Sabahbah.com loves reporting on actual personal experiences, so when and earlier write up about Chi – The Spa at Shangri La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa landed us an opportunity to try out their luxurious treatments, we were very willing to offer our bodies to be pampered in the name of research and reporting.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.
Downbelow is an efficient dive operation, uniquely perched on the shores of a sheltered cove on Gaya Island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP) about 10 minutes from Kota Kinabalu city.
Run by master dive instructors and veteran divers Richard and Joanne, Downbelow pride themselves on professional, friendly and knowledgeable service, traits they instil in all their staff.
A PADI Certified Dive Centre, Downbelow is also licensed under the Malaysian Ministry of Culture, Arts & Tourism. Their equipment, from speedboat to regulators, are maintained to stringent standards for excellent dives both around Kota Kinabalu and the rest of Sabah.
As marine biologists, Richard and Joanne’s passion for the underwater world burns bright and is evident in the enthusiasm with which they conduct their dive operations and dives.
Also teachers of underwater photography, Richard and Joanne has documented the TARP in detail themselves, and the accuracy with which they can find small, wondrous critters hidden in the nooks and crannies of the park’s coral reefs, is truly astounding.
Taking clients slightly off the usual tourist track to expose them to a world below the water and above, less trodden by the everyday tourist, is a veritable trademark of Downbelow. That said, a near obsessive standard of safety is always paramount though, whether it be diving, trekking in the jungle or taking on Mt. Kinabalu.
If you’re interested in diving in Kota Kinabalu, Downbelow offers the following:
| Program | Duration | ||
| Non-Diving | |||
| Snorkel & Lunch | 1 Da | ||
| Discover Snorkelling | 1 Day | ||
| Skin Diver | 1 Day | ||
| Diving | |||
| Daily Dives | 1 Day/3 Dives | ||
| Scuba Review | Half Day/2 Dives | ||
| Night Dive | Dept. 5pm | ||
| Discover Scuba | Half Day | ||
| Open Water Course | 4 Days/9 Dives | ||
| Referral Course | 2 Days/4 Dives | ||
| Advance Open Water | 2 Days/5 Dives | ||
| Rescue Diver | 3 Days/5 Dives | ||
| Underwater Photography | 1 Day/2 Dives | ||
| Peak Performance Buoyancy | 1 Day/2 Dives | ||
| Fish Identification | 1 Day/2 Dives | ||
| Dive Master | 14 Days | ||
| Instructor | 15 Days | ||
If you would like to book any of the above or just want more information about what the courses entail, send us an email at info@sabahbah.com.
Wedged in between KK’s Waterfront, Centre Point Shopping Centre and Le Meridien Hotel, Warisan Square has a remarkable offering of shops, hotels and restaurants, considering its relatively small size.
Featuring brand name clothing stores such as Esprit, Roxy, Quicksilver, Body Glove, Padini, Island Shop and Charles & Keith, it’s supported my many other lesser known, but equally popular brands.
Warisan Square also features furniture stores, including Living Concept, which is as close to Ikea as you can find in KK, with their inventory of almost exclusively Ikea branded furniture.
Of restaurants Warisan Square is in no short supply. Fish & Co, La Manila, Secret Recipe, Hong Kong Recipe, Veda Blue, Juice Up, Yoshimi and Fratini’s all combine to bring to you flood of culinary choices, ensuring that you can frequent Warisan Square regularly without having to eat the same thing twice.
Warisan Square is not just a hip shopping centre though, it also features two hotels. Radius International is a boutique hotel, marketing itself under the niche tag of Boutech, denoting it’s technologically advanced rooms. Basic accommodation turned super efficient for the modern traveller as Radius International features wi-fi, flat panel TV’s and funky decor.
In an adjacent block, the Imperial International Hotel is 4-star offering right in the heart of Kota Kinabalu’s happening area, surrounded by shopping offered by Warisan Square and the adjacent shopping centres, combined with the entertainment of the nearby Waterfront.
Please browse the Warisan Square section of this blog to discover more detail about the tenants of this shopping centre in Kota Kinabalu.
But climbing Mt. Kinabalu is not an impossible achievement. Mt. Kinabalu is one of Sabah’s main attractions, together with the World Heritage Site that is Kinabalu Park. Every year, thousands of climbers will climb Mt. Kinabalu, which touches the heavens at 4,095m. Most of those who attempt to climb Mt. Kinabalu succeed. All that is needed is a little preparation and a lot of determination, and you too can climb Mt. Kinabalu.
The starting point to the summit trail of Mt. Kinabalu is Kinabalu Park Headquarters, located some 1,500m above sea level. Kinabalu Park is roughly 2 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu and is on an easy, if steep, winding path that will bring you to the start of your summit attempt. Many people ask if they should arrange things in advance, and the answer is “yes, you should”.
If you arrange nothing else, you should at least have accommodation at Laban Rata, a collective name for the resting area at about 3300m, where climbers usually arrive early evening and wait until early the next morning to take on the final few kilometers to the summit. If you time it right, leaving at about 2am, depending on your pace, you will be at the top, at Low’s Peak, just in time for sunrise; one of he most unique places on earth from where to see the day break.
Laban Rata, consists of dorm-type accommodation and cluster units and is managed by Sutera Sanctuary Lodges, which is part of Sutera Harbour Resort. Getting accommodation at Laban Rata can be a bit tricky as you can only book 6 months in advance, and usually even that far in advance, bed-nights tends to be quickly snapped up by tour operators who package the accommodation together with tours and other transfers.
Therefore, if you have no luck finding availability for your climb of Mt. Kinabalu through Sutera Sanctuary Lodges directly, then going to one of the many tour operators in Kota Kinabalu will likely yield results. Don’t be afraid to barter.
On the other hand, it is often quite possible to pick up last minute cancellations on the day or the day before a climb, however there is no way knowing whether or not something will be available, so this approach is not recommended.
Once you have your accommodation sorted, the rest is relatively easy. On the day of your climb, at the park entrance, you need to check-in at the Sutera Sanctuary Lodges reception desk. Here you will pay for your accommodation, after which you will take the receipt to another window in the reception area where Sabah Parks will issue your climbing permit, insurance and assign you a guide. You are then almost ready to start.
After a short bus ride up a steep slope, you are dropped off at the Timpohon Gate, officially the starting point (and end point) of your climb of Mt. Kinabalu, located at 1,563m. After this, a mere 8.7km lie between you in the summit of Mt. Kinabalu. The rest, is up to you.
At Laban Rata there are various units that can accommodate you:
In total there are roughly 140 beds at Laban Rata, of which Laban Rata Rest House is most popular, because it’s a) where the food is, and b) it has both hot showers and heated rooms, making for a comfortable rest area for your precious rest stop before your final assault on the summit of Mt. Kinabalu.
In lieu of space at Laban Rata Resthouse, do ask for alternative accommodations, as if you’re traveling from far and have to climb the mountain on a certain day, then anything will do. All the accommodations are not too far from Laban Rata Rest House and will thus serve the purpose.
If you feel like you’ll need extra insulation, or if you’re not as prepared as you should be, you can obtain the following items from the Sutera Sanctuary Lodges Reception Desk at Laban Rata Rest House (prices are 2007, will update soon with 2008):
You’ll find a list of suggested items below – think carefully about what else you would like to take up. For seriously bulky items that you don’t even want to climb with, there is a left-luggage facility at Kinabalu Park Headquarters. In order for you to take up only the barest of essentials to the summit, you can either leave your stuff in your room at Laban Rata, or you can leave it at the Reception Desk.
Here’s the list:
All reasonable care have been taken to ensure the amounts references in this post is correct, but prices can change without notice (in fact, they have already, will update soon).
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