A serene and romantic getaway.

For once, my husband and I suddenly wanted a relaxing Christmas up in the hills😍. No cooking, no cleaning, no home preparation. Just enjoying the beautiful quiet environment, eat and sleep🤣
It was a last minute decision and we were lucky to get a Twin suite at Kokol Haven for the night. (Rm350 per night)

We checked in by 2pm on 25.12.2019 and also booked for the Xmas Dinner buffet at the hotel. It was our first time to this hilly resort but we didn't regret the decision as it ended up an enjoyable short holiday for us both. 

The suite was at the sunset wing of the main resort.

The resort is on top of the Kokol Hills at 2,700 feet.

From the main road after "Menggatal" town, take the 1st junction to the right which has a green sign board showing "Jln Kokol Poring Poring". From here onward, it took us 30 minutes to drive up the hills with our old "Betsy" to reach the resort.

Alternative entrance from car park into the resort 

Main building of Resort

The front side of the resort

Durga, Evita and Jabir

Helpful, courteous staff of Kokol Haven during my 1st trip there.

Entrance to main Resort 

 

Checking in counter area

25.12.2019

Resort restaurant

Menu for visitors and in-house guest

LUNCH FOR 2

Ayam Penyet with "Banbangan" for Rm25 

OX TAIL ASSAM PEDAS was their signature dish for Rm35 

Twin bed. 

Comfortable, clean sheets and soft pillows for a good afternoon nap and a good night sleep

Comfortable reading lights 

Adequate extension plugs on each side of the beds

Glass petition with blinds is the bathroom 

Tea/coffee corner in our suite

Writing table . Internet speed was also good that time.

TV - I forgot what channels were available but I remember watching a good movie from Astro in the evening.

A luggage stand

Comfortable arm chair with clean, stainfree cushions unlike some hotels, old stain of spills were visible.

Private balcony for sunset watching. 

Can also see the people take off area, for paragliding 

Around 3-4pm, thick mist appearing and the temperature dropped to a cooling 23 degrees Celsius 

View from our balcony. Not a clear day though

No one around this popular spot taking photo at that time because of the thick mist😂

Around 5pm, the mist began to clear 

It was still a cloudy day, so not able to watch sunset but we were hopeful to see it the next day😅

Views from balcony around 6pm

Around 7pm

Buffet Xmas Dinner- year 2019

Chef cutting the turkey😋

Singing Carols - 25.12.2019

Xmas entertainment - 25.12.2019

Enjoying a pint of beer before calling it a night 

Views from balcony past midnight.

Visitors had all gone except in-house guests, like us settling down in the comfy of our room and balcony. It was very quiet.

 The sparkling lights of Kota Kinabalu city shows the beautiful  panoramic night view of the city.

 Paragliding program

Those who plan to come here, must try to bring good binoculars along. With a clear day, it's interesting to use good binoculars to look at the view

Front views of the resort facing Kota Kinabalu City and the islands.

A stone with Chinese Character. 

Do you know what it says?😊

There were plenty of areas to take photographs for remembrance

That's why it's also a popular place for weddings to take place and with the newlywed taking photos in their wedding attire, they can make their fairy tale story come true💓.

Popular area for photo shooting

 

Kokol haven is popular for its cool weather of 24-26 degrees Celsius throughout the year, while the city's temperature is 24-32 degrees Celsius. And it only takes 30 minutes to drive up the 2,700 feet hill with my old "Betsy"(our car).

On the day of Christmas in year 2019, the temperature was 18 degrees Celsius. It was so cool that we didn't switch on the Air condition or fan.

Another popular spot for photo shoot

Sunset at Kokol Haven Resort

Sitting on the balcony, just watching the magnificent sunset, embracing this precious moments, made us feel good and contented😁.So good that we decided to stay another night 😂but this time we booked the executive corner suite to see the difference which cost us Rm450 per night😅

It has a dressing room

Twin sinks in the bathroom

A pair of swing chairs at the entrance of the room

King size double bed

Colorful settee beside the bed in front of verandah facing the sea or sunset

Veranda facing Sunset / Seaview 

No doubt it's big and a bit more expensive but still my husband and I preferred the 1st room we booked before and that's the intermediate twin suite at Room 7😄

Early morning stroll before breakfast

Buffet breakfast Corner 

Breakfast was very basic but I still enjoy a cuppa early in the morning☕ 

Public viewing area

Another public viewing area

Behind the main resort is another wing the Rose Villa, where the room rates are slightly cheaper than those rooms at the main building. About 1 min walking distance 

MOUNTAIN VIEW Rooms of ROSE VILLA

Standard rules : Quiet hours from 10pm to 8am 😀

There's a small garden beside Rose Villa

 Sight of our Majestic Mount Kinabalu at sun rise early in the morning.

Beautiful white Hibiscus 

Orange Hibiscus 

Beautiful evergreen plants

Beautiful sight of nature. Bees pollinating beautiful flowers. 

Misai Kuching (Orthosiphon aristatus) - cats whiskers plants. 

A local herbal remedy mostly for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Dragon fruits

Mulberries 

Unique green moth settling on the table at the counter. 

Owner of the resort feeding one of her favorite deer, "Gracie" 😂

One of the staff told me, this little cute top of the hill house is the owner's stop-over home, next to the main resort building.

A "Buggy" to transport special guest to and from at the Rose Villa area.

Ever since we found Kokol Haven, we have never returned to Kundasang any more. During school holidays, the road to National Park were so jammed with traffic because everyone prefers cooler air at the mountain side and the travelling time is longer, about 2 hours to get there with my old "Betsy". In comparison, we prefer Kokol Haven because it's nearer. For a night or two, I think it's ok for me.

So, one year later(31st Dec 2020), we made another trip to Kokol Haven Resort for another 2 nights stay😁to celebrate New Year 2021.

 I found a beautiful video clip from this web  about Kokol Haven Resort.

Reference

Kokol Haven

Video clip of Kokol Haven

Sunset Wings

Misai Kuching

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