It’s that time of year again. The kids are on mid-term break and the cooler weather has ushered in “Granny season”. So with four children aged between eight and 14 to entertain, plus septuagenarian Nanny and Grandad from the UK, the Shangri La Rasa Ria resort in Kota Kinabalu was looking like a no-brainer.
We’ve been enjoying short breaks at this beachside hotel since 2011, so knew what to expect. Great pool – tick; good quality on-site restaurants – tick; plenty of “cocktails with sunset” opportunities – tick; kids club – tick; short flight – tick (it’s just 2hrs30 from Chek Lap Kok, although a fifty minute shuttle bus run from KK airport to the hotel).
This time we decided to upgrade to the Ocean Wing, and wow, it was worth it. Although we have loved our little holidays in the Garden Wing, the kids have grown over the years and a water slide and proximity to the kids club is no longer such a priority.
The Ocean Wing is a separate wing, boasting bigger rooms, huge balconies complete with spa baths, a separate reception, and much larger pool (trying to stay on top of my training game for a half marathon in December, I was delighted to find the Ocean Wing pool complex incorporates a 30m laned-section of pool, not to mention a spotless, pretty much deserted gym).
It was also much quieter than the Garden Wing, which was looking pretty full given it was Golden Week. With a surfeit of loungers (no sneaking beach towels onto beds before breakfast) and plenty of staff on-hand with complementary fresh fruit treats, cooler boxes of water bottles and poolside menus, we soon relaxed into our break. Abiding by granddad’s strict “beer in hand by midday” holiday rule, we spent many happy lunchtimes gathered around tables at the poolside cafe. As a mother, it was a joy to see all four children conversing happily with their grandparents over those holiday favourites – Aussie burgers, salads, fries and pizza.
One issue we have had with the hotel over the years was its relatively isolated location. However, since our last trip about three years ago, it really seems to have upped its game in terms of activities. There is now a climbing wall, horse riding on the beach and a teen activity programme. The gorgeous kids club is still very much there, although we didn’t use it this time, and we still love the huge games room with Mahjong, pool tables, ping pong, Jenga, backgammon and chess (not a computer game or screen in site, which makes my heart sing). There are also regular shuttle buses running into the most popular shopping spots in Kota Kinabalu. I took this option one morning with my shop-starved teenage girls – the drawcard was a Sephora and Bath & Bodyworks – and contrary to my expectations, we did spend a very happy morning in the brand new mall at Imago Times Square. It was similar to Singapore’s Vivo City – gleaming, but without the high end glitz overkill that is so often the case in Hong Kong. We shopped H&M, Cotton On, Esprit, Victoria’s Secret, Uniqlo, Giordano, various sporting franchises, plus Boost Juice for the bus-ride home.
While we were gone, my husband had taken my son “adventuring” to a beach adjacent to the resort, made a bivouac with driftwood, clambered through a patch of jungle and discovered two snakes. “Best day ever!” said my son.
During the week, we also independently booked a trip on the North Borneo Railway (see previous Blog Post), and in the past have tried snorkelling in the marine park (this involves a bus into KK from where a boat speeds to you to a dive resort in the park – one of my best memories of Kota Kinabalu, and the day finished on a high with my eldest daughter spotting and swimming with a turtle). A massive zipline has also been erected between two islands in the marine park, but unfortunately we ran out of time – the kids were keen, so maybe on our next trip.
I am also happy to report that the orang-utans that used to occupy the reserve adjacent to the hotel are gone. Not that I didn’t think the reserve was doing a great job doing its bit towards the preservation of this gorgeous species of monkey, but since our last visit the government has been busy buying back tracts of Sabah rainforest to save it from further deforestation, and the orang-utans have been successfully breeding back in the wild. There is still a reserve on the other side of the island, but at an 18-hour drive or flight away from the Rasa Ria, a visit was sadly not feasible.
All in all, the holiday went better than expected (after 15 years as an expat entertaining various visiting family members while balancing the needs of my four boisterous children I am nothing if not a realist when it comes to “luxury” and “breaks”). We ate well, had a lot of fun and returned home with another stash of great family memories.
Beyond the Highrise 