MALAYSIA: Review of Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort, Kota Kinabalu

orang-utan at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

In a nutshell 

Set amidst a nature reserve and surrounded by 400 acres of tropical forest, rooms are perched on a verdant hill with stunning beachfront views, overlooking the exclusive 3km stretch of sand and the South China Sea. This it the place for both nature lovers and relaxation seekers.

Where is it?

Borneo is an island, the third-largest in the world and the largest in Asia. Half of it is Indonesia, the other half of it is Malaysia, and it's also home to that funny little nugget of sovereign state governed by a sultan that is Brunei, which I always thought was somewhere in the Middle East.

Kota Kinabalu is in an area of the island called Sabah, Malaysia's eastern most state. Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort is set on a secluded stretch of beach thirty minutes north of Kota Kinabalu city, called Pantai Dalit. It's a 45 minute drive from Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

Ocean Wing room at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Style and character

Huge Ocean Wing room balcony at Shangri-La's 
Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Rooms at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort are either in the Garden Wing, or the Ocean Wing where we stayed. All 173 plush rooms of this wing face the sunny wind-swept seashore, and they are huge. 

Think 90 square metres and an enormous private balcony with its own oversized outdoor bathtub, plus a large daybed. Just in case you're short of places to relax.

The brand new grand lobby was designed as a functional space, punctuated with tropical and marine accents.

Special privileges of staying in this wing include an exclusive breakfast dining venue, and a swimming pool and jacuzzi dedicated solely to Ocean Wing guests.

Borneo felt like one extended highlight. I loved everything about it - the wildlife, the stunning scenery, the exoticness of it all. And a lot of that was down to staying at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort, their unrivalled location, and the host of activities and trips they have available.

Here's a video of me tackling their climbing wall. This was so very difficult in the unrelenting heat and 100% humidity. On my first attempt I lost my grip just before the top. This was my second go - have a watch to see if I make it to the red buzzer..

If you can tear yourself away from the beach or pool, there are a load of things to participate in that make the most of the exquisite natural environment you're slap back in the middle of, such as canopy walks, bird watching, guided jungle trails, and nocturnal wildlife viewing.

There was a fantastic cruise along the Tambalang River and its narrow mangrove creeks at sunset, where we spotted long-tailed macaques, flying fish, a crocodile and an awesome view (see video below). We then took the firefly cruise straight after and visited the same waterways, this time in the pitch black. 

The skies were clear, with the dark shadows of the mangroves twinkling like hundreds of fairy lights, mimicking the constellations above. They were full of glowing fireflies, as if the stars had fallen from the sky and got caught in the trees.

I've never seen anything like it, like something out of a film. Magical is definitely the word.

We also took part in more physical stuff, all available within the (huge) grounds of the property and its shore front, such as wall climbing, horse riding along the beach, archery and parasailing. It was truly a splendid couple of days.

lots of activities at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

What's unique?

In a word, orang-utans. 

Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort have secured part of the Borneo rainforest as a 64 acre nature reserve, established in collaboration with the State Wildlife Department, which backs onto the hotel. Its mission is to facilitate rehabilitation programmes for endangered species of faunas endemic to Sabah. 

In it, there is a huge array of wildlife, including a load of long-tailed macaques, and four juvenile orphaned orang-utans. These orang-utans live freely but are protected and looked after by the reserve, which includes feeding.

We stood in the 100% humidity of the jungle absolutely drenched in sweat, the keeper calling out into the trees for a while, armed with a bin full of fresh fruit. After a few minutes, the high-up branches in the far distance started to rustle and sway, and from the tangle of dense treetop vegetation, this little guy emerged. 

 

He was swinging through the trees, from one arm to the other, like something out of The Jungle Book, then came right up close to check us out. One of his mates wasn't far behind. 

Sitting cross-legged on the floor as a kid watching David Attenborough documentaries, I would dream of witnessing orang-utans living freely in their natural habitat. Living out that dream was a special thing for me.

Now here are a couple more pictures of these cuties. Because there can never be too many snaps of baby orang-utans.

orang-utan at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

orang-utan at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Who goes?

The main groups of clientèle at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort are from Austalia, UK and Korea. Expect families with kids, but the place is so huge you barely notice them. Plus, there's plenty to keep the younger ones occupied, including a kids club and activities called 'I'm a teenager, get me out of here'.

The Ocean Wing facilities are a little more relaxed and subdued than the Garden Wing, without being snooty towards children.

Breakfast

Recognising their diverse client base, breakfast at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort is an international offering. Much of the food is presented in the cast iron pots they're cooked in, making it feel more like someone's kitchen, and it's a lively atmosphere.

Expect the usual spread of hot and cold goods, as well as exotic touches like coconut jam. And there's an egg station, crepe station, and noodle station making them to order.

breakfast and day time dining at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Dining 

Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort has six restaurants and two bars to cater for the guests in the 499 rooms. Tepi Laut is a great shout for when you feel you might need a break from the pool or beach - hard work. It's an al fresco space made up of different stalls, intending to capture the nostalgia of the country's street food heritage. 

During the day expect both Asian and western snacks and things to pick at in general, and on some evenings, the staff perform a traditional Sabah dance while you enjoy your dinner.

The Italian fare at Oceano is an exceedingly welcome relief when you've been in Asia for three months. Olive oil! Expect well-executed dishes like beef tortellini with crispy bresaola, milky burrata, carpaccio, and tiramisu.

Teppanyaki restaurant Kozan delivers on both fine food and fun theatre. We had scallops from Hokkaido, roe, a gorgeous bit of Australian wagyu striploin, hibachi king prawns and vegetables, and plenty of sake. 

The chefs clearly revel in the showmanship of their craft - expect them to throw around their tools and write words on the grill in egg white after flipping one from the surface, onto the edge of a metal spatula. They invited my parter to give it a go too, great fun.

dinner at Oceano and Kozan at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Service

Every night, the staff come and fill up that enormous balcony tub, adding various fragrant potions and flower petals. You can even choose a fragrance for the whole room, selecting from an aromatherapy menu.

On the beach you're given sandfly cream (we didn't need it), brought iced water, and the beds are gloriously very far apart.

The staff here are the kind that get to know your names after a few days, and by the end of your stay it feels like you're leaving a small family-run hotel. We saw a group of restaurant staff pulling out all the stops for a happy birthday sing-song complete with guitar, and the staff hold their hand to their heart every time they walk past you and say hello.

Liked lots / liked less

Liked lots - I absolutely loved this hotel; it might have been my favourite during my whole eight months travelling. It's where genuine hospitality, fantastic amenities and activities, and what was key for me - Borneo's sensational wildlife - all meet. 

If you're a fan of nature, there's some sort of critter around every corner. From the resident hornbill that calls the grounds home, to the petting zoo with free-roaming roosters, deer and goats, to the bats that fly around in the evenings, to the owls that roost in the open-plan lobby. I mean, how freaking cool is that - owls in the lobby. There was even a sparrow's nest directly outside our room. I was really in my element.

Also, the wifi reaches the beach. Big brownie points.

Liked less - No brown sauce at breakfast. I got over that pretty quickly. 

Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Nature Reserve in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Price point

Prices from £150 for a deluxe double to £230 for a premier double, including breakfast.

Contact

Pantai Dalit, Tuaran, 89208 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
+60 88 797 888
Website

Note: I stayed as a guest of this hotel as part of a media package. All views remain my own.

Related links

Week 20: MALAYSIA - Penang → Borneo
MALAYSIA: Review of the Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang
MALAYSIA: Review of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

MALAYSIA: Review of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

the infinity pool with a view of the Andaman Sea at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia
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In a nutshell 

For well over a century, this hotel has been regarded as one of the Far East’s most prestigious and historic, known simply as `The E&O' to generations of travellers, standing as a testament to the grand elegance of the British colonial era.

Where is it?

You'll find it in George Town in Penang - declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 - at the intersection of Farquhar Street and Penang Road. The Eastern & Oriental Hotel is 20km from Penang International Airport, and a leisurely saunter from all the eateries and entertainment outlets of downtown George Town.

Studio Suite in the Victory Annexe at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia

grounds at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia
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Style and character

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel is split into two main sections. Making up its historical heart is The Heritage Wing, built in 1885. It's heavy with storied old-world charm, Moorish minarets and a soaring echo-dome lobby. Doormen are clad in khaki and pith-helmeted bellhops, ready to welcome guests to its 100 plush suites. 

Then in 2013, the Victory Annexe opened its doors to patrons, playing host to the other, modern-classic half of the hotel. The addition boasts 119 Studio Suites (pictured, and what I stayed in) and ten Corner Suites. The sophisticated and graceful elegance of the interiors very cleverly manage to retain the essence of the hotel's rich heritage and identity, whilst offering the state-of-the-art conveniences a business traveller would expect. The Studio Suites have balconies with cornered sliding doors that when fully open, bring the whole of the outside, in. It feels like a villa on the beach.

I visited the hotel's infinity pool as the sun was calling it a day, the light playing with the surface of the water so well, it was difficult to determine where the pool ended and where the Andaman Sea began. Such a pleasure to photograph.

What's unique?

In its long and colourful history, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel has seen two World Wars, the wane of the British Empire, as well as the birth of Malaysia. And there aren't many properties that can claim that.

grounds at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia

Who goes?

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel has welcomed the glitterati of the literary and entertainment worlds, including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Hermann Hesse. 

Rudyard Kipling would always request the same room in the hotel on his frequent visits, and that room has since been named the Rudyard Kipling room. You can request to stay in it if you want; and how cool would that be. I wonder if he did any writing there..

I also recall watching esteemed British chef Rick Stein stay during his TV series Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey (excellent, by the way), particularly revelling at the local dishes on offer at breakfast. Watching that episode made me realise I had to stay in this hotel.

In terms of guests without fame, most of the clientèle are from Australia, America, the UK, Japan, and a quickly growing Korean market. I was told the Japanese like to stay in The Heritage Wing as they prefer the smell of old wood to new, apparently.

Breakfast

Served in the bright and airy all-day dining restaurant Sarkies - one of the six drink and dining options available within the property - and recognising their diverse client base, breakfast at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel is an international offering.

Expect the likes of sushi, pastrami, sliced turkey ham, cereals, French cheeses and crackers, salad, breads and pastries. There's bread and butter pudding, oats, miso, baked beans, hash browns, chicken sausage, tomatoes.

There's also roti canai, dhal curry, an egg station making them to order, noodles, congee with all the toppings including century egg. There was a fantastic coconut Indian crepe with crisp edges and a soft spongy middle, and a whole lot more.

The atmosphere was very relaxed - not at all hectic as is so often the case at breakfast in hotels - with the space being about half full at 9.30am.

breakfast at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia

Service

All the staff members were wonderful, and service was of the highest order, as you would expect from such an esteemed hotel name.

Liked lots / liked less

Liked lots - The balcony of our Studio Suite did it for me. It's not easy to make a room in Asia feel cool and airy with the doors open to the outside, and the AC turned off. But this place manages it. Also, the roll top bath and all that marble was glorious.

Liked less - Struggling to think of something to be honest.

grounds at The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia

Price point

Prices from £115 for a Studio Suite to £210 for the Writer's Suite, including breakfast.

Contact

10 Farquhar Street, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Malaysia
+60 4 888 8888
www.eohotels.com

Note: I stayed as a guest of this hotel as part of a media package. All views remain my own.

Related links

Week 20: MALAYSIA - Penang → Borneo

MALAYSIA: Review of the Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

MALAYSIA: Review of the Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

dreamy grounds at Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

In a nutshell 

A luxury beachfront property set in a sprawling 30 acres of lush gardens and framed by very majestic, century-old rain trees.

Where is it?

Set at the end of Batu Ferringhi beach, the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa is a 20 minute drive from George Town (the part of Penang most visitors head to) and 45 minutes from Penang International Airport.

Getting a taxi from the airport to the hotel costs about USD $20.

our bedroom at Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

Style and character

The most striking thing about the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa is the verdant and quite gorgeous gardens it's set in, boasting an impressive 133,000 varieties of plants, trees, and shrubs. It's basically its own little jungle, and one of the hotel activities available is in fact a 'jungle walk', to learn more about this flora and fauna. The grounds itself is dotted with sun loungers and hammocks facing out to sea, with a backgrop of mist-covered hills behind.

The building architecture is distinctive Minangkabau (an ethnic group indigenous to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra in Indonesia), and there are endless artefacts of Malaysian culture within, such as artfully arranged traditional jewellery, batik-printing moulds, and coral sculptures. 

One of the two pools is for exclusive use of Rasa Wing guests over 16 years old, and there's the beautifully secluded CHI, The Spa with its eleven private spa villas and a yoga pavilion, plus a nine-hole pitch and putt golf course.

What's unique?

The Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa has adopted Penang Shan Children’s Home Association as its EMBRACE beneficiary. It's a welfare organisation that accepts children from troubled families, which mainly only have a single-parent with financial or physical challenges.

Also, the CHI spa is the largest and most luxuriously kitted out in Penang. Fancy.

leafy grounds at Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

Who goes?

Some of the world’s most recognisable names have holidayed at the Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, including celebrity author Barbara Cartland and the former King of Cambodia. We were also told an elderly German lady has spent seven months there every year, since the 1970's. How's that for a regular customer.

They had the red carpet out during out stay (not for us, alas), for the son of the Sultan of Brunei. The Sultan himself was staying at The E&O hotel. There's also a hut in the ground with old pictures of guests from days gone by, including Tony Blair and his whole brood.

Expect to see a lot of families and kids by the pool (it's great the Rasa Wing pool is for adults only) - I suspect many people don't leave much once they're in, hence the infrequent shittle bus service (see below).

Breakfast

This is the first hotel I've come across that put vacant / occupied signs on the tables at breakfast. Which makes total sense - why doesn't everyone do that?! They also list everything that's available at the buffet, on your table. Which saves from wondering around aimlessly, trying to make a decision on where to start first.

An a la carte option is available too, and it's all included. Expected the likes of an egg station cooking them however you want, a juice bar, lots of lovely Asian fruit, cold cuts and a salad bar, as well as the full bread and pastry works. 

Then there are things like sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, beef bacon (don't expect much pork in Malaysia), wok-fried vegetables, steamed and fried dim sum, congee, steamed rice, miso, pan-fried fish, nasi lemak, and rotis.

There's also a 'local' section which is great for those in this part of the world for the food: Penang Hokkien prawn noodle soup, chicken murtabak, roti canai, uttapam, dalca, aloo gohbi. Be sure to try some of those.

breakfast at Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang

Service

Rasa Sayang takes its name from an old Malay folk song that means ‘a feeling of love’, which is pretty much what you experience staying there. I received a very warm welcome from Veronica, even if check-in was a little congested. Staff in general are exceedingly friendly, striking up conversation whilst you wait for your food at breakfast, and entirely approachable.

A shuttle bus is available to take guests into George Town, although it only leaves every two hours and the last bus isn't quite late enough.

I also noticed a lot of 'we value your voice, please share your experience with us' with a QR barcode to make it simple. A hotel so eager to get your feedback is always a good sign.

Liked lots / liked less

Grounds, grounds, grounds. I wish I'd had longer to kick back and enjoy the lush surroundings, but I spent much of my time there eating my way through George Town. Understandable.

The wifi was intermittent and quite slow when it did work. We were told the sports bar wasn't showing a big international boxing match, only to find out it did in the end. So my partner missed that, which he really wanted to watch. But no biggie.

Price point

Prices from £160 for a deluxe double with garden view to £270 for a Rasa premier double room, including breakfast.

Contact

Batu Feringgi Beach, Penang, 11100
+60 4 888 8888
Website
@ShangriLaHotels

Note: I stayed as a guest of this hotel as part of a media package. All views remain my own.

Related links

Week 20: MALAYSIA - Penang → Borneo
MALAYSIA: Review of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang