BKI Day 3 │ AYANA Holiday Resort Kundasang

Resort in the Clouds

When we planned our Sabah trip, we knew we had to spend time in the highlands of Kundasang. This mountain town sat high in the Crocker Range, close to Kinabalu National Park, and was famous for its cool weather, vegetable markets, and sweeping views of Mount Kinabalu. At nearly 1,900 metres above sea level, it was the highest settlement in Malaysia and often called the New Zealand of Borneo because of its rolling green landscape.

Finding the Right Stay

As we searched for accommodation, we noticed that many hotels and homestays in Kundasang were badly overpriced. Then a colleague mentioned a resort she had stayed at before that was reasonably priced. After checking it out, we booked Ayana Holiday Resort, reserving two rooms for two nights.

Early Check In Surprise

After lunch, we drove over to the resort, expecting to wait until the official 2:00pm check in time. To our pleasant surprise, the front desk allowed us to check in about half an hour early. We registered, collected our room keys, and headed straight to our rooms.

Simple Rooms, Incredible Views

The rooms were small and modest, with nothing fancy about them. Still, the moment we stepped onto our private balcony, everything else faded away. The cool air, the quiet surroundings, and the wide open views more than made up for the simplicity of the rooms. This was exactly what we had hoped for when choosing to stay up in the hills.

First Impressions

The resort felt calm and peaceful, far from the heat and noise of the city. It immediately justified our decision to stay here, and we felt happy knowing we had chosen value and atmosphere over overpriced luxury.

Stay tuned for our next video as we headed out to explore Kundasang town.

Epilogue

Early the next morning, one of us woke up at five to capture a time lapse of dawn breaking over the valley from the balcony, then went back to sleep. Later, we took a slow walk around the resort, enjoying the silence and cool air, and filmed the surroundings to show just how soothing the place felt.

As evening fell, we captured another time lapse of dusk settling gently over the resort. It was the perfect setting to pause, breathe, and truly appreciate being quite literally in the clouds.

(Do visit our YouTube Channel Have Perut Will Travel)

📍 Location:

Ayana Holiday Resort, Kundasang - https://maps.app.goo.gl/Mua6sAc2McYfQvmC7