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Borneo’sduty-freehaven isall toooftenoverlookedforneighbouringSabahandSarawak,
but give Labuan a chance and youmight be pleasantly surprised.
W o r d s :
S a r a h R e e s
An Anonymous Beauty
Find a little bit of
paradise in Labuan on
the glorious beaches
K
nown
by some as
the ‘Pearl of Borneo’,
Labuan is something
of a late arrival to the
Malaysian fraternity –
it was handed to the
British by Brunei in
1846, and spent three years belonging
to Japan during World War II. Perhaps
this tardiness is the reason Labuan island
often gets forgotten in the tourist rush
for popular Borneo destinations Sabah
and Sarawak.
Labuan’s relative anonymity could also
find in larger, busier locales. Labuan
town – formerly known as Victoria under
the British – is the point of arrival for
most visitors entering by ferry or plane.
Depending on budgets, accommodation
ranges from swanky hotels with all the
trimmings to cheap-and-cheerful guest
houses, where the welcome is warm and
a fabulous neighbourhood restaurant is
likely just around the corner.
With a turbulent history, Labuan is a
destination of interest for those keen to
delve into the past, and Labuan Museum
and the WWII War Memorial are two
be due to the different type of vacation it
offers the visitor – more military history
and shopping than orangutans and long
houses – but it deservemore attention that
it enjoys, especially as a calming place for
an escape from the rush and tumble of
Malaysia’s cities.
Duty-free haven
One large and six small islands constitute
what is collectively known as Labuan,
and with just approximately 100,000
people living in the city, the place boasts
a community vibe that is so hard to