcoholic beverage to cool you down.

I enjoy Bloody Marys at most points and at most times, but in Malaysia, it was apparent that I would not be able to find one unless I was in an upscale restaurant or hotel. There were some nice hotels and some swanky restaurants along the way, but I don’t really do Bloody Marys at night time in the hot, humid weather.

Malaysian breakfast places (including most hotels) don’t serve booze. Therefore, I did drink my fair share of fruity cocktails– my favorite being the signature “vodka and watermelon juice on the rocks” that I told a bartender to whip up on the island of Borneo.

If you can find watermelon juice (or you could try to juice one yourself), I recommend this cocktail. It’s super freakin’ good and you’re bound to feel a little more hydrated.

Anyways, the one Bloody Mary I had was on the island of Borneo– a beautiful island abounding with friendly people, wildlife (from pygmy elephants to orangutans), delicious food, the lively jungle, and even the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia, Mount Kinabalu.

The Bloody Mary was made seaside in Kota Kinabalu at the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu for which I will call it…. the Kinabalu Bloody Mary. It was a perfect for both a refresher and a heat-inducer (hot spices in the hot weather, man) for me, while I sipped it near the South China Sea under a shady pavilion.

If you’re ever in Kota Kinabalu and want a Bloody Mary like I did, be sure to make your way over to the Hyatt! On a side note, there will be more tales of my travels when I craft my own recipe for a Malaysian Bloody Mary.

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