Ever been to Kota Kinabalu?

[puccababy]

Hi! I was just wondering if anyone here has visited or has been to Kota Kinabalu. My officemates and I booked a flight for Oct,2009 via Air Asia. Php 1665 lang ang 2way airfare. Sa Diosdado Macapagal airport in Clark nga lang. But still, for very affordable price, you'd get to see the beauty of KK. 

Maybe you'd like to share stories, pics, etc...

[ms.orange17]

sis alam ko may thread for Kota Kinabalu... ang mura naman ng air fare ninyo....

[purrple]

Hi sis!  There was a thread before pero when I searched for it, parang nawala na.  I also need info regarding Kota Kinabalu.  I'm leaving next week  and I don't know what places I should go to.  I have not yet started my research. 

[mald1ta]

yeah mura talaga sa AIR ASIA and it's safe din.. air asia ko sumasakay pag pumupunta ko ng Brunei pag tipid mode...

from clark, land ako sa KK.. from KK to Miri.. tas by land na lang to Brunei..

hindi ko pa talaga naeexplore yung KK kasi ginagawa ko lang stop over talaga... hehe.. next time i go there, malibot kaya... hehe

i might leave for Brunei next month din kasi..

there's this famous Borneo Dinawan Island sa KK.. pero i'm not sure kung kasing ganda ng beaches dito sa Pinas.. (i.e. Palawan, Boracay, Caramoan etc)

[purrple]

I booked mine last April via Cebu Pacific, 1599 per person.  Excluding the airport fees. 

San kaya maganda magstay?

[ms.orange17]

wow ang mura naman... mag ka promo kaya para sa january.. im planning to go there sa january for one week kasi isasama ko na ang brunei... post kayo ng experience ninyo ha.. TIA

[girlashbaby]

hi there! we went there june 5 - 9 and we had fun naman.. we're a group of 32 kasi office and some family na din..

we used air asia in clark, that time yta 4,000+ per person..then we stayed in promenade hotel, nice naman and its walking lang to 2 mall..

we rented a bus kasi nga dami namen..pero for the nature trips malayo layo kaya you have to rent a cab so bka dun kayo mapamahal..kasi yun ngang going to mt. kinabalu park parang 2 hrs then another 1 hr to hanging bridge..tapos you have to go back to city pa ulit kya parang halos whole day nyo sa sasakyan lang.. then if you will avail of the land tour there baka they'll bring you sa chocolate factory, try not to buy too much there kasi cheaper sa grocery pa rin nila pero their tiramisu dark chocolates are great..

yun wildlife naman, mga 1 hr from hotel lang..okay na half day dun kasi you can ride the tram naman kasi kapagod and layo pag ng walk kayo, yun ginawa namen kaya pagod talaga.hehe..they have schedules for shows nun animals nila so you better check with your concierge the schedule para on time kayo..

going to islands, if from hotel less than 10 mins lang to pier (10 ringgit cab)..you have to rent a boat, yung samen yata mga 1000+ ringgit, pro kasi we needed a boat that can accomodate 30+ people kaya mahal..tapos you can go to 2 islands na, parang may entrance na 20 ringgit for the 2 islands na..we went to manukan and mamutik islands..if you want to rent snorkeling masks, sa pier palang inform them na kasi different rate na pag sa island ka mgrent..

meron din white water rafting kaya lang layo din daw un and prang 7 lang un "hits" (can't remember the term) unlike sa davao 20plus daw.tapos layo pa papunta parang mga 2 hrs din (not sure with this kasi di na kme tumuloy e) per person its 200 ringgit yata..

if you're there ng sunday, may sunday market, i have to check un name ng street..pero di naman ganun kalaki..cheap yun souvenirs like keychains and shirts..you wont find clothes here, halos souvenirs and kung ano ano lang..

borneo 1 is their biggest mall, 30 mins from our hotel.. i still prefer our hehe.. pro yun centerpoint mall (yun yata name, check ko din) near sa promenade hotel, ok na..they have charles, vincci, roxy, padini and others na..

do a lot of shoe shopping mga sis coz cheap talaga un shoes nila..=)

hope naka help yung input ko..happy trip!

[howdouknowitsme]

^sis howmuch budget niyo dito?all in all

[virgie16]

been there last week kaya lang,hindi ko pa magawa yung multiply ko sis for all the pics and info.share na lang ako ng konti then if my question ka pm na lang.
 via air asia then kami. 2kRT.prepare seimpre yun budget for the bus,300php one-way(philtranco) from megamall kami to clark..then yun terminal fee/tax.u have to make sure na ma catch yung bus,if your not going by car.
maganda ang KK.parang dito rin sa atin ,provincial feel na medyo city ng konti like cebu or davao.homey ang dating.but dont expect anything grand ha..pero promise maganda sya.im giving u my word.siguro right timing na rin plus kung sino yun kasama mo para mag enjoy ka.super browse ako ng internet and i prayed a lot for a good weather para lang ma enjoy ko ng todo ang trip.this is one of travel na hassle-free talaga,meron man,minor lang.sanay ang KK sa tourist so dont worry,your safe and friendly sila.ang dami naming kasabay nun nandun kami:caucasian,locals na tiga KL.ang dami rin nating kababayan dun na working,mostly yung mga tiga mindanao [textspeak!] ng amalapit sila dun.mostly muslim talaga.

for accomodation,we stayed at lavenders lodge.highly recommended.as in nagpa sundo pa kami from the airport.very basic at higit sa lahat mura if budget lang dun na but if may money to splurge naman they have shangrila tanjung aru and rasa ria.i choose this [textspeak!] nga yung proximity nya,sa mall,sa mga kainan(front nya is yung parang night market na mga dampa style) 5-10 mins walk lang.
may website sila,pareserve na if dun kayo. [textspeak!] full house sila esp pag week end.

depende sa lenght of stay at sa interest  ang I.T nyo pero must see/visit ang island hopping(tunku abdul rahman) mt kinabalu(kami sa pinaka park lang) poring hot spring,the the city tour.may malls din and mosque.
picture perrect at pure relaxation.brunei is pwedeng 1 day visit,hindi ko na kinareer since kapos talaga sa oras.

for money pwedeng peso ang dalhin,dun na lang magpapalit.

sa cab almost 8-10 ringgits lang ang bayad.

may KK fever pa rin ako up to this point.ang sarap dun!!

[mald1ta]

fyi 1 ringgit=15 pesos basta lagueng kalahati ng BND and SGD..

Miri lang lagueng kong napupuntahan dati kasi kapitbahay lang ng Brunei.. hehe.. pag pumupunta kami ng Miri para lang magshopping kasi compared to Brunei talagang mas mura sya.. Centerpoint Mall and Parkway madalas namin puntahan..

you can stay also sa Holiday Inn and Ringga Hotel.. tas naalala ko mei pinuntahan din kami na parang rainforest dun where the tallest tree sa Borneo was located.. i forgot the name na of the rainforest bec grade 6 pa ko nakapunta dun.. lol.. pero super enjoyed, yung tubig kasing lamig ng Majayjay Falls.. hehe..

hayy sana pala we took time to explore Sabah Malaysia din.. nainggit tuloy ko sa mga adventures nyo sisses.. hehe

[virgie16]

^sis howmuch budget niyo dito?all in all

it's somewhere between 5-10k.
may accomodation,food,transpo pati yung mga entrance fee at higit sa lahat shopping..pero konti lang yun ha.tipid mode na nga kami since it's only for a couple of days..pero nakabili na rin ako ng mga pasalubong ,the usual na keychains,shirts.tapos like sabi ng ibang sisters at sa PEX if mahilig ka magshop ,owede na rin dun.

at higit sa lahat depende sa sa inyo talaga yun.

[rocky]

inform ko lang yong mga sis natin na mahilig mag-picture, may photo contest ngayon yong cebu pac. 

isa sa mga prizes round trip tickets for two (2) to kota kinabalu, malaysia 

for more details, http://www.wanderingjuan.com/

[Tickeled-Pink]

so pwede pala ang KK-Brunei trip? since reading from the posts above mukang malapet lang sila.. What can you see ba in Brunei?

[pistachio nuts]

been there sis.. I can say that the place is sort of lonely. But kase overnight lang kami dun twice-kase we're bound to Brunei talaga.
But I was surprised to see our hotel! very cheap on the outside but 4-star naman pala! well.. not exaggerating but with the price we paid, ok na ok siya.. malling/strolling lang kami dun..

[mald1ta]

sis tickeled.. from KK-Miri-Brunei.. walang direcho kasi...

boring talaga pag from miri-brunei.. kasi yung district na mapuntahan mo parang province ng brunei... pero kung from manila-brunei, sa capital ka magland... nandun yung Palace ni sultan bolkiah who used to be the richest man in the world, gold-plated domed mosques, Jerudong Park (parang cheaper version ng disneyland pero malayong mas maganda sa EK syemps) 6-star hotel (imperial hotel) kung san yung pinaka mahal na room eh nasa 700K php ata.. dun daw nagstay si GMA pag bumibisita sya dun... hindi ko na alam ano pa pinagyayabang ng Brunei aside sa malinis at booger-free.. hehe

mejo lonely talaga sa brunei kasi walang night life.. hehe..

[puccababy]

@virgie16, wow! thanks for the info. we're thinking of staying din sa Lavender's. Nare-relax kasi kami sa website nila. Haha. Do you have pics of your travel to KK? Once we have decided on where to stay, itinerary na isusunod ko. 3 kami ng officemates ko ang 3 days lang. The rest 4 days na. Kaya talagang dapat i-plan namin ang trip.

[virgie16]

maraming  pics sis kaya lang di ko pa upload talaga.one of this day promise!hehe.
pati pics ng lavender's meron din ako kase,sabi ko sa owner i will promote they're place(sipsip  )

nothing grand ha,common yung toilet/bathroom
wala din bath tub,no problem with the water supply,medyo OC ata yung owner,malinis talaga.pag alis kayo iwan mo yung susi kase they will clean your room.
wala naman kami the whole day,as in iwanan lang ng gamit,a place to rest and sleep.comfortable yung bed,breakfast nila is self-service,instant-coffee at toast bread.free yun.so pwede na ring pagtyagaan diba.may computer sila that you could use for free.tamang browse lang at check ng email if talagang importante.

normal na hostel,the only difference is mabait yung owner at
pinay ang nasa front desk nila,sa kanya nalang kami nagtatanong kung may gusto kami puntahan atleast tagalog,kahit nguso lang ang ipang-turo,gets mo na agad.

tapos may connection na rin sila sa jetty,if you want to go island hopping.bigyan ka nila ng brochure with discounts.pati yung aming pagpunta sa kinabalu park,sila ang nag-arrange ng transpo with driver and lunch.medyo mas expensive ng konti,200 ringgits.all inclusive.pero considering na almost luxury na yung na experience namin(2 lang kami sa speed boat going to manukan island,2 lang kami sa van going to kinabalu park,im not sure if God was so good with us that time or nagkataon lang..feeling ko ni rent namin yun just for the 2 of us.)
 
pero pwedeng DIY talaga as in mag bus ko or mag commute ka.case lang namin talaga is we cant afford to get lost,at magpa kalat-kalat sa kalsada dahil very tight yung schedule namin.

what can you see in brunei?
havent been there pero based on my browsing(planning to go there kase) mostly mosque din na magagara.medyo fascinated ako with those structures.sorry na lang sa mga kapatid nating muslims kase ginawa namin syang pasyalan sa KK

[ms.orange17]

oo nga sis nakita ko [textspeak!] site ng lavender parang ang mura ng rate nila.. parang 300+ per night [textspeak!] dormitory nila pede na siguro un...malapit ba siya s lahat? i mean accessible na?

[virgie16]

yes.wala pang 30mins from the airport.as ive said everything is almost 5-10mins.ride..centerpoint mall is just walking distance.dun kami nagpapalit ng money then may katabi syang local resto,pati shop na parang 7-11 katabi lang din.tabing kalsada sya,not sure if main street yun.across the street is the dampa style resto.

[ms.orange17]

wow.. ang ganda pala ng location nila.. if ever dito ako magpapabook.. sana magkapromo ang cebu pac para sa january travel..excited na ako..malamig din kaya dito pag january