After the Philippines we were looking for surf and found an article or two online about a wave at the northern tip of Borneo. Then a blog post about a guy running a small guesthouse there who rented boards. That was enough. We booked flights.
Looking back, this is a trip that required more research than we did. But we didn’t know that going in, and the not-knowing is kind of the whole story.
Getting to the Northern Tip of Borneo
Borneo is a large island shared between two Malaysian states — Sabah in the north and Sarawak in the south — plus the tiny nation of Brunei. We were heading to the very northern point, near Kudat, which meant flying into Kota Kinabalu on the north coast of Sabah and then figuring out the rest from there.
What we did not fully appreciate until our Uber driver picked us up at the airport and asked if he could bring his wife along for company — that’s when it started to register —the northern tip of Borneo is a long way from Kota Kinabalu. Several hours by road. The driver was kind about it, made no fuss, just clearly wanted company for the haul. We tipped him well on the way out because he drove us the whole way and then turned around and drove back with no ride to cover the return cost.
The road itself is easy driving — safe, straightforward, no sketchy conditions. If we were doing it again we’d rent a car. It would have given us freedom we didn’t have and the drive is genuinely beautiful. But we relied on apps and ended up with a very gracious Uber driver instead.
Kudat Beach House and Tanjung Simpang Mengayau Beach
The accommodation was Kudat Beach House, run by a guy named Ivan who also operates Blue Fin Surf and Dive out of the same property. He rents boards, knows the local breaks, and is actively trying to grow surf culture among the local kids in the area. As a host he was genuinely great — warm, knowledgeable, and the kind of person who makes a remote spot feel worth the journey.
The beach is Tanjung Simpang Mengayau, at the very northern tip of Borneo where two seas meet — the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. Even setting aside the surf, that’s a remarkable place to stand. The property itself was lovely: a clean, comfortable one-bedroom with AC, a good desk, solid internet. Nothing felt roughed-out or makeshift. Ivan had built something real there.
The wave, though, needs very specific conditions to work. It’s a beach break that depends on wind direction and swell in a way that doesn’t leave much room for timing it wrong. We timed it wrong. The conditions weren’t right during our stay and we didn’t get meaningful surf. That’s the honest truth of it, and it’s worth knowing before you make the trek out there — this is not a spot you can show up to any week and expect to score. Do your research on swell windows, contact Ivan ahead of time, and go when the conditions support it.
What we got instead was something different and unexpectedly good. We arrived on a Saturday night and a group of young locals — friends of Ivan’s, up from Kota Kinabalu for a weekend away — were already there barbecuing. They had brought everything: shrimp, burgers, kabobs, the full spread cooking over open pits. We’d driven four hours, had no food, and there was nowhere open nearby. They waved us over without hesitation. We spent the evening eating barbecue shrimp and talking with people who worked in insurance and construction in the city and came up here on weekends to be somewhere quiet and beautiful. It was one of those travel evenings that has nothing to do with what you planned and everything to do with who you end up next to.
The Reality of Being Remote
The northern tip of Borneo is genuinely remote. There are two tiny grocery shops near the property — and when I say tiny I mean minimal snacks and basics, not a full shop. There are maybe two restaurants. That is the full extent of food options within reasonable distance.
We did not fully account for this going in. By the second day we were eating at the same spot multiple times daily and starting to feel the walls closing in a little. If you go, bring groceries from Kota Kinabalu. Stock up properly before you make the drive. A week of provisions for two people is not a heavy ask and will completely change the experience.
With that caveat — and the surf caveat — we don’t regret going. The northern tip of Borneo is one of those coordinates that sounds almost fictional when you say it out loud, and standing there at the point where two seas meet is worth something independent of surf conditions. Ivan is worth supporting. Blue Fin Surf and Dive is a real operation doing good things. Just go prepared.
Kudat, Then Kota Kinabalu: Seafood and Decompressing
Getting out of the northern tip required some coordination. Ivan connected us with a driver who took us south to Kudat — the nearest proper town, about an hour or two down the road. We stayed two nights, simple clean hotel, nothing fancy, and that was enough time to eat well and sort out onward transport. The manager helped us find a ride back to Kota Kinabalu, which turned out to be more involved than expected — a shared shuttle that only went because he phoned a friend. Without him we would have been waiting for a public van that doesn’t leave until it’s full, which means you’re gambling on timing. If you’re doing this route independently, research it in advance or rent a car and skip the coordination entirely.
The seafood in Kudat is the reason to pause there even briefly. We sat down one evening and ordered fresh lobster and a full spread — the kind of meal that would run $200 in the US — for around $40 total. Fresh, simply prepared, no fuss. If you’re passing through for any reason, eat the seafood. That’s the whole recommendation.
Kota Kinabalu was where we actually decompressed. We found a hostel with private rooms — glass walls, spotlessly clean, great shared kitchen — and stayed close to a week. After everything we’d been through it was exactly what we needed.
The city sits right on the water with a long stretch of oceanside dining that became our evening routine. I found a running path along the waterfront, which for me is always the sign a place is going to be okay — if I can get a run in I can reset. There was a mall next door with every food option imaginable and a smoothie spot we hit more than once. But the markets were the highlight: a big sprawling night market with a fish section, a fruit section, dried seafood and spices and street food stalls cooking in front of you. We went back multiple times just to walk through and eat whatever looked good.
Kota Kinabalu doesn’t get talked about much as a destination in its own right but it’s a genuinely enjoyable city. Good food, kind locals, easy to navigate, water everywhere, and exactly the kind of relaxed pace that lets you catch your breath after weeks of moving hard.
Singapore: Clean, Organized, and Those Dumplings
We were close enough to Singapore that it felt wrong not to go. Neither of us had been and it’s one of those cities that has a reputation so specific and consistent — clean, expensive, extraordinarily well-organized, food obsessed — that you want to see if it actually lives up to it. It does.
The metro system alone is worth noting. I have never been in a city where getting around felt so frictionless. Clean stations, clear signage, trains that run on time, logical connections between lines. You can get anywhere from the airport without a second thought. After months of figuring out buses and vans and tuk-tuks and overnight coaches, stepping onto the Singapore MRT felt almost disorienting in how easy it was.
We stayed near a metro stop, which is all the location advice you need in Singapore — pick something central and near a station and the whole city opens up. Budget for the accommodation being more expensive than anywhere else we’d been in Asia. There’s no way around that. We paid around $70 for a very small hotel room and that was considered reasonable.
Where you save money is food, if you do it right. Singapore is a hawker stand city — outdoor food courts with dozens of small stalls, each specializing in one thing, serving some of the best food in the world for almost nothing. We’d watched YouTube videos before arriving specifically to find the right spots, and one led us to Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao in Chinatown: a Michelin-recognized stall known for soup dumplings. We waited in line, ordered the regular and the spicy, and sat down.
I have been chasing that dumpling since. The broth inside, the wrapper, the way the spicy version hit differently from the regular — we went back the next day and ordered again. In a trip full of good food moments, that stall in a Chinatown hawker center is near the top of the list.
Singapore’s food culture is the entire story of the city’s history in edible form. You have Chinese hawker stands next to Indian curry houses next to Malay stalls next to Japanese counters next to Middle Eastern spots. Every immigrant wave that shaped the city left its food behind and you can eat your way through all of it for less than you’d spend on a single restaurant meal back home. We walked constantly, ate constantly, and still didn’t cover everything.
We also did the Tiger Beer brewery tour, which required a long metro ride out but was worth it for the free samples, the air conditioning, and an easy way to spend an afternoon when the rain came. Recommended if you need to fill a day and like beer.
Saying Goodbye in Singapore
Singapore was where the Asia trip ended, at least for me. My boyfriend was heading to Bali to surf and decompress. I was heading back to Mexico.
After six or seven weeks of traveling together — tight quarters, every day, hostels and overnight buses and remote beaches and chaotic ferry ports — we were both ready for some space. Not because anything was wrong. Just because that much intensity with another person, even one you love, eventually needs a break. You could feel it in both of us: the quiet acknowledgment that it was time.
I wasn’t going home to a job or a lease or anything that felt like an ending. I was going back to my apartment in Mexico, to tacos and morning surf and the rhythms I’d built there. He was going to Bali. We’d talked about him swinging through Mexico on his way back, maybe figure out another Vail summer together. The relationship has always been complicated in the way that two people chasing their own lives makes things complicated — not for lack of love but because sometimes the adventures don’t align, and you have to be honest about that with each other.
So the goodbye wasn’t devastating. It was more like hitting pause on something that had no obvious endpoint. I was travel-worn and ready to be somewhere familiar. I found a cheap flight out of Singapore to San Francisco, stayed with a friend for a night, and flew back to Mexico.
Six or seven weeks. Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Borneo, Singapore. A lot of buses and a lot of waves and a lot of meals eaten standing up in markets. I’d do it again without hesitating.
Practical Notes
Getting to northern Borneo: Fly into Kota Kinabalu (BKI), then hire a car or — strongly recommended — rent one yourself. The drive to Kudat and the northern tip is several hours but the road is easy. Don’t rely on ride apps for a trip this far; arrange transport in advance or have a rental.
Kudat Beach House / Blue Fin Surf and Dive: Run by Ivan at Tanjung Simpang Mengayau Beach. Book directly and ask him about current surf conditions before you go. Contact him ahead of time — this is not a spot to show up to on a whim without checking conditions first.
Groceries: Stock up in Kota Kinabalu before making the drive north. The area around the beach house has minimal food options. Bringing a week of supplies is easy and essential.
Kudat town: Worth a day or two. Eat the seafood — it’s exceptional and extremely affordable. Getting there from the northern tip requires coordination — arrange a driver in advance if you can, or ask your accommodation to help. Onward transport to Kota Kinabalu is a shared shuttle situation that depends heavily on local connections. Research your route before you arrive or rent a car for the freedom to move on your own schedule.
Singapore accommodation: Budget $70-100+ per night minimum. Stay near a metro station — that’s the only location advice that matters.
Singapore food: Eat at hawker centers, not restaurants, unless you’re specifically splurging. Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao in Chinatown for soup dumplings. Go hungry and go twice.
Singapore metro: Best in Asia. Take it everywhere. Buy a stored value card at the airport and you’re set for the whole trip.