Kota Kinabalu 12-14 June 2009

I was in Kota Kinabalu from 12 June to 14 June 2009. It has been awhile since I travel with my parents. If I am not mistaken and can remember well, my last holiday with my parents was in 1994 or 1995 in KK too..hehehe

A week before our trip, I have made a booking for 2 rooms at Courtyard Hotel which is located at 1Borneo. The main intention to KK is to visit 1Borneo which Bruneian talk about these days. All this story about 1Borneo really makes me really tempted to step my foot there. I actually do not mind sharing a room with my parents but the main reason why I decide to get my own room is because of my dad’s snoring! It’s unbelievable! Hehehe….

We left home around 5am on 12 June 2009. We were a bit worried that there might be a long queue at Kuala Lurah post because of school holiday! To our surprise, we hardly see any car queuing there. That makes our journey really smooth beside following few heavy vehicles along the road to KK.

We got in to KK around 2pm. We checked-in and make our way to the hotel. My room was 348 and parents’ room was 350.

Finding the rooms was a nightmare. There isn’t any proper signage to the room. We made a few wrong turn and eventually found our room. To start the power in my room, I need to slot the card key into the power slot. DOESN’T WORK! Called the reception and got the card replaced. Put my things in the room and then went to my parents room. As I enter my parents’ room, the first thing I asked them was “DID YOU GUYS JUST FINISH USING THE TOILET??!..IT STINKS!!” Parents say they didn’t. So I called the reception and request them to clean the toilet again!
We wander around 1Borneo and YES it is a big mall! Lots of branded shops. It’s not the shop that I will go for though. Branded stuffs don’t do anything for me. Prefer nice and cheap shirt or jeans. Took few photos and videos. After wandering around for an hour, I found that, there isn’t anything special about it. It’s just like any other Mall. I think Gadong Mall is way better than them despite the size of course. We spend 3 hours at the Mall and later head back to our room.

Went in to my parents room and it still stinks!! It must be their drainage that causes it..YUCK! My parents were later moved to another room. Smell ok but the air-con wasn’t working! Call the technician and got it fixed.

We went to a seafood restaurant called Gaya Seafood Restaurant at Inanam. Parents ordered fish, crab, lobster, vegetables and rice. The food are reasonably good and it cost us RM253!

After finsih our dinner, we head back to the hotel and had a good rest. Of all the hotel that I have stayed before, somehow this hotel makes me sleep very well throughout the night without waking up in the middle of the night....until dad woke me up by calling my room's phone! The bed was really good and they provide two type of pillow. One pillow is rather hard and the other one is soft. Just perfect for me.

Breakfast was ok. Love the porridge and salted eggs. Yummmyyyy...

After breakfast, we headed off to a car workshop cos my dad need to purchase the hose for his Pajero. Got the stuffs and then we went to Centrepoint. There we split and agreed to meet at the ground floor in 3 hours time. Manage to get few cloths, telephone accessories and Liver Oil (gulp).

Later at 4pm, we went to Penampang where my dad’s old friend stays. It’s one of those thing that they do when they go to KK. I thought they are going to stay there for few hours and who knows it turn out to be a long chit chat session! We stayed till 11pm! There goes my Fish Spa which I intended to do at 1Borneo!

When we got back to the hotel, I called up the Bellboy to send my dad to the parking lot. Been doing that since we arrived there on 12 June. As I got in to my room, my dad called on my mobile phone to tell me that the lift going to the hotel is not working. So I called up the reception to assist my dad. This is how our conversation sounds like with the Male Receptionist:

Me: Hi. My dad is on the 2^d Floor parking area where your bellboy sends him and now the lift is not working. Can you ask someone to assist my dad and bring him down?”

Reception: Oh! That lift not under our management lah!!

Me: Ah huh?! So can you get someone to assist my dad down cos he is there alone and don’t know how to get down!”

Reception: So what you want me to do? You tell me lah!

Me: Are you asking me a question??!! I suppose to ask you that question!! (Pissed off)

Reception: I will pass you to the Bellboy!

I talked to the bellboy and he explains how to go the 2nd floor parking. I was so disappointed with them. Don’t they care about their guest safety?! I went down and then try to find my way to the 2^nd floor parking area. Later dad called and says he is in the room already. So I told him what happen and he just listens. Later I found out that dad went to the reception and scold the hell out at the receptionist!

Just before we check out on 14 June 2009, I made the same complaint and told them our disappointment. At that time as well, my dad’s Bruneian friend who stayed there came to the counter with an unpleasant voice! He was pointing to his 6 month old Honda which was dent from back to the passenger seat! The reception called the bellboy who drove the car the night before and he deny it! The commotion continues and we left and head back to Brunei.

To summarise my trip, I enjoyed my trip to KK but my advice to those who wants to stay at Courtyard Hotel, please consider before making up your mind up!

Below are some of the photos that I took during the trip: