Kota Kinabalu in July

Has anyone been to Kota Kinabalu in July? What's the weather like and what to do with small children?


Did you stay in the resort or are there any other activities?


Thanks for your input!

Hi Yogini, not sure what the weather's like in July - we stayed at one of the shangrila resorsts in May - they are both similar but one is near the town and one is more remote.


They are great for kids. Ours was only 3 months old at the time bt loved the water and the kids pool has a shade over it. For older kids there's a kids club with lots of activities too. If you want to get out and about the close to town one (tangjung Aru) has easy access to islands and beaches. Also great baby sitting services so you cna manage a night out.


We'll definitely be going back when bubs is older.

We stayed at the Shangrila Rasa Ria (the one far away from the airport) and we were extremely happy with it. It's a great place with small kids.

I've heard some people complaining about sand flies though but we never had any problem.

As for the weather, I can't tell you as we went in November and it was good and not too hot.

Not sure what the weather is like in July, but here is what I posted after my trip to KK in May:


Just got back from KK -- it was a little quiet for us (just me and my husband, albeit with a little one on the way!) but would be a great short-stay destination for a family with kids. We stayed two nights each at the two Shangri-la properties.


The Tanjung Aru has a huge kids club and recreation area and every day, they run a packed schedule of activities for the kids like jewelry-making or the tree planting. They even have playstations in the rec room, which my husband kept threatening to hijack. From Tanjung Aru, it is also easy to get out to the outlying islands where there are beaches and excellent snorkeling. You can hire banana boats and jet skis and go parasailing. There are activities like morning yoga and evening tai chi that is suitable for the whole family.


The Rasa Ria is supposed to be the better property, but I didn’t think so. It seemed more rundown than the Tanjung Aru. There isn’t so much of a focus on kids here, but the on-site rainforest makes up for it I suppose. There are all sorts of trails and tours (orangutan visits, nature walks plus a ‘honeymoon trail’ that includes a ride on a raft through a lagoon). There isn’t much else to do here though, unless you count the waterslide in the pool or the dilapidated ‘games corner’ (pool tables, ping pong tables, mahjong tables). One recommendation for the adults – the foot reflexology on the beach is the best one I have had outside Hong Kong!


We really didn’t find much to do outside the resorts. I suppose if I weren’t 6 months pregnant we would have climbed the mountain, which looks spectacular in the background. Might be a good thing to do if your family is active and adventurous. The trek takes two days and I’ve heard that it is not excessively challenging.

KK is great for an older kids holiday - we went white water rafting, snorkelling, (out on the islands) parasailing, kayaking, steam train ride, banana boating, horseriding,saw the orangutangs, stuffed our faces each night for $100HKD (there were 6 of us!)the museum is excellent (and cool. Certainly plan to go back and go north to see the turtles and Mt Kinabalu.


We stayed at the Seaside Travellers resort south of the airport - not ritzy, doesn't have a kids club but is quiet, is a 20 minute bus ride to town, is very cheap and clean with lovely gardens and a pool.


Why not look up a weather site to check the weather.

Dear Mummybee, Thank you so much for your comments. I am really looking forward to it now!!