I was in Kota Kinabalu for five days in April 2016. Formerly known as Jesselton, it’s the capital of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. KK is a popular beach getaway for Malaysians, but I think the beach is underwhelming compared to the beautiful mountains.

One thing you’ll notice immediately upon arriving is that taking a taxi is a rip-off. I’m not sure where I hate taxis the most: The Philippines, Malaysia, or Indonesia. Thankfully, the KK airport requires taxis to comply with a standard rate, which is typically RM30 from the airport to your hotel. Unfortunately, the airport has two terminals and no shuttle, so you’re required to pay RM30 for a taxi from one terminal to the other.

The first night I stayed at The Crown Borneo Hotel for $28.75. It was a small room with spotty wifi, but the staff were really nice. There are plenty of local restaurants nearby serving Malay, Chinese, and Indian food. There’s a place to get decent massages across the street. I walked a mile to Perdana Park, which has a sweet night water fountain show. And, it seems like they have plans to build a massive library in the near future. As you can tell, that’s not really the happening area of town.

I also stayed by the waterfront for two nights and stayed at the Promenade Service Apartment (for $43.13). It’s a big complex of condominiums, apartments, and businesses. Great location but the shoddy condition of the facilities supports the low price.

It is really nice staying across the street from the Oceanus Waterfront Mall, though, and there are lots of good restaurants on the waterfront. Mai Yai Thai Orchid is likely my favorite. I bought two drinks, a som tam salad, and pad thai for RM69.65.

Next to the mall is the Pasar Kraftangan (Handicraft Market) open during the day, and then the Pasar Malam Sinsuran (Night Market) in the evening. It’s a good place to eat street food and haggle for the usual touristy fare.

I went on a 1-day Poring Hot Spring & Kinabalu Park Tour for RM190. I loved being at the park, but that wasn’t long enough in my tour. The hot spring wasn’t the best -granted I’m spoiled by Taipei and Osaka- but it peaked my interest with the tropical and butterfly gardens, canopy walkway, and Rafflesia flower site. I had to pay extra for all these things, but that could be the fault of my poor tour choice.

Despite being on the seaside, there’s basically nowhere to enjoy it. Big buildings near the water and no beach. The biggest tourist attraction (and the only nearby nice beaches) is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It’s a park of five islands which you have to take a 20-minute speedboat to. Boat transfers are only available 7:30am to 5pm. If you happen to get stuck on the island, you can sleep at a regular hotel for $200-300 a night.

The most worthwhile thing to do in the area is to climb Kinabalu, the highest peak between the Himalayas and New Guinea at 4095m, and a Unesco World Heritage Site. You have to pay ~RM1,060 to hire a guide to take you up there, and they feed you meager meals like hot dogs, but I’ve heard the experience is amazing.