Hi everyone,
Going to be going to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in about a month and wanted to see if you guys had any advice on things to do, places to eat, etc…Not a diver, so that’s not an option.
Also wondering if it’s necessary to rent a car or scooter while I’m in either of these places. For reference, I’ll be staying at the Four Points by Sheraton in Kuching and le meridien while in Kota Kinabalu.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
How long will you be there?
I like car in that area because its nice to go to other areas. scooter is ok, but the pot holes can be pretty bad (make sure you have a jack/spare). we paid 900/8 days i think for a 4 door toyota car.
rain can suck in storms, but you coming from Taiwan its nothing special.
I’ll be in Kuching for about 4 days and KK for about 6 days.
I’d get a car in KK. There’s stuff to see and it just makes it easier. You could for just a few days, and spend the other days in town and in the national park islands in the bay. Restaurants were mostly good. There was a coffee shop we liked and the last place in that long row of buildings on the main road just before the first overpass heading towards the airport. I’ll try to dig up some names.
I don’t have a license so I never considered renting a car or scooter in KK… even so, it didn’t seem necessary. Yellow taxis within the city are a bit pricey but just about everything is within walking distance of your hotel anyway. If you need to go further just wander down to the taxi stand and just tell people where you want to go. They’ll wait to bundle a bunch of people into a car and off you go. I went to Kudat, about three hours north of KK, for about USD$7 in this fashion. If you find yourself out in the countryside just wander to the side of the highway and wave at the common vans you see passing. If they have space free they’ll pull to the side of the road and you can hop in. Most go to or from KK, others will have destinations posted in the window.
Now, as for some recommendations… everyone climbs the mountain but I didn’t have a chance to on my first spin through KK. A day trip to the islands off KK is worthwhile; I went to Sapi and explored all its nooks and crannies. It is most interesting away from the little tourist beach that you land on. There are other islands to explore that may be more interesting. Gaya Street is alright, nothing you haven’t seen before. There is an interesting art cafe named Wishbone that is worth a look. Apart from that I recommend eating local. I kept going back to a particular Kedai Kopi, Seng Hing. Try the Tuaran mee and tom yam. Quick review with location info:
travbuddy.com/Seng-Hing-Rest … lu-v681223
Also be sure to go to the waterfront market and order whatever looks good. There are many ad hoc restaurants where you pick seafood from a tray. Knock yourself out, everything I had there was super fresh and great value for the price. There are also some banquet-style seafood restaurants under a giant roof near your hotel. Did not try, just walked through, but that also looks to be an experience.
My strongest recommendation is to get out of KK. It is good for about three days, tops. After that, same same. Most of it is just big malls filled with junk you’ve seen before. And besides, there are some really cool places to go explore not far from town. I’ve not travelled around SE Asia as much as many seasoned vets around here… even so, in all my travels I have never been to a more interested, secluded, and idyllic place than Tampat Do Aman up in Kudat. It is a remote jungle camp operated by a friendly, hard-working Australian guy. Rest up in a traditional longhouse, hit the beach restaurant for breakfast, explore the nearly deserted coastline, drop in on indigenous villages and stock up on 100 Plus, and eventually end up back at the Tip Top to share a beer and hinava (swordfish ceviche) with your fellow travellers after night falls. It is very undeveloped and still pretty wild up there still. The only halfway developed part is right at the tip (which is a great walk up the beach from Tip Top). Really, Kudat is everything I thought I was going to see when I first came to SE Asia. (Instead I kept landing in massively overdeveloped tourist hells!)
A few photos:
Waterfront market at night
Wishbone
An old Chinese cemetery on the highway outside Tuaran
Sapi island
Jungle camp and restaurant in Kudat
Walking up to the tip
The rocky headland just to the south of the restaurant
Hinava… doesn’t look like much, tastes like heaven
A completely deserted beach… didn’t see a soul all day long
More photos:
secure.flickr.com/photos/synapt … 373606449/
secure.flickr.com/photos/synapt … 389132302/
Thanks for the info and pics, xeno! looks great. i’m not 100% tied to kk, so perhaps jumping on a van or renting a car to go to the north tip might be an option. will also look into the islands around kk. did you say you went to kudan for only US $7? that sounds quite cheap so just wanted to make sure you wrote that correctly.
still open to suggestions and any thoughts anyone might have on kuching. thanks!
Yes, it was about USD$7 or RM25 for the shared taxi to Kudat, three hours north of KK. Here is the taxi stand you’ll want to go to (notice all the parked cars just across from Wisma Bandaraya):
maps.google.ca/maps?q=Kota+Kina … a&t=h&z=19
Prices will be similar to most other places in western and northern Sabah. If you get the itch to explore the eastern part of the state you might want to look up a cheap AA flight or take the 9 hour bus. For that you may wish to consult a schedule; for all other modes of transportation I recommend just going with the flow.
I just realized the Kedai Kopi I mentioned is pretty much right behind your hotel in the row of buildings to the east (away from the waterfront). It has a yellow sign and it’s on the corner of one of those rows.
Another warning: the tourist trap restaurants on the waterfront are expensive and the quality is not good. KK is one of those places where my personal “no Western food in Asia” rule applies 
Ok, cool. I’ll have to check out the Kedai Kopi (sorry…does this mean local restaurant or something?) that you mentioned. Don’t worry, I almost never eat western food when I go travelling. Usually always stick with local, delicious, and cheap! My girlfriend and I are already taking 2 flights, so I doubt we’ll want to jump on another flight to the eastern part. Probably just gonna stick with a day trip island hopping, a little city exploring, check out the night life, etc…then perhaps taxi up to the north for a day or two.
When you said everything is pretty much within walking distance, how long do you mean? I’m fine with walking anywhere as long as I’ve got a bottle of water, but my girlfriend would probably start complaining after 10 or 15 minutes.
Thanks again for the great info. I really appreciate it!
“coffee shop” A bit misleading as they have rice and noodle dishes, dim sum, snacks etc.
We liked this one: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R … Sabah.html
And this restaurant in the long building on the main road: tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R … _Saba.html
I never found as good a roti place as I did in Sandaken.
Thanks for the suggestions, tempo gain! As long as I can find a place with good nasi lemak, then I will be happy. Went to Langkawi this past winter vacation and enjoyed them a lot!
I think I’ve decided to not rent a car and just rely on taxis and walking. Might possibly rent a scooter if the price is reasonable. Still debating where to rent a car if we go up north. i know the taxi is cheap, but a 3 hour car ride would be a lot more enjoyable with just me and my gf rather than a taxi driver and possibly other passenger. even if we get lost, we can take our time and stop to take pictures, get a bite, use the restroom, etc…
Still got some time before we go. Still open to any and all suggestions on things to do and places to go. Thanks everyone!
Just hire out the whole taxi. It’ll still cost less than renting a car and you can still stop. Actually, even if the taxi is full you can still request a rest stop. I suppose it depends on your driver but the rides I took were all very casual, just someone with a car I guess.
About walking distance: Jesselton Pier is about as far as you’re likely to want to walk downtown… that will be at the upper limit of your walking time from the hotel if I recall right.
OK, I guess I will just play it by ear when I get there. That jungle camp sounds pretty amazing, but unfortunately there are no vacancies for the dates I plugged in. There are a few other places to stay at, so I’ll think about getting to some of those. Sounds like getting to the tip of Borneo would be a great trip for a couple days.
Seems like no one’s got any ideas about Kuching. Hope there’s enough to do there for the three or four days I’m there!
Call the number for the jungle camp when you have your feet on the ground. (You do have an unlocked phone and an interest in picking up a local SIM, right?) I’d be surprised if something couldn’t be worked out