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Saturday, 31 August 2024

KK Day 1: Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu

The mum, sister and I try to organise a girls-only vacation annually as we enjoy spending time together. We've been to Ho Chi Minh (2015), Cebu (2016), Batam (2017) and Langkawi (2018) and had staycations at Crowne Plaza (2020) and Park Royal Collection Marina Bay (2021) during the pandemic. It had been 3 years since our last girls' vacation so we're really excited! We brought my 2 girls while my boy stayed home with his dad (he preferred not to be the only boy in a group of girls)! 😅

My girls and I met up with the mum and sister at Changi Airport Terminal 4 at 9.45am. We booked our return flights via AirAsia at $140 per person (inclusive of 7kg carry-on baggage) and paid an additional $49 for one 20kg checked baggage each way (for restricted items or shopping).

Wearing matching black tops! 😁

After checking in our sole luggage and clearing customs, we had breakfast at the T4 Food Court. We were super hungry! 🤭

The kids had a lot of fun at the T4 Slide and Chandelier playground! 😀 

Sensors helped to ensure that only kids of a certain height can use the slide. However this sensor may not always work well and delays the process.
Sliding down the slide!
At the base of the slide, the kids can play in the huge play structure!

It was soon time to board our plane! We departed Singapore at 12.10pm.

Our AirAsia plane
Our seats on the plane!
Littlest entertained herself with the usual stickers and her tablet

As this was my first budget flight post-pandemic, it felt strange not having food or entertainment onboard! 😆 And when I wanted to purchase a kids meal for my kids, the cabin crew told me they'd run out! *sigh* 😮‍💨

Thankfully, the flight was about 2 hours 20 minutes and we arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 1 at 2.30pm, earlier than expected!

Arrival at Kota Kinabalu Airport
Baggage claim
Hubby bought this ride-along luggage for his princess... 😐😅

There were two Shangri-La resorts in Kota Kinabalu: Tanjung Aru and Rasa Ria, 10 and 50 minutes away from the airport/city respectively. Although Tanjung Aru was more expensive than Rasa Ria, the higher price was worth it as the latter was too far. The shorter distance to the airport also meant that we'd have enough time for breakfast on the last day of our trip before catching our early morning flight. 

After we cleared customs, we hired a Grab at RM30 to Shangri-La Tanjung Aru.

Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort
Received welcome drinks and our key cards at check-in

I had originally booked 2 Kinabalu Wing Seaview Twin Rooms at approximately $272 per room per night (inclusive of breakfast, details in the next post). Shangri-La upgraded us to the Tanjung Wing, which was nearer to the pool and had better views! 😃

Tanjung Wing
Central yard of the Tanjung Wing

As I had also indicated in my booking that I'd like connecting rooms, Shangri-La changed my booking to 1 king room (for my girls and I) and 1 twin room (for mum and sister).

Large king bed with an amazing seaview!
Huge balcony and seating area
Office table and TV
Complimentary water and Nespresso
Other amenities such as bathrobes, umbrella, slippers and complimentary cans of tea and coffee
Luxurious bathtub and toiletries
Separate shower and toilet

We originally wanted to buy groceries in the city but were advised by our Grab driver not to squeeze with the crowd as it was Malaysia's National Day that day. We headed to the pool for a swim instead!

Shangri-La's signature lagoon-style pool
Baby slide for younger kids that my Littlest absolutely loves!
There was a much larger and faster white slide that she liked, but not as much as the red slide! 😅
Another of my Littlest's favourite slide!
Littlest disliked the green slide due to the dark nature but I loved it!

I loved that they allowed adults on the slides! Though the play area wasn't as big as Shangri-La Golden Sands, it was still fun!

The resort also had an adult-only pool and they were pretty strict (they didn't allow my Eldest into the pool).

Adult-only pool
View of the resort from the furthest end of the pool
View of the sea from the edge of the pool

Obviously we were famished by now as our last meal was in Singapore! The sister and I ordered drinks, fries and a pizza to eat by the pool.

Our mocktails weren't cheap but they were very delicious! 😋
We were so hungry we gobbled everything within minutes! 😅 Yummy! 😋 

Even though there was a private beach, it was very small and disappointing compared to other Shangri-La resorts. There was also a lack of beachfront activities, unlike the snorkeling and kayaking we did at Shangri-La Cebu and the kayaking and paddle-boarding we did at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa.

After swimming, we walked around the resort in search of dinner. Many of the restaurants were full due to the Malaysian public holiday. Thankfully, Coco-Joe’s Bar & Grill had a table for us!

Walking to the beach-side restaurant to try our luck
Coco Joe's Bar & Grill kitchen
We managed to get a table under the shade, which turned out to be a blessing because it started to rain not long after!
We ordered burger, vegetables, pasta and chicken
Burger was not bad

After dinner, we explored the resort's facilities, especially the Cool Zone Kids Club.

Relatively small play room, more suitable for younger children
Activity room for older children and adults

The play areas were honestly underwhelming compared to Adventure Zone at Shangri-La Golden Sands, Adventure Zone at Shangri-La Cebu, and even Cool Zone at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa. Nevertheless, toddlers and preschoolers might still enjoy it, as smaller playgrounds are less overwhelming for them. My Littlest, the daredevil, will definitely be bored! 😅

We headed back to our rooms to soak in the bathtub and sleep early! We had to wake up very early the next morning! 😃


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P.S: We're proud Shangri-la Circle members! Read about our Shangri-La experiences around the world:

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Visit MADPSYCHMUM TRAVELS for the rest of my posts on Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 
as well as other travel itineraries! 


You can also follow my travel adventures on Instagram via the hashtag #madpsychmumtravels! =)
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