The arrival of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon, is just around the corner and across the globe the Chinese community is gearing up for their annual new year celebrations.

In Kota Kinabalu and Sabah too, the buzz is spreading and the good people at Hyatt Regency Kinabalu invited SabahBah and others over to sample what Chef Tay and his team at The Chinese Restaurant has in store.

Chef Tay has prepared a generous menu of deliciousness with which to have a memorable family celebration.

Salmon Yee Sang

Our taste safari kicked off with Yee Sang.  Vital to any Chinese New Year celebrations, these long life noodles represents longevity and it is said the higher you toss the noodles, the more abundant your returns.

The dish arrives as separate ingredients and was quickly assembled in front of our eyes. Shredded vegetables, fruits, pickles, flour crisps and plum sauce are just a few of the ingredients, which make up this visually pleasing dish.

Chef Tay himself was at the table to add the final touches, before leading the group in the customary tossing of the Yee Sang.

The Yee Sang is available from 16 January onwards at The Chinese Restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu.

After the flurry of activity around the Yee Sang, we were treated to fatt choi (black moss) with veggies and chicken, Chef Tay’s signature XO Fortune prawns, Pacific clam with sea asparagus and, my personal favourite, the sweet, salmony taste of crispy friend honey salmon.

Also on the table was soft shell crab. “The soft-shell crab isn’t part of the Chinese New Year menu,” said our host, PR Manager Julia Chan, “but it’s the best in Kota Kinabalu, so a must try.”

The collection of Chinese New Year menus have been designed to incorporate the ingredients which, according to Chinese beliefs, symbolises wealth, health and prosperity.

2 set menus will help you make the most of your reunion dinner, but an ala-carte menu offers you additional choices of scallops. abolone, Pacific clams and silver cod.

Chinese New Year Activities at Hyatt Regency Kinabalu

From 21 – 25 January Hyatt Regency Kinabalu’s The Chinese Restaurant will cater to dim sum fans with an all-you-can-eat Prosperity Dim Sum promo, which is on offer from 9am – 2:30pm.

Other than food, the Hyatt Regency Kinabalu has plenty else going on during the Chinese New Year for those looking for some entertainment in Kota Kinabalu.

From 21 – 25 January Master Calligrapher Huang Poh Lo will entertain with demonstrations of ancient art.

During the 1st 2 days of Chinese New Year Choi San Yeh, the God of Fortune, will spread good wishes amongst hotel guests.

On the 2nd day of Chinese New Year, 24 January, the hotel’s parking lot will be the venue for a grand lion dance showcase.

Starting at 8:30am, the Sabah champion troupe of lion dancers will put on a show, which guarantees to thrill, entertain and have you gasping for breath at their seemingly impossible acrobatics, all staged on tiny platforms between 1m – 2m above the ground.

For additional information about Hyatt Regency Kinabalu’s Chinese New Year offerings, or to book your dinner, please contact the hotel in Kota Kinabalu on 088 22 1234.

Gong Xi Fatt Chai!

Now, a year and half later, that reputation has snowballed and Borneo Beachouse is going from strength to strength as is underscored by their expansion into another property.

The Beachouse now also occupies a neighbouring house, immediately behind the current property, joined together by a short path. This effectively doubles the room inventory and the Beachouse can now offer 17 rooms of various configurations. This includes 4, 6 & 8 bed dormitories, twin and double private rooms and their most popular options, en-suit family rooms.

Other delights which have been added includes the pool table, on-request BBQs (requires a mininum of 5 paying guests), laundry facilities at RM5 per kg and satellite TV with the movie, sport and news packages for you couching surfing delight.

Of course, established facilities such as the free WiFi at Beachouse 1 and the Internet workstation at RM3 per hour is still there, as is the tour desk capable of booking an ever increasing list of activities for you to do during your stay in Sabah.

And don’t forget, Borneo Beachouse is within walking distance of the 3 most important things in Kota Kinabalu – 5 minutes from the beach, 10 minutes from the airport and as the official HQ of the Sabah Ultimate Players Association, it’s within 5 & 7 minutes walk respectively from both the Sunday field and Tuesday / Thursday beach pickup sessions of Ultimate.

For everywhere else in Kota Kinabalu, the Beachouse is right on a bus route with buses passing every 30 minutes, which will whisk you away to the town centre for less than RM2. There’s restaurants and bars at the beach and a small shopping centre just down the road.

If you’re looking for friendly, comfortable and affordable accommodation in Kota Kinabalu, you can’t go wrong with Borneo Beachouse.Since we first wrote about Borneo Beachouse in April 2008, it was already known as 1 of the friendliest and best organised backpackers in Kota Kinabalu.

Now, a year and half later, that reputation has snowballed and Borneo Beachouse is going from strength to strength as is underscored by their expansion into another property.

The Beachouse now also occupies a neighbouring house, immediately behind the current property, joined together by a short path. This effectively doubles the room inventory and the Beachouse can now offer 17 rooms of various configurations. This includes 4, 6 & 8 bed dormitories, twin and double private rooms and their most popular options, en-suit family rooms.

Other delights which have been added includes the pool table, on-request BBQs (requires a mininum of 5 paying guests), laundry facilities at RM5 per kg and satellite TV with the movie, sport and news packages for you couching surfing delight.

Of course, established facilities such as the free WiFi at Beachouse 1 and the Internet workstation at RM3 per hour is still there, as is the tour desk capable of booking an ever increasing list of activities for you to do during your stay in Sabah.

And don’t forget, Borneo Beachouse is within walking distance of the 3 most important things in Kota Kinabalu – 5 minutes from the beach, 10 minutes from the airport and as the official HQ of the Sabah Ultimate Players Association, it’s within 5 & 7 minutes walk respectively from both the Sunday field and Tuesday / Thursday beach pickup sessions of Ultimate.

For everywhere else in Kota Kinabalu, the Beachouse is right on a bus route with buses passing every 30 minutes, which will whisk you away to the town centre for less than RM2. There’s restaurants and bars at the beach and a small shopping centre just down the road.

If you’re looking for friendly, comfortable and affordable accommodation in Kota Kinabalu, you can’t go wrong with Borneo Beachouse.

Also, if you want to read more about what the accommodation in Kota Kinabalu’s TuneHotels.com is like, then visit the main page here. 

We visisted TuneHotels.com and got the skinny first hand.  Yes, the rooms are small, but damn, are they clean – and if you’re really an intrepid explorer, then that’s what you need.

The Welcome

We stepped into the grounds of Shangri-La’s Chi – The Spa and stood there for a moment taking in the beauty and admiring the landscaped gardens with the island backdrop, before being pleasurably interrupted by a gentle wafting of a indistinctive scent that begged to be identified.

Even before we could venture a guess, Spa Manager Alyssa Lim greeted us and within seconds had us seated, sipping cool cinnamon and pandan tea, an appreciated chilled beverage in contrast to the heat and humidity.

As we settled in we were introduced to the spa’s concept of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, water or metal) meant to balance a person’s energy.

Based on ancient Chinese and Himalayan beliefs, Chi works on the philosophy of helping one’s life force flow freely throughout the body and harmonising the Yin and Yang energies.  Therapies at Chi – The Spa are inspired by ancient healing treatments and rituals from the Himalayas, where Shangri-La, the legendary utopia that James Hilton wrote about in his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, nestles.

A range of spa treatments, from all-in-one packages, to hot stone treatments, massages, wraps, scrubs, hand and foot treatments, and skincare all beg to be enjoyed.  Sabahbah.com chose the Pulau Bayu retreat, which, according to the menu, includes a footbath, uplifting himalayan bath therapy, a body scrub, and a Borneo Therapy Massage.

“Traditionally, we try to identify our customer’s element of the day first to determine the best scent to use during treatment to balance out their energy,” said Alyssa, handing us a form, which asked for info such as medical background and preference in food tastes and colours. After determining our elements for the day, a therapist showed us to our villas.

Chi – The Spa Experience – The Pulau Bayu Retreat

Filled with anticipation we arrived at our private villa after a short stroll through the spa gardens. Both single and couple villas are available to suit customers’ needs and spa treatments.

Our private villa was equipped with a changing room, treatment room, outdoor shower, steam room and outdoor bath with sun beds.

Our footwear come off at the door, while our daywear had to wait till the changing room. The robes provided were ultra plush and light, different from the usual heavy cotton or terry cloth.

For most people, disposable underwear found at spas are an uncomfortable and unflattering necessity, but the Chi experience provides a breathable, albeit see-through, garment, which is suprisingly comfortable and will sculpt itself around body shapes ample and slim.

A sarong for ladies or a pair of shorts for the men will protect any modesty you may have.  A ring of the bell later we were welcomed into the treatment room and the real pampering began.

Up first was another soothing cup of tea, served in cups fashioned out of pure jade, while our therapist explained the flow of the session.  A foot soak started us off, with warm water peppered with lemongrass, lime, betelnuts, lime leaves, ginger and cloves, topped off with a foot scrub.

The outdoor bath, already thoughtfully filled with hot water, beckoned us to perpetuate the relaxation from the footbath throughout.  Soaking in the tub amidst the creeping vines, looking out into the garden where we caught a glimpse of the South China Sea, is one of the most indulgent things yet we had the pleasure of doing here at Sabahbah.com.

After reluctantly getting out of the tub, we were lured to the treatment tables where it was time for the pearl cocoa scrub. Like its name suggests, the scrub is a scrumptious combination of crushed pearls from the east coast district of Semporna and cocoa beans, mixed with soya, ginger and pegaga leaf. It certainly smelled good enough to eat.

Our modesty was always protected by the therapists who respectfully veiled their gazes by lifting the sheets as we got comfortable on the table, either when lying down or turning over. Before the treatment begins, ladies are asked about their preference of having their chest area massaged.

After a shower to rinse the sinfully delicious smelling coconut off our bodies, a lovely experience with the outdoor-esqe rain shower, we once again were directed to the treatment beds.

This is where the Borneo Therapy Massage, a signature treatment of the spa,  promised to get rid of any stubborn tenseness that remained in spite of the prior pampering. The massage treatment is inspired by the traditions of bobohizan, the Kadazandusun native healers, and uses palm and thumb pressure that releases wind in the body and promotes good circulation.

The soothing music did wonders to while away the two and a half hours and before we realised, the treatment had come to an end. Another few sips of tea later, we were back in the changing room preparing for our imminent return to the real world.

But fortunately or not, a whiff of Borneo Therapy seemed to have rubbed off on cellphone or notepad, and continued to linger around us for days after, a wistful reminder of the indulgent escape we had at Chi The Spa at Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa.

Relax Yourself

Chi – The Spa’s garden is extremely conducive to relaxation. With stone elements intertwined with lucscious greens, surrounded by calm blue ocean, the garden’s western corner features a glass-walled hut, which overlooks the nearby islands.

This is Chi – The Spa’s Yoga & Tai Chi room where everyone with a health-concious mind in Kota Kinabalu is welcome to join a class to de-stress and refocus their energies.

Yoga Sessions
Monday & Sunday: 8am – 9am
Wednesday & Friday: 5pm – 6pm
Price: RM 70 per person or RM 100 per person for a private session

Tai Chi Sessions
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays: 4pm – 5pm
Price: RM 60 per person or RM 80 per person for a private session

For more information about Shangri La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa Yoga or Tai Chi session, or Chi – The Spa, please email tah@shangri-la.com.

Mosaic at Hyatt Regency Kinabalu is importing juicy, 300g prime Australian ribs to tantalise the taste buds of discerning diners in Kota Kinabalu and torture everyone else in KK with the exquisite, smoky aroma of their char-grilled delight.

The tender ribs are marinated an seared a full day before it’s served to you to lock in its natural juiciness. The final preparation is made moments after your order and just before it hits your plate, hot, aromatic and sumptuous.

Accompanied with a generous helping of French fries, corn-on-the-cob, string beans and tomatoes, your char-grill rib meal is a hearty one.

Mosaic presents this gastronomic feast, including a glass of wine at just RM60, or RM48 sans the wine.

Enjoy this special treat during August on at Mosaic, Hyatt Regency Kinabalu.