Kota Kinabalu Vacations, Kota Kinabalu Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Kota Kinabalu Vacation Guide

As the capital of Borneo, Kota Kinabalu is inundated with the imagery of tropical luxury, heavenly beaches and exotic local culture. Looking at the photographs you could easily conclude that the city is a kind of summer-sun paradiso, but – unless you’re stacked with substantial amounts of cash – the reality is somewhat different, and Kota Kinabalu is better used as simply a hub for the rest of the island.

The nice parts of the city are dominated by high-price resorts (it can be difficult to even get on to the beach without staying in one), while elsewhere local men hassle visiting tourists (solo women travelers should be particularly careful), rats run riot and even eating a meal in a restaurant can be uncomfortable and inundated with local attention. Unless, of course, you’re the type who can arrive on resort in a helicopter (or at least afford the surprisingly costly hotel fees), the city itself will probably be a one night only experience.

If you do decide to hang around, there are plenty of attention-grabbing day trips to keep you interested. The out of town beaches – away from the touts – are a far more enticing prospect than the central options (unless you’re staying in one of those hotels), while the local rainforests are home to gorillas and a hefty hike takes you to the peak of impressive Mount Kinabalu, where you can gaze down at the far more impressive tropical views from the peak and plan your escape to the villages.

Off shore there are a number of abandoned islands, a floating village and plenty of clear, swimmable water to enjoy. If you really can’t resist hanging around in the city itself, than the sights include an old-style Malaysian cultural village (including the truly haunting Hall of Skulls), and an attractive assortment of towering mosques, each piercing the skyline with a delicate minaret.

It’s difficult to recommend Kota Kinabalu as any more than a hub, then, and quite a rat infested one at that, but at least Borneo’s capital is on the route to some truly special island sights.