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.

Situated near the Seafood-Market and also happens to close to one of the oldest cinemas in Kota Kinabalu City. The night market and the Fillipino handicraft market are also close by. Seafood and other variety of food stalls. It’s more like a culmination of seafood restaurants, restaurants and food stalls all under one roof (a.k.a ‘Sri Selera’) And its only right outside of the hotel. Taxi service is just right outside the hotel and a shopping mall (Center Point) is only 3-5 minutes away, just be careful crossing the high way though.

This area is a hot spot for tourists wanting to find places to visit in the city at night and the City Hall and the police have made sure it’s safe for everyone frequenting the area.

The hotel rooms has a price range of MYR 75.00 [USD 23] – MYR 95.00 [USD 30]. I checked in the Standard-Double for RM 85.00. Inside you see your basics. T.V. (not cable/satellite), dressing, one chair. Air conditioning took awhile though; maybe they haven’t replaced/cleaned the filters. If you stayed on the 2nd floor onwards and the room is not facing the seafood restaurants’ area; you’d probably won’t see anything. This is due to the fact that there is a wide roofing installed for the comfort and to shelter to visitors going to the ‘Sri Selera’ open air food stalls.

The room might feel a bit cramped. The bed being a bit too close to the dresser. Nothing seems out of the ordinary as the furnishing goes except, the bed was positioned where both edges are sticking to the edges of two walls. Not much of a hassle except if you wanted to go to the bathroom, walking around almost the entirety of the bed just to get there. Blankets are a bit rough, though clean as they are. Despite being close to the restaurants and it having cultural dances and/or shows at night, it’s not that noisy to catch some sleep if you want to doze off early. Maybe the roofing helps to somehow filter the noise?
In the bathroom I find myself staring at one of the biggest-odd-looking sinks I’ve ever laid my eyes on. At least it was spotless-clean and it didn’t stink of anything resembling a recently deceased roach and/or rodent.

It’s a good place to stay if there are no available rooms among the other hotels/budget stays available and there are quite a few around the area. As for ‘bang for your buck’ it’s essentially quite worth it and if you like staying near a big mall, open air food stalls and night markets and a cinema; there really isn’t much to complain. Just simply being around these places would make you want to stay here.

As is any motels, despite having no internet connectivity and/or other services that sets it apart from the rest. Simply being surrounded with cool places to visit, its 3 out of 5 from us at borneonitez…
Ever been here before people? Do share with us…

Pros

• Safe environment for tourists that enjoys the various night spots located within vicinity.
• Clean and adequetely spaced rooms.
• Located near by cinemas and food outlets.
• Within minutes of walking distance to major city malls and night markets.
• Taxi stand just right outside the motel.

Cons

• There are other budget stays and/or motels close by, unless they are unavailable this place is your next best option.
• Some rooms might have noise levels higher than the rest if you need to doze off early, choose one on a higher floor.
• No Wi-Fi, Mini-bar or IDD calls from telephone in the rooms.