Malaysia and Borneo

We flew with Turkish airlines via Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur. On arrival we were met and transferred to the four-star Traders Hotel which is located in downtown Kuala Lumpur. This hotel has a great central location and a fab rooftop pool and bar which serves drinks and plays funky music into the small hours. After a great night’s sleep, we took a half day walking tour around Kuala Lumpur before having lunch at the beautiful Majestic Hotel. If you are looking for luxury and a quiet colonial feel, this is the perfect choice. Our last stop was the Shangri La hotel. This five-star hotel has a central location and offers guests a shuttle service downtown.

The next day we took a 2.5-hour flight over to Borneo and transferred to the beautiful Shangri La Rasa Ria Resort. This hotel is set on a stunning beach with the rainforest canopy as a backdrop. It offers guests a wealth of facilities including golf, bird watching and even has a 450m zipwire! The hotel has two separate wings - garden or ocean wing. Both have separate pool areas and the ocean wing offers guests a larger room plus an exclusive restaurant, upgraded room amenities, free minibar and afternoon cocktails.

Whilst staying at the Rasa Ria, we visited a cultural centre and learnt about the indigenous people of Borneo. This trip was both inspiring and informative. We saw replicas of their houses and watched demonstrations of cooking and dancing. We also visited the Gaya Island Resort which is reached by a short boat transfer. This five-star retreat offers guests privacy in an eco-friendly exclusive setting. The rooms are all located high up in the rainforest canopy on stilts. The hotel has a small pool and beach and runs its own conservation project.

The following day we visited Kinabalu National Park. Nature lovers will enjoy the Botanical Gardens which has over 1,500 different species of orchid plus many indigenous species. We did a short hike through the jungle and enjoyed a canopy rope walk, overlooking Mount Kinabalu.

Our last night was spent at the Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort. Its location makes it perfect for both business and leisure travellers and the hotel offers many different room combinations to suit all requirements. It also has its own waterpark and kids club. Just off the coast of the hotel are some small islands where guests can enjoy snorkelling and diving, plus jungle walks and ziplining or even an underwater walk along the ocean floor. This hotel has all the amenities you would expect from a resort hotel whilst being only 10 minutes from Kota Kinabalu.

We has an amazing time in Malaysia and I will definitely be returning to this part of the world to visit the orangutans which, due to time restraints, we were not able to visit this time. I have definitely fallen in love with Borneo!