Gaya island for luxury

Enough of the bush, it was time for some luxury. We arrived in Kota Kinabalu and were directly whisked off to the Gaya island resort. Relaxing here a few days will be a succour to our sore sides.

The island is hardly an hour from the city, but is within a marine national park. Either through rigorous conservation control or some deft corruption, no development is allowed on the islands except for the three resorts on it.

Our villa faces the rainforest and stands on stilts above the reef. We watch rainbow parrot fish chomp away at the algae below us. A flock of nine hornbills perch on the tree above us. We take a long circuit snorkeling the bay with the house reef. The macaque family makes its daily arboreal visit from the forest.

On one of the days, we went out for a couple of reef dives. The reef was pretty and thriving in parts, although others were looking in a sorry shape. We saw cuttlefish and Anemone fish and a stingray. It was a shallow and warm basin, so we could dive without wetsuits.

Just as wonderful as all this is the infinity pool that overlooks the bay. Kiran spent so many hours in there that he made his usual wrinkled skin joke "look papa, I'm an old man". We tried every possible way to enter the pool while jumping into it. There were dives and flips and somersaults and cannonballs and ragdolls.

A few days in this luxury with a comfy villa, delicious food, friendly service and an expansive view out to the sea was the perfect way to unwind and look out towards what comes next over the horizon.Read more