After being stuck in Brunei for nearly 3 years, the border restrictions were finally less strict and we can finally travel abroad!!
It was difficult to take leave, and flight ticket prices were ridiculously high T___T
After a long discussion, MC and I eventually decided to go for a short trip to Kota Kinabalu.
Ming Garden Hotel & Residences
We arrived fairly late on the first day, hence I booked a cheaper accommodation. MC's only criteria was -- the hotel needs to have gym. 
After our morning gym session, we headed to Kuo Man to have their famous fish noodles!!
Next stop -- Kokol Hill Elf
Took us 45 minutes to drive there. The roads were narrow and they reminded me of Ireland road trips! We rented a car - Toyota vios from Grendline Travel & Car Rental. Lots of hiccups along the way.
The car rental was RM 190 for a day with RM 60 for extra 3 hours as I anticipated we might be back past noon from Kundasang. RM 100 as security deposit and they wanted us to transfer upfront the total RM 350 (thankfully for MC's friend who has a Malaysian bank account).
A day just before we flew to KK, the person contacted and mentioned the company's only Vios car was under maintenance as the previous person who rented it had an accident at Kundasang as well. With such short notice, I could not find another care hire and our whole kundasang trip could potentially be gone down the drain. Fortunately, they managed to get another Vios for us and we proceeded with our itinerary.
Kokol Elf Swing -- giving us the Bali vibes
Entrance fee was RM 10 per pax (for Malaysian)
From Kokol Elf, it took another 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach Kundasang~ We checked into our accommodation -- Culvert View
Culvert View
Standard room was RM 169 per night with ensuite bathroom. Breakfast not included.
My initial choice was Umea Glam Kundasang which is like clamping and it's supposed to have really nice views. Unfortunately, they were already fully booked since 2 months ago!!
Culvert View ended up being MC's highlight of the trip hehe
Kundasang has very limited eateries, and we ended up eating KFC at 9pm!! Had to drive all the way out to town (where roads were narrow and dark -- no street lights!!), and takeaway fried chicken with mashed potatoes. xD
Went to Desa Dairy Farm next!
Entrance fee was RM 5 per pax. I think we went around noon, where the animals were having their break. I saw videos of people feeding calf, and they were able to see the entire milking process (around 2-4pm). We had to leave Kundasang by 12pm the latest as we need to return the car by 3pm..hence we missed the fun part at the farm.
MC said we drove all the way to Kundasang to smell cow's shit and eat their ice cream. Fresh milk!! We had the coffee flavoured one, and also tried their yogurt ice cream :3
I think the yogurt is probably more expensive than the entrance ticket itself..😂
The highlight of my Kundasang trip was meeting Alpacas!! They're actually quite smelly as they do not bath.. their fur looked really fluffy but it's covered with mud. Tried shamelessly to get selfies with them. It was still during covid period so we were a bit wary when we took off the masks for photos.
Alpaca Club
Entrance fee: RM 15 per pax
There was a strawberry picking farm which I wanted to go as well, but due to time constraints, we headed back to Kota Kinabalu city after the Alpaca club. Missed strawberries picking -- did it twice at Ireland and Australia. Brings back all the good memories 💕
Checked into Marriott Hotel for the next 2 days!
Love their infinity pool and breakfast spread. Would definitely recommend!! It's situated near the sea, and next to a shopping mall -- which unfortunately was quite rundown. Lots of shops were closed due to the covid pandemic. Their concierge service was excellent as well -- did some online shopping and they received my parcel on behalf a few days earlier. They also allowed us early check in and late check out! It's not exactly at the city centre, but with Grab, it's very accessible to all places so that wasn't a huge concern for us.
Pre-booked Sakagura Japanese Restaurant for dinner -- it was a belated birthday treat for MC. MC's first trial on sea urchin and he fell madly in love with uni 😜
Woke up super early around 6:45am as I have booked us for an island hopping & water sports day!! Another highlight of our trip! MC said the last trip he came to KK with his friend, they ended up staying at hotel and hibernate the whole trip. Hence, I wanted to make the best out of this trip and experience as much as we can -- especially after being stuck in Brunei for nearly 3 years! I put in a lot of effort in planning this trip..but I think it was too packed and we ended up being too tired. After being soaking in the chilly sea water, and dried up by the cold breeze, MC had headaches and ended up skipping dinner while I joined my cousin and family at Little Italy.
Long Beach Watersport Activities
RM 110 per pax -- super worth it!!
The package included the boat transfer to 2 islands -- mamutik Island and Manukan Island, and activities such as parasailing, banana boat & snorkelling.
They submerged us into the water!!
We were in the same banana boat with these cuties. They helped us video and sent through airdrop (although it took really long to airdrop as my iPhone 8 didn't have sufficient capacity 😓)
They allowed us to choose whether we want a flip over or just remain on the boat. We contemplated for a while and as a team, we eventually decide to flip!!
Last but not least, for our final night, I booked us Toojou Hotel, which is the latest hype place in KK. I love their interior design, and their room was actually quite decent - spacious, clean and they have a bluetooth speaker -- how cool is that!!
Our KK trip wouldn't be complete if we didn't have seafood!! On our last day of the trip, we finally get to try Fishmarket Restaurant, where you choose fresh seafood and they steam it for us. The fish meat, clams, and meat were really fresh, and MC felt really satisfied eating clean xD I obviously dipped most of the dishes in sauces ;p
Finally, they allow all the seafood essence to drip into the porridge --- so so flavourful.
We ended the night at Toojou's bar
The ambience was really nice and there are many instagrammable spots there. I saw a small corner for tarot and palm reading as well but MC doesn't believe in these things, so we didn't try.
White rabbit cocktail
My face turned hot red after just one small glass of cocktail. Asian flush.
Till next day. It was a short, but enjoyable trip. Our very first trip together, and hopefully, more to come in the future~ 👫💕
