*Be warned! VERY photo-heavy post ahead - but completely worth it!
Sabah is well-known for its
beautiful islands and
beaches, with quite a few
easy-to-reach getaway spots just a
20 minute speedboat-ride away. One of the
less-discovered but I would say most
untouched beauties, is the
Bunga Raya Resort on
Gayana Island (Pulau Gaya).
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As soon as you get off the boat you are greeted with such beauty~ |
I was invited for a first-look at their recent day trip package with other bloggers and I have to say, it felt like I was looking at a totally different environment than the norm!
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The group all ready for the ride! |
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Yes, I was excited! |
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Huge sunnies! |
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Arent we fahhbulous darling? |
Lush
virgin jungle framed by the
white sandy beach and
clear blue water, this secluded island hideaway offers
48 timbered villas ranging from 1-bedroom jungle or ocean views to the private 2-bedroom Royal Villa with a designated butler, chef and housekeeper, and even a private beach!
Upon arrival, after all the ooh-ing and aah-ing at the
breathtaking view, we were given a short brief and ushered into the lobby.
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I swear these cold towels were like heaven on the face - it was so hot that day! |
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Charlotte getting her complimentary orange fizz! |
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How can you not fall in love with this view?! |
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Even the leaves are in love! |
We were all given media packs so we can tell you lovely readers more!
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The little black thing right by name (yes, I am purposely showing you my name. Deal with it. ;p) is a cute pendrive! |
And then it was off into the
buggies we go as we were taken for a
tour of the resort!
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Eric completely fascinated by the namesake of the resort - the hibiscus! |
Which brings me to my next point:
Bunga Raya actually means
Hibiscus Flower in Malay, and the resort is named after the hibiscus because there are over
40 species of hibiscus growing around the vicinity!
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Preoccupied while being driven around like a queen. |
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"Oh you have your camera pointed at me, Tom?" ;p |
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We dropped by the spa but didnt get to see inside as it was fully occupied. |
Next up was the
wine cellar!
The Koi Restaurant was one of the few places you can eat at
Bunga Raya, with another one being the Pantai Grill, which I'll show you a bit later.
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Love the fact that they have a cultural spot to enjoy your meal - by sitting on the floor like traditional Malays! =) |
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Thanks to the amazing zoom on my Samsung Galaxy Camera, I got to capture 2 hornbills way high up in the trees! =D |
At the
Pantai Grill, we had the chance to sit down and chat to
Mr Tomas Anderson, the General Manager of the resort over a
super delicious lunch prepared specially for us!
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Our table |
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As Bunga Raya is also an eco resort, they are very much into reusing nature - like our leaf menu! |
The food was way beyond yummy; my fave had to have been the
lamb shank - so tender!
And the dessert - oh my! Melt-in-your-mouth, creamy
peppermint panacota was to die for!
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Clockwise L-R: Lemon Water, Pink Guava and Orange Juice, Tiger Garoupa, Beef and Chicken Satay, Peppermint Panacota, Lamb Shank, Mix Garden Salad, Tuna Club Sandwiches |
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Their pizzas are baked in this Greek-inspired dome charcoal oven - a couple of minutes is all it takes for the pizza to be done! |
We then visited one of the
villas to see what kind of
luxury guests were to expect when they stay overnight. Unfortunately, the
Royal villa was under maintenance so we didnt have the chance to see what the rich and famous get (for a whopping
RM18,000 a night no less!), but the smaller one bedroom suite was no less
tempting!
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The villa, personal pool, bedroom, ceiling details! |
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The Bathroom! |
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The Songket is a gift for the guests, and Bunga Raya has their name printed on almost everything! |
Before we left around 3pm, we also got to have some
fun in the sun as
snorkelling and
kayaking is also provided. Most of us decided to go kayaking first, and all only made one lap before screaming our arms were tired, then grabbing snorkelling gear! One of the resort guys offered to take us to see the
Giant Clams, which
Bunga Raya Resort, the
Marine Ecology Research Center,
Gayana Eco Resort and
Le Meridien joined efforts to save and protect.
One of the best parts about
Bunga Raya is that the
water is so
clear, you can swim out with just
snorkelling gear and still
clearly see these
Giant Clams on the
sea bed!The water wasnt shallow as none of us could touch the bottom, so you can imagine the clarity! It was so
beautiful!
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Tom and Eric getting ready to go kayaking |
Unfortunately, no one could take pictures of us while we were doing these activities, but here is a photo of a giant clam. ;p
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Photo credits to www.frogandprincess.wordpress.com |
And that was it! After the most tiring swim ever (I dont swim very well, lol) back to shore, we just had to change then hop on to our boat back to the city! We were lucky enough to catch the wondrous
Mount Kinabalu in all her glory on the way back though!
If you're interested to go for a
day trip to
Bunga Raya Resort and Spa, details are as below:
For bookings or more info, you can also
Visit www.bungarayaresort.com
Email reservations@bungarayaresort.com or
Call +6088-271000 / 380390
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Group Photo with Mr Anderson!
L-R: Beverly, Vivian, Matthew, Chloe, Charlotte, Meitzeu, Eric, Tomas, Tom, me!, Margaret, Sherrie, Nadia and Diana! |
Til the next escape,
xxxxx
**Photo credits as per watermarks! =)
the water so clean! really worth going!
ReplyDeleteYeah it's so different from the usual islands in KK, definitely recommended! =D
Deletelooking fabulous girl! I wanna do some snorkeling when im back in sabah!
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you dah-ling! ;p Let's go diving next time you're in town! =)
DeleteHey! I know this is kinda off topic however , I'd figured I'd ask.
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