Hotel Sarangnova Kota Kinabalu

Hotel Sarangnova is a new hotel in Kota Kinabalu. Just walking distance to Hyatt hotel and the water esplanade. It's theme is based on birds found in Borneo. The interior is uniquely designed with a "bird poster" as its focal point.

Had the pleasure of meeting its owner and promised that i'd promote her new hotel.

So, here are pictures of it:

                                            Small receiving area of Hotel Sarangnova.

This is their double room (good for 2pax). I find their room small but we spent the whole day outside so what the heck it's just for sleeping. The room has lcd tv and safe. The door is operated on an electronic card key already. It also has a safe in the room for your valuables.

The bathroom is small too but since everything else is new i cannot complain much. One thing that turned me off was that they don't clean the room everyday unless you tell them so.

Hotel Sarangnova address is 98 Gaya Street Kota Kinabalu.

Their location is the best because it's close to everything. Restaurants, shopping malls , banks. Right accross is a pharmacy where you can buy snacks, toiletries, medicines, bottled water. Right beside the hotel is a famous cafe where tourists and locals merge . Just a stone's throw away is the Jesselton port , jump off for island hopping. You can easily hail a taxi outside the hotel.

Hotel rates are as follows:
TRP - RM 200 (approx $60/rm/nite)
DBL/TWN - RM 170 (approx $52/rm/nite)
SGL - RM 120(approx $37/rm/nite)

Tours of Kota Kinabalu are available through Viaje Royale Travel Services. Pls contact +63(2) 774-78-76 or email viajeroyale@gmail.com or viaje_royale@yahoo.com.ph for inquiries.

Or read my blog on Kota Kinabalu on where to go and what to do in KK.

Windbell Seafood Restaurant Kota Kinabalu

On a hunt for an inexpensive buffet restaurant while on vacation in Kota Kinabalu, i've come accross Winbell Seafood Restaurant from blogs and forums originating from Malaysia and Kota Kinabalu.

Always on the lookout for value for money restaurant abroad, this one perfectly satisfies my taste. Inexpensive, good buffet selection, well lit restaurant, attentive waiters, freshly prepared buffet selection, ample parking, and most importantly tatstes superb. II was impressed that even the owner was the one refilling the buffet table.

The Steamboat Buffet consists of seafood choices such as crabs, shrimp, fish fillet, shellfish among others. There are veggies, sausages, pork, chicken and other noodles too.

First, they ask you what soup would you want. The Tom Yam or the herbal soup. We chose both. Here is what the Steamboat Buffet Dinner looks like.

Just dunk all the fresh seafoods, veggies , pork, chicken, tofu etc into your choice of soup and voila you have a steamboat dinner. The taste of the soup is very refreshing and invigorating (to eat more hahaha) .
They also have a dessert table with fruits and local cakes / delicacies but nothing to rave about.

The cost: RM 25+ (approx $8) per person. If you order tea it's around RM1.00. Cheap and satisfying.

Here's us at the restaurant parking before eating . All hungry but with smiles on our faces.

Time out first to take pictures to send to our friends back home who are green with envy LOL.

Windbell Seafood Restaurant is located at 20 Jalan Selangor Tanjung Aru Kota Kinabalu.

It's 5mins away from the old airport. In fact, it's just at the back of the runway. It's also along the stretch of the Tanjung Aru beach. Just tell your taxi driver and he'd take you there.

Best time to go there is during dinner time so you can capture Tanjung Aru Sunset.

Word of advice: Bring mosquito repellant lotion for mozzies can be very nasty around this area.

And if you plan on going here best to talk to your taxi driver to wait for you because there are no public transpo around the area.

Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin

I looooove this place. Their staff are nice and friendly. They have good breakfast, good food. You get a welcome drink of fresh fruit juice upon arrival what more can you ask for?

See some of pictures we've taken during our stay.

                                            Deluxe rooms  in Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin

                                           Maximum level of Tranquility can be had at this resort

    Packages are available from 2 persons or more. Pls call +63 (02) 774-78-76 (Manila number) for rates and other inquiries.

Tour Package :
3D2N Camiguin Island Tour
Package Inclusions:
1. 2way private van Transfers from CDO airport to Balingoan port v.v.
2. 2way ferry tickets from Balingoan port to Benoni port v.v.
3. 2way port - resort v.v.  transfers
4. 2N resort accomodation (Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin)
5. Daily breakfast
6. Welcome drinks
7. Camiguin Island Tour with Banca hire to white island - all entrance fees included
8. Services of a tour guide/driver

ITINERARY:
DAY 01: Arrive in CDO airport; meet and transfer to Balingoan port
                Arrive in Benoni port; transfer to Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin resort; Check-in
               Afternoon free time for leisure
DAY 02:Breakfast in hotel; prepare for pick-up for early morning trip to White Island
               Then proceed to tour Camiguin Island - visit Sunken Cemetery, Guiob Church Ruins, Katibawasan Falls, Ardent Hot Springs, Sto Nino cold springs etc
              Afternoon may be spent for Pasalubong shopping
DAY 03: Breakfast in hotel; free time for leisure until pick-up for transfer to Benoni Port for ferry back to CDO Balingoan Port
                Upon arrival at Balingoan port you will then be transferred to CDO airport for your flight back to MNL.

**Transfer timings are based on airport arrival and departure.
**Other services and meals not mentioned are not included in the package.

CAMIGUIN

Since i've posted  some pictures and advertised tour packages going to Camiguin, a lot of people have inquired about it. So i'm posting this blog to provide some pertinent details on the Lovely Camiguin Island.

First of all, there is no airport in the island. It's best described as a pear shaped volcanic island lying in the Bohol sea some 54kms south east of Chocolate Hills and some 90kms north of Cagayan de Oro Airport, 120kms southeast of Mactan Int'l Airport and 10kms north of Misamis Oriental.

The only way to get to the island is through ferry transfer from Cagayan De Oro or Bohol.

If you are coming from Bohol, you must depart from Jagna (town in Bohol 1.5 - 2hrs ride from Tagbilaran) and ride Paras Sea Cat or Super Shuttle Ferry. Ferry ticket cost is P 400 per way per person.

Now if you're airplane ticket brings you to Cagayan de Oro, there are 2 ways to get to Camiguin. One way is to travel all the way to Balingoan Port (2hrs away from CDO) or better option is ride the Paras Sea Cat in CDO port.

Here are the schedules for Paras Sea Cat :

# Daily

    * Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin Island --> 8:30 AM
    * Camiguin Island to Cagayan de Oro --> 4:00 PM


# Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday

    * Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin Island --> 8:30 AM
    * Camiguin Island to Bohol, Jagna --> 11:00 AM
    * Bohol, Jagna to Camiguin Island --> 1:30 PM
    * Camiguin Island to Cagayan de Oro --> 4:00 PM
Ferry Tickets as i've mentioned is P 400/way each person.

Balingoan Port has more schedules in one day. It's up to you to find the most convenient and fastest and cheapest way to get to the island.

But whatever it takes, you will be rewarded . Camiguin is such a beautiful place with serene sorroundings, air unpolluted, timid people, nature at its best.

Every October a grand festival of Lanzones are held anda grand parade of the golden fruit id found prolific in the entire province.

Another festival not to miss is the PANAAD. It's an annual Holy Thursday and Good Friday activity. This is a gathering of different civic clubs in Camiguin and nearby regions for a yearly devotion to spend the Holy Week trekking to Mt Vulcan as an expression of patience and spiritual enrichment.

                             I got this map during one of my visits to Bahay Bakasyunan sa Camiguin. They were using it as a placemat . How ingenious. This helped us plan the day (eventhough we had our tour guide).

First thing on our agenda was to go to White Island. It's a strip of white sand bar some 10 mins by banca from the town of Yumbing or Agoho. I recommend that you start your day very very early to avoid raging heat of the sun. Make sure that you've finished your morning rituals for there are no toilet facilities in White Island.

There are no restaurants or day bed or sari sari store whatsoever. So bring your essentials.

After draining the space of our memory cards we headed off to SUNKEN CEMETERY to take pictures again? (btw we brought 4pcs of 4GB SD, 2 state of the art SLR and 1 Digital camera.) Then again to GUIOB CHURCH RUINS.

The ruins was the aftermath of MT VULCAN holocaust in 1871.

We wanted to go further to TUASAN FALLS but time does not permit us. And the road on the way to the falls was heavily draped with rocks from the mountains due to landslide.

We then proceeded to KATIBAWASAN FALLS (which is quite near to Mambajao) and then ARDENT HOT SPRINGS . Really enjoyed here. Water temp is about 40C , nice and relaxing .

One signage caught our attention while bathing in hot mineral water:

How about Indecent Proposals? LOL

Too bad we weren't able to visit MANTIGUE ISLAND but i heard it's more of a diver's destination.

Overall , we had fun. The place momentarily provided us peace of mind and total relaxation.

We're off to ANDA BOHOL. See you!!