The Bean Express Tawau

So after a whole bunch of posts on eateries outside of Tawau, I feel that it's time that I 'head back' right? Granted, most of the places that I'm going to feature from here onwards were places that I've been to pre-localized-MCO so don't be confused as to why I was probably dining in in some of the pictures that I'm going to posts.

Since my last post was about the SVOK Hotel, I might as well post about this cafe first, as it was within the same area at Kubota Sentral commercial area (their located right in front of Acteasan). Now I'm not exactly a fan of caffeinated beverages but I do have a weakness for cosy, pretty looking cafes so that was why I  decided to give them a go. Mind you, I did noticed the cafe's KK branch when I was walking around Gaya Street (they also had another branch in Damai Plaza - so I believe the cafes were originated from KK) but it was actually my first time trying them out. As I'm not too fond of coffees, I decided to go for a cup of Chamomile Tea and a slice of Chocolate Moist Cake instead. The former was just your typical tea but still very soothing. The cake of the day was yummy but somehow tasted 'familiar'. It reminded me of cakes sold by a nearby bakery that has since been closed down. Coincidence? Maybe. But other than the relaxing vibe of the cafe and the light snacks (other than cakes, they also had limited sandwiches in their menu) I'm afraid I can't comment much on their actual caffeinated beverages (since that seems to be their selling point) so sorry folks. I guess you guys just have to come down and try them for yourselves huh? 😉

**Current status - Still in business (as of April 2021)

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Backyard Vacay: Svok Hotel

Since I'm doing hotel related posts (almost) back-to-back, I might as well include this staycation that I had sometime late last year (and had totally forgot all about it... again). So this boutique hotel is one of a few accommodations added to the Kubota Sentral commercial area quite recently. Specifically, they are somewhere in the middle of the area, right in front of the popular Sushi House and I Love Yoo! restaurants.

What's great about the hotel was that they do have a mini mart of sorts at the backside of the main lobby area where one could buy (mostly) imported products (more on that topic in a later post). What's not so great however was that they're quite rigid when it comes to the check in time. I tried checking in at around 1pm but they still asked me to wait until 2pm (their official check in time) even though there were barely any people around. Also, the stairs leading up to the rooms (sorry folks but no lifts were provided I'm afraid) were actually quite open to the general public as it was located outside of the lobby and facing the road. But before you guys go on and cancel the hotel from your list however, rest assured that they do have a security guard stationed at the bottom of the staircase, as well as by-keycard-only access to the room areas.

I specifically booked a room with a balcony during my stay and although both the room and balcony were tiny in terms of its sizes, it was still very pleasant (but the balcony had a somewhat 'open' and 'sharing' concept which may potentially cause safety issues). The room had the usual hipster design that most new hotels seems to adapt recently, which also extends to their bathroom. And do take note that the hotel only provide MyFreeview channels for their TV so no movie channels I'm afraid. Also it was very hard to find parkings near the hotel (only public parkings are available guys, no designated ones) as the place was almost always packed with people (and I kid you not, even well past midnight which was puzzling since most of the shops within the area had already closed). But overall it was still a very nice experience for me and would probably booked them again in the future.

Type - Deluxe Queen Room with Balcony

Room - 4/5 (lovely room and balcony albeit tiny) 

Price - 4/5 (I would say middle range since it stands to reason that they're located within a popular area) 

Service - 4/5 (would be better if they let me checked in early but everything else was ok) 

Decor - 4/5 (I always fancied a hipster looking place) 

Location - 5/5 (currently considered the 'it' area of Tawau and the hotel is smacked in the middle of it all)

*FYI, below are pictures of the hotel's lobby area and the small Svok Mart... 

 

*... these are pictures of the room and aforementioned balcony... 

*... and last but not least, the locked main door leading into the room area 

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Secret Recipe Seafest Square (Semporna FoodieVenture #8)

Since we'd spent a night within the Seafest Square mall (specifically at the Seafest Hotel Lepa Wing) I thought that it would be good idea to also bring home a box of Hokkaido Cheese Tart as I've read somewhere that they'd opened a branch of sorts within the same building. But after walking around the mostly vacant 'mall', we found out that it was not exactly a branch; more like a corner within the (also) newly opened Secret Recipe restaurant (they're on the ground floor, right next to the Pizzahut and in front of a KFC branch). I guess the boss intended to kill two birds with one stone huh? 

Unfortunately, we were told by the SR staff that the cheese tarts were only available on Sundays (yes, one day only) as fresh deliveries were made once per week and came directly from KK. Well, now that sounds more like a pop up corner rather than an actual place selling the tarts isn't it? I mean, just imagine people from neighbouring districts driving all the way to Semporna just for those tarts and ends up disappointed. And I don't know whether it will continue on like that (let's hope not) but they really should think things through before opening a 'branch' if they could not provide the goods daily (and yes, despite what they'd posted on their official FB page - I did check). 

Nevertheless since we were already there (and hungry), me and my partner decided to just eat at the SR branch instead for lunch. Food wise, everything were pretty much 'standard SR tastes' as we'd ordered a Spaghetti  Meatball Chicken and Napoli Bianco Pizza (sorry that I totally missed out on taking a picture of the latter as I was busy with my food at said time - me prioritising my stomach over anything else is what I do best 😅) with a side of an Absolute Chocolate cake. But I do think that the decor of the place beats the one in Tawau though since it looks more elegant and cosy to me.

*If you look at the right side of the front area of the SR cafe, you'll notice the Hokkaido Cheese Tart barely there corner/ counter

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Outward Vacay: Seafest Hotel Lepa Wing

So another month, another MCO for Tawau. At this point, I'm not even surprised by the whole situation. Fortunately me and my partner did managed to stay overnight at Semporna (just before the current localised MCO were announced) after a work related one day trip. It was already quite late after we'd finished our business so we decided to checked into this hotel. 

The boutique hotel is located within the Seafest Square (or mall if you will) building and yes... is a branch of the Seafest Hotel (which coincidentally is located right in front of them). The room that we were given were small and a bit cramped but with one huge advantage; the big balcony overlooking the sea. Funnily though, the balcony might even had the same square feet as the actual room but it was a little bare and dusty. The bed and pillows were thick and comfortable enough and the TV only has 3 or 4 working channels (but at least they included a movie channel). Their bathroom and showers were tiny and relatively clean but has a slightly unpleasant smell coming from the drainage.

One thing that I do need to highlight about this hotel is their overall security. I mean, the main lifts to their rooms were seperated from their lobby area and were instead attached to the mall's side entrance. So technically anyone can ride the lifts to the rooms as they do not install a keycard lock inside the lifts (and with no specific security guards to guard the area). They also do not have designated parkings for guests so it will be a challenge for vehicle owners to parked their cars near to the vicinity, as the area is quite popular amongst locals as well.

Type - Lepa Village Room

Room - 4/5 (the room was okay but a big chunck of the points goes to the lovely albeit empty balcony) 

Price - 3/5 (it is advisable to just walk into the hotel as the price from hotel booking apps were slightly higher) 

Service - 4/5 (we encountered no problems during check in and check out but got no outstanding service from the staff either) 

Decor - 4/5 (limited spaces and simplicity were the overall theme I guess)

Facilities - 3/5 (they should focused more on guest's security and the room's cleanliness) 

Location - 5/5 (this is the only thing that really stands out - and do request for a 'village room' as those rooms usually comes with said private balcony)

*Below are several pictures of the insides of their room & the balcony...

... and this is the picture of the detached door from the lobby area... 

... to the rooms main lifts and the mall side entrance (all are located inside said mall - a convenient but unsecured area) 

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