Kota Kinabalu Blog | A Must Visit In The Island

Top-Class Diving and Snorkeling in Kota Kinabalu

January 4, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Diving and snorkeling in Kota Kinabalu primarily take place at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, an exciting marine park that is clearly Kota Kinabalu’s main tropical paradise. The park has five islands (Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Sulug, Pulau Manukan and Pulau Mamutik) that are known to have blinding white-sand beaches, shallow waters, and lively coral gardens, which are ingredients to the best snorkeling and diving experience ever.

Snorkelers and first-time divers will have a grand time gliding along the park’s clear shallow waters. In fact, non-snorkelers and non-divers are also in for a treat because the waters are so clear the fish are visible from above. The park’s resident fish are blue-spotted rays, mantis shrimps, scorpion fish, and cuttlefish, as well as green turtles and hawksbill turtles. There are also rare sightings of the elusive mandarin fish and harlequin ghost pipefish. To have a glimpse …

Picturesque Championship Golf in Kota Kinabalu

January 4, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Kota Kinabalu is a major city in the Malayan state of Sabah. It is the capital city of Sabah, which is found on the tropical island of Borneo. Many westerners still think today that Borneo is nothing more than a vast jungle. Kota Kinabalu proves them wrong. This state capital city has modern facilities and infrastructures, including four championship golf courses that make golf in Kota Kinabalu very popular with locals and visiting international golfers.

Golf in Kota Kinabalu — Playing golf in Kota Kinabalu – Malaysia

The four golf courses are Sabah Golf and Country Club in Bukit Padang, Sutera Harbour Marina, Golf & Country Club, Kinabalu Golf Club in Tanjung Aru, and Karambunai Golf and Country Club. The oldest among them is Kinabalu Golf Club (KGC), which first opened in 1933 when the city was still under British control. The club’s original 50 members were all British. KGC was momentarily closed during World War II when the Japanese seized the city, but reopened on September 23, 1948. KGC is located near the widely popular Tanjung Aru Beach …

Eating and Drinking in Kota Kinabalu: Street Foods

January 4, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Kota Kinabalu offers so many things to many people. There are alluring beaches and reefs to swim in, interesting cultural sites and traditional villages to visit, and the majestic Mount Kinabalu to scale. But everyone gets tired after a few hours of fun and adventure. And when people get tired and hungry, it’s the restaurants and food joints that get jam packed. Eating and drinking in Kota Kinabalu is served by high-end restaurants, cafés and bars scattered all over this bustling city, but for some reason, locals and the adventurous tourist almost always prefer street foods, or at least, are ready to try a serving or two.

Eating and Drinking in Kota Kinabalu — Malaysian dishes

The most delicious and yet inexpensive local dishes are found in Tanjung Aru’s open-air food court. This large food joint along the popular Tanjung Aru Beach offers the most delicious Malaysian noodles and freshest seafood dishes. Eating here is quite a cultural experience as well since there are nightly cultural shows, and the place is always busy with locals and foreigners getting to know each other. The most popular sea food is lobster, typically. Other local dishes involving stingrays, shellfish and an array of other fishes are also quite popular. Diners are guaranteed that the fish are always fresh and cooked using savory Malaysian spices …

Swimming and Other Water Sports in Kota Kinabalu

January 4, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia seems to have two personalities: traditional and modern, nature and infrastructure, rural and urban. While this capital city of the Malayan state of Sabah is very modern and progressive, it is also widely known for its beaches, reefs, and islands. For this reason, swimming and other water sports in Kota Kinabalu are as popular as shopping in modern supermalls and dining in upscale restaurants.

Swimming and Other Water Sports in Kota Kinabalu — Swimming in Kota Kinabalu – Malaysia

The prime area for all kinds of water activities in Kota Kinabalu takes place in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, a marine park that covers five charming tropical islands. These islands are Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Mamutik, Pulau Sulug and the popular Pulau Manukan. These islands have three things in common: white sand beaches, brightly colored coral reefs, and clear shallow waters. The marine park is teeming with all sorts of beautiful marine wildlife such as scorpion fish, blue-spotted rays, cuttlefish, mantis shrimps, hawksbill turtles, and the rare harlequin ghost pipefish. …

The Majestic Sabah State Mosque in Kota Kinabalu

January 4, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Sabah State Mosque, as the name states, is the primary or most important mosque in all of Sabah. Constructed in 1974, this national mosque is located at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman in Sembulan, Koa Kinabalu. It is clearly one of the most unique and spectacular structures in the city, specifically for its majestic domes, gold inlays and honeycomb pattern designs. There are not many buildings in the world as beautiful to the eyes as this one.

Sabah State Mosque in Kota Kinabalu – Malaysia

Needless to say, since this is a mosque, Muslim followers in Kota Kinabalu come here primarily to pray and meditate. However, it is also a leading tourist attraction and so a number of non-Muslim tourists come here to be amazed at the architectural beauty and observe Muslim ways. For non-Muslim visitors, both local and foreign, it is necessary to observe proper codes of dressing and conduct. Tourists are not allowed to enter through the back or side doors for safety purposes. As they do enter through the main door, tourists and tourist guides must report of any visit to the security officer, because simply, tourists are not allowed to enter the mosque without official permission. Male tourists cannot enter wearing short pants, while …

Fully Loaded and Tons of Fun: Tanjung Aru in Kota Kinabalu

January 4, 2014 By // by Sarah Cruz Leave a Comment

Located in Kota Kinabalu of Sabah in Malaysia, Tanjung Aru is a small city sub-district that is home to many important sites such as the Royal Sabah Turf Club, La Salle Secondary School, Sabah State Railway station, Terminal 2 of the international airport, and the widely known Tanjung Aru Beach that is surrounded by first-class hotels, affordable resorts, famous restaurants and amazing entertainment centers. When staying anywhere within the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, make sure to visit Tanjung Aru even for a quick dinner while watching its spectacular sunset. People on the beach stop to watch the red golden sun slowly sinking behind the South China Sea, creating a picturesque silhouette of Mamutik Island and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park located in the open sea. Simply spectacular, it makes professional photographers out of everyone.

Tanjung-Aru in Kota Kinabalu — Tanjung-Aru beach in Kota Kinabalu – Malaysia

There are many reasons to come to Tanjung Aru Beach, which is an often visited Kota Kinabalu beach. Both locals and foreigners come here to swim, meet people, jog, stroll, sit on the soft beach for hours waiting for the sunset, or do what most people do here-eat. People flock to the open-air food court to enjoy savoring the freshly caught fishes and the very popular Malaysian noodle dishes. …