Personalized trips to Malaysia
for independent travelers

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 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

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

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!