Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

In April, Dad had to go to the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort near Kota Kinabalu for a work conference. Mum and I started the obligatory guilt treatment, but he flipped the tables by saying “why don’t you come?”.

If this is how overseas travel works, then I think I’m hooked. Everyone there was lovely! They kept waving at me, calling out “Ellliii!” to get my attention and giving me little neck rubs at the breakfast table. Dad says this is because of my cute, wispy blonde hair. But, let’s face it, I know how to work a room for attention…

Not that Mum & Dad make it easy for me. It’s hard to look this good when you are doing 12 hours of travel in your PJ’s! I did enjoy the chance to ride in a car without a seatbelt (although Dad’s vice like grip was probably worse), but hated trying to sleep on a red-eye flight where they refused to turn off the main cabin lights :(.

Most of my time was spent in and around the pool. I loved crawling in and out of the water, or just hanging out with the deck chairs. Crawling on the pebble crete was a bit hard on the knees, so I discovered how to crawl like a crab on my hands and feet.

The room was fantastic … I learnt how to use stairs for the first time and loved my king-sized gymnasium. Naturally, afternoon naps were also a critical part of our holiday routine.

Beautiful weather, incredibly friendly people, affordable prices, warm water and a great holiday routine… We loved it there 🙂