"Beautiful Sabah" State of Sabah by rosie235

State of Sabah Travel Guide: 2,640 reviews and 6,636 photos

entrance to sapi island - State of Sabah

It is such a shame that we had not discovered Sabah long ago. Maybe it is good that we and many others hadn't discovered it as it is still relatively untouched and unspoilt by too much tourism. How long will this last ? What a lovely suprise to find such a beautiful place. We booked our tours from Australia and had decided that we would do the Sapi and Gaya island tour, the north Borneo railway tour, KK by night and Monosopiad village tour. Gaya Island was interesting and the walk through rain forest was at times taxing and yet for my little guy it was a piece of cake. He had to get to the end first and ran most of the way as we "oldies" staggled along behind, all hot and bothered. Oh! to have such energy once again. Brandon loved feeding the fish at Sapi island and as we learnt, the fish love to bite. All harmless little nips but quite startling when they do. This was a great, awesome day. One highlight was watching the wild monkeys come out of the forest and totally run riot through peoples belongings. It was interesting to see everyone run to watch their curios, cheeky behaviour and yet no one tried to ward them off for the owner of the belongings sake. It was far too entertaining to let that spoil the fun. The Monospoiad Village tour was good. It gave us a taste of their culture and way of life. You tour through the old village and see the old home, Sonia gives you a very good explanation of how things used to be. You also get to see the heads that were taken by the ancient warrior Monosopiad who lived 300 years ago. The tour concludes with a traditional dance display where you can get up and participate also. I wish that i could move as gracefully as them. The railway tour is different. You leave the North Borneo railway station on an old colonial steam train. The porters are all dressed very smartly in their safari suits and safari hats. The ride takes you through the commercial side of Sabah, through villages and through the mangrove swamps. You stop at a Temple and then again at a market place. One the way back Lunch is served in the old "tiffin box". Very quaint. A nice relaxing journey. The only tour that i really thought wasn't worthwhile doing was the KK by night. The guide seemed inan awful hurry and i think she just wanted an early night off. We were meant to go to watch the sunset at signal hill, A bit hard when you are picked up after sunset, but none the less she promised a night view from signal hill but we never got to see it. It was drizzling when we were on our way to the night market but she tried to convince us that it would be a waste of time. I'm glad that we insisted as I made a few good purchases. Next stop was a very average dinner at a seafood restaurant and a cultural dance display.

a tasty choice at the buffet breakfast

With the tours out of the way it was time to relax. The Tanjung Aru was a beautiful place to do just that. Best part was that it was not overcrowded. We spent lots of time doing as little or as much as we liked. Rohan kept us entertained with his daily comedic antics. What a difference it makes to start your day with a hearty chuckle. We would wake each morning and race down to breakfast to see what or who he was going to be that day. Perhaps he'd be an abandoned baby, perhaps a jilted bride, or even an orangutan. He never ceased to suprise us. There was lots of time for shopping too and I definitely dragged my husband and son from one shopping mall to the next . The liitle one didn't mind as long as he got some game boy games or Pokemon cards. How easily they are satisfied!! We had an absolutely sensational time and the time just seemed to fly. Before you knew it, it was time to leave. We left with lots of fond memories of a beautiful place where everyone we met from fellow tourists, hotel staff, shop employees, were extremely friendly and helpful. I can't wait to go back.Next time maybe climb Mt Kinabalu but, I thinki really need to train and get into shape and skilled up before I consider it any further. There was so much more to do and see and I wish we had more time but atleast we can always come back again and hope that the increased tourism doesn't spoil it too much.

Pros and Cons

Pros:absolutely beautiful
In a nutshell:so much to do and see and not enough time.

Last visit to State of Sabah: Sep 2004
Intro Written Sep 24, 2004
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Reviews (8)

Shangri La's Tanjung Aru Resort - State of Sabah

Shangri La's Tanjung Aru Resort Hotels (1)

All staff were extremely friendly. The resort has a very welcoming feel to it. Lush and green with lots of quiet areas... more travel advice

good seafood meal Restaurants (3)

For those of you who love seafood but have apartner who doesn't. This is the place for you. Aswell as serving swimmingly... more travel advice

Wild monkeys on Sapi Island - State of Sabah

Wild monkeys on Sapi Island Warnings and Dangers (1)

When visiting Sapi Island be aware that the wild monkeys come out at about 1pm and they ravage through peoples bags that... more travel advice

Great BarBCue Restaurants (3)

A must try for those who are missing the good old aussie barbie with a difference. You chose from a selection of meats... more travel advice

Shopping (1)
shopping malls
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Comments (18)

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Jim_Eliason Jul 11, 2010 at 5:43 PM

Nice tips Rosie
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Gillybob Aug 11, 2008 at 2:12 AM

Have put in place a plan of great magnitude which should resolve your problems in +/- 10-12 weeks. In the meantime, switch on the central heating!! Oh yeah, you guys don't have such luxuries because cold isn't a problem over there!!! Stiff upper lip!
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angiebabe Jul 19, 2008 at 9:35 AM

Your hotel sure looked in a beautiful location with the pool next to the water - and the food tips....yum!
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toonsarah Jun 10, 2007 at 2:06 AM

This sounds like a place we would enjoy a lot. Thanks for the good tips :)
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crewrower Apr 11, 2007 at 3:29 AM

Dropping off some well deserved good ratings to counteract the work of the "Ratings Ninja"
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adelaidean Feb 14, 2007 at 10:19 PM

those monkeys are a real pain arent they!
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SLLiew Nov 28, 2006 at 2:06 PM

Glad you enjoyed Sabah. It is quite a boat trip to the island off KK with Mt Kinabalu in the background. I also stayed at the Shang in Tanjung Aru. Cheers, SL
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Brizzie00 Jun 19, 2006 at 6:51 PM

Thank you where would the best "hawker" food be??
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Pete.Gibson Nov 29, 2005 at 9:05 AM

Hi Rosie, hope you are well, love your resturant tips here, The bbq sounds great, we dont get to have BBq's that often with British weather..Ps Its snowing today :(
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BerniShand Apr 20, 2005 at 3:36 AM

good tips, l loved Sabah, perhaps that monkey should have stolen a phone charger too !