Photo credit: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
The Chewys had a fabulous and unforgettable three-night stay at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa when we travelled to Kota Kinabalu two weeks ago. Apart from its close proximity of around 6.5km from Kota Kinabalu Airport, Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa is located just 10 minutes away from the city. For families with young children, the resort’s ideal location serves as a convenient base for exploring Borneo’s rich cultural heritage.
Photo credit: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
Just two and a half hours by air from Singapore, we flew with AirAsia and arrived Kota Kinabalu without any hiccups. Upon stepping into Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, we were warmly greeted with nice refreshing welcome drinks and were then led the way to our rooms at the Kinabalu Wing.
Photo credit: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
It was a pleasant surprise for all of us when we entered our Kinabalu Club Family Room. The kids were particularly excited by the children’s room. Each Family Room offers 66 square meters of luxury and comfortably accommodates 2 adults and 2 children, with plenty of extra space. All guests of Kinabalu Club rooms will get to enjoy personalised services and added privileges such as complimentary daily buffet breakfast, complimentary beverages all day, and evening drinks with predetermined hours, at the Kinabalu Club Lounge.
We appreciate waking up to the beautiful and tranquil sea view from our hotel room every morning.
Photo credit: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
The children’s room is equipped with a bunk bed and child-friendly furniture. One can also expect children’s amenities and welcome packs.
Little misschewy and Mini misschewy were so excited that they clambered up the bunk bed and made themselves comfortable there while misterchewy and I checked out the parents’ room with balcony, ensuite bathroom with extra towels, separate shower and soaking tub.
The kids were allowed to watch cartoon every morning and night, but only because we were on holiday!
The Kinabalu Club Lounge is where most of the magic happens! We had our breakfast there every morning during our stay. We loved the experience as it was exclusive to Club room guests and we received detailed attention from the staff.
I was too occupied with eating that I forgot to take photos. The breakfast buffet spread at the Kinabalu Club Lounge is actually very impressive! We had smoked salmon, seafood congee, potato wedges, sauteed mushrooms, sushi, omelette, along with various buns and pastries. The kids usually chose bread or cereal with milk.
We also got the opportunity to have dinner at Shang Palace with the lovely Comms ladies Claudina and Daphne.
Living up to its name, the food at Shang Palace was delectable and exquisite. We chatted and ate to our hearts’ content. Some of my favorites include the Marinated Cantonese “Qingyan” Chicken, Braised Beancurd with Assorted Mushrooms, Stir-fried Sliced Grouper Fillets with Ginger, Scallions and Pepper, and Dry Butter Style Crab. The kids were not forgotten and had comforting bowls of minced pork porridge with salted egg and dough fritters on the side. Shang Palace is definitely a family-friendly restaurant in Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa that serves quality food.
*Ahem..* And if the other half allows, adjourn to the Kinabalu Club Lounge for complimentary evening drinks. The husband was thrilled to see a variety of alcoholic beverages such as beer, whisky and hard liquor. Of course he had the company of a fellow Daddy friend as his drinking partner while the mummies stayed in the rooms to take care of the little ones.
Photo credit: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
Mummies need their “me time” too and there is no better way to pamper ourselves than indulging in a spa session at CHI, The Spa!
The spa design concept is certainly very unique, with a standalone spa village sitting on an island connected to the hotel by a private causeway. It is also interesting to note that traditional Borneo treatments on the spa menu are plant-based in nature, energy aware and reflect the multi-cultural heritage of the region.
Advance booking prior to treatment time is recommended. Spa wear will be provided in your treatment suite.
CHI, The Spa has a very comprehensive spa menu offering five categories of treatments – Wellness Journeys, Body Treatments (Scrubs), Body Treatments (Wraps), Massages and Facial Treatments. If you are a mummy like me, who often feel tightness in the back, neck and shoulders, I highly recommend the Signature Malaysian Re-energizing Massage! My therapist Zetty was very skillful in easing out all the tight knots within the one hour session.
If an hour is all you can spare, I say, go for the massage and you will definitely not regret it! I felt so rejuvenated and alive after the session!
Happy mummies who couldn’t wait to get back to the kids!
It was reassuring to know that our kids had a ball of fun at the Cool Zone when the mummies were away at the spa!
Upon entering the Cool Zone, the beautifully hand-painted walls, featuring aquatic and land animals found only in Sabah, provide a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for both children and their parents.
Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa provides babysitting services at MYR 30 per hour for children aged five and above only when the Kids Club is not open. It is advisable that bookings are to be made at least one day in advance. Parents can drop their children off anytime between 10am to 6pm and the resort’s professionally trained, English speaking staff will supervise and keep the children entertained while parents relax in the sun or explore the sights of Sabah.
The Cool Zone is divided into different areas such as the toddler section, creativity area for painting and craftwork, and the computer & TV room.
I’m glad that the husband managed to snap some photos as evidence that Little misschewy and Mini misschewy enjoyed playing with the toys at the Cool Zone!
The first and only one of its kind in Borneo, the water play area at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa comprises of a dedicated section for toddlers, teenagers and an interactive area for all ages. Guests of all ages can enjoy the theme-park-quality water slides measuring a total length of 100 metres. Other fun facilities include water battle stations with water balloon launchers, a 2,000-sqm swimming pool with a tapered shoreline for children and an infinity pool section for adults.
Due to our packed itinerary, we didn’t have much time to explore the beautiful resort but we managed to squeeze time out after breakfast for a couple of photos.
Click here to find out more about Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa’s Family Fun Package! It includes many perks such as complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the resort, complimentary buffet breakfast and buffet dinner at Café TATU, unlimited water balloon fights, unlimited entry to Cool Zone, etc. The offer is available now till 31 December 2018. Also, there is 20% discount for Café TATU buffet dinner when you book direct with their Best Available Rate or Advance Purchase offers on www.shangri-la.com or through the Shangri-La Mobile App. 🙂
Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
No. 20 Jalan Aru,
Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, 88100, Malaysia
Tel: (60 88) 327 888
Email: reservations.tah@shangri-la.com