There are many lodges scattered along the road leading up to the Kundasang valley. This district is well known for being in close proximity with the Kinabalu Park; where the International Climbathon took place. With its different appeal and specialty. One such place the borneonitez.com crew did manage to check out last Saturday was the Zen Garden Resort. This place have changed quite a lot since the last time i was here.
The view of the Mount Kinabalu from this establishment is quite majestic in its own right. Though you can find many places that could lay claim to the same criteria; not many could say the same about the quality of staying here. Being the holiday seasons and weekend; as we arrived there were already 4-5 tour buses all packed with students!
Luckily we managed to check into one of the only available room that night upon arriving after 6pm. It was the ‘Iris Executive room’. Complete with a double bed, T.V (with of course your local channels) your basic coffee/tea facilities and the bathroom.
Now, what I’d normally check out upon arriving into a new room such as this one(because I only ever stayed in their ‘Pine Lodges’ chalets) the bed usually comes first. It was more than satisfactory. Nothing out of the ordinary and definitely nothing that could disturb my sleep at night. Nothing offensive to the olfactory senses or anything else. The same goes for the bathroom which comes with both a shower and bathtub.
Cleanliness of the room is reflected not only from the condition of the bed and bathroom but also the veranda itself. I can’t really complain much about the view(due to the fact that its peak season) though I’m sure the other rooms had better. But then again if you really want view, then you might as well step outside and enjoy it. Though I have to say chillin’ out at the veranda was great. Cool air, no pollution, no cars honking. It was almost blissful.
The ambiance of the whole area was serene and relaxing to say the least. With adequate parking spaces available for all guests. The lodges are all located at the end of the trail. These lodges are where I stayed the last time I was here and it was a perfect place to hold gatherings or outings for large groups of family and/or friends. While the executive and standard rooms are spread out along the road-side leading up to the lodges.
Though it is only recently that a few budget stays and hotels in the Kundasang area have recently implemented some WiFi connections, it would be nice if this resort had any. The road leading to this fine establishment could have been better and it appeared to me they were still in poor condition since the last time I was here. There are so many activities I could think of while staying here surely, being only 10 minutes away from Kundasang town and 15 minutes to get to the Kinabalu Park.
The room rates range between MYR 155.00 for the Standard rooms to the Pine Lodges units consisting of 3-4 rooms per chalet at MYR 520.00 and MYR 630.00 per night. This resort caters to all types of guests for multifarious purposes and we were glad we had time to check it out.
The Pine Lodges
True to its’ name, one could even reach ‘enlightenment’(Zen) here if you try hard enough. All in all, this is the place to be whether you’re just dropping by for a night or with a whole entourage of family and friends. From us here at borneonitez.com, this is a definite 5/5.
Pros
- Adequate parking spaces and reasonably priced rooms & lodges
- Superb condition of rooms/lodges & located within 15-25 minutes nearby tourist hot-spots
Cons
- Condition of road reaching to the resort and leading up to the reception could’ve been much better.