Kota Belud

Päťhviezdičkový zážitok! Päťhviezdičkový výlet! Perfektná cesta! Sprievodkyňa Sue nás kontaktovala cez Whatsapp už večer vopred a bola nesmierne trpezlivá pri zodpovedaní všetkých otázok. Počas celého výletu nám ochotne a bez váhania robila fotky. V našej skupine boli aj účastníci s veľmi vysokými nárokmi na fotografovanie a na moje prekvapenie mala Sue s fotením pre nich svätú trpezlivosť. Treba mať na pamäti, že v daný deň sa spojilo niekoľko skupín, ale všetci títo sprievodcovia sa navzájom poznali, takže výborne vytvárali atmosféru. Jeden zo sprievodcov neustále nosil so sebou veľký reproduktor a púšťal hudbu, čo dodalo skvelú náladu. Navyše vyberal piesne k téme – napríklad pri sledovaní svetlušiek pustil skladbu „Rice Field“ od Jay Choua! To bolo naozaj super! Je dôležité vedieť, že miestne komáre sú mimoriadne agresívne a nezastaví ich ani repelent, na to si treba dávať pozor. Miestny západ slnka bol neskutočne krásny! Mali sme dostatok času na voľný program a fotenie na Instagram. Moje prvé šnorchlovanie bolo úžasné a vyrazilo mi dych. Jediná škoda bola, že keďže sa v skupine našli ľudia bojujúci s vodou, bolo sa treba o nich postarať, takže sme nemohli navštíviť viacero miest a nakoniec sme zostali na jedinom mieste asi hodinu. Na ostrove sa dá prenajať skrinka za 60 HKD, ale v podstate nie je potrebná, pretože na opustenom ostrove vám nikto nič neukradne... Sledovanie svetlušiek vo vás zanechá nezabudnuteľný zážitok! Táto úchvatná atmosféra sa nedá zachytiť na fotke, musíte to zažiť na vlastní koži, aby ste to pochopili! P.S. Zraz bol v ten deň o 7. ráno! Takže sme vstávali veľmi skoro, ale stálo to za to.

Prihlásili sme sa ako 4 dospelí a 4 deti, naša rodina a rodina priateľov. O 7:30 ráno nás vyzdvihli z hotela a odtiaľ sme sa viezli 2,5 hodiny na vyhliadku na horu Kinabalu. Cesta z mesta Kota Kinabalu smerom k hore Kinabalu bola preplnená, ale flexibilne nám umožnili zastávky na toaletu pre deti. Na vyhliadke sme si urobili veľa fotografií a odtiaľ sme sa vybrali na farmu Desa 🐮. Cestou sme sa zastavili v miestnom obchode s ovocím. Náš sprievodca Jeff nám predstavil ovocie, ktoré sme nikdy predtým nevideli, a kúpili sme si po jednom alebo dvoch kusoch, aby sme ich ochutnali 🥭. Boli sme nadšení z ovocia, o ktorom sme nikdy nepočuli ani ho nevideli, ako napríklad jablkové želé, avokádový syr a ovocie s hadou kožou 😆. Avokádový syr chutil ako sladká dusená tekvica a mal textúru a chuť, ktorá sa nepodobala ovociu! Bolo to vynikajúce 😋. Odtiaľ sme pokračovali na farmu Desa. Nachádza sa vo vysokej nadmorskej výške asi 1 500 m, takže nebolo príliš horúco a bolo to príjemné! Bolo jasno a málo oblakov, takže sme si urobili veľa krásnych fotografií s ostrými hrebeňmi hory Kinabalu v pozadí. Bolo tam aj slnečné halo ☀️! Jeff nám hladko ukázal odporúčané veci, ako je zmrzlina a kŕmenie teliat a kôz. Jeff, ktorý je tiež otcom štyroch detí, je dobre informovaný o zábavných videách na TikToku a deti si to veľmi užili, keď sme natáčali zábavné videá ako rodina, a boli veľmi spokojné 😁. Potom sme si dali obed v neďalekej reštaurácii a išli sme pozorovať raflézie 🌺. Obávali sme sa, či ich uvidíme, pretože kvitnú len 5 až 7 dní v roku, ale videli sme dve kvitnúce raflézie ✌️. Boli tam aj púčiky a uschnuté, takže sme zažili niečo, čo sa dá vidieť len tam 👌. V blízkosti boli aj stromy kakaa a durianu! Duriany rastú na takých vysokých stromoch, to je prekvapujúce 😳. Bolo už po 15:00. Deti boli unavené, takže sme sa rozhodli ísť domov a zmenili sme itinerár. Ranná zápcha bola dlhá 💦. Na spiatočnej ceste bol na vrchole hory Kinabalu zvláštny oblak. Jeff nám povedal, že je to vzácne 👌. Aj na spiatočnej ceste bola trochu zápcha, ale nejako sme sa vrátili do hotela okolo 19:00. Pôvodne sme sa mali vrátiť o 17:30, ale cesta bola preplnená kvôli zápcham a letným prázdninám. Odporúčam vziať si so sebou trochu viac hotovosti, pretože na mieste s rafléziami je potrebné použiť repelent proti hmyzu a v reštaurácii na obed sa nedajú použiť kreditné karty. Jeff, ďakujeme za zábavnú prehliadku!! Bolo to veľmi zábavné s nádhernými scenériami a zábavnou asistenciou. Odporúčam 👌

The itinerary was very well organized, allowing us to visit several spots in one trip. The duration at each stop was just right, so it never felt rushed. Our first stop was the observation deck, where there were many fruit vendors nearby selling fresh and delicious fruits! The best part was realizing later in the city that the fruit here was actually the cheapest! The farm was also a lot of fun; for 20 Malaysian Ringgit, you could feed milk and forage to the animals, and the yogurt and milk ice cream were amazing! The fish spa was very entertaining, and the tour guide taught us feeding techniques. It was a bit scary at first. Lunch was better than expected, featuring vegetables, meat, and fruit. The tour included a complimentary ATV experience, allowing us to ride through the wilderness. We were very lucky to see a Rafflesia flower this time; although it had been blooming for five days and was starting to turn dark, there was still an unopened bud right next to it. On the way back, we had roasted wild boar and pulled tea. The roasted wild boar is highly recommended! The two of us shared a portion and were left wanting more. Overall, the value for money is extremely high, and I highly recommend it!

Just finished a one-day tour of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, and I have to give a huge shoutout to our private guide, Xiaoyang (William)! 👍🏻🙋🏻‍♂️ I originally thought the long drive to and from the mountain would be exhausting and boring, but Xiaoyang was a fantastic conversationalist along the way. He shared a lot of local history and culture of Sabah, guided us on a short trek up the mountain, and even stopped to introduce us to unique plants we saw along the trail 🌴🍃. The content was engaging and fun, and time flew by. 🥹 We were super lucky to catch a glimpse of Mount Kinabalu and the Rafflesia! The guide truly put a lot of thought into arranging everything for us, ensuring the entire itinerary ran smoothly, and even treated us to Malaysian cuisine for lunch 🍱! He took such good care of us throughout the trip, constantly reminding everyone to stay safe. The biggest surprise was his photography skills 📸. His composition was top-notch, and he was incredibly patient, taking tons of gorgeous photos for us to keep as memories. There was non-stop laughter all day, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. 😆✨ Meeting Xiaoyang this time really added so much value to the whole trip! 🩷 If any of our friends go to Sabah in the future, or if we visit again ourselves, we will definitely ask him to be our guide again! 😍

Zúčastnili sme sa firemného výletu ôsmich zamestnancov, boli sme jediní Japonci, väčšina ľudí na ostrove Mantanani boli Číňania. Sprievodca Xiao Zhong bol obzvlášť vynikajúci; obávali sme sa, pretože prehliadka bola v čínštine a angličtine, ale všetko nám vysvetlil pomocou prekladača. Šnorchlovanie, opice kahau a svetlušky boli úžasné. Hoci sme museli čakať viac ako 30 minút kvôli búrke, bol to skvelý zážitok.

Na tomto zájazde sme zažili úžasné chvíle. Celý deň bol dobre zorganizovaný a od začiatku do konca pôsobil personalizovane. Náš sprievodca, Adeor, urobil výlet nezabudnuteľným a príjemným. Bol priateľský, dobre informovaný a počas celej cesty sa s nami delil o zaujímavé poznatky. Vyhovel aj našej žiadosti o zastávku v Dome hore nohami (hoci to nebolo v itinerári). Samotný zájazd bol plný skvelých zážitkov a obed bol tiež absolútne vynikajúci, s pekným výhľadom. Ďalšia vec, ktorú sme si naozaj cenili, bola ohľaduplnosť tímu. Adeor nosil so sebou extra pršiplášte, dáždniky a základné potreby pre prípad zmeny počasia, vďaka čomu sme sa cítili veľmi dobre postaraní. Sprievodca aj vodič boli mimoriadne srdeční a priateľskí a nakoniec sme sa zblížili vďaka našej spoločnej láske k Bollywoodu. Celkovo fantastický zájazd s krásnymi pamiatkami, skvelým jedlom a skutočne srdečnou pohostinnosťou. Vrelo odporúčame každému, kto navštívi Kota Kinabalu!

It takes nearly four hours one way to get to Mantanani Island, making it an eight-hour round trip. Following the advice of other travelers, I chose to stay for two nights, and it turned out to be a very worthwhile decision. The magnificent sunrise, the colorful underwater world, and the starry night sky were all unforgettable and well worth the long journey.   I stayed in a sea-view chalet. The room decor was simple and the facilities were not luxurious—there was no refrigerator, the water pressure was a bit weak, and the staff forgot to turn on the water valve at check-in, which was likely left off because the room had been vacant for a long time—yet it was still comfortable overall. The air conditioning was strong, the bed was comfortable, and coupled with the unbeatable ocean view, it allowed me to truly relax. The staff was warm and friendly, replied to emails very quickly, and even helped me arrange a birthday cake in advance, making their service commendable. Although there was no Wi-Fi in the room and the television signal was unavailable, cellular coverage was good, so this had little impact.   Since I enjoy fishing and saw in reviews from other travelers that the resort offered fishing activities, I was particularly looking forward to it. I even emailed to inquire before departure and was advised to sign up with the staff upon arrival. However, the activity required at least four participants to run and was not listed on the daily activity schedule, making it difficult for guests to know about it or gather companions on their own. When I inquired with the staff, another guest happened to be interested, but because he was only staying for one night and the activity was scheduled for 4:00 PM the following day, it ultimately could not be formed. Unless you travel with a group of four or are willing to pay the fee for four people, there is almost no chance of participating. This was indeed disappointing, as I believe the fishing activity would have added a lot of fun to the overall stay.   The resort is entirely cashless, and the massage service was temporarily suspended during my stay. Aside from snorkeling (which is highly recommended, though prone to seasickness—remember to prepare motion sickness medicine in advance, as I saw several passengers on my boat get seasick) and various water sports, other entertainment options were relatively limited. The diving experience seemed good, but since I do not dive, I did not participate. Therefore, I recommend that travelers come with the mindset of enjoying nature, dedicating their time to marine activities, lounging on the beach, and taking in the beauty of this place far away from the hustle and bustle.   All in all, while some facilities and activity arrangements still have room for improvement, the pros far outweigh the cons. For me, this two-day experience of escaping the city and returning to nature was extremely pleasant, and snorkeling was the absolute highlight of the trip. If you love the ocean, ecology, and a tranquil resort atmosphere, Mantanani Island is definitely worth a visit.   A quick tip: If you book through Klook, the tourism tax is usually already included in the payment amount. It is recommended to keep your payment proof, as the hotel system may not show the relevant record. I was unable to find an English receipt on Klook at the time and ultimately had to use a translation app to explain and prove that the amount had already been paid.

We had an amazing time on our tour. Our guide Sue Yee was very informative and fun, and Max was a very good driver. we saw proboscis monkeys and fireflies, and the fried bananas were a tasty snack!

overall very good experience, the bus going there aircon was not working at its best. But the bus coming back was much better.