Tea Destination

RANAU is one district in the State that has a lot to offer tourists. It has the Poring Hot Spring, the Kg Luanti Fish Spa, the Memorial Park, and the Kinabalu Parks as well as Mount Kinabalu, among many others. Guests will actually be spoiled for choice but they should not pass up the opportunity to visit the Sabah Tea Resort.This resort sited in a picturesque area within the tea plantation is well worth several visits actually. They have very good accommodation, comfortable and clean.

There are 16 rooms in the four cottages. The cottages, with their quaint picket fence, are named after some British and Australian personalities including Sir Alfred Dent, a founder of the British North Borneo Company; Sergeant Lofty Hodges who was part of a special forces unit that parachuted into North Borneo to rescue the prisoners during the Japanese occupation; Martin and Osa Johnson who flew from Singapore to North Borneo; and Sir William Goode, the last Governor of North Borneo.

These little gems in history can be very interesting to guests especially those who came from the countries concerned.

Besides the cottages, there are 25 rooms at the longhouse to cater to guests who wished to stay over for a couple of nights. This place is worth staying a few days in actually, to enjoy the ambiance and rest from the hassle of city life and running the rat race.

From the cottage, one can wake up to the glorious sight of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia and one of the more famous tourist destinations in the State.  The brooding mountain in the distance never fails to amaze and is a favourite of photography buffs.

Those who have never seen a tea plantation before can walk around to their hearts’ content. In the morning one can actually watch the people picking tea leaves. It is an interesting sight, and merits more photos.

Plants and flowers abound around the resort, so more subjects for photographers. The main area of interest seemed to be the pretty teapot effigy at the restaurant ground and a sign where more people take photos for remembrance’s sake.

The ambiance with little touches for their guests allows them to enjoy the cool morning air and the walk, they can also take memorable photographs. One of these touches is the ‘Go Sabah Frame’ erected in collaboration with the Sabah Tourism Board. When one stands there, Mount Kinabalu is the ‘framed’.

Walk around and guests will come to a memorial to a fallen Australian Prisoner of War (PoW) memorial. This was one of the young man who died during the infamous death march during the Second World War.

This site is where Allan Quailey fell and died on Feb 16 1945. His photo is there with a brief history of the event. An Australian and a Malaysian flag fly there, flapping in the wind, forever saluting the fallen hero.

As for tea, Sabah Tea is very famous among tea drinkers. They have now augmented the tea flavours, where people can taste tea with a hint of lavender, Calamansi and lemon, mango and strawberry as well as Passion fruit, among others. They have a website where customers could order from.

Personally, I believe that guests should stay longer at the Sabah Tea Resort due to its comfortable accommodation, and go around the touristic sites around the area, such as the Poring Hot Spring, the Fish Spa at Kg Luanti and Ranau township among many others.-PW