Trip to Sandakan by road

Over the Harvest Festival holiday, we took the opportunity to visit Sandakan by road. Clet was on work assignment and we tagged along. He has been travelling frequently by road to the east coast of Sabah for the past few months but we were unable to go with him, only when it's school holiday that we can arrange some outing(s).

I can't remember when was my first visit to Sandakan, or if I ever been there, need to ask my parents if I ever stepped foot on Sandakan's ground :DDD. It was a long journal of 227km from Kota Kinabalu, the west coast, to Sandakan, at the east coast of Sabah. Half way through our journey, our girls gotten impatient and kept asking whether we have arrived yet. This was the furthest journal they have traveled by road so far.

Sandakan is the 2nd largest city in Sabah, it was given a nickname of City of Nature, Little Hong Kong. After driving around, I realised that the city is bigger than I expected.

The hotels in the city were basically fully booked over the festive holidays, we were just lucky to get a place to stay at Nak Hotel, if not, Clet will have to travel without us tagging along. Our girls will be very disappointed. To make sure the hotel reserved our booking, I called them three times to ascertained to them that we are on our way and will only be checking in by sunset.

The family room is very spacious, with a queen size bed and 2 single beds just right for us. A welcome drinks and breakfast for 4 of us are included in the room rates.

Nak Hotel is a very old hotel, you can find an ancient China washing basin in the wash room

our welcome drinks, icy cold mango flavoured cocktail

As we arrived late in the afternoon, there was nothing much we could see except driving around the city at night.

The next day morning we were served with breakfast in the hotel which we find something different from the normal sausages, baked bean and toasted bread.

Banana pancake

Beef bacon

and scrambled eggs set

After breakfast we went up to the hotel rooftop to have a view of Sulu sea and Sandakan City

Before our departure on the 2nd day, we had our lunch at the famous and most talked about restaurant on stilt at the sea village. The sea food are extremely fresh, when having lunch at the restaurant deck, we can see fresh fishes, prawns and squids sent up by one fisherman after another.


We also took the opportunity to visit the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre on our way out from Sandakan, we were there just in time for the 3.00pm feeding time. It took about 15 minutes past the feeding time for 2 little Orang Utans to appear, at least the orang utans did not let us down. They are very cute, swinging and posing for us to take their photos. Though there are lots of bananas and water melons, these orang utans did not eat much of them, obviously they are not being deprived from food, I believe they are well fed and well taken care of.

Is this orang utan cute??

Just after sunset, we arrived at the Sabah Tea Garden to have a look. We only managed to see their restaurant which is closed for walk in guest at that hour.


Our next stop was at the Nabalu Restaurant at Kundasang, for dinner. They have got nice looking slices of cakes display at the chiller which Crystal has been wanting to buy a piece of the chocolate cheese cake, at a second look, the price is at RM11.80 per slice, extremely overpriced. I told Crystal that we could have 2 slices for that price in KK.


It was a nice short outing. A shoestring trip that was unplanned for.