Last days in Malaysia

View of the pool at Sabah Hotel in Sandakan

After our time in the jungle (or rather, quite civilised accommodation in the jungle!), we headed to Sabah Hotel in Sandakan for a bit of pampering. This hotel was a much nicer experience than the Swiss Inn, maybe because it was a little way out of town, surrounded by even more jungle! We had ourselves a massage, which worked wonders on the tight shoulders – we really MUST indulge in these more often at home! We had a swim, a cocktail, snacks and a read…all by the pool. The room was large (junior suite – online last minute deal), and comfortable with a gigantic marble bathroom. Definitely a change from the non-airconditioned jungle lodge room! We had a restful night and were well-prepared for a day of travel the next day, cause it wasn’t going to be pretty!

Sabah Hotel Lobby

There were no delays with our morning flight, in fact, it was early, but that just meant we had a full 6 hours waiting at Kota Kinabalu airport. At least we got some blogging done, and managed to use the rest of our Malaysian ringgit on snacks! It really was a full day of bumming around on planes and in airports, and we didn’t arrive at the Crowne Plaza (Changi Airport) until about 6pm. This was one of the nicest and well-designed hotels we have stayed at. It really was a perfect stopover hotel for business travellers, or those with limited times between flights (our morning flight was 9:40am the next day). We had managed another wonderful internet deal with this room, too (30% off), and we got 25% off food and beverages. So the buffet – the most magnificent we had EVER seen – and the wine and nightcaps were amazingly cheap (remembering that at this point we were in the more expensive Singapore, not Malaysia!). It was the perfect way to end the trip, in more ways than one – we ate so much that night, we didn’t need breakfast the next morning!

Our room at the Crowne Plaza, Changi Airport

The terminals from the Crowne Plaza

When we got to the check in desk we had to wait in line for just the right amount of time for us to go, “stuff it,” and pay for an upgrade to premiere economy. It was worth every cent! We got the extra leg room, the wider seats, the better food, the champagne on boarding. Excellent! AND…Nic’s butt didn’t hurt AT ALL during the 8 hour flight. Definite winner!!

 

 

About bontaks

Nic is the the 'Bon' part of 'Bontaks.' Together we are Nic and John - two travel-addicted teachers who enjoy every opportunity to go places, meet people and experience life.

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