Coral and Coconuts: Beach Hunting and Island Hopping in Kota Kinabalu

Before you even think about island hopping from KK, make sure you check out the divinely deserted Tanjung Aru beach is a long stretch located on the West side of the city. Gorgeously shady park and water which can genuinely be described as hot, Tanjung Aru is a lovely mainland alternative to jumping on a ferry. The downside to this beautifully quiet beach is that there are no food or drink sellers, so make sure you grab some food on the way. You'll want the number 16 bus from Marina Court if you're going local, and the fare is 5RM. If your visit is like mine, you'll only be sharing the beach with crabs and monitor lizards!

U wot m8

If you're determined to leave the mainland, Kota Kinabalu has a group of 5 islands within a 15 minute ferry ride from Jessleton Point, which is 15 mins walk from the Centre Point Mall. First up is the ticket hall, in which 10 desks of tour agencies flog exactly the same tours at exactly the same prices! Some of these touts can get quite aggressive though, so just move along to the next one if you don't like the treatment. This is definitely one of those times where you haggle even though the price is written down. Touts end up adding on all sorts of "marine taxes" which are absolute pocket padders so argue it heartily! A 2 island trip should cost you 30RM at the desk, and then 10RM at the first island as "conservation tax" - if you're hopping, keep hold of the receipt for this one otherwise you'll be paying it at every island! 

I visited Manukan and Manutik islands during my hopping, and enjoyed Manukan so much I went back just to there 3 times! Sapi island has good snorkelling, but gets very busy. Gaya island has pretty much become a stilt village for undocumented workers, and the beaches can become very densely populated! Manutik is very popular with coach tours for snorkelling day trips which was incredibly wearing, especially as the beach is essentially covered in wedding style chairs for them all to receive their buffet lunch and safety briefings. Snorkel hire etc is all available on the islands.

Manutik Island

Manukan is definitely my favourite, with long, wide beaches, huge corals and beautiful fish to be seen in very clear water! There's a large wooded area with restaurants, sports kit hire, coconut stalls, toilets, prayer rooms, and monitor lizards! It also has a play park and swimming pool for youngsters. There are no lockers which is a pain when travelling alone, but the lifeguards were kind enough to watch over my bag as I went snorkelling which was nice. Top tip: when you get into the island, everyone is funnelled to the beach on the right hand side of the entry office. As soon as you're through, go round the back of the office onto the left hand beach. It's essentially untouched as everyone gets tunnel vision for the food and sodas on the other side, so it's a lovely retreat! Just mind out of the way of the incredibly glamorous Chinese and Korean girls who go there for photo shoots in high heels and ball gowns. Don't mind me, just sweating my skin off in the background...

Manukan Island

Excessively white tip: the sun is extremely strong! Factor 50 is your friend, melanoma be gone.