Lovely photographs online led us to book rooms at Hounon Ridge Farmstay & Camping even if it was 30 to 40 minutes away from key attractions in Kundasang.
Our one night stay here wasn’t a perfectly smooth experience but we enjoyed it nonetheless!
Read on for our tips on how to maximize your time here!
Getting Here
What we didn’t expect was the one-way road to the lodge. It’s through a rural village and a tree did fall, blocking the road on our day of check out too.
Moreover, we didn’t expect such steep roads inside the property.
Our units (called Type A and Type B) were a bit further down the hill from where the main lodge. Because of how steep that one access road was, we didn’t get a chance to fully utilize the garden and common dining facilities at the lodge.
We delayed checking in to explore the gardens round the lodge before heading down to our units. It rained after that, and we were confined to our units for the rest of the day.
2 volunteers from our group took a trip up to the lodge to secure some instant noodles and sausages. Honestly, there wasn’t much for sale at the lodge (some of the instant noodle packets were also past their due date).
What Our Rooms Were Like
Our first impressions of the units were how modern and luxurious they were. But the rooms felt very stuffy as there were no fans and air conditioning. We seriously wondered if mosquitoes would be a problem if we left the windows open as these had no screens.
In reality, we didn’t have problems with mosquitoes even when the windows were wide open. Furthermore, it got so cold at night that we had to shut the windows completely.
Both units shared the same building – the bigger unit had a high ceiling covered in wood panels. 3 members of our group shared this room – there was a king-sized bed and an extra floor mattress.
Each unit had its own bathroom, a lounge area, and multiple glass doors all around that led to a balcony. There is also a kitchen unit fitted with a portable electric stove, electric kettle and microwave. There was a full set of cutlery and crockery too.
Views From The Rooms
The whole building stayed in has a strategic location for viewing Mt Kinabalu. There are also many mature trees directly outside.
Having so many full-sized windows enabled us to have great views without having to leave the comfort of the units.
The larger unit upstairs is where we hung out in the evening since it is more spacious. But both units have balconies, ample natural light and are very breezy once you open the windows.
We didn’t have much luck to see the whole mountain on both days of our stay though. On the first day, we arrived on a rainy afternoon. And on the second day, the clouds stubbornly hung low around the mountain.
We waited from 6:30am to 9am that morning but decided to go eventually.
Tips On Staying Here
We ended up really liking our stay here but if you want to come here too, we have some suggestions below:
- Take a shower in the afternoon or early evening if you can (the power went out from 7pm to 6am during our stay due to an incident at the power station in Ranau, the host was responsive and later provided us with two spare lights because of this)
- Bring food and plan to cook here (breakfast too might be a good idea)
- They don’t sell alcohol here
- Both units face Mount Kinabalu – there’s higher chance to see the mountain in the morning although we didn’t get to see the full mountain even though we waited until 9am
- Rooms have TVs but the Astro was not working (it needed updates and WiFi connection which we did not have)
- Get here before dark (sun sets at 6pm) as there are no streetlights on the way to the lodge
- Rooms come with toiletries, hair dryers, ironing boards and irons, and towels
Conclusion
Think twice about coming here if you don’t plan to cook on our own for at least 2 meals because the location of Hounon Ridge Farmstay & Camping makes it inconvenient to get out and about.
That said, with adequate preparation ahead, this is an amazing place to stay and enjoy nature and the cooler mountain climate without forsaking modern comforts.
It is pricey though, but there are also camping options for those with their own tents.
Total cost: RM800 for 5 pax, one night