Kota Kinabalu to Kundasang

We took a short break of 3 nights to Kota Kinabalu after Christmas to chill & relax before the New Year. I have been to Kota Kinabalu before but for a relative's wedding so I didn't explore at that time. This time, after hearing so much about Kundasang, we decided to see what's all the rave about hahaha

Due to the festive season, I couldn't get a room at Kundasang. So we stayed at Kota Kinabalu. We rented a car at the airport and took a 10 minute short drive to our hotel. We stayed at The Pacific Sutera Hotel.

This was our room's view- the golf course.

They were having some end year promo and our room only costed us RM200 per night hehe. They even upgraded us to a Club room.

Huge bathtub.

Comfy bed in a big room.

Service wise could be improved but hey, for RM200, I have nothing much to complain about.

Nearby, around 10 minutes, there's KK Waterfront and the Filipino market where we had dinner.

The seafood in KK are really cheap!!

My 2 Kam Heong crab for only RM48! Oh My, super cheap and delicious.

The next day, we hired a private car with driver to drive us to Kundasang. It was a 2 and a half hour's ride. The road was bumpy and quite jam. It was definitely a good decision to hire a driver because it would be too tiring to drive up and down within a day with that kind of road plus the mist towards the evening.

Most restaurants weren't opened yet when we arrived. So we just chose to eat at Puteri Nabalu where they only had economy rice. But the view was amazing. You can sit at the patio and enjoy this view.

Then, we went to hunt for Rafflesia. This is by luck. If it's blooming season, you get to see the Rafflesia. We were considered lucky!

We went to Adenna Rafflesia Garden. RM20 per pax.

Rafflesia takes 15 months from a seed as small as a longan seed to bloom into a bud this big.

From the bud, it takes 5-7 days to bloom into the biggest flower in the world. This is Day 2 of bloom.

Day 4 of bloom.

Day 5 of bloom.

Day 7 of bloom. Almost going to die already.

Day 9 of bloom. Died.

It dies so fast hence why it is so rare to see a Rafflesia.

Then on the way to Desa Dairy Farm, we stopped by this bus cafe which was so cool.

There's even a slide. The whole concept was really nice.

Then we went on our way to see cows hahaha

The view at Desa Dairy Farm.

Mini New Zealand.

It's supposedly a cow milking view but it's done by machine so we couldn't see much.

Had their gelato which was good.

Milk was well, milk hahaha

Then, we went to Kinabalu Park and hiked a short Bukit Tupai trail.

While we were coming down, it turned very misty and by the time our driver drove us back, it started to be low visibility due to the mist and rained. So I think hiking during the morning would be best.

We managed to stop by and eat Sinalau Bakas Babi Hutan...yummss! Must try!

The next day we ate at Kedai Kopi Nyuk Pau Menggatal.

This is probably the best beef noodles we ever had! The broth was on point and the beef were super smooth and tender it melts in your mouth kind. MUST TRY!

Then, we drove to Mari Mari Cultural Village.

It's very educational and even for Malaysians like us, we felt like we didn't really know Sabah and its ethnicities at all. It's a must visit to know a little more about Sabahan's culture.

We visited some longhouses replica.

Ate some of their ethnicities' delicacies.

Saw performances.

Love their bamboo dance. Super talented!

Then, we had hi-tea. We had a lot of fun learning about their culture =)

After that, we wanted to try more Sabah's food so we stopped by Teck Kee restaurant for Mee Tuaran.

It's like indomie goreng but the noodles are more springy. Very yummy.

At night, we tried the highly raved Little Italy in KK town. They make their own pasta and there's a vast variety of pasta and sauces to choose from. You can customise your fave pasta to go with your fave sauce.

We chose Fettucine Chilli with Arrabiatassima sauce. We preferred it to be more spicy though but overall the pasta was al dente and I think this pasta can fight Natalina in KLCC.

The next day before going back, we stopped by Kedai Restoran Kuo Man, Sunny Garden for fish slice noodles. However, they have sold out at 12pm >.< So we tried their second best which is the beef noodles.

The beef was also very tender, in fact more tender than the Menggatal shop but their broth is not as good. Overall, Sabah really make good beef noodles. 

We had a good trip exploring KK and Kundasang. It was short but sweet =)