Cabana Retreat a.k.a Glamping @ Kota Belud

Finding a place just for a weekend getaway in KK? 

If you have a car, you can opt to go to Kota Belud for glamping. By the way, glamping is just a word for glamorous camping! Just about one and a half hour drive from KK, there is this place called Cabana Retreat. Price is slightly expensive, perhaps about RM 250++ per camp but various facilities provided including toilet, cafe, hall, mini swimming pool etc. You can bring your own food there and cook if you want or you can request for food provided with a minimal cost. 

One nice thing about this place is that it's by the beach! You can enjoy the beautiful view of sunset in the evening and even sunrise if you can wake up early.  

The front of the resort. Very limited parking space but it's just enough for all their guests. 

Green Mug Coffee @ ASquare, Kota Kinabalu

Have you ever heard of Green Mug in KK?!

Yes? No? Anyone? Anyway, this brand has been in the market for quite some time and it was one of the pioneer to bring this cheesy layered drink to KK. It has its static coffee shops and it also has the on-the-go stall which moves around KK all the time. But the static ones are at Jalan Gaya (next to Tempurung) and ASquare @ The Containers! If you so happen to drop by at this stall, remember to try this out! CHEESE KOPI O KAWWWWWW............... Though price is slightly above average, the quality and uniqueness are there.

You can never miss this at the counter and find it hard to resist! 

Himbaan Homestay @ Kg Himbaan, Bundu Tuhan

Taking a trip out of the busy city KK is always a YES for me especially going to places which I can get a closer view of the great Mt Kinabalu! As for this time, my friend who is leaving KK soon picked a very nice place in Bundu Tuhan, which is Himbaan Homestay in Kg Himbaan. You may Google this place but the road to this place is bad and you definitely need a heavy duty car to reach here. 

Just something a bit about Bundu Tuhan before I move on. It's just a small town which is not far from Kundasang. It has many small "kampungs" within and most parts of this place can have a nice view of the great mountain. Weather is still cooling and going through the whole Bundu Tuhan road will eventually lead you to Ranau!

And as for this Himbaan Homestay, it is located just slightly below Hounon Ridge Farmstay but Himbaan is a more nature-like place! You may choose to stay in a nice properly built house or you can opt for the tents. Picking the tents (~ RM 90 for a tent for 2 person) is not a bad option because it is well-equipped with mattress, pillows and blankets. Besides, it has a very well-equipped kitchen as well and both sharing-toilets are fixed with heather! Damn.. This is the most luxurious camp that I have ever been to, seriously! And last but not least, it has a Husky which is super friendly and like to run around without irritating your stay there!

Stopped by at a Sinalau Bakas (smoked wild boar) stall while on the way to Bundu Tuhan!

Abang J Cafe @ Bandaran, Kota Kinabalu

Finding for good and cheap food in KK again? Go and find Abang J Cafe, which is really cheap. Though there are not many choice on the menu, but all food are sold at very affordable price! They serve simple Western food and some local food as well (but I wish that they have more vege on the menu). As for the waiting time, I can say that it's quite ok because all food served within 30 minutes. Parking can be an issue during lunch time but more parking available if you go at night. They are opened everyday for lunch and dinner (except lunch on Sundays).

Abang J Cafe, corner shop. Easily spotted.

Relax Coffee Cafe @ Menggatal, Sabah

Relax Coffee Cafe is a locally-like cafe which serves quite a range of food, from local to Western and Japanese as well as dessert. Currently, there are 2 branches. One located at Menggatal Plaza and the other on located at Damai Plaza. But for this one fine Saturday late afternoon, we went to the Menggatal Plaza one. There are many choices on the menu but apparently, different time of the day has different set of menu, thus making it to have limited option to choose during each timing especially during lunch time. But if you want to find some quiet place to relax, this is definitely the place!

Interior design of the cafe at Menggatal Plaza

Damn Good Burger @ Jalan Dewan, Kota Kinabalu

Another good spot for great burger to introduce! Since Bomber Burger closed there shop for business a few year ago, it is really difficult to find such a burger shop in KK. To me, good patty is always the determinant for a good burger! Just on the same row of shop with Chopping Block and Gong Cha, there is a Damn Good Burger shop on Jalan Dewan. One setback for this place is that they only serve beef or lamb burger only! Seats are quite limited, so expect to wait for seats if there are large crowds! As for the menu, they have ala-carte or sets. Price ranging from RM 9 something till RM 20-30 for some gigantic burger! And since it's Ramadan season now, they offer discounts for their special burger!

Damn Good Burger! You can choose to sit in or outside!

North Borneo Cruise @ Sutera Harbour KK, Sabah

North Borneo Cruise has been in the top 10 list in Trip Advisor and considered as one of the must go places in KK. If you are looking for a good night place to enjoy the night view of KK city center or sunset in the middle of the sea, this is definitely a good choice for you. They have 2 sessions every night. You can either choose the Sunset Dinner (5-7 pm) or KK Night City Buffet Dinner (8-10 pm). Or if you want to organise any special events, you can make a special booking with them. As for the service and food, the staff are really great and helpful and the buffet is just simple and nice.

Sutera Marina Jetty

Haru Cafe @ Hilltop, KK

Another cafe hopping day! From the name itself, you definitely can guess it's a Korean style cafe. Haru Cafe is located at Hilltop, near Restaurant Masakan Sedap. Parking is not a problem here because it's a private area and there is no charges for parking. And it's quite a huge cafe with many tables! If you are looking for a quiet place for your gathering, I guess this is a perfect one! Menu is fairly simple as there are not many choice to choose and prices are stated clearly on the menu.

Polumpung Melangkap View Camp Site @ Kota Belud, Sabah

Looking for a camp site by the river and have a nice view of Mt KK when you wake up in the morning? Here you go, Polumpung Melangkap View Camp Site (PMVCS) at Kota Belud district. PMVCS is located about 80 km from KK center and takes about 2 hours journey to there. If you are coming from KK center, take the road towards Kundasang and turn down to Kota Belud-Kundasang road to reach the camp site. Turning in from Kota Belud will be a much longer journey and waste of time.

To organise a trip there is never difficult, just pick the things (or rent from them) that you need for camping and make reservation through whatsapp @ 012 871 5576 then it's all set to go! They have many things to rent, such as tents, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, kitchen, camp fire site, bbq drum, canopy, floating tube etc. You name it, they got it! Besides, there is also a small mini mart at the registration counter, washroom and bathroom facilities. But one setback about this place is that it can be very crowded as as they allow quite a huge number of people entering the camp site and there are many stray dogs and cats. So, you got to becareful with your belongings as they might go missing at night! And please bring along your own drinking water or clean water if you are cooking. Be there early to get a good spot for camping!

Turning into PMVCS

Sabah Chilli Pan Mee @ Lintas Plaza, KK

Sabah Chilli Pan Mee is one the hot stuff in town now! It is now opened at Lintas Plaza, the same row of shops with Wojomama Japanese Restaurant facing the main road of Jalan Lintas. They do not only serve chilli pan mee, they have sides e.g. soup stuff and fried stuff as well. One good thing about their service is that there is a person will introduce everything on the menu to you if you are a first timer! Besides, there is also a guide to teach you how to mix a good bowl of chilli pan mee when it's served!

If you have no idea what is it, then let me explain a bit. Chilli pan mee basically is a standard dry pan mee with minced meat, fried onions, fried anchovies, an egg and some comes with black fungus etc to mix with unlimited amount of special blended spicy chilli flakes. If you can stand the spiciness, why not go for more! =)

Wantan Soup.. A chuck of meat wrapped within a thin skin. It's kind of small..

KK Containers Street Food Night Market @ Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Do you want to have some Bangkok feel in KK? =)

KK Containers Street Food Night Market, also known as Asquare Container Market is located right beside of Wawasan Plaza around Api-Api Center area. The concept is fairly new in KK whereby there are many small container stalls selling many types of beverages, finger food or even heavy meals which are all at affordable price. They are only open at night from around 4 pm till late night but coming around 6 pm is the best time as most of the stalls are opened. Tables are quite limited if you happen to come during rainy days as most of the tables are not sheltered. You can always pack your meals here before going back home because they serve in a "take-away" concept!

Green Mug is also here!! 

Laundroluxe @ Api-Api Center, KK

Laundroluxe? Sounds like a name for a laundry shop? Hmm.. You are just partially right if you thought so. In fact, it is a laundry shop 2-in-1 combo with a cafe, a very unique concept and I guess it's first of its kind in Sabah. 

Laundroluxe is located at Api-Api Center, facing the Jalan Tun Razak main road. For more convenient parking, you can just park at the lower ground floor of the Api-Api Center. You can have a cup of coffee or a meal while waiting for your laundry to be done! As for the menu, they have a very "systematic" menu whereby there is a set of menu for each breakfast, lunch, tea time and dinner.  They do serve the local common food and also the Western cuisine. To get more updates on their menu and promotions, you can get them from their FB page at Laundroluxe. One thing that is for sure, everything on the menu is a surprise! =)

Laundry area and cafe are just side by side..

Joe Sun Food & Coffee Co @ Damai Plaza, KK

Nasi lemak is a typical Malaysian breakfast which you can find it easily at every corner of the street but if you want to try something different, you can try it at Joe Sun Food & Coffee Co. It is located right in front of Glory Christian Center and behind of Maple at Damai Plaza. The special thing about them is they serve waffle lemak! Waffle lemak basically is a piece of fried chicken meat, eggs, fried anchovies and chili sambal sandwiched between 2 pieces of waffles. Besides, their specialties include dry butter prawn fried rice and salted egg yolk cake. They start their business really early in the morning and open till late at night. So, you can just have your breakfast right up till dinner over there. =)

Joe Sun Food & Coffee Co.