KK also known as Kota Kinabalu

When: December 2009
Kids: Big Sister 5y7m, twins 3y1m
Flights: Hong Kong - Kota Kinabalu v.v. on Dragonair
Booked through: CX Holidays package

The two main resort options in KK where everybody is going to seem to be both Shangri La properties (there is Nexus Resort & Spa as well and quite a few options in the city). One of them is Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa and the other one is Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort. I've noticed a lot of people saying the latter one is better. Well, we stayed at Tanjung Aru as there was no availability at Rasa Ria at the time (the week before Christmas).

We had a great time, and visited Rasa Ria as well. I can see why people would say Rasa Ria is nicer ... the orangutans close by, the pool is larger, more spread out, the beach is bigger and nicer (although there could be sand flies), the overall setting is nicer, more spacious, it basically has more of a resort feel. However, that doesn't mean that Tanjung is a bad choice! It has many benefits and things going for it. Also since we've been there the pool area and the rooms have been upgraded tremendously. Tanjung Aru also seems to have lots of slides now (me just looking at their website and Tripadvisor pictures). I remember thinking the pool needed upgrading and looked very tired, so it's great to see that this has actually been done. Our room also needed a make over, but it was spacious (we had 2 connecting) on the ground floor in the Tanjung Wing and we walked straight onto the grassy area in front which was great for the kids. Disadvantage is that you have upstairs neighbors, and I remember a family arriving the night before Christmas and they didn't go unnoticed (but they were loud, not-very-polite-and-quite-rude-loud).

Please note that these pictures were taken in 2009, and the resort has upgraded / changed. 

Other advantage of Tanjung with small kids is the distance to the airport, only 10 minutes, while Rasa Ria is about 1 hour. We even had dinner in KK at some point, nothing fancy but still a chance to get out, while this is definitely less of an option in Rasa Ria. We loved the outdoor bar with char-grilled satay at sunset. Breakfast was great, we had dinner at the Chinese restaurant, the pool side had reasonable food options and the kids even played a round of golf on a lazy afternoon. We even made a little boat trip to another island, called Sapi (Pulau = island, so Pulau Sapi) and the kids fed the fish but they also offered snorkeling, etc.

All in all, you cannot go wrong at either one of them. I truly don't believe one is better than the other. They're just different, and both clearly have their advantages. It really comes down to what is most important to you and your family. They have shuttles going from one resort to another, so it's easy to visit the other property for a change. But knowing that it's about an hour drive, it's more for a day time trip instead of just an evening dinner.

I can only advise you to think what is it you are looking for, check the Tripadvisor reviews for both properties and make up your mind. You'll have a fab time either way! There is no bad choice!

Shangri La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa en Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort on Tripadvisor.