Sabah is the second-largest state of Malaysia. It occupies the top portion of the Isle of Borneo, which is the world’s third-largest island after Greenland and Australia. The island is increasingly popular with meetings and incentives groups, offering eco-based activities and attractions that include Southeast Asia’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu, and an orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok.
THE BEST HOTELS
Sabah offers a range of five-star properties. Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu has some of the finest conference rooms in the city. The 475 sqm ballroom holds 370 people and has excellent audiovisual support. For incentive planners looking for a base for great water activities, the eco-friendly Sipadan Water Village has 45 chalets built on stilts over the sea.
The Shangri-La Rasa Ria has 330 rooms. Organisers can plan group events in the resort’s
nature reserve, arrange catamaran cruises and the on-site 18-hole golf course. The Nexus
Resort Karambunai has a world-class golf course and is hosting this year’s Malaysian
Amateur Golf Open.
For meeting planners there is the 1,200 sqm ballroom and eight other meeting rooms. The Hyatt Regency Kinabalu offer 288 rooms and the Kimanis Ballroom can fit 450 people for cocktails.
SABAH INCENTIVES
Groups can take day trips to the base of the 4,095m-high Mount Kinabalu, which towers
above the most biologically diverse areas in the world. A 30m high canopy walk offers
spectacular sites of Sabah’s plant and animal life. Located in Ranau at the foothills of
Mount Kinabalu, the hot spring is great for tired and aching muscles. The hot spring also
houses open-air baths.
The Monsopiad Cultural Village is a living museum outlining the traditions of the famous Kadazan and Monsopiad – or head hunters – who lived and roamed across the
area where the village stands today.
