The Best In Kudat

Not the seaside but the seafood food. Not only that it is fresh but it is also so cheap. For RM48, you get one steam fish, half kg of butter prawns, one Sabah vege, two rice and Chinese tea. No way can you get those prices in KK town.

The restaurant’s location is also perfect right smack at the waterfront or Kudat esplanade as it is called. It sits on the water so with the view and gentle breeze it can be quite romantic except that the condition of the restaurant itself spoils the whole mood.

The place is run by a Chinese family. Mom and dad are the cooks and the kid cashier and waiters. The tables, chairs and floor are all coffee shop style. Nothing fancy pansy here but if you can ignore all this, focus on good food and companion then you can have a pretty good time here because we did. Take note that the restaurants only open in the evening.

For lunch you must head down to the hawker stalls near to the fish market opposite UPPERDECK hotel. We had ours at stall 2899. One fried fish, one mixed vege, two rice and a 100 plus, all for RM27 only. The fried fish with soy sauce was delicious. It was fresh and so crunchy but maybe a little oily.

This is not my first time to Kudat. In fact I visit Kudat four times a year but always for work. It was an in and out affair. However this time I came here like a tourist and make effort to stop by some of the tourist destination on the way.

Our first stop was the Bee farm Village. We paid RM3 per person to enter. The guide will bring you to see the bees, smoked them out and let you taste some honey comb. Note the fly sitting on the honeycomb in the picture below. The road condition and facilities need to be upgraded. It looked like it was not maintained for a very long time. The experience of the tour was educational and was ok for RM3.

We also bought a bottle of honey. The price for the cheapest bottle was RM21. It was cheaper to buy one from the supermarket but I thought the extra income may help the locals.

Next stop was the Gong Village. Like the word say, it’s a village. The whole village makes gong. We heard banging sound from everywhere around the village. Every house has a hut that displays the gong they have made. You have to pay RM5 per person to enter and an opportunity to get to chat with the villagers. No free stuff and no guide here. Of course you also get to see the biggest GONG in the world.

We were supposed to visit the Rungus Longhouse village too but we decided to skip this as time was short and it was getting too hot to walk around.

We stayed in Kudat Golf & Marina Resort at RM160 nett with breakfast. The rooms were clean but tired looking. For us it was good enough, seen many more hotels worst off than this. At the point of writing this, KGMR is the only hotel with pool so our option was limited.

Everyone knows about Simpang Mengayau or the tip of borneo, Kelampuni Beach and even Bak Bak Beach but not many knows about Kelambu Beach.

I will not say Kelambu Beach is the best beaches in Sabah but the stretch of sand that connects it to a tiny island makes it an interesting beach that one must visit. It is a forgotten beach that only the locals know and not many ventured here.

To get to this beach is really very easy. At the exit into the final stretch of road to Simpany Mengayau you just drive straight. It will look like you are going the wrong way as the road ends here and turns gravel. Keep driving on the red gravel road until you come to a right turn just before a hill with a house cum kiosk by the junction.

The indication that you are on the right road is the fact that the road here is asphalt instead of gravel. It is weird to drive on a kampong gravel road and suddenly it turns asphalt right in the middle of no where.

Keep driving on this asphalt road until you reach the beach. You cannot miss it. There is no other turning. At the end of the road you will arrive at Kelambu beach. It would have been a beautiful beach if not for all the rubbish strewn everywhere. There is no facility here. No toilets and no bath.

The left side of the beach if facing the island has stronger current than the right. We end up soaking ourselves on the calmer water. With a millimeter thick of sun block we were off to our first swim in Kudat. My hubby asked why I still have my spectacles on. Oops, yeah forgotten to take it off but I was not getting my face wet so that should be ok. Beside how will I enjoy the view if I took it off?

After Kelambu beach, we head off to Simpang Mengayau. On the way we stop by at Kelampuni Beach a long stretch of white sandy beach to take some photograph. The current here looks stronger.

Next stop is the Tip of Borneo – Simpang Mengayau. It was breathtaking up here with a strong breeze blowing from the sea. I wanted to go down right to the edge of the rocks but the climb down looks very scary to me.

We were supposed to stay and catch the sunset but after awhile we decided to head back to the hotel for a swim in the pool. Our second swim for the day was gorgeous. Nothing compared to sea water and I do so love sea water but still. We stayed soak in the pool until our fingers became wrinkled.

The next day we woke up early and had the hotel breakfast which according to tourist reviews I have read was not that great. For me, it was ok. I didn’t like the omelet they cooked for me. I should have stayed with sunny side. The butter was margarine which is not one of my favorite. The orange juice looks too scary to drink so we didn’t touch it but overall the rest was edible.

One more stop before we head back to KK was Bak Bak beach. Here it is just concrete wall and sea water. No sandy beach.  Maybe our timing was wrong and we came at high tide. I don’t know but still the sea water looks tempting. If we did not have to go back, I would be tempted to go for a dip.

Another thing unique about Kudat is their dogs. There were stray dogs everywhere in town, at all the beaches we visited, at the wet market and even at isolated stretch of roads along the coast.

This friendly half starved white dog found at Kelambu beach was begging for food. It is so sad to see all the dogs under malnourished and no one taking responsibility for them.

Our final stop was the peanut stalls at Kota Marudu and Kudat junction. We bought two packet of peanuts at price higher than imported ones but what the heck! How can one go back without the all so famous Kudat peanuts?

Just up the hill after the stalls is another famous pit stop for locals. Here you can buy roasted corn and some local handicraft. There are also some local fruits sold here. Fruit season was just beginning so the local favorites such as Durian, Tarap and Nangka are found in abundance.

For me, this is trip was a good trip. Maybe the bee farm and Gong Village was nothing to scream about but with all the warm sun, sea breeze, breathtaking view and sandy beaches as well as delicious seafood. Would I not come back again? How can me not. Next time maybe I will bring along a fishing rod, do some fishing along the shores and catch a big one.