Kota Kinabalu and Gaya Island, Sabah, Borneo (the Mountain View Villa, the Rainforest Spa and the War Memorial)

I couldn’t find my way to Kota Kinabalu. Each time I tried it just felt wrong, but friends I’d made on the way kept telling me, “It’s worth it.” Just one last flight, one last booking, one last push to one last part of Malaysia.

It was worth it, every last step, every penny, to be here.

Although I started writing these mini-guides to share the hotel, spa and the rest, the retreat in a box I dreamt of when I first began Pearl Escapes, they are also just stories, for the unadven…