My Holiday - Stopover in Borneo

Last November Michelle Johnson travelled to Kota Kinabalu, an area just northeast of Brunei on the tropical island of Borneo. After being enraptured by the exotic scenery and stunning beaches, not to mention the enchanting Orang-utans, Michelle also enjoyed a two-night stopover in Kuala Lumpar for a quick shopping fix and taste of life in the gleaming, oriental metropolis.

Whilst Borneo is becoming popular as a stopover destination en route to Australia, there is so much to experience you could easily explore this island as a sole destination.

I was met on arrival before transferring to my hotel, the ‘Shangri La Rasa Ria’, a luxurious resort spread over 400 acres of lush, tropical rainforest. It houses its own nature reserve, so if you don’t have time to go over to the Orang-utan sanctuary in Sandakan you can still see the babies raised here! The ‘Rasa Ria’ is also ideally situated for those wishing to climb the spectacular Mount Kinabalu. (As this is so popular, early booking is recommended).

The next morning I took a cycling tour to the local water village. On arrival at this unique little community you stop to cook and eat breakfast with the residents. The Malay people are amongst the friendliest I have met and as there were only five on the trip, we really got to spend time with the local people. The rest of my time here was spent sunbathing and relaxing at the resort, including the gloriously unspoilt white sands of Dalit Beach. There are many different restaurants in the vicinity so you can dine somewhere different each night - the Indian restaurant, Naan, has won awards for its cuisine and is definitely worth a visit.

After 4 days I transferred over to the other Shangri La in Kota Kinabalu, the ‘Tanjung Aru’. Near the town and harbour, it’s only 10 minutes from the airport. Again this is a beautiful resort.

On my last day in Kota Kinabalu I chartered a sunseeker yacht from the Sutera Harbour Marina to the wonderful Pulau Tiga - ‘Survivor Island’ (where the TV programme was filmed). It’s the quintessential desert island with a mud volcano in the centre that you can actually ‘bathe’ in. (Don’t wear your best swimming cossie though as it does stain!). The overall trip was surprisingly good value at £160 and included lunch, all drinks, transfers to and from the hotel and hire of the yacht.

Before returning home I took two nights to explore the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur’s shopping district. The markets in China town are an experience in themselves and I braved the onslaught of the locals determined to give you ‘best price’! If you can hold your own you can come away with some great stuff and bartering is half the fun.

Kuala Lumpur is home to the Petronas Towers (the world’s second tallest building) and the views from the skybridge on the 41st floor are amazing. Tickets are free but you have to get up quite early for them. Inside the towers is a great shopping complex with trendy shops like G2000 and all the big designer names such as Gucci, Chanel, and Furla.