The Nexus Resort – Five Star(ish)?

As the week long half term holiday comes to an end I thought I would do a quick review of the resort where we have just spent a few days.

When making plans for the half term holiday we decided it would be easiest to go somewhere near by and meet the little ‘uns grandparents there. We decided on Kota Kinabalu (KK) in Sabah. Just under a year ago MAS Wings – the Malaysian Airlines Borneo brand – started flying to Brunei, once again connecting Brunei and Kuching (following the cancellation of the route from RBA) and also increasing frequency and competition on the KK route. We were able to book return flights to KK for B$104 for the three of us – which was pretty much all tax!

Flight times were also convenient. The flight is scheduled for just 35 minutes but the off the ground time is much less. With MAS Wings using the ATR-72on this route you get a good view as you mostly remain below the clouds. It was amazing to see just how many areas have been cleared in Brunei for building work. It was also remarkable (and saddening really) to see just how huge the housing complex is that is being constructed between the Mentiri highway and Jalan Muara.

A chunk of cleared greenery.

Further land being cleared by the Muara-Tutong Highway.

An example of the cleared land for building.

A bit more work going on by the highway, just before landing in Brunei. You can see our house if you look carefully!

We were soon in KK and then proceeded to get a taxi coupon at the taxi desk (as required for all taxis from the airport). This is quite a good system as you pay the desk not the driver and the prices are fixed. The Nexus Resort in Karambunai is 30 km from the airport and takes around 40 minutes in a taxi. The taxi costs RM75 for a small taxi but we needed the larger one to the bags we had with us (blame baby not golf clubs!) which cost RM105. We did only pay RM90 for the return from the Nexus though but I think this was because they charged us for a small taxi despite giving us a large one.

Upon arrival at the resort we were fairly efficiently checked in although it would have been nice to have been offered a welcome drink then and there while waiting rather than being given a voucher to claim an orange squash drink at a later time! Once we received our key cards we were driven down to the room which although was only a 5 minute walk from reception was easier to be driven with the bags.

The rooms were lovely, spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was big with shower and a bath and plenty of space for things. The bed was comfy and there was a largish couch and a desk. There was also a big balcony with table and chairs that overlooked the pond by the room. All very picturesque as you can see from the photo’s.

Looking back from the balcony. Clean and roomy with traditional Borneo decoration.

Sink, cabinet and shelving. Clean and modern.

Spacious bathroom with a big bath.

Separate shower section.

Desk area.

Very spacious balcony area.

We were in Borneo Deluxe rooms, a quick walk to the sea and white sandy beach and also to the pool.

Clean, white sandy beach.

View to the sea.

The reason for the title of this blog post is I wanted to highlight some of the excellent things about this resort but also some of the things I do not think are up to scratch with (a) the price paid and (b) the image the resort portray of themselves. The positives first. The grounds are magnificent. Plenty of areas to walk around, surrounded my greenery and ponds. You can see plenty of wildlife, especially on the attached golf course. The pool is big and well cleaned. There is a shade sail over the shallow kids pool and there are three other sections of the swimming pool that are deeper. There is an in pool bar although we didn’t really use this and it didn’t seem to be regularly staffed. The golf course attached to the resort was excellent and very well kept. It is expensive unless you are a resident of Brunei, Malaysia or Singapore in which case it is very reasonable.

Right, the not so positives. Breakfast was included in our rate but for a place that charges 5* prices the breakfast was at best 3* (generous). Coffee was usually warm not hot, choices were heavily Asian based and the food was not kept hot. I am not naive to think there should not be Asian food on the menu in an Asian hotel – in fact I quite like Asian food – but there should be a good selection of world foods in any 5* resort restaurant. A good coffee can make such a big difference. The breakfast restaurant was very crowded and staff did not seem to have much care and attention towards guests.

Beyond the breakfast I thought the staff were polite but not that clued up. Communication was an issue and problems weren’t easily solved. An example being the high tea we were due to have in the lobby lounge. Ordered at around 5pm it was still not with us by 6pm so we had to leave and go back to the room as it was the little ‘uns bath time then bed time. We (eventually) arranged to get the food sent to the room but once it finally arrived there were no plates or cutlery! I should add that it was nice food, and quite well presented, just a shame that we couldn’t enjoy it as planned. To their credit, they eventually apologised properly and it was not billed to us.

The resort had 5 or 6 restaurants / eateries on site but it wasn’t until the penultimate day of our stay we found one we thought was suitable for our needs. The location of this restaurant was good, on the beach front, and the menu was mainly Italian. It was well priced and food quality was good although was in line with the common Asian problem of sweetening all western sauces.

I don’t mean for this post to be a rant about the resort, it comes more from a frustration of seeing how much potential the places has given the location and facilities yet let down by customer service and food option not being 5*. As readers of my last post will now, it’s the little things that make a big difference in quality in hotels. Had there been a few more simple yet quality items (such as decent coffee) available at breakfast then the experience would have been a whole lot more enjoyable.

The resort did have a shuttle bus service every 2 hours to and from KK which also stopped at 1Borneo. We utilized this twice during our stay and it worked out quite well. The charge is RM24 per return journey and it takes a little longer than a taxi – around 1 hour into KK. It was good to have it on offer though and was useful. I managed to get a game of golf one afternoon on the attached course. There was plenty of wildlife on and around the course.

Enjoying the island life!

Spot the beautiful kingfisher.

Picturesque course.

Trying hard not to create too many divots!

It was still a good place to relax and I am pleased we gave it a chance I think in conclusion though I would try out some of the competition before going back.

A quick and convenient get-away

Wow, it’s been ages since I last blogged! Lots has happened since but I just haven’t had the commitment to come and blog about it! So to get back on the blogging straight and narrow this blog is a quick trip report of one of my favourite quick get-aways from Brunei. (This was partly inspired by being asked a couple of times lately what this trip is like).

Brunei is great; peaceful, fairly quiet and easy going. But sometimes it’ s nice to leave the place, usually to feel like you are away from the place you work.  As Brunei and the community is so small, it is easy for work to spill over into other parts of your life, whether meeting people when out and about or just ending up talking about work when you socialise seeing as most social circles include colleagues. So for a quick and convenient get away we enjoy a trip to Miri, more specifically to the Miri Marriott Resport and Spa.

The Miri Marriott Resort and Spa – a favourite getaway!

It’s luxurious, spacious, comfortable and not near work. It takes about 2 and a half hours drive to get there from home (including the boarder crossing) so it really feels like you have ‘gone away’. The food is excellent and it is easy to relax – helped by how welcoming, friendly and professional the staff are there.

Our stays are made more economical through membership with Club Marriott (which is separate from Marriott Rewards, but perhaps more on that later). For an annual membership fee a booklet of vouchers are provided for discounted rates on rooms – including free nights. Additionally, discounts on dining are available. If you stay there more than two stays a year it is certainly worth it – so a no brainer for us!

On this occasion we decided to just visit for one night. The advantage of doing this on a Saturday night on a regular weekend is that we can leave Brunei quite early and get there for lunch, making the most of the afternoon and then check out late the following day making the most of both days. There’s no problem heading down for two nights on a Friday, it just means you lose most of your Friday.

We arrived around mid-day and checked if our room was available yet (which it usually is as they are very good at having our room ready if they know when we are arriving). We dropped our bags off in our room then went straight to restaurant for lunch. Through one of my membership cards we are entitled to 50% off when two of us dine (the little one is already free of course which continues until she is 6, I think). The normal lunch buffet price is RM 68++, or around £16 per person. During our last few visits I have noticed a shift in the food on offer from large quantities to smaller ones but I think this has increased the quality. There is always a fine selection of salads, western main dishes, BBQ/Grilled meat and then also Asian dishes. Pictures below.

Chicken and beef satay – a great ‘local’ way to start the weekend!

After lunch we went back to our room as it was soon the little ones nap time (another reason we time our departure from Brunei to arrive around lunchtime. She sleeps in the car on the way down, is awake for a while, we have lunch before she is too sleepy then after a play she is ready for her nap again). This time, through a room upgrade we were in the main building. The hotel consists of the main building then about 8 or 10 blocks spread out in two wings from the main building. These rooms are very nice and are classed as Garden or Pool rooms depending on their location and all have balconies. The Garden rooms are the cheapest on offer, then pool rooms (which are the same price as main hotel rooms on the front of the building which do not have a balcony). The next category is rooms on the back of the main building over looking the pool that do have a balcony. The balcony is also a little bigger than the Garden and Pool rooms. It was one of these that we were staying in for this visit.

King rooms have a large double bed, a sofa, desk, chair and coffee table as well as a table and two chairs on the balcony. The bathroom was spacious and there was a big wardrobe to hang up clothes along with a safe for locking valuables. The room also has a fridge, stocked with a variety of drinks (including beer and wine) for purchase. All rooms have flat screen TV’s (not sure of the size, but more than big enough). The TV sits on a cabinet that has 3 large draws. The room is all carpeted, different from the Garden and Pool rooms which are either part carpet part tile (upstairs) or fully tiled (downstairs). I must admit, I prefer the fully carpeted room – it was also great for the little one as she was crawling around lots, so much kinder to her knees! The room is probably the same size as the Garden and Pool rooms, perhaps slightly bigger. The real winner is the balcony as it has a fantastic view over the resort pool and out to the South China Sea as well as being a little bigger.

Comfy king size bed and modern decor

Sofa & coffee table (comfy for lounging on while using the wifi).

Desk and chair if you require wired internet

Overview of the room towards the balcony

Safe, slippers and robe that are provided in each room

Tiled and clean bathroom

Towels and mirror

Shower and bath – perhaps one of the few aspects that could do with an upgrade

One of the best features of the room, an excellent balcony over looking the South China Sea

We spent the time relaxing in the pool, enjoying the fine food in the restaurant and watching the sun set from the balcony. A good way to refresh and make the most of a weekend!

Relax!