Outward Vacay: Livingston Hotel Sandakan

If it wasn't for my previous multiple phone problems, I would've posted about this hotel since last year. But luckily, I was required to go to Sandakan again for work purposes early this year so I was able to 'rediscovered' some of the places that I've been to before the whole 'dead phone incident' (albeit not all due to limited time - oh well). 

So we'll start off with the accommodation, which is one of the higher end hotels in town. Granted, there aren't that many of them in Sandakan but it still beats non existing Tawau. They're located at Jalan Utara, right next to Bandar Kim Fung (as you all know, Sandakan has a lot of thriving satellite townships). Room was spacious, modern and almost all had their own balcony which was nice. They also had a decent sized swimming pool and functional hall for usage, where I'd spotted people attending seminars and even did wedding photoshoots at said venue. But it is preferable to have your own car or at least use Grab if you want to go anywhere since even though the hotel is right by the main road, it is still quite a distance from anything else. Plus they do have ample free parkings within the premise so no problems in trying to find a parking spot while staying with them. 

Type - Deluxe King Room

Room - 4/5 (room was nice enough with a good view of the main road) 

Price - 4/5 (among the pricier ones in town) 

Service - 4/5 (smooth check in and out) 

Decor - 4/5 (nothing much to comment since it's your typical modern hotel vibe) 

Facilities - 5/5 (among 2 hotels in town that has their own swimming pool) 

Location - 4/5 (again, they're quite a distance from anything else but that's what Grab is for right) 

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BW Bus Restaurant (KK FoodieVenture #215)

The moment we arrived at Kundasang town area, our eyes quickly spotted a billboard that promotes this unique restaurant. Obviously that piqued our interest and off we went to Mile 7, Kg Pinausok for a visit. Themed restaurants are nothing new but this is my first time visiting a bus themed eatery. They have taken several old-school buses (that only boomers, gen x & millennials can relate - and that sadly includes moi) and creatively renovated them into eating stations. There's a fee upon entry (if you only wish to 'jalan-jalan' inside the compound just to take selfies and not dine in) that will be deducted should you ordered something off their menu. The menu size was small so we'd ordered their Homemade Beef Burger and Chicken Sausage & Caramelized Onion Toast, together with Chocolate and Milo Dinosaur drinks. Our meals were okay, nothing special. My toast was even drenched in some sort of carbonara-like sauce that makes it weird and soggy but still okay tasting for me. It was obvious that food was not their biggest strength and the place was more of a tourist destination than anything else but still, it was a good one-time experience. 

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Kloud Restaurant, Bar & Cafe (KK FoodieVenture #214)

It's nice to see that even a relatively small town such as Kundasang has new eateries with modern and sleek vibe. And we'd only discovered this place because we coincidentally stayed at their accommodation as well. The eatery is divided into to different spots within the premise. The one that me and my hubby actually tried out was their cafe,  which is on the premise's compound while there's also a full-fledged restaurant located inside the accommodation (our room is located on top of said restaurant). But we didn't have time to try out the latter because we had a minor car problem and had to rushed back to KK the following day. 

Again, if only the fog were kinder to us than maybe we could spot the Kinabalu mountain from where we are sitting at the cozy cafe (during said time). But nevertheless we still enjoyed our Hot Chocolate and Mocha, together with some Penjaram Waffle and Chocolate Fudge cake while also watching the scenic (albeit misty) views ahead. Both eateries are open to the public and is 'the' place to take selfies, what with their picturesque pine deck and direct mountain view from the restaurant. They're also easily spotted from the main road and not too far off the road as well. 

*And here's the entrance to the Kloud Restaurant deep inside the accommodation 

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Outward Vacay: Mountain Valley Resort Kundasang

It happened to be our wedding anniversary when me and husband dearest went to KK late last year and we thought that we should at least make some effort to be a little romantic (this is coming from two lazy introverts so...). So we decided to try this accommodation in Kundasang (they're located along the main road to the main town area from KK at Bundu Tuhan, Tenompok). I was curious as to why the place was among the pricier ones in town but after arriving, I think I understand why. 

For one, it was probably the location. On a good day, you could see the peak of Mount Kinabalu clearly from the premise. Sadly, we were not blessed with such a good day when we were there as we can barely see the peak from our room even at sunrise (and the room was supposed to be one of the best rooms with a direct view of the mountain - not our luck I guess even though it took me months before to booked them). But I was very pleased that they made an effort to decorate our room even though I only mentioned about the anniversary in passing. Also, the small room has a more 'hotel-vibe' then the usual chalet types which I preferred as well. They also have 2 eateries (one restaurant and the other a cafe) within the premise that are opened to the general public (more on that on a later post) and adequate parking spots. Oh and you could also rent a space within the premise for your very own camping experience should you are into such things. 

Type - Superior Deluxe Room 

Room - 5/5 (the room has spectacular views - if only the fog was being cooperative) 

Price - 4/5 (at the higher end but personally I think it was worth it) 

Service - 4/5 (staff were helpful & friendly during my stay) 

Decor - 4/5 (room was your typical hotel room but the vicinity looks great) 

Facilities - 5/5 (it's rare to see a place in Kundasang that has both Instagramable restaurant and cafe at the same area) 

Location - 5/5 (no steep or bumpy roads leading up to the place so that alone was already a winner in my books) 

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