The Island Explorer

The best beaches of Malaysia for me lie in the Eastern coast of Peninsula Malaysia. While the Borneo side, especially Sandakan are also gorgeous, I see them more as spots for diving. When I first set foot on the Eastern coast, particularly in the lovely Perhentians, I vowed to myself that I would be back. So here I was, back in the eastern coast, but now in a more popular island called Redang.

Now that Red Mango is open in Manila (they also serve great waffles), here's another chain that I wish would arrive in Manila too. Introducing Yogurberry, one of the most popular froyo brands from Korea. I had my last Yogurberry when I was in Kota Kinabalu. It was located at the Warisan Square near the Waterfront. I love their froyo naked, but my companions dressed it with fruits (strawberry, kiwi and mango, which is a real good combination). I realized that 3 years ago, I wanted to bring Pinkberry or Yogurberry badly to the Philippines. I even inquired about the franchise costs and all. That was when Pinkberry boomed in the US. After 2 years, the FroYo craze hit the Philippines. I should have followed my instincts before.

Most Filipinos go to Kota Kinabalu for the beaches. On the mainland, you have Tanjung Aru and Rasa Ria (resort by Shangri-la). But if you want a real beach experience in KK, head for the islands of the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, which is composed of five islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu. Getting to these islands are easy. The Jesselton Port towards the north of the town center offers a lot of boats that head for these islands. You can take the public ferries, or charter a boat for your group. Since we were 7, we rented a boat for RM200 for one whole day, to visit 3 islands - Mamutik, Manukan and Sapi. The first island that we visited was Mamutik, which supposedly was the best swimming beach and snorkeling site. As we docked, the island looked like any other Thai island, with powdery white sand and no resorts. There were a lot of sun worshippers and tour groups. Most of the people there were snorkeling, though the corals were dead. You could see more fish in the Philippines...

Day 2 in KK, and we rented a minivan (an FX) for me to drive all the way to Mount Kinabalu. The drive took 2 hours, as the vehicle I was driving wasn't fast enough (if you're travelling with a group of 4 or more, consider driving when exploring, it turns out to be cheaper, and more flexible). We stopped over a restaurant called Strawberry Lodge, and had curry for lunch. We then zoomed off to our accommodations in the highlands, the Kinabalu Pine Resort. It turned out that the lodge wasn't far behind our lunch venue. It was situated in the town of Kudasang, just 10 mins. drive after the Kinabalu Park. It had spectacular views of Mount Kinabalu, and the surroundings. Better take a room that's got one. The best thing about this place is its rate. We got three rooms for one night for RM180 each, all with breakfast and dinner. That's around P1,500 per person for the entire time. Great deal. After checking in at the lodge, we headed off straight to Poring Hot Springs, whi...

Perhaps, Kota Kinabalu or KK as the locals call their home, is one of the last popular destinations I haven't been to in SEA. So, our company decided on going to KK for our annual excursion, thanks in large part to the low fares of Cebu Pacific. KK is located in the island of Borneo (the third largest island in the world), directly south of the Philippines, just below the beautiful islands of Tawi-Tawi and the southern tip of Palawan. KK is the capital of the Malaysian state, Sabah, which promotes itself as an adventure destination. Sabah is much like any province in the Philippines, with beaches, mountains, rivers and a whole lot of wildlife. It is also the home to the supposed tallest peak in South East Asia, Mount Kinabalu. This journey takes us into the mountainous area and the islands nearby Kota Kinabalu. We wished we could visit Sipadan and Sandakan, but we had limited time to explore. So, we start off with the capital itself, Kota Kinabalu. The city center is small enough t...

Langkawi is a laid back island in the north eastern part of Malaysia. Next to Penang, it is perhaps the most visited island in the Islamic state. It is a well-known island destination in the region, where you can find a lot of high end resorts. The Datai, one of the top resorts in the world is located exclusively on Datai Bay north of the island. Upon arrival, we immediately hired a Proton Sedan for us to get around. We were surprised at the price we bargained for! Imagine, just 2,000 pesos for 3 days! Of course, without the gas, but that was one of the best car rental deals I have had. The Langkawi Lagoon Resort was our home for 2 nights. It was a beautiful resort and was affordable. We stayed at the hotel part of the resort that cost us roughly P3,500 a night. It had a nice view of the ocean and the swimming pool. The room was huge and even had a kitchen facility. You can't find anything like that here in the Philippines I think. Langkawi doesn't know time. It is such an idy...