Independent, Downtown Kota Kinabalu hotels

Most overseas visitors travelling to the East Malaysian region of Borneo arrive in Kota Kinabalu. Downtown Kota Kinabalu is just seven kilometres from the city’s international airport and even when roads are busy the taxi journey rarely takes longer than 10 minutes. The downtown district has been built on reclaimed land and faces across the city’s harbour towards Gaya Island. Find your Kota Kinabalu hotel online with Expedia.

The downtown area of Kota Kinabalu mostly comprises modern buildings with the occasional colonial era structure. The area referred to nowadays as Chinatown is centred on Gaya Street. It hosts a popular Sunday market and is home to a good assortment of Chinese eateries and cheap accommodation options. The Atkinson Clock Tower is perched on a hill behind the centre.

On the southern edges of downtown the Sabah State Mosque and Museum are among the attractions. As the major city in northern Borneo, Kota Kinabalu has lots of nearby tourism sights and among these are Likas and Tanjung Aru beaches, the Green Connection Aquarium and Tambalang Racecourse. Mt Kinabalu is one of Borneo’s key attractions and is only 100kms away by road.

There is an exciting array of restaurants, cafés and bars in downtown Kota Kinabalu. The food is a mix of Malay, Indonesian, Indian and Chinese and dishes served include dim-sum, nasi lemak, rotis and biriyani rice. Some restaurants specialise in fresh seafood dishes and for those looking for something different, Italian and Thai eateries are two of the alternatives. A night out in Kota Kinabalu is a delight as there are dedicated bar areas like KK Waterfront, while the Shamrock is one of a number of themed bars.

Shoppers will enjoy Kota Kinabalu as it has a big choice of shops, markets and malls. The handicraft market is a few minutes’ walk from the ferry port and vendors here sell everything from pearls and jewellery to hand-carved statuettes and souvenirs such as Sabah keyrings and T-shirts. The Chinatown Market is another unmissable destination for shoppers in downtown on a Sunday. Free shuttles operate between downtown and the huge, modern 1Borneo Mall.