Shutter Talk: The Perfect Getaway

Nature lovers or scuba enthusiasts who wants the comforts of city life at the same time now have, another option to consider with the opening with PURE Activity Centre in Gaya Island Resort.
Comprising of 120 wooden villas resting along the coast of Malohom Bay, it is seen as a natural sanctuary nestled in the hillside of an ancient rainforest with a stunning outline of Mount Kinabalu on the horizon.Managed by YTL Hotel and Properties and the only one apart from the Hilton Niseko Village Hotel in Japan, the activities based on four activity Paths, Discovery, Vigour,Creativity and last but not least balance.

The sunrise from behind Mount Kinabalu amidst the changing colours of the morning sky from the beach can be seen form higher part resort.

PURE has enough activities to keep guests of all ages occupied, according to PURE Activities manager Silvia Yen. The resort started operating on July 1 and received their first guest on Aug 1 from Brazil.

Food is always a astronomical delight at any YTL hotel.

My first activity the next day was scuba diving. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park (TARP) have more than 25 named sites, all with their own marvels and catering to all levels of divers.

It was a hard decision but I finally settled on my first dive site called EdgellPatches. Along deeper coral reefs with plenty of marine life and a healthy mix of hard corals, soft corals and Sponges. Visibility was good and the current was not too strong.

The coral reefs along the dive site are excellent condition, making it a surprisingly good diving destination and variety of marine life u can see.

There were also a wide variety of marine fishes like Giant Puffer fish, Giant Clark’s Anemone Fish and BlueRiged Angel fish.After a good lunch on the Pulau Mamutik, we continue with the second dive later in the afternoon.

I went for the Sulug North dive site and the dives range in depths of around 26m.
But I was compensated by the coral reefs along the dive site and the chance to see more varieties of marine life like Yellow Snapper and Hawksbill Turtle.

Edgell Patches dive site along deeper coral reefs with plenty of marine life and a healthy mix of hard corals, soft corals and Sponges.

"Our guests can choose to swim or take a romantic sunset stroll. There is no better way to take a sunset cruise, cruise the neighbouring islands on board a 64-foot private yacht and enjoy your cool drink as you admire the stunning sunset display," she said.

I woke up early at 5am to catch the sunrise from behind Mount Kinabalu amidst the changing colours of the morning sky from the beach.

The Guess with Resident naturalist for the Nature Walks.

I boarded a speedboat to embark on Tailored Trails of Borneo cultural journey, a short and sweet but enriching trip to Penampang.

"This trip is specially tailored for the resort guest. No other operators had done this yet," said the friendly tour guide Clay Vincent.
Our first stop is the Donggongon daily market, a place for social gathering as well as selling and buying of fresh produce.

We visited St Michael church next, which was built by the Mill Hill Catholic Missionaries in 1885 and built without a single nail.

Our visit ended with lunch at the Motung Lotung Picnic area. There are also options to sign up for other packages like deep sea fishing excursion, guided nature walks, sunrise power walk, golf and spa.

I was already settled down into the serene island way of life when day four rolled by and I realized it was time to leave the beautiful Gaya Island Resort.

I packed my bags with a heavy heart and told myself I plan to return to the lovely place again.