Vacationista: Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort and Spa Kota Kinabalu

Knowing Shangri-la Hotels, you’d only expect the best of the best. Unfortunately, we didn’t start out on the right foot.

We had booked at the hotel for our second day in Kota Kinabalu (KK) and they confirmed that we would be picked up by their shuttle bus from Wisma Merdeka at 2:15pm.

Unfortunately, after waiting for 20 minutes and after a call, we found out pick-up was at 4pm.

So we just wasted about 2 hours of waiting, which could have been spent at the resort hotel, but we made up for it by going around the mall.

Right on schedule, the shuttle bus arrived at 4pm and we were finally on our way to the resort.

Immediately upon check-in, we were served welcome drinks then the manager approached us and talked to my sister (I was busy going around the lobby).

The manager offered complimentary shuttle bus pick-up and drop-off (was supposed to pay RM30 per person per way even for checked-in guests so that’s a lot of savings) and after my sister’s inquiry, the manager also offered complimentary late check-out, to make up for the lost time.

So it was all good. Shangri-la can be depended on to make things better. Haha! We even requested to have our room transferred to somewhere nearer the lobby and they obliged.

The room, as always with Shangri-la, was pretty and immaculate. Big, comfy beds, huge restroom and a balcony overlooking the pool and even a part of the ocean.

I like the fact that they have welcome fruits and have now used glass bottles for their waters (yey for the environment!).

There is no time for rest for people like me who want to make the most of vacation time so after a quick change, me and sis went out to explore. Went around the resort and of course, first order of business was checking out the beach front.

OMG. Super huge beach front! 3km long of beach front, in fact. Super gorgeous!

We decided to have dinner at their international buffet. You actually have 5 choices for their in-house restaurants. Aside from the international buffet, you may opt for Italian, Japanese and Indian, all on ala-carte basis, and a Malaysian buffet.

Once in Shangri-la, you won’t be able to walk to a nearby resto since it’s pretty far from ‘civilization’. If you want to go out, you’ll have to take the shuttle, if still available, or a taxi.

The international buffet at Coffee Terrace was about RM150 per person. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed by their spread.

You’ll have the usual congees, sushis, steak, Malaysian and Western food, as well as the fruits, salad and dessert bar. 

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Vacationista: Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort and Spa Kota Kinabalu

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Curios Traveller - Mosaic @ Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

Cleverly designed as a high end cafe that belongs to the famous Hyatt brand, The Mosaic @ Hyatt Regency Kinabalu offer their customers an unforgettable amazing colorful and delicious all day dessert that includes 14 flavors of homemade ice cream.

Oh did I mention sensational Belgian Waffles topped with ice cream?

To add to that already appetizing desserts, the Mosaic offers some healthy option such as sandwiches and salad.

Mosaic is a stylish sidewalk cafe located on the street level of Hyatt Regency Kinabalu thus offering the perfect spot to people-watch on the busy street.

It is kinda seating and slurping your bevy at a Parisian Cafe (lol!) while looking at the passers-by (or they actually look at you?).

I decided to spend the early evening hours at the Mosaic recently and skip the other Hipster Cafes in Kota Kinabalu (the usual activity in the weekend).

I wanted to see how different the cafe is in comparison with the already abundant modern and hipster cafes.

Most important to be scrutinized is the level of service.

All modern cafes are the same for me, they have the usual Hot and Cold Coffee/Tea selections, be it Mocha, Cappuccino and so on.

Is Mosaic on par with the hipster cafes around Kota Kinabalu?

Does it offer an exceptional level of service since it is own by the Hyatt?

What extras do they have?

That were the main question before I entered the Mosaic.

I brought along my photographer @joehairie and together we ‘investigate’ this cafe.

Were we satisfied? Keep reading for the verdict.

Upon entering the Mosaic, we were immediately acknowledged by the staff.

We were very picky about the area that we wanted to seat but the staff simply letting us to choose our preference.

We chose to seat near to the bar so that we can have a closer look to the happenings around.

It was a lovely seating area with three individual sofas.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Curios Traveller - Mosaic @ Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

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MASwings offers 70 per cent off on tickets to support festivals in Borneo

KOTA KINABALU: MAS wings is offering up to 70 per cent off on their air tickets to support this year’s 11th Borneo Jazz Festival and 19th Rainforest World Music Festival on May 13-14 and August 5-7.

For the Borneo Jazz Festival at ParkCity Everly Hotel Miri, fares are RM92 from Bintulu; RM95 from Labuan; RM107 from Sibu; RM114 from Kota Kinabalu and RM130 from Kuching.

The selling period has started and will last until May 12 while the travel period will be from May 5 to May 21.

For the Rainforest World Music Festival at Sarawak Cultural Village in Damai, Kuching, fares are RM104 from Sibu; RM130 from Bintulu and Miri; RM152 from Kota Kinabalu and RM165 from Labuan.

Tickets have begun selling from now until August 4 and the travel period will be from July 29 to August 14.

“We target at least 5,000 visitors to come for the two-day Miri Jazz Festival this year and some 20,000 for the three-night Kuching Rainforest World Music,” said Sarawak Tourism Board deputy chairman, Datu Ik Pahon Joyik during a press conference at the MAS administration building, yesterday.

“There will be a lot of moving crowd and usually they will visit the handicraft and food stalls after listening to their favourite bands. That is why we also invite other industry players to set up booths to enjoy the benefits derived from the festivals,” he said.

According to him, out of 100 per cent of the people who turned up for both the festivals last year, some 60 per cent were Malaysians and 40 per cent were foreigners.

“I have met a lot of festival goers from Sabah who never fail to come down to Sarawak every year. However, we don’t have the exact figures of how many Sabahans actually came for the festivals but based on the records obtained from the Sarawak’s Immigration Department, there were 900,000 Sabahans who visited Sarawak last year,” noted Pahon.

The festivals had also helped to boost the arrival of tourists to both Sabah and Sarawak, he said, adding that tickets are priced at RM100 for both the Miri and Kuching festivals.

“From what I understand from the tour agents, Europeans will usually spend two weeks in Kota Kinabalu before heading to Kuching for another two weeks and after that they will travel to Singapore and return home.

“Or they (Europeans) will come to Kuching and after the festivals, they will continue their visit to Kota Kinabalu.

“On average, Europeans spend three to four weeks holidaying in both Sabah and Sarawak while tourists from Northeast Asian countries usually stayed for 10 to 12 days. So when you look at the trend, I think both states benefit,” said Pahon.

“And we are thankful to MASwings for forging the collaboration with us to promote Borneo as a holiday destination and the two jazz festivals.

“We should continue to collaborate not only for the movement of goods and services but also to bring in visitors, both domestic and foreign, to enjoy the richness of our cultures and nature in Borneo Island,” said Pahon.

According to him, the renowned Kuching Rainforest World Music Festival has been endorsed by the Songlines International Magazine from United Kingdom as one of the top 20 festivals in the world and they are leveraging on the recognition to promote the event.

“This is just the beginning for us as we all know, Sabah also has a lot of festivals, for example the Kaamatan Festival, Sabah International Folklore and Cultural Festival and a few others that we would like to promote too.

“And through MASwings, we are able to connect the people and bring them to enjoy the festivals in both Sabah and Sarawak,” he added.

“We are looking at the island of Borneo as a package whether they come in from Kota Kinabalu or Kuching and we would like the tourists or visitors to stay longer to explore deep into the interior areas of both states as I believe not many of us have done that before including those from the peninsula,” said Pahon.

Continue reading at: MASwings offers 70 per cent off on tickets to support festivals in Borneo

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The tale of Mat Salleh at Sabah Fest 2016

KOTA KINABALU: The tale of legendary Sabah warrior, Mat Salleh will be performed on stage at the Sabah Fest 2016 from April 29 to May 1 at the National Department for Culture and Arts Sabah (JKKN) auditorium.

Entitled, ‘Gulu Gulu - A Tribute to the Past’, it also marks the start of the month-long Harvest Festival celebration in May.

“Gulu Gulu is a Kadazandusun word meaning ‘a long time ago’. This year we adopted the story of Mat Salleh set during the colonial era between 1894 (Sandakan) until his death in Tambunan in 1900,” said Minister of Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun when announcing the show at Wisma Tun Fuad yesterday.

“His story will be interpreted through dance, song and music as it brings the audience on an expedition across Sabah to showcase places and timelines of historical significance during Mat Salleh’s daring exploit of resistance against the British North Borneo Chartered Company rule,” he said.

“The unique part of Mat Salleh was his supposedly mystical power. One example told to me by my grandfather was during the battle in Ranau where they were holed up by the British in the area where the SIB church is now sited,” shared Masidi.

“The British were shelling Mat Salleh until the shooting stopped and the British thought they had either fled or run out of ammunition but they did not go in because they could still hear the gong beating.

“So the next day they launched a surprise attack only to discover he had already left but according to my grandfather the gong was still beating by itself which was a trick created by Mat Salleh to make the British think he was still inside and that gave him sufficient time to escape,” he continued.

Continue reading at: The tale of Mat Salleh at Sabah Fest 2016

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Bau offers a gold mine of Sarawak tourist attractions

BAU: This district, with its lush nature abounding, unique cultures and heritage sites of various multi-ethnic groups, has the right tonic to offer tourists from Singapore and Hong Kong – the two main markets identified by the Sarawak Tourism Ministry to lure in more visitors this year.

According to the ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, Bau District has many tourist attractions such as the Fairy Cave, Wind Cave, Bung Jagoi Heritage Centre, Bung Singai Catholic Memorial and Pilgrimage Centre (CMPC) and the Bung Bratak Heritage Centre which is currently being developed.

Other attractions include the popular Serikin weekend market, Bau Lake, Siniawan heritage town including Bau town itself, fondly known as the Gold Mine Town. He is confident all these attractions will be appealing to local and foreign tourists.

“Sarawak offers many tourist attractions especially our beautiful nature, unique culture and heritage of various ethnic groups. All the attractions found in Bau will be included in the promotion programme of the ministry overseas, to inform foreign tourists what this district has to offer for them,” said Ik Pahon when officiating at the Fairy Cave Co-operative first anniversary dinner held in the vicinity of Fairy Cave at Jalan Krokong here last Saturday.

Meanwhile, Fairy Cave Co-operative chairman Penghulu Dihoi Nyawen said this year’s Fairy Cave Festival will be held from May 26 to 28. The three-day festival will be filled with various activities including food bazaar, traditional games and entertainment events.

On a related note, Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, after chairing the state tourism steering committee last month, cited Singapore and Hong Kong as two of the major connecting hubs the state was keen on strengthening to raise tourist arrival.

Continue reading at: Bau offers a gold mine of Sarawak tourist attractions

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