Kota Kinabalu Shopping

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Located about 6 km from Mount Kinabalu Park (where the Kundasang War Memorial is).

What to buy: Fruits, flowers, vegetables and plants..

What to pay: Getting There
Kundasang is located 90km, about 2 hrs driving from Kota Kinabalu and only 10 minutes driving from Kinabalu Park. Take a bus from the Jalan Padang Bus Terminal to Kundasang or Ranau for approximately RM17.00 per person. A taxi from the Ranau Taxi Stand (located beside the Merdeka Field) or from your hotel should cost around RM160.00 to RM300.00 per taxi. KK taximen don't use meters, so need to bargain the price before u get on the taxi.

Filipino market has a range of arts and crafts, produced locally or taken in from neighbouring countries. It's very accessible.

What to buy: I bought pearls there on many occasion. Cheaper pearls are the freshwater ones. There are a range of product there. Necklace, earrings, brooch, etc. Pearls come in many shapes and shades. The available shapes are round, corn and rice...hence the names. White color are cheaper than the others.

Simple stud earrings cost in the range of RM10 - 15. Necklace, short strand is around RM70. You can also buy in a longer length. One strand is about RM70, which is about 1 feet long. So when you buy a longer length, they'll calculate the price by the portion of the extra strands used.

To get a better bargain in the Filipino market, walk to the back of the building. The booths at the back are not frequently visited as the ones in the front, so, they'll be happy to give you good discount. Scout for a booth that has a wide range of selection, and that stick to it. It's easier to get discounts when you purchase all of the stuffs in one place.

What to pay: Range of RM100 for good pearl necklace. That's about US 28.

The famous place is at the Handicraft market locally known as Filipino Market where there are many outlets selling the pearls & other handicrafts. Its close to Hyatt hotel & the beach front. Ask any locals and they should be able to direct you to this famous place. Check this URL http://www.sabahtourism.com/attraction.php?ID=94 for further info.

Depending on types of pearls, I have never bought any necklace, but the bracelet starts as low as RM10 @ approx. USD3(or was it lower? - cant exactly recall).

Be prepared to spend time scouting the stalls before u made any decision and its here where u can bargain the price. Remember the sale is on cash term only!

Good luck

What to buy: Cheap pearl jeweleries
Table cloths
Handmade local crafts

What to pay: Minimum RM10

This mall is the latest mall in KK now and have a nice selection of mid to mid-high end products, cafes and restaurants. I like this place mainly because there is starbucks Coffee at the ground floor. Nothing beats a good cup of coffee...

This mall has been here for a long long time. It accomodates to the mid-lower to the low end market and has a good selection of phone shops on the ground floor. Similar to MBK in Thailand or Sungai Wang in KL.

What to buy: Anything

It is a small market with narrow passage in between each stalls. It is packed with merchandise from around this region. However, I had a hard time finding anything that is really unique about Sabah. No, I am not talking about Sabah t-shirts, key chains or magnets. It seems that Sabah has more to offer than these typical souvenirs.

What to buy: Tourists from west malaysia seems to like to buy dried shrimps and anchovies from Sabah. There is a section of the market dedicated to this type of products. Is it really cheaper here, i am not sure. But sorry mom, I didn't buy any because I didn't want to stink my whole backpack!

I found that it's difficult to see souvenir shops in KK. I found there are 2 inside Center Point. Their price is slightly lower than the souvenir shop on Gaya Street. The souvenir shop is located near McDonald and Burger King inside the mall. Ask the information counter for directions.

What to buy: post cards, t-shirts, local handicrafts (these are more authentic handicrafts than those in Handicraft Market/ Filipino Market).

What to pay: Souvenirs in Sabah are slightly more expensive than in penisula malaysia

Warisan Square is located on Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens. It's a new mall. The planning is kind of interesting. It consists of 3 groups of covered pedestrian malls linked with bridges on the 1st floor. There are a few restaurants on the ground level facing Jalan Duapuloh. It is just nice and cool to shop in here. There is a Guardian pharmacy here too.

What to buy: Mostly branded goods like Esprit, Baleno, Padini Concept Store, Guardian (pharmacy), etc.

Restaurants: Secret Recipe, Hongkong Recipe, Chicken Rice Shop, Starbucks, etc.

What to pay: Average