Sembunyi SPA, Cyberview Lodge

I've been frequenting the Sembunyi Spa way back since 2009 but i havent published any review on them before. What i like about the Sembunyi Spa is that their masseuse are professionals and very good at massaging. I've never tried any other massages than the Balinese Massage, but all my massages were carried out by Indonesian masseuse who are known to be good in massaging. 

It has been quite a while since my last visit to the spa and today i decided to give them a visit since ive been having back aches for a couple of weeks now. They had previously undergone renovations before, but i have not noticed anything else changing except that the gym has now been moved to another building. the place where the gym used to be is now converted into a lounge. I think the massage rooms could use a facelift - the massage bed definitely needs to be replaced.

Before the massage starts, you will be given a questionnaire to fill in to determine the purpose of ur visit and they will inform the appointed masseuse prior to the massage. As for me, im looking to relieve the muscle tension that i had. Before the massage starts, a cup of ginger tea will be served and the masseuse will introduce themselves - which i think is very professional. They will also from time to time during the massage will ask whether the pressure is ok or whether are you comfortable enuff. 

What i like most about balinese massage are the long strokes and direct contact with relief points with justttt the right pressure... :) after the massage, you'll be given a heat compress on ur back. and again ginger tea and a cup of pudding to savor at the garden bench facing the pool.... heaven.. :)

Apart from that, a massage will entitle you to use all the available facilities i.e. gym, jacuzzi, sauna, lap pool, etc. I always go to the spa on work days as its really difficult to find a 'me' time on weekends. Therefore, i always find that im the only patron at the spa during lunch time, which enables me a private time at all the facilities :) im not sure how it is on weekends, but i heard its can be quite busy. pls take note that there is no separate changing room for men.

today, at the end of the massage, the masseuse told me that my shoulders were really stiff and she had a hard time trying to untangle the knot. She also told me not to think too much or otherwise the stress can get to my head and i may suffer from headaches or catch a fever. hmmm.... it must've been because of the looming deadline that i have next monday. hopefully, after that the stress will go away as well as the back ache..

Lap Pool

Locker Room

Jacuzzi

Shower Room

KK Trip Part 1: Kundasang

Our first trip of the year was to KK, Sabah. the trip started with the journey to Kundasang. Upon arrival at the airport 9.30 am in the morning (we took the first flight out from KL) we found out at the car rental counter that most sedan cars has been rented out. luckily theres one company had one saga left. however, rental rates at the airport can be quite steep. we got ours (proton saga) for RM168 per day. we found out that car rentals outside the airport (pre booked) only costs RM120/day. there was a minor prob with the car and after it was settled we head out to Kundasang at about 1.00 pm.

ive been to Kundasang once before for our honeymoon and i still remember being amazed by the journey to get there. it was something new that ull never get to experience here in the Peninsular. it was drizzling and supercool that day. remember to bring thick clothes and socks if u intend to spend the night in the highlands especially for ur kids. it can get really cold at night and i dont think there are any accomodations with heaters up there, and the blankets are not that thick either. last time we were here we stayed at the Kinabalu Pine Resort which was one of the most popular resorts in Kundasang. but this time we decided to try somewhere else for a change.

so after careful research, we chose the  Celyn Resort. i was quite nervous as the last leg of the drive to get there involves a gravel road for about 3 km. i was relieved to find out that it was not that bad and well worth it. upon arrival we were upgraded to a bigger room which i was not quite happy about as we had to sacrifice the mount kinabalu view. but nothing can be done as the Kinabalu Wing Rooms are full despite i had made the reservations earlier. the room that we were upgraded to is huge and looked like it was recently renovated, so i was pacified a bit :P..but, if i had my way, id still want the kinabalu wing room.

gravel road leading to the resort

we did not get out from the resort that night as the gravel road leading out to the main road does not have lighting and it can be very dark out there. however, we were just as happy to just chill at the resort at night. id say this place is suitable for nature lovers, as there is practically nothing else to do there except for just hanging out and enjoying mother nature. but i think barbecue can be arranged with the hotel. we had dinner at the resort restaurant and it was quite good - the veges are very fresh and i finished a whole plate of Kailan Ikan Masin on my own :P..

we were lucky to be there during a full moon and the view during our first night there was breathtaking and SURREAL. it feels like we just wanted to be outside the whole night and just soak up the moonlight but it was very cold that night. it was nothing like ive ever experienced before.

hotel lobby

 

SURREAL.....

Majestic Mountain

woke up a bit early to get this shot of Mount Kinabalu-the best time to get  a clear view of Mt Kinabalu. its not easy to get a clear view like this as mist /clouds are practically there all day. im not sure if it depends on what season ur there. after bfast, we went to visit the Desa Dairy Farm at Mesilou which is a cattle farm with a concept somewhat like can be found in NZ :) love the view up there and also we get to buy fresh milk from the cafe. check out their location and daily schedule at their FB page https://www.facebook.com/desacattlefarm

 

 

Mooooooooo...

after lunch @ KFC, we head to the Sabah Tea Plantation, which is actually quite a distance from Kundasang Town. odw there youll pass the Ranau Town and the Poring Hot Springs. Other attractions in Kundasang includes the Kudasang War Memorial.

we spent another night at the resort and checked out the next morning to KK.... to be continued.. :)

Taiping Trip

Our last trip of 2012 (kinda) was to the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort. We stayed at the Kampung Air where the rooms are built on the lake.. its a quiet place with a nice calming view suitable for honeymooners. However, its comfy enuff if you travel with 1/2 kids in tow.. just be careful to watch them whenever they are on the balcony. there are a lot of activities to do at the resort such as the water park, the orang utan island, the eco park, night trail etc. for us, we skipped the water park. we also skipped the orang utan and the night trail even though weve already paid for the tickets as we do not have enuff time to go there.

one of the activities in Bukit Merah Laketown Resort

I can't remember the name of this animal, but it made a very interesting loud noise. we spent quite some time here watching them..

we lost a lot of moolah to this place

fire show

The focus of our trip was the Taiping Town. To me, Taiping is a picturesque town surrounded by mountains (i think its the titiwangsa range - pardon my poor geographical knowledge) and greeneries. Love the old (i think) huge trees which can be found all over town and the oh so lovely Taiping Lake Garden. Our first destination in Taiping was the Taiping Zoo. They also have the night safari and i would like to try it someday. Love the Zoo - its blended with nature and it looked like it was sitting in a forest. what a nice concept. my last memory of zoo negara was like more than 10 years ago and im not sure how is the zoo like now but the layout here is totally different from the one in KL. if you're travelling with a small kid, i advise you to take the train rather than walking as the are is quite big. and also bring a cap and wear sun block if necessary as it can be hot during the day. the train ride will take around 45 mins to cover the whole area and after that u can explore the zoo on foot, if ur still up to it. 

Our next destination was the Taiping Sentral to have lunch. theres not much here except the usual watsons, chatime and starbucks. we had lunch at Kenny Rogers. after that we headed to the Museum. theres nothing much there and most of the items displayed are replicas.

museum

imaginary slide

During our trip to Taiping, we also went on a food trail based on recommendation made on the net that i managed to google. luckily almost all the famous ones can be found through GPS! among the few that we got to try was the Mee Udang Mak Jah, Kue Tiaw Doli and Cendol Ansari.. 

Actually, we had some kind of a medical emergency during our trip. We were lucky to find the Columbia Hospital thru our GPS. service was quick and professional. Luckily it was not serious. However, it got me to think, what would happen if this were to happen during our trip overseas especially a place where language is a barrier. Im making a mental note to myself to always survey the nearest tourist friendly / english speaking hospital before going on a trip. this is especially important when you are travelling with children.
 

Well, that wraps up our travel in 2012 and our adventure for 2013 is all pretty much lined up! am psyched and keeping my fingers crossed that everything will go smooth in 2013!