Places of interest in Kota Kinabalu

Places of interest in Kota Kinabalu

The sutera Harbour Resort

The Sutera Harbour Resort is a beautiful and major landmark of the city of Kota Kinabalu. The property boasts two five star hotels - the Pacific Sutera and the Magellan Sutera and Spa Resort, both of which house excellent world class facilities. The Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club is an international standard 36 hole (Graham Marsh designed) golf course and already a major destination for golfers in Asia. For seafarers, the Sutera Harbour Marina and Yacht Club is a world class standard Marina (the best in Borneo) and can berth yachts up to 200 ft. Water sports and recreation facilities as well as ferries to the islands are also available for guests. 



The City Waterfront (Anjung Samudra)

The newly completed Anjung Samudra is already popularly known as 'The Waterfront'. During the day you will find     some fine foods, and maybe the best seafood restaurant in Sabah, the Port View. The Borneo Trading Post is a lofty and inspirational souvenir shop with a local twist, not to be missed either. The place really comes to life in the night: it is the place to be and to be seen, for locals and visitors alike. The Waterfront boasts some of the best nightclubs in town, and a wide variety of pubs with an excellent choice of music, drinks and food.



Mall Warisan Square

Standing gracefully on 3.75 acres of prime land in the heart of the capital city, Warisan Square is set to change the concept of retail shopping in the city centre. A “street mall” concept is exquisitely etched into its design and set up so as to create an integrated synergy between the shop office blocks and the central building. Set amidst the bustling city centre overlooking the vibrant tourism-belt “KK Waterfront” and the idyllic islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, it is the mall where city folks and tourists flock to for something new and hip. 

Key international and regional retailers as well as café operators have gained a foothold into the KK retail scene with their first outlet here at Warisan Square.



Tanjung Aru Beach and STAR

The Tanjung Aru Beach and the Prince Philip Park are popular places among the local Sabahans. It is the place to hang out in the evening or at night at one of the many food stalls along the beach. Coconut drinks and local fruits are also available here. During the weekend, this beach is crowded with locals for swimming, picnicking and other recreational activities for the entire family. At the fringe of the beach is another majestic land mark of Kota Kinabalu - the Shangri-la's Tanjung Aru Resort (STAR). It was Sabah's first five-star resort, and has evolved into another world famous resort destination for the rich and famous. It has won countless awards over the years. The resort boast world class facilities and operates a marina and water sports recreation centre.  The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is adjacent to the resort.



Likas Wetlands - Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary

Designed as a bird sanctuary in September 1996, this 24 hectare remnant patch of mangrove forest is located just two kilometers north east of Kota Kinabalu. The sanctuary is the only remaining patch of an extensive mangrove forest that once covered most of the coastal area where now Kota Kinabalu is. Maintained and developed by WWF Malaysia, this sanctuary is a refuge and feeding ground for many species of birds, as well as several migratory species from Northern Asia. The sanctuary is a much needed green lung for the city, and strategically located as an environmental education centre, serving the public at large.



Gaya Street Sunday Market

If you are in town on Sunday, the colourful Gaya Street Sunday Market is a must! Come as early as seven in the morning and you find all sorts of items available for sale by locals. Some come from the far interior of Sabah to offer their produce. Here you find also a rich assortment of antiques, handicraft, potteries, batiks, fruits, pets, plants, flowers and much more. Local fast foods and snacks are also available. If you like a local breakfast, try out the variety of shops along the street : Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Noodles, Dim Sum... the list goes on and on. The street gets very crowded, but by midday the fair is over!



The City Waterfront Esplanade (Anjung Senja)

The City Waterfront Esplanade offers many side walk cafes and food stalls for everyone. Stop by here for drinks and food night and day and enjoy the sea front view of Kota Kinabalu, facing the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. To the left of the esplanade you will see the Sutera Harbour Resort and Golf Course. This is a great place to be if you are shopping around in the malls, and you need to catch a breath. The sunset from the esplanade is spectacular.



Kampung Air Night Market - Pasar Malam

The Night Market at Kampung Air is an exciting place to visit at night. Located next to the High Court, this night market boast a variety of bargain goods such as T-shirts, pants, shoes, and watches. A good place to shop if you want to look for items to bring back as gifts for your friends and relatives. It is just a stroll from the Centre Point Shopping Mall.



Handicraft Market (Filipino Market)

A hit amongst tourist, the Handicraft Market located near the Central Market is the place to purchase local, Indonesian and Filipino handicraft. Other items such as local fruits, shells, cascading macramé hangings, woven baskets, wood carvings and sunhats are also available here. Look through all the items and you never know you might find something you like for your friends or to decorate your house. Be sure to bargain! 



Central Market

Open daily from dawn to 5 pm, the city Central Market is a place to visit. Wander through this market and you will find all sorts of foods, vegetables and essential items that Sabahans eat and use. It is exciting as you may discover many tropical vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices that you have not seen before. Climb upstairs and there are food stalls and a dry market where you can have your breakfast or lunch.



Signal Hill Observatory

A 15 minutes walk from the old quarters of Kota Kinabalu takes you to Signal Hill, a look out point from which you enjoy a breathtaking view over the whole city. This is the ideal place to take photographs of Kota Kinabalu. From the Signal Hill one can also see Tunku Abdul Rahman Park and some of the traditional villages built on stilts in the sea. The entrance is free.




The Atkinson Clock Tower

One of only two structures in Kota Kinabalu that has survived the World War II bombings, the Atkinson Tower was built in 1905 in memory of the town's first district officer who died of 'Borneo Fever' at the age 28.  It is located in an area that was the first developed part of the city, then named Jesselton. Just below to the left of the tower is where a very well known hotel stood in the 1930s (now the old police station). The tower is also the land mark to look for if you wish to board a private long distance taxi or bus to destinations such as Kinabalu National Park, Kota Belud, and others.







Tun Mustapha (Yayasan Sabah) Building

This 30 storey circular glass building is supported by high tensile steel rods throughout its structure, an architectural and engineering marvel. It is one of only four such buildings in the world.  It is also the the official office of the Chief Minister of Sabah.

Kota Kinabalu city

Kota Kinabalu city

Kota Kinabalu is a busy city with a small town atmosphere. Affectionately known as simply KK, the longer you spend here the more the place grows on you.

Overlooking the South China Sea and the beautiful tropical islands and virgin rainforest of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, the Crocker Range and Mount Kinabalu as its backdrop, one could not wish for more superior visual variety.

Previously named Jesselton, it was razed to the ground in WWII by the Allied Forces abandoning it during the invasion of the Japanese.

In 1963, the rebuilt city was renamed Kota Kinabalu.

Kota Kinabalu is a very safe city, but the usual travel streetsmart applies.

Food is excellent and very affordable as you will discover on our Eating Out in KK page where we recommend our favourite restaurants.

KK is compact, easy to orientate  and you can walk to pretty much everywhere.

Taxis though are relatively cheap and form 1 January 2011 will start using meters again after years of fixed rates.

Getting in to Kota Kinabalu
The International airport is conveniently located just 7km south west of the city centre.

A taxi ride to the city costs RM35 with a prepaid taxi coupon purchased from the taxi counter outside the arrival hall.

Between midnight and 6am there is a 50% surcharge.

Buses run frequently between the city and airport, although at Terminal 1 the buses only service the main road and do not turn into the airport property.



Shopping
With the exception of Licorice Allsorts and Tetley tea bags you can buy or find everything you need here.

All the usual fake wares are available if you’re looking, although nowadays less so, but genuine named brands can be purchased at very affordable prices.

Browse around the 4th floor of Centerpoint Shopping Centre, the adjacent Warisan Square or, if you fancy a little drive, the 1Borneo Shopping Centre.

Diesel, QuickSilver, Roxy, Esprit, BUM Equipment, NIKE, MNG and other genuine name brands all have outlets in these malls.

For the girls KK is shoe and jewellery heaven!

Sapi island

Sapi island

LOCATION:Pulau Sapi is located off the coast of downtown Kota Kinabalu. From Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, a 2-minute drive or a 10-minute walk will bring you to the jetty at Jesselton Point ferry terminal (formerly known as Sabah Port Authority jetty).

There are a number of tour operators here that will bring you to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (which consists of the islands of Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan,Pulau Sulug and Pulau Mamutik). The rental is charged per boat, which can range anywhere between RM100 and RM200. One boat can fit 4-6 people. A short 20-minute breezy boat ride away brings you to the sun-kissed beach of Pulau Sapi.




DESCRIPTION:
The water is extremely crystal clear. During the day, the beach is buzzing with a hive ofbeach activities. To me, the beach is probably one of the region's most beautiful beach, apart from the one I visited in Pulau Mabul. The water is quite shallow and ample of shades are available.

In term of snorkeling, one still can do it here although I found there was not so muchmarine life compared to the nearby island of Pulau Manukan. Otherwise, you can laze down by the beautiful beach and worship the sun.

In short, activities galore on this beautiful beach. Just get your sun-tan lotions and sun-shade, then head here.

Updated on November 2006: I got the chance to re-visit the beach during my dive excursion to Sulug West and Hanging Garden. I made an hour rest stop here before continuing with my dive. Nothing much changed in terms of beach quality - the water remains as clear as it was a few years ago. There are now a number of new tourist facilities on the beach, namely a small café, a snack cum gift shop, beach pavilions, appointed life guards on a small watch tower, etc. In recent days, a new theme of day-trip excursion has been introduced to the tourists, namely the beach BBQ picnic package where visitors will be able to enjoy a few hours on the beach (sunbathing, snorkeling, etc) while having a rather sumptuous BBQ lunch. I have no idea about the package prices but it seemed to be very popular among Eastern Asian tourists during my visit.

Overall, Pulau Sapi is simply a must-visit for beach lovers.