Hamin Lodge, Kota Kinabalu Sabah

Stayed in Hamin Lodge for 5 nights at the beginning of September 2009. Booked the budget queen room with ensuite bathroom. Paid about S$36 for each night.The room has no TV but is very clean and comes with individual aircon (works very well). Bathroom is clean but small, comes with plenty of shower gel in a container fixed onto the wall. Shower heater is working well.  Clean towels supplied everyday & if you want the room to be done up, put the sign outside the door when you leave.  But on the last 2nd day before we leave for home, no room makeup (although sign was hang at the door) and no new towels. But lucky there was a clean towel not used. Breakfast is RM10 per person and should be ordered the night before (just inform the reception).

On the 2nd floor, there is free flow of drinking water (hot, cold, normal). Also washing machine can be found in the common bathroom area.

On the 3rd floow, iron + board are available.

Hair dryer available for use in the common bathroom.

There were so many swallows nesting just outside the window (hidden at the top of each window). Piles of their waste products can be seen outside the window ledge / window sill.  We don’t open the curtain everyday. But they are our companions for the night. I like listening to their small “talks / gossips” for the day. They fly away around 9am every day & back by 5pm (cute isn’t it ?). Nights can be quiet without a TV … I have started to miss the swallows after returning to my country.

Fresh seafood is plentiful, cheap & delicious. There are several seafood restaurants in town. But I like the one opposite Le Meridien Hotel at Jln Tun Fuad Stephens “Wet Market”. From 5pm everyday, there are plenty of food stores and BBQ seafood stores. Don’t eat too much otherwise you will get a terrible sore throat like me. I was sick after eating BBQ seafood for 2 nights.

Just below Hamin Lodge at Jl. Sapuloh is the SEDCO SQUARE “evening food stalls”. Many seafood restaurants are located here. Quite expensive for many of the seafood although there is a wide variety of choice.

On the way to the night market opposite CITY PARK, I happen to chance upon a coffee shop. In this coffee shop, there is a chinese cook food store. The fish is very fresh & I ordered steam fish at RM11 (good for 2 ~ 3 person) with other dishes. Vegetable with fresh prawns cost RM6 (good for 2 person). There is also a malay BBQ fish store.

Dried corals & shells are plentiful & cheap. Bargain for a good price.  Plenty of coconuts, fruits of the season and locally produced coffee. They are very cheap. Other than that, I don’t find much to buy home as gifts. Things such as fashion is not cheap & they are not as fashionable compared to the bigger towns like Johor Bahru.

The Sabah Tourism Board is located at Gaya Street. The guy over there is not friendly. He should go for a courtesy lesson again.

Mini van to Mount Kinabalu has no aircon and each person has to pay RM15 for 1 way. The weather during September is like an oven ! I bargained with the taxi driver & paid RM150 for a round trip (for 2 persons).

Paid RM56 per person for 2 islands (MANUKAN + MEMUTIK). If you want lunch, you have to book their package. Memutik bathroom / toilet is lousy ! There are only about 4 shower rooms & only 2 rooms are functioning well. Very dirty !

Manukan island is beautiful with very good bathroom & toilet facility (very clean). But I can’t say the same for the rest of the islands. Jetty in Manukan is not high to alight / board the boat. But beware of the smaller islands. Difficulty in boarding / alighting from the boat. I still don’t understand why is the jetty so high !