Sandakan, Sabah - Day 1 & 2 (Sandakan Town - Lankayan Island Dive Resort)

Finally people are allowed to travel across states under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) from 10th June 2020. We bought the Air Asia Unlimited Pass Cuti-Cuti Malaysia priced at RM 399 nett which enable us to redeem unlimited flights within Malaysia across 16 destinations for travel up to 31 March 2021. This pass only covers the base fare of the flight and does not include the passenger service charge (RM 11), regulatory service charge (RM 1), check-in luggage allowance or in-flight meals. We managed to get a return ticket from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan at zero base fare. Basically we just need to pay RM 24 for this return ticket.

Our flight departed at 4pm and we reached Sandakan Airport around 4.35pm. The entire flight journey we wore a mask and glad that everyone followed the standard operating procedure (SOP). However, there's no inflight social distancing. There's a stranger sitting next to me but our front and back row was empty. Before take off, the Captain assured us that their aircraft are equipped with HEPA filters which purify the air every two to three minutes.

Upon arrival, we took a Grab ride from Sandakan Airport to Sabah Hotel Sandakan (Grab fare - RM 11). My dinner plan for the day was spoiled due to my migraine. My partner went to Nam Chai Restaurant Bah Kut Teh for dinner, the shop we went four years ago when we took a road trip from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan. This time, we decided not to rent a car but to use Grab car instead. The bah kut teh shop is just 8 minutes drive (4.8km) from Sabah Hotel Sandakan. (Grab fare: RM 6 / return RM 8).

My migraine hurts so bad that I lost my appetite. So I requested my partner to take away one small portion of rice and some bah kut teh soup with two prawns. As expected, one hour later my dinner ended up in the bathroom sink. Basically I did nothing that evening except sleeping...

My dinner

I woke up at 7.20am the next day and we checked out from the hotel at 8.10am. We didn't get to use the hotel facilities because our stay in this hotel was rather short. We decided to have our breakfast at San Da Gen Kopitiam which is just 5 minutes drive (1.5km) from Sabah Hotel Sandakan. (Grab fare - RM 4).

Surprisingly we were the only customer. The place is cozy with a modern vintage style. Since I'm still having a migraine hangover and don't have much of an appetite, I just ordered their famous salted egg lava french toast. My partner on the other hand ordered nasi kerabu ayam berempah, beef rendang, Thai milk tea and UFO tart. I couldn't finish my salted egg lava french toast because it's too rich and heavy. You can see the salted egg oozing out when you cut the bread into half.

My partner enjoyed his nasi kerabu ayam berempah very much. I like their fried chicken as it's juicy and full of flavour. Beef rendang is tender and spicy but lack of the extra "oomph" in the dish. One of the famous dessert in Sandakan is UFO tart or also known as cow dung tart. The base is crispy but the custard is just too sweet for my liking. Sweetness level was just right for the Thai milk tea but it's not smooth and silky enough.

San Da Gen Kopitiam

Cold Thai milk tea - RM 6.90

Nasi kerabu ayam berempah - RM 12.90

Beef rendang - RM 8

Salted egg lava french toast - RM 11.90

Salted egg lava french toast

UFO tart - RM 2.50

Address

San Da Gen Kopitiam

Lebuh Dua, Pusat Bandar Sandakan,

90000 Sandakan, Sabah

After breakfast we took a Grab ride (Grab fare - RM 4) to PSR Jetty which is just 3 minutes drive (850m) from San Da Gen Kopitiam. Basically, you can just walked there if you don't have any luggage with you. Getting a Grab ride in Sandakan is pretty fast and easy. We bought a 3 days 2 night package from Lankayan Island Dive Resort (RM 990 nett per pax). The package includes return boat transfer, 2 nights accommodations (beach chalet), conservation fee, full board meals, light snacks and SIMCA fee. You can read more about our package by clicking on this link.

We waited at the PSR Jetty for our speed boat to depart at 10am. Since there's only 8 of us and everyone has arrived, our boat departed slightly early at 9.50am. It was a smooth ride under the bright sunny skies. We reached Lankayan Island 1 hour 20 minutes later. I just love the beautiful sea with crystal clear water. The resort staff served us welcome drink and gave us a short briefing before they gave us our room key. We checked in at 12.30pm and had our lunch at 1pm.

We had our lunch at the resort's main building. Lunch was okay and food is served buffet style. There's curry beef, sweet & sour fish, sauteed chinese mustard, sauteed cabbage, corn soup, fruits, dessert and free flow of drinks. We hang around the resort's main building after lunch and saw a sea turtle and a baby shark swimming freely. The water was so clear that you can spot turtles, fishes, baby sharks and other sea creatures easily from the jetty.

We had our tea break at 4pm. They served kuih ketayap (coconut filled crepes) but the coconut fillings were just too sweet for my liking. After our tea break, we walked to the Reef Guardian hut to register our name for the turtle programme. They have this baby turtle release conducted around 5.30pm to 6.30pm and sea turtle nesting watching happen anytime during night hour. The day before our arrival, they released 57 baby turtles and there's 6 sea turtle nesting. We were unlucky during our visit because there's no hatching and the sea turtle nesting happened only after midnight. June to September supposed to be the season for turtle nesting and hatchlings of baby turtles.

We waited for sunset at 6.30pm and had our dinner at 7pm. They served chicken percik, prawns fritters, sauteed pak choy, mixed vegetables, oxtail soup, fruits and dessert. Chicken percik was good. After dinner I went for my Milky Way hunt and managed to get a few shots. The last time I shot Milky Way was three years ago at Dunsborough, Western Australia. How time flies...