Kota Kinabalu travel guide, save it now!

Hey guys, I have to share my amazing travel experience in Kota Kinabalu with you today. It's full of useful information to help you have a great time in Kota Kinabalu! First, let's talk about the activities. I originally booked a sunset paddle board for the first afternoon, but unfortunately, I couldn't make it due to a flight delay. However, the island hopping tours on the next two days were amazing! It takes about an hour by boat from Magellan Jetty to Snake Island and Paradise Island, and another day, it takes 2 hours by car to the jetty and then 1 hour by boat to Mermaid Island and Kawa Mangrove. Both island hopping tours included snorkeling, which was as beautiful as Animal Crossing in real life. However, the snorkeling experience on Paradise Island was a bit disappointing, as the water was quite murky, many corals seemed to be dead, and the fish were not very visible. But Mermaid Island was amazing, with huge corals that you could step on, lots of blue starfish and colorful fish, and the beauty of the ocean was breathtaking. The Kawa Mangrove was not so lucky, as we didn't find any proboscis monkeys, but we did see long-tailed monkeys, and the fireflies at night were like twinkling stars, which was very beautiful. As for accommodation, I have something to say. I stayed at Hyatt Centric for two days, and I chose a peak view room, which was very quiet, and the view was as beautiful as shown in picture 6. It was also very convenient to go out to the shopping area, which I really liked. I stayed at the Marriott for one day, and I originally booked a corner sea view executive room, but I was upgraded to a sea view suite because I arrived late. The room looked quite large, but it didn't have a balcony, and I could see the hotel pool. The key point was that there was a restaurant outside the window, and people were shouting in the middle of the night. It was also on the flight path, so the plane noise was very loud, and I wouldn't recommend it. If I go again, I would definitely choose Hyatt Centric. As for food, I didn't explore much because the island hopping tours included meals. The dinner at Hyatt Centric was very good, and it was very comfortable to have it delivered to the room. If you dine at the restaurant, Yuan Tea Room is great, with delicious food and drinks, and no disappointments. The rest of the time, I relied on Grab for delivery, and Borenos Fried Chicken was average, but the seafood at Da Jia Lai was quite fresh, and the coconut juice was also good. In conclusion, Kota Kinabalu is really fun, with beautiful scenery and delicious food, and it's unforgettable. I will definitely go again next time. I'm also looking forward to AirAsia opening a direct flight from Xi'an to Kota Kinabalu, which will make it even more convenient to go! If you want to go on an island tour, Kota Kinabalu is definitely worth adding to your travel list, and I'm sure you'll fall in love with it too!