Kimkim Trip Reviews for Malaysia

Everyone that helped us throughout the tour were very helpful, knowledgeable, and proactive. They all knew we had limited time at each site, so they arranged their respective itineraries accordingly to ensure we saw as much as possible. All guides and drivers were very professional and experienced. They all paid attention to detail and ensured our comfort throughout the long drives to each site. My daughter and I really enjoyed our time during this tour.

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur: Batu Caves & City Tour

Kuala Lumpur

I wish the guide would of explained to us more about the history and significance of the temple. Our time was limited to the general area at the bottom of the steps. I didn't realize that there was more to the site than just the steps and caves. We did not see the surrounding area. We ended up learning more about this site through our driver than the actual guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide should have explained the significance and history of the site a bit more in detail

Transport

Kuala Lumpur: Petronas Twin Towers

Malaysia

I wish the guide should have taken us to an area where we could see the two towers from a distance so we can take photos and appreciate the architecture. We were immediately taken inside so we could get in line and wait for our turn.

Fantastic Malaysian Adventure!

I recently returned from an incredible trip to Malaysia, and I owe a huge thanks to Nick for making it such a smooth and memorable experience. From the very start, everything was handled with professionalism and attention to detail.

The itinerary prepared for me was spot on! I got to explore the bustling city life of Kuala Lumpur, where I marveled at the Petronas Towers and took in the cultural beauty of Batu Caves. My guide, Raja, was knowledgeable and friendly, making sure I didn’t miss out on any hidden gems.

Nick also arranged for my stay in George Town, Penang, and I absolutely loved the mix of culture, street art, and delicious food (seriously, the food tours were a highlight!). Lawrence ensured all transfers, tours, and excursions were hassle-free, leaving me to enjoy the adventure.

After Penang, the next stop was the Cameron Highlands, where we explored the stunning tea plantations with our knowledgeable guide, Subrahmanya. The beautiful rolling hills and cool climate provided a peaceful and refreshing experience. However, the only drawback was the stay at the Heritage Hotel Cameron Highlands. The hotel was old and not well maintained, making it an overall unpleasant experience. Though it was bearable for just one night, we would not recommend staying there.

One standout feature of Kimkim was their exceptional customer service. Any questions I had before and during the trip were promptly answered, and I always felt taken care of. It's clear their guides know Malaysia inside out and are passionate about making sure travelers have a great experience.

If you're looking for a seamless, well-planned, and enriching travel experience in Malaysia, I highly recommend Nick. I’m already dreaming of my next trip!

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Hotel Cameron Highlands

The hotel was old and not well maintained, making it an overall unpleasant experience. Though it was bearable for just one night, we would not recommend staying there.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Interior renovation of the entire hotel

Verdant Hill Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Neo Plus Penang

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur City Tour & Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penang (Island Exploration)

Penang

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mossy Forest & BOH Tea Plantation

Cameron Highlands

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nick was great and so patient with my many questions (there was a lot) and made everything really easy planning the trip.

Kinabatangan River was great and the place and staff lovely. The only thing I would emphasise a bit more is to bring cash. There are only two main ATMS (aside from the airport) that I know of and one of them wasn’t working. Definitely bring a raincoat and plenty of bug spray! Food is basic but nice and staff were great.

Sepilok was amazing - our guide Rosman was super friendly and knowledgeable - we got really lucky and saw lots of orangutans and sunbears.

Libarian island - we went here in place of Selingan island as it was booked up. The trip out to the island was great and the island itself was very peaceful! We didn’t see any turtles but did release some babies which was super special! The accommodation was basic but perfect. The only thing I would note here is that the guide we had, while lovely, didn’t really seem too interested in engaging with us or the group outside of when he had too.

Hotel Reviews

Nature Lodge Sepilok

Sepilok

Perfect location next to the sanctuaries. Food is basic but ideal for what it is. Rooms are basic but very clean with aircon. Staff were super lovely!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Walai Penyu Resort Libaran

Sandakan

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Staff were lovely however our guide didn’t seem to interested in engaging with us outside of the planned activities.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Sandakan

Authenticity & Character

Basic but clean and in the jungle :)

Location

Right in the river

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We stayed in a lodge room which was great. Not sure what the dorms are like.

Activity Reviews

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Our guide Rosman was fabulous and we got super lucky with seeing all the animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was lovely but his English wasn’t the best so it made it a bit difficult to ask him questions about the animals.

Transport

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

It was a great day and the safaris were great. I would prob only offer the walk once or twice as it is the exact same route, or bring the group somewhere else.

Quality of Experience

Food

Basic but nice

Guides, Drivers and Staff

All staff were lovely. Guide was super nice, but didn’t speak English too well which made it hard to ask questions.

Transport

During our evening safari our boat did breakdown and we had to be rescued! Nothing to do with the guide as these things happen but a bit scary as it was pitch black. As the guide didn’t have too much English we didn’t know whether or not it was a problem- it was all fine and we moved to another boat - an experience!

Arrival Day Libaran Island

Libaran Island

Lovely island - authentic experience seeing the village island. Our guide didn’t mention we would have the opportunity to buy things and we didn’t bring any cash, so this would be good to communicate in advance :)

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

As mentioned previously, our guide was lovely but didn’t seem to interested in chatting or engaging with us outside the activities.

Transport

Smooth 30-40 min boat ride from Sandakan

An absolutely fantastic tour service. Not only were they available to answer any questions 24 hours a day, more importantly they really cared about our enjoying our trip. I highly recommend them. All our local guides and drivers were terrific!

Hotel Reviews

Sukau Greenview Lodge

Kinabatangan River

I stayed at the Sukau Greenview Lodge in Sandakan for three nights. While the accommodations were okay, given that it’s in the jungle, I wasn't expecting high-level amenities. They were great about some things, like the air conditioning which was terrific, but not so good about others, such as only accepting cash. I had no Malaysian ringgit and wanted to buy an ice cream but couldn't because they didn't accept credit cards. The staff at the desk weren't very helpful, but the guides were excellent.

Pangkor Laut Resort

Lumut

I chose this hotel as it was recommended by a friend, and it didn't disappoint!

Activity Review

Sandakan: Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre

Sandakan

I visited the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan, and while the center itself was nice and the guides and staff were terrific, it felt a bit too much like a zoo for my taste. I personally enjoyed the part of the trip where we were in the wild more, especially at the Greenview Bed and Breakfast in the Borneo jungle. The nature in the area was absolutely stunning and exactly what I traveled for.

Faida organised a trip to Borneo for my family in collaboration. She was great at making changes or incorporating my wishlist. We absolutely loved it. I was a little hesitant to book as I had never gone via KimKim but the experience was incredible. They were able to organise details I would never have been able to figure out. From the moment we were picked up from the airport - every transfer was seamless and on time. It meant I was never thinking about "what next" or "how do we get a taxi?" as it was all done. It felt like I had a team behind the scenes running the holiday so all I had to do was enjoy it.

We spent a a few days in the jungle, then a few on the islands and it was an ideal mix (it was a one week holiday). We saw so many animals in the wild including probiscos monkeys, orangatangs, baby turtles, tarsiers (the big eyed cuties) and many many more. Our itinerary was a two half days / one night in Sepilok, 2 nights on the River Cruise (Wetlands Resort was great, as was Omar our guide) , a night on turtle island then a two nights at the Dive Resort in Lankayan Island. The diver resort was absolute paradise with incredible snorkelling (good for kids), swimming with turtles (they just graze the sea grass casually most of the time) and seeing baby turtles hatch and run on the beach. The set up is like Bora Bora - so luxurious. The staff were also wonderful.

I normally organise holidays myself but I am so glad I did it via Faida. She made everything work like clockwork and she set up a WhatsApp group so if I had any changes or questions while on holiday, they were able to answer them. I didn't realise but a lot of transfers are by boat and there was no way I would have known when they all leave and arrive. However, thanks to Faida - this was all sorted. I was also worried about the timings of everything as it seemed like a lot to fit in, but it worked very well and everything was timed perfectly.

This was a wonderful holiday for our whole family. I cannot recommend Faida highly enough.

Hotel Reviews

Walai Penyu Resort Libaran

Sandakan

This doesn't promise to be a fancy experience - but even for "glamping" this was quite basic. However, that becomes part of the appeal - you get to see the village and the way villagers live (but again, this is very basic). The food and staff were great. It is very rustic - think table and chairs on the beach. The part that was oddly disappointing was the turtles. Compared to other islands, where I saw many adult turtles and babies live hatching - the island had about 3 nests only. I also worry that if they are holding turtles back for tourists to "release" - then it's not ideal for the baby turtles who must sit in a bucket. I would see this island for an off the beaten track tour of what village life is like.

Authenticity & Character

Location

it's an island

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

It is very basic but they tell you that - there is no air conditioning

Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort

Sandakan

Lovely hotel in the jungle. Very comfortable. Excellent staff and food. You fall asleep to the sounds of the rainforest.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lankayan Island Dive Resort

INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE! This place is magical. From the chalets that sit over the blue water, to being able to swim with turtles - it was one of the favourite experiences. Everything about this place was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Dreamy island. Ample fish to look at while snorkelling. Lovely accessible reef.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Luxurious!

Activity Review

Kinabatangan D1

Malaysia

Omar was an excellent guide - definitely worth doing. We saw so many animals in the jungle.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Had an amazing trip in Malaysia. Faida was an amazing trip planner. Planned the trip exactly as I asked. She fulfilled all requests and changes etc and organised amazing people to take us around Malaysia. Definitely recommend

We appreciated having someone that could arrange tours and hotels for us. We found that the descriptions and photos of the tours were more glowing than our experience. Also, the hotel photos were incorrect in one instance. All of the guides and drivers were punctual and polite. We especially enjoyed our guide/driver Seong in Penang, he did an excellent job showing us the important sights as well as offering us choices of what we wanted to see.
The guide in Cameron Highlands was knowledgable about the tea farms and the Mossy Forest. The tea shop was very crowded with families and we had a long wait to order our tea and didn't get to have the tour.

We had a few glitches on the back end of our trip but Nick made sure that we were taken care of. We had no issues with the drivers, our lodgings and tours. Our drivers were where the itinerary said they would be and they were always on time. We were able to add a tour to the Mari-Mari cultural center spur of the moment. Nick took care of the reservations an driver.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Fantastic! Great location, pool, and roof top bar. The rooms were clean and spacious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Small but clean rooms with nice views of Mt. Kinabulu

Location

Sepilok Jungle Resort

Sandakan

Nice hotel in the middle of the jungle. Beautiful grounds with lots of opportunities to observe wildlife.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort

Very small rooms and not well maintained. Window pane missing in our front door allowing for insects to enter. No place to put luggage except on the floor. The bathroom and shower were not separated so water went everywhere.

Location

Rustic but right on the river.

Staff

Ryan did his best to locate wildlife. There were two instances with mechanical boat issues. There was no way for boats to communicate or assist us. We sat dead in the water for 1/2 hour to 45 min. Since there was no communication between boats, we were unable to locate crucial wildlife (pigmy elephants) that other boats were able to find.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mabul Beach Resort

Mabul Island

We loved this place!!! Beautiful!!!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coral Island & Snorkeling Excursion

Kota Kinabalu

Unfortunately the reef is dead. Lots of plastic bottles floating on the ocean. Very sad.

Quality of Experience

Our group really enjoyed the Mari-Mari cultural center. It was a short drive from Kota Kinabulu, and the interactive experience was awesome!

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I'm not sure if another island location would be any better. Being so close to the city of Kota Kinabula, and the many stilt villages, and direction of the ocean current contributed to the sea of floating plastic bottles.

Kinabalu National Park & Poring Hot Springs

Kundasang

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I would have liked to hear more about the unique flora and fauna. The tour was rather rushed. There was no opportunity to experience the hot springs. They were filled with kids.

Transport

Long drive from Kota Kinabula to the hot springs and then more time to reverse back to our lodging.

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Very enjoyable .

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Best guide of the trip!!! I believe her name was Yang. She was extremely knowledgeable about Borneo history, the animals and was able to answer all questions put to her.

Transport

This was a short drive from the Sepilok Jungle Lodge and this center. Very appreciated not spending hours in the van.

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Already discussed in the review of the lodging.

Mabul to Tawau Airport Departure

Mabul Island

Nick, We really appreciated the effort you put into us getting to the airport on time. You and the folks at the Mabul Beach Resort. We made our flights despite the weather and miscommunication about boat and driving time to the airport.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great snorkling. Beautiful reefs with pleasant and informative guides.

Transport

You made this transport happen!

Nick was quick to respond and always available.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Very central to market and restaurants. Good food available poolside.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Central

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Beautiful views

Authenticity & Character

Location

Isolated area with great views

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Halal hotel so no alcohol allowed in restaurant.

Sepilok Jungle Resort

Sandakan

Beautiful grounds. Older accommodations.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

AC struggled to cool. Older.

Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort

Beautiful grounds

Authenticity & Character

Grounds

Location

Staff

Guides

Cleanliness & Comfort

Older. Termites.

Mabul Beach Resort

Mabul Island

Great food. Everything included. Snorkel/dive on site.

Authenticity & Character

Beach vibe

Location

Beach but trash on beach and in water.

Staff

Snorkel guides

Cleanliness & Comfort

Springs felt in bed

Activity Reviews

Coral Island & Snorkeling Excursion

Kota Kinabalu

Crowded. Very limited area to snorkel. Reef did not look healthy.

Kinabalu National Park & Poring Hot Springs

Kundasang

Chose waterfall rather than hot springs. Hot springs were housed in man made area also it’s so hot you wouldn’t want to soak. Hike to waterfall was great.

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yan was amazing guide

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

Fun. Unfortunately didn’t see any Pygmy elephants. Lots of monkeys, birds.

Mabul to Tawau Airport Departure

Mabul Island

Nick arranged earlier boat for us which we needed or we would have missed our flight. Driver met us at dock and quickly delivered us to the airport.

Nick was very available and worked hard to ensure a smooth trip. He was knowledgeable and friendly to work with.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Grandis Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu

Great roof top bar and pool. Rooms were clean and generous in size.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kinabalu Pine Resort

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely view, but a bit far from activities, not much to walk to or do.

Staff

Food was limited, no alcoholic beverages with dinner.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lovely from porch, no air conditioning, however, the resort was at elevation, so cooler and they had great fans. Very clean.

Sepilok Jungle Resort

Sandakan

Beautiful location in midst of jungle, boardwalks everywhere. Pool was a bit dirty and limited. Rooms fine, clean. Great location next to orangutan and sun Bear sanctuaries.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not able to do laundry with no place to dry clothing and high humidity

Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort

Cool location right on the river.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were small, they needed more hooks and places to hang clothes. However, all was very clean.

Mabul Beach Resort

Mabul Island

Such a cool place! Wonderful staff, ecologically oriented, gives back to the community, minimizes waste.

Authenticity & Character

Dedicated to diving, snorkeling experience, wonderful reefs.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right on the beach

Location

Right on the beach

Staff

All so friendly and helpful

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean and good size rooms, nice bathroom.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Coral Island & Snorkeling Excursion

Kota Kinabalu

Limited coral reefs, had to wear life preserver when snorkeling, murky waster with floating trash. Lunch was limited.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabalu National Park & Poring Hot Springs

Kundasang

Didn’t do the hot spring, too commercial, crowded, not natural seeming

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Awesome experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Unfortunately, we never saw the Pygmy elephants but saw other animals. Guide was great, but it rained heavily on our first afternoon trip which limited our experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

same as above

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mabul to Tawau Airport Departure

Mabul Island

Mabul island snorkeling was amazing and resort fabulous, I would definitely recommend this.

Quality of Experience

Great.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Awesome.

Transport

Prompt and friendly only one miss communication, but it was worked out.

Faida was very helpful and flexible during the planning period and also available and helpful during the trip.

Malaysia is an amazing country full of adventure and beautiful nature. Flights and transfers really worked well.
Also the tour guide in Penang, Lester, was excellent - his overall knowledge of culture, country and people made my stay really pleasant.

The driver in Langkawi, Shiny, was excellent - very professional and friendly.

In a short time I really got a good impression of the variety of Malaysia.

Activity Reviews

Penang: City D1

Penang

Lester was a perfect guide - very professional and a perfect company.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langkawi: Island Hopping (Half-Day)

Malaysia

Driver was professional and friendly. Boat driver was unfriendly and not motivated to inform about anything. He only informed us about times when to be back. Islands are beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langkawi: Skybridge & Mangrove

Langkawi Island

The Mangrove Tour was amazing - animals and really great nature. Boat driver was excellent - very friendly and gave us a lot of information. Weather in the afternoon was not good - because of the fog there was no view from the top of the cable car.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Flight en-route via Kuala Terengganu: Redang Island - Kuala Lumpur {{start_location}} and {{end_location}}

Malaysia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Malaysia was coordinated by Nick, of Kimkim Tours. This was our first trip to Malaysia, so we elected to hire a local company to arrange our transport and activities. Nick presented us with a well-organized tour, and he was quick to reply via WhatsApp to any our inquiries or concerns. The itinerary provided was appropriate for the amount of time that we had, and accommodated the sites and activities we wanted to do on our overview trip of Malaysia. The hotels booked for us were generally well-situated and good quality. Our local guides Zana (Langkawi) and Jason (Cameron Heights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaka) were also great.

Our only hiccups of the trip of the trip included a missed pickup by our driver after we disembarked our ferry at Kualeh Kedah, which was a mis-booking of the company. We ended up hiring a local taxi to get us from Kualeh Kedah to Penang. The company promptly reimbursed us for the 200 ringgit fare that we paid.

Also, we ended up cancelling a planned cycling tour of Penang, not realizing when we booked the tour the hot weather and lack of safe bike lanes would not be conducive to safely biking, nor making the best use of our time. We hired a local driver instead who showed us the city highlights, including Penang Hill, temple, and other sites.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our first trip to Malaysia, and hope to return in the near future. We would recommend using Kimkim tours to help plan your tour.
Henry and Caroline

Jason was our driver and tour guide from Cameron Hills to Kuala Lumpur, and then on to Melaka. It was a great pleasure having Jason as our guide, as we found him to be not only attentive and courteous, but also a wealth of knowledge with respect to the history of Malaysia. As we have travelled extensively, we fully appreciate having knowledgable guides leading a tour. There are many things we did not know about the history of Malaysia with respect to its involvement in previous wars, the dynamics of its diverse ethnicities, and political leaders.

Jason arrived well before our scheduled pick up times, and having stops with local vendors was a nice touch. The cendol dessert with Durian was a treat!
Jason is one of the best tour guides we’ve had, and his ability to connect with his guests is his greatest asset. We both highly recommend Jason as a guide.

Henry and Caroline

————-

Zana:
We had a lovely time with Zana who was our driver and tour guide during our stay in Langkawi. She was very caring and attentive to our needs. Zana taught us about Muslim traditions and Ramadan, and took us to a variety of temples, including some that were not on the schedule. As we are both into photography, she made sure we visited scenic sites such as the eagle monument and Tanjung Rhu beach. She also brought us to a popular street market where we enjoyed the food and drink. Zana made certain that we made it to the ferry to Kuala Kedah on time, and followed up with us after the ferry ride to make sure that we were OK. We were both very happy with Zana‘s professionalism and kindness, and would recommend her as a guide without hesitation.

Henry and Caroline
—————-
Jason Ong
Driver from Melaka to Singapore was very efficient and talked to us about the Malaysian history in Hokkien/ English.
We enjoyed his company.

The Borneo 15 day plan was amazing.
We had some great guides and saw some wonderful places that we wouldn't have known about if it wasn't for our planner Nick.

Kuching cycle tour is definitely worth a go, not too strenuous but a great overview and our guide Kelvin was brilliant.

We were very happy to have done 2 nights at Bako national park as there was so much to see that would be missed in a one day visit. Beautiful fauna, lots of monkeys and other animals to see.

A highlight was the Saloma homestay. The place is beautiful, people were a joy and the experience as a whole is truly unique.

Our first guide Duke was fantastic, so knowledgeable and kind. He was wonderful. Always on time, showed us amazing animals, could not have been better. Then we went to Saloma's homestay. What a lovely person and house! Again she knew so much about jungle cuisine and took us to amazing places. We had a great tour of a longhouse by Jordon? And then William took us around a village and for a night tour. He was so interesting to listen to. The highlight of our trip was Saloma and her parents taking us to their jungle farm for a wonderful lunch. The waterfalls were beautiful. After the homestay we went to Damai Resort. While it looked a little tired it was very comfortable, great staff and an outstanding pool. The nearby cultural village was wonderful. John and Hum took us for a great river tour where we saw dolphins, crocodiles, and monkeys, which was amazing. I forgot to mention that Duke took us to Bako National Park, excellent, the orangutan sanctuary (fantastic) and the amazing fairy cave. All throughout the people were lovely and the food was amazing

Hotel Reviews

Limetree Hotel

Comfortable bed, wonderful food and helpful staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Very close to chinatown

Staff

Made us a take away breakfast

Cleanliness & Comfort

Saloma Homestay

This was an outstanding experience. Saloma and her family were so kind and welcoming. We had a magnificent jungle meal, swims in waterfalls, met the children in a local school, the house was so beautiful everywhere you looked, I just loved it!

Authenticity & Character

Alot of the house of made of bamboo and rattan which made it beautiful

Location

Near a waterfall, the jungle and a village

Staff

Saloma herself, I felt like I had known her for ever, she is lovely, funny and kind! Such a great example of a person! It's great how she involves the local people in her business

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bed and pillows were perfect!

Damai Beach Resort

Great pool and lovely staff

Authenticity & Character

Maybe it's due for a refurb

Location

Near wetlands and a cultural village

Staff

They answered every question and were helpful with luggage and a late check out

Cleanliness & Comfort

Nice big clean room and the pool was really clean

Activity Reviews

Arrival Transfer from Kuching Airport to Hotel

Kuching

Duke was right on time and lovely to us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

So patient kind and knowledgeable

Transport

Comfortable van

Bako National Park Daytrip

Kuching

Saw so many things, beautiful jungle, probiscus monkeys, and two other kinds of monkey. Saw snakes, a perfect length walk

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Duke knew an incredible amount about everything!

Transport

Comfortable

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre Visit

Kuching

This was a real highlight. We were six metres away from a massive orangutan who stuck around for about an hour! Incredible to see him break open a coconut

Quality of Experience

Amazing to see such a large wild animal up close

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Duke knew so much

Transport

Mangrove & Dolphins Cruise

Santubong

Seeing dolphins, crocodiles and monkeys, so great! And beautiful mangroves with John and Him being able to see where animals were so well

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An amazing and memorable trip to Melaka & KL!
Faida was great from start to end - patient in developing a perfect itinerary, regular updates and a very clear process. Then on hand (with Ieqa) to answer any queries during the trip.
Our local driver & guides (Vikram, Sha, Eddie, Fuad & Eddie) were wonderful, offering deep local insight and genuine friendship.
One minor factor is allowing & being prepared for longer transit times if travelling by car in and around KL.
An unforgettable experience, thank you to Faida & team ❤️

I asked Nick to book us a 10 night trip to Malaysia and he did not disappoint. Requested 4 star accommodation and for Nick to arrange a tour in each location ! WOW ! We had an unforgettable journey through Malaysia's vibrant tapestry of culture, cuisine, and natural beauty. We began in the bustling metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, where the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and diverse street food scene await. Great tour of Batu Caves and the city ! Tour guide was very knowledgeable and we had a great time. Then, ventured to the historical streets of Penang, where rich heritage blends seamlessly with mouthwatering local delicacies. Day Trip around Penang, where we visited a nutmeg farm. Ended our adventure in the idyllic paradise of Langkawi, at an amazing beach resort for some downtime ! Great Tour of the Mangroves and the Kilim Geoforest Park. Definitely recommend booking a trip with Nick and the Kim Kim team ! Our trip was seamless from the first pick up at KL Airport, to our last transfer to Langkawi Island. 4 nights KL, 3 Penang and 3 Langkawi - definitely the right time in each location ! Thanks Nick ! Do you have any ideas for our next Trip !

Hotel Reviews

Verdant Hill Hotel

Great location for street food markets and walking around the city. Could use a little update on the interior of the building ! Some paint, also the pool deck area was broken.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to the Street Market - Amazing food!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royale Chulan Georgetown

George Town

Great hotel in a great location of Georgetown ! Breakfast was amazing every morning ! Staff were very friendly and helpful, especially the doorman.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pelangi Beach Resort

WOW ! WOW ! Great Resort, great location, great staff! We were uppgraded to a Seaview Room - AMAZING !! Great size room, very comfortable and clean and connecting room to our kids !

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur City Tour & Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur

Lawrence was a great tour guide! He went out of his way to ensure that we were able to go to Batu Caves. Picked us up an hour earlier than scheduled so we could get to the Cave. It was the day before their big Festival Thaipusum. Was amazing being able to see some of the devotees chanting, and carrying their offerings all dressed in yellow! Then having Marsala Tea for the first time! After Batu Caves Lawrence took us on a city tour and visit to a temple. Loved it ! Would definitely recommend this tour for when you first arrive in KL, it helped get our bearings and see what we wanted to explore further.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penang (Island Exploration)

Penang

Ricky was a lovely tour guide who drove us around Penang Island. Was great to see the whole island and we especially enjoyed the nutmeg farm and learning about how they use all the nutmeg! Especially liked the nutmeg drink ! Stopped at numerous temples and decided we would spend more time in Georgetown.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bus was a little bit outdated and was a bumpy ride

Mangrove Boat Cruise

Langkawi Island

We really enjoyed this tour ! Wasn't sure what to expect but was lots of fun ! We loved the Boat and the driver was amazing ! We saw Otters in the water, Eagles and the Monkeys! Lovely swim at one of the beaches and a nice lunch on the floating deck.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were picked up at 8.45 and didnt get to the tour until 10.15pm - Was a bit of a drive and collected other people from other hotels and they were not ready on time

to make the trip plan better, I suggest the following:

1. Provide very detailed itineraries for each tour. The explanation for each tour was lacking information. I do not know if I saw everything I was supposed to see on each tour, and in some cases, we did things on a tour I was not expecting to do.
2. Make sure at least one person (either the driver or guide) can communicate in English, even broken English is fine.
3. Prior to our hike to Mt. Ijen, another vehicle from the same company broke down. We lost about 20 minutes of time going back to pick up other guests. Fortunately, we still got to the mountain in time to see the blue flame. We had about 10 minutes to spare and we were very rushed trying to get there on time. If we were not so lucky, I would have missed the experience along with the couple that we went back to pick up. But, thankfully, everything worked out fine.

I feel that my tour was comprehensive and a great introduction to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. I learned a lot about the culture and geography. Although I really enjoyed this adventure, I probably will not revisit these areas.

We had an amazing time in Malaysia, it's a beautiful country, with friendly people and delicious food! Nick was great at organising the trip for us; he was friendly and responsive, and made adjustments to the itinerary as requested, as well as providing helpful suggestions. Upon arriving in Malaysia, everything ran to plan and was very smooth. No issues with any of the transfers and everyone was always on time; all very well organised. We were generally happy with the hotels, and breakfast at each was fab. We really enjoyed all the activities that had been planned and absolutely loved Borneo and having the oppprtunity to see lots of wildlife. Seeing the orangutans was definitely a highlight of the trip! In hindsight, we should've spent longer here and less time travelling around, but we still enjoyed our time in the other places too. Our guides for Kuala Lumpur- Lawrence, and Kuching- Duke, were super friendly, patient and knowledgeable, and really enhanced our trip. Thank you all- would recommend to others planning a Malyasia trip too!

Hotel Reviews

Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa Langkawi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Lovely to be able to just stroll out to the beach at the back of the hotel

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mosquitoes and ants in our room! But housekeeping were helpful to sort this out. Overall hotel was stunning, but maybe not reflected as much in our room

The Waterfront Hotel

Kuching

Perfect!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Fantastic location by Kuching waterfront- we had a lovely view of the Parliament building from our room. The hotel sits on top of a shopping mall too, which was handy

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Verdant Hill Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Royale Chulan KL

Kuala Lumpur

Authenticity & Character

Breakfast was great and nice to have been provided some history about Penang in the rooms and within the hotel

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

A few things in our room were rusty/ worn down due to wear and tear- could maybe do with a bit of a face-lift

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur City Tour & Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penang (Tropical Spice Garden Cooking Class)

Penang

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langkawi Island (Free at Leisure)

Langkawi Island

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre Visit

Kuching

Highlight of the trip seeing these beautiful animals- amazing experience!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bako National Park Daytrip

Kuching

Great place to see the native proboscis monkeys, we were lucky to see some in two different places by the entrance to the park. Also saw lots of other wildlife with the help of our guide and enjoyed the hikes around the park. Boat trip there and back was also fun

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mangrove & Fireflies Cruise

Kuching

Really lovely boat cruise and great opportunity to see more wildlife- we saw the irawaddy dolphins, a crocodile, proboscis monkeys, macques and the fireflies. Stunning sunset from the boat too. We were also provided snacks which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Faida was so helpful and went out of her way to make this trip exactly the experience I was hoping for and all on short notice! She was a miracle worker and it was a truly memorable experience.

Amazing trip in Sabah planned by Nick, following our queries and matching our expectations. All locals guide we met during our trip were amazing.

Hotel Review

Sukau Greenview Lodge

Kinabatangan River

Best lodge so far, directly next to the river, staff is so nice, food is so good, but monkey can be scary 😂

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Sepilok Orangutan Centre & Sunbear Centre

Sandakan

Nice to see Orang outan center and Sunbear center. Very interesting!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Amazing wildlife. Very interesting guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

Amazing wildlife. Very interesting guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport