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DIY salads

One nice place to enjoy a hearty buffet in downtown Kota Kinabalu is at the Tanjung Ria Cafe at Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu. Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu location at the centre of the city makes it very appealing to tourists and local alike. Buffets are served at Tanjung Ria Cafe during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the nights International Buffet is the main theme, except on Friday night Indian Buffet is served and on Saturday night Texas and Mexican Buffet is served instead. For those who like an extra feast the Hi-Tea on Saturday and Public Holidays is a must, guests are treated to the International Lunch Buffet at Tanjung Ria Cafe plus the Japanese Restaurant Buffet next door, yes two in one.

all you can eat buffet lunch
Tanjung Ria Cafe has smoking and non-smoking area, the podium area with a high glass ceiling is where the smoking area is designated, while the rooms facing the swimming pool is the non-smoking area. The layout of the cafe is stylish, slick, and air-condition.




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Mabul Island lied 35 km south east to Semporna town, a fish village on the south eastern part of Sabah. With an area of 200-hectare, the island is quiet flat and is almost completely covered with coconuts trees. Beautiful sandy beaches surround the oval shaped island, and guest can easily walk around the island in less than an hour, and during low tide Mabul Island seems to be bigger as the shoreline extends further out to the sea. Wooden houses, on stilts with atap roof top are inhabited by the Bajaus, can be seen at numerous spot on the Island. The Bajaus are traditional fishermen and with their generations of pass down knowledge on the Celebes Sea, today many of them work as boat men, ferrying divers to Sipadan Island and the other surround Islands, including Mataking Island and the Kapalai reef.

In 2005 the state government of Sabah has outlawed all resorts and accommodation in Sipadan Island in the hope that by stopping the human interaction on the island will further help preserve the island ecology system. With this directive some of the resorts have relocated to Mabul Island, about 25 minutes away from Sipadan Island by speed boats. As many as five resorts or lodges are located in and around Mabul Island. Today most divers to Sipadan will have to pass by Mabul Island, making it a sister island to Sipadan. There are no restriction on the number of persons can stay in Mabul Island at any time. (more…)

Sipadan Island was not even in the world map until in the early 80s when a group of divers from Sabah stumbled upon this magnificent underwater world. After that slowly but surely Sipadan Island is on its way to International fame. Through the few that have been here and with words of mouth, Sipadan has steadily attracted divers from all over the world. Even the great Jacques Cousteau was in awe with its beauty, especially the abundance and diversity of marine life. Because of the Island enormous economical potential, Indonesia also laid claim to this small oceanic island, and in the years 2002 the International World Court handed the dispute to Malaysia.

baby turtles going for their first swim

Located 35km south of Semporna, on the south-east of Sabah, Sipadan is unique in that it rises up 600m from the seabed. Believe to be an extinct undersea volcano, and was formed by living corals growing on top of it. The geographic position of Sipadan also put it in the centre of the richest marine habitat in the world, the heart of the Indo-Pacific region. More than 3,000 species have been classified in this richest of ecosystems.

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Sipadan Island is consistently rated as one of the top five diving destination of the world. This awe-inspiring island and the waters are a dream for snorkelers and divers alike. With as many as 20 dive sites around the island, divers may take up to a week to explore all the splendid underwater nature wonder of Sipadan. The marine lifes at Sipadan Island are in staggering numbers, to name a few there are barracuda, batfish, jackfish, parrotfish, sharks, and turtles. For those fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, Sipadan is also visited by hammerheads shark, manta rays, eagle rays and whale sharks. The Barracuda Point never fails to enchance the divers with its school of barracuda numbering in thousands swimming in unison, and at time in an even more spectacular circular motion.

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Sapi Island together with Gaya Island, Mamutik Island, Manukan Island and Sulug Island made up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, which is located just off the shore of Kota Kinabalu City. With an area of 0.1 sq km, Sapi island is dwarfed in size compares with the near by Gaya Island, the largest of the five islands. Over the years a good rivalry has built up between Manukan Island and Sapi Island, where visitors have to choose between better facilities and bigger Manukan Island or the small but rich in nature beauty of Sapi Island.

The moment one arrives at the jetty of Sapi Island the crystal clear water of the sea is clearly seen. School of fish numbering in thousand, ranging from harmless small fish to the more dangerous sword fish, can be seen swimming around the jetty. Sometime Napoleon fish and Parrot fish can be spotted too. After passing through the park entrance, most visitors will ahead off to the short white sandy beach which stretches from the jetty to the western rocky cliff. Wooden tables and seats are provided put there are not many, some visitors might have to use floor mate to settle down their belongings. For those who choose to settle down under the trees that are near to the forest, do keep an watchful eyes on the macaque monkeys which are known to prey on visitors’ belongings.

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