Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort, Kota Kinabalu

For our last two nights in KK, we moved from Magellan Sutera Harbour to another resort - Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort. We love the resort at Tanjung Aru. When we checked in, we were given a complimentary upgrade to a family suite and access to the Club Lounge. How cool was that! The family suite was much larger and had a separate living area which had a sofa bed for Ashleigh. Caitlin exclaimed 'Awesome' when she saw the room, this girl knows quality. She made a comment that this hotel was so much better than Magellan. I love the L'Occitane bathroom supplies - quality stuff. The mini bar was also stocked with complimentary tea leaves ranging from English Breakfast to

After settling in, we took a walk around the resort, checking out the recently added children's water play area which was a hit for our girls and Chris. There was also a Kids' Club for children aged from 4-12 with different fun activities scheduled every hour every day.

On our second day, we decided not to go island hopping but instead stayed at the resort to enjoy the facilities. We started the day filling our tummies with delicious local and international food from the buffet breakfast. Then we basically spent the rest of the day by the pool - swimming, riding the slides, getting dumped by the bucket, reading, sun-baking, playing with the iPad and more swimming. It was lovely and relaxing, stress-free. Girls were spending time bonding with their Dad at the water play area. One of the best things about Tanjung Aru is the free wi-fi that is available throughout the resort, even in the rooms.

The staff at Tanjung Aru are very friendly, from the porters to waiters to housekeeping staff. They were also attentive to the guests' needs. During our time by the pool, staff would come by every hour with icy cold water for their guests to keep them hydrated. I thought it was a nice offering especially in the hot weather. Due to its location by the sea, KK was not too humid.

I would recommend the Shangri-la Tanjung Aru as a great location for a family holiday. it's not too far from the airport (about 10 mins) and the KK city is also about 10 mins away. In fact, nothing is too far in KK.