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This article is recommended for those planning a 3-night, 5-day trip to Kota Kinabalu, or those seeking information on local shopping, food, and tourist attractions. It will be particularly useful for those who want to gain insights from both package tours and free travel tips.
Overall Review
This post details the last two days of a 3-night, 5-day trip to Kota Kinabalu, offering honest reviews of various attractions, shopping, and dining experiences. The itinerary of the package tour is well integrated with personal experiences, making it a good reference for travel planning. However, the experiences at some souvenir shops were somewhat disappointing.
Travel tips
- At the Filipino Night Market, it’s advisable to be cautious of inflated prices and attempt to bargain.
- When visiting the City Mosque, it’s recommended to use the term ‘mosque’ instead of ‘Islamic Temple,’ as advised by the guide.
- When visiting souvenir shops, being aware of the high-pressure sales tactics beforehand can reduce psychological discomfort.
Places & areas
- Oceanus Waterfront Mall
- Jesselton Jetty
- City Mosque
- Sabah State Administrative Building
- Filipino Night Market
- Jesselton Point
Read More from the Original Article
On the last day of the trip, we started the day with breakfast at the Grandis Hotel. While enjoying fruits like watermelon and grapefruit helped relieve travel fatigue, the bitterness of the grapefruit was a bit disappointing. Afterward, we enjoyed some last-minute shopping at Suria Sabah, feeling a sense of familiarity seeing an advertisement for Ji Chang-wook. We tried the bubble tea we were curious about, but it tasted exactly the same as in Korea, so we concluded it wasn’t worth buying.
At a souvenir shop visited as part of the package tour, we were taken aback by the somewhat aggressive sales tactics. In particular, at the Borneo Latex store, after over 30 minutes of product explanations and a trial experience, the high price prevented a purchase. We shared our experience of feeling uncomfortable with the staff’s pushy attitude, expressing concern that indecisive individuals might be pressured into buying.
For lunch, we had Steamboat, a type of Malaysian hot pot, at ‘The Korean,’ a Korean restaurant within Oceanus Waterfront Mall. We appreciated that it came with a clear broth and that they made porridge at the end, similar to Korea. However, we found the overall taste to be bland and the quality of ingredients inferior to what we get in Korea, expressing a longing for home-cooked Korean food. At Jesselton Point, we only had time to take photos in a short period. At Rikaz Viewpoint, we observed the fascinating boundary where freshwater meets saltwater.
The City Mosque offered picturesque photos due to its lush surroundings, but it was very windy. At the Sabah State Administrative Building, we debunked the rumor that it was leaning like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and took photos with an orangutan at the photo zone. Later, at a souvenir shop, we were surprised by the strong scent of noni oil. At a chocolate shop, we were pleased with the friendliness of the staff who spoke fluent Korean and the systematic tasting process, leading us to purchase cheese-flavored chocolates.
The last stop of our trip was the Filipino Night Market, where we enjoyed coconut drinks and had free time. We bought mangoes to go from a popular Instagram spot called ‘Mango House’ and enjoyed various street foods like grilled chicken wings and tiger prawns. We particularly praised the grilled prawns as the most delicious food we had in Kota Kinabalu, expressing a desire to eat all our meals at the night market if we were on a free and independent trip. However, we noted that the smell of durian and the attempts at price gouging at some stalls were things to be cautious about.
For dinner, we returned to the same Korean restaurant we visited for lunch. While the main dishes were edible, the side dishes were sour, which was a bit disappointing. Before heading to the airport, we spent time at Skip Cafe, remarking that the coffee tasted just like in Korea, calling it ‘Kota Korea.’ We departed for the airport, leaving behind the night view of Kota Kinabalu. The sweetness of the mangoes purchased at the airport was delightful, but the long wait before our flight was tiring. We regretted packing our toiletries in the checked baggage, anticipating an uncomfortable flight.
