Kimkim Trip Reviews for Malaysia

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

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

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!

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Activity Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verdant Hill Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

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

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre Visit

Kuching

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

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Langkawi Island (Free at Leisure)

Langkawi Island

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Penang (Tropical Spice Garden Cooking Class)

Penang

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kuala Lumpur City Tour & Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur

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

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

Amazing wildlife. Very interesting guide.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Afternoon Wildlife River Cruise

Kinabatangan

Amazing wildlife. Very interesting guide.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Here are a few thoughts on our trip.
Overall the trip was well thought out and paced. Our dealings with Nick were professional and he imparted his local knowledge of the area to us very well.
Just some things of note:

Kuching - A Ranee Boutique suites - great location, room and attention to detail. The breakfast of Nasi Lamak was beautiful presented in a atmospheric space.

Saloma’s Homestay - a wonderful introduction to life in Sarawak. Family life, cuisine simple country space but with a true understanding of what travelers require eg drinking water dispenser.

Mukah - Kingwood hotel adequate, Lamina Dana….. Felix, was an enthusiastic guide loved the tours, boat trip, museum and walking around the village. A little strange going backwards and forwards to and from the hotel to the village for meals. Dining in a very large space with just ourselves eating and the staff looking on. We would have preferred staff joining us.
Very warm and friendly people.

Miri - informative and helpful drivers, hotel well located.

Mulu- activities and cave experiences excellent both days, homestay very basic, pleasant hosts. Would have liked them to provide drinking water rather than selling us plastic bottles which wasn’t very eco friendly.

Kiulu - picked up by driver and guide, lovely farm stay and environment but it was a long day travelling - an earlier departure from Mulu would have been preferred. Very well appointed bamboo house, wonderful warm village people who shared their life and family very generously. Meals were a highlight, well presented and varied.

Kinabatangan - river cruises and wildlife experiences were excellent - boatman / guide was exemplary and knowledgeable. Downside , food atrocious (often inedible) staff totally disinterested and the whole property rundown and requiring a thorough clean and maintenance. We strongly recommend an alternative in the area.

Sepilok - very nice accommodation staff extremely obliging and friendly, great location. Downside again no drinking water freely available, forced to buy plastic bottles of water.

Overall the tip lived up to our expectations…. Well done Nick.

Hotel Reviews

Sepilok Jungle Resort

Sandakan

Great location, just bring your own drinking water - they charge a lot for plastic water bottles

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Borneo Natural Sukau Bilit Resort

Terrible accommodation.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Terrible staff , particularly the fat controller. , they have no interest in customer service

Cleanliness & Comfort

Needs a good clean

Kiulu Guesthouse

Great people and location

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great space …. Just needed a few cushions for the bamboo furniture

Saloma Homestay

What a lovely space and family

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ranee Boutique Suites

Authenticity & Character

It’s a great location

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kinabatangan River Exploration (River Cruises)

Kinabatangan

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival Day Kiulu

Kiulu

Quality of Experience

U

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Deer & Lang Caves Excursion

Mulu

Quality of Experience

I

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Tour & Melanau Craft Workshop

Mukah

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saloma Homestay ( Longhouse & Village Life)

Kuching

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Arrival Transfer from Kuching Airport to Hotel

Kuching

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It was really easy to plan our trip with Nick and he made everything seamless. Even at the last minute when our flight was disrupted, he managed to change our Orangutan trip so we didn't miss out.
We wouldn't stay at the Ranee Boutique Hotel again. The room itself was OK but the breakfast is very average - weak orange juice, weak filter coffee, only bananas if you wanted fruit for breakfast (most other places at least have watermelon, pineapple or papaya.
It also advertises that there's a bar but there isn't. We wouldn't want to stay in a Hilton or Pullman but somewhere with a bit more ambiance and better breakfast would have enhanced everything.
On the plus side, all our organised tours were great. John was an excellent guide, as was Farhah who took us on the cycle tour and we felt very lucky to see proboscis monkeys, silver leaf monkeys and the orangutans (though no dolphins).
All in all, I'd definitely recommend Kimkim and we would book with them again as the itinerary felt well balanced and still gave us free time to explore on our own.
Some other companies like yours do suggested other things to do while in an area and some recommended restaurants so if you were to enhance anything then this could be something to add - just a suggestion based on our experience in the tourism industry.

Hotel Review

Ranee Boutique Suites

The rooms are fine for a short stay with a safe and daily bottled water. We thought the breakfast was very average with a poor selection of continental options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great location on the riverside in Kuching near the Chinese and Indian area - good access to a variety of restaurants.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Departure Transfer to the Kuching Airport

Kuching

All good - John dropped us directly to the airport after we'd seen the orangutans

Arrival Transfer from Kuching Airport to Hotel

Kuching

All good. John was at the airport to welcome us

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mangrove & Dolphins Cruise

Kuching

We really enjoyed being out on the water for this tour. You will join a small group to do the trip even if you start out with a private guide. We didn't see dolphins or crocodiles but did get a glimpse of a proboscis monkey and a group of silver leaf monkeys. A snack - fruit, cake and biscuits along with water are provided on the trip which was good as we didn't get back to Kuching until around 8:30 pm

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Really enthusiastic and vey informative about the local fishing village and the area we visited. They so wanted us to see the wildlife, even if it was a bit elusive on our trip

Transport

Bako National Park Daytrip

Kuching

Loved our trip to the National Park. John is really informative. We were able to see proboscis monkeys and do an add on trip around the shore line to see the rock erosion and rock stacks nearby.

Quality of Experience

Food

John took us for an authentic noodle lunch - very inexpensive

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Best of Kuching Cycling Tour

Kuching

Farhah was an excellent guide and took us around a great variety of areas. Being able to have good e-bikes made it easy for us to experience this trip although it is pretty much all on the flat so we needn't have worried. We had plenty of time to get off and take photos while she explained the history and significance of each of our stops. We visited back lanes, the spice market and the local produce market as well as historic places which made for an interesting variety. Highly recommend

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

E bikes were good quality and easy to use

Semenggoh Orangutan Centre Visit

Kuching

Loved this trip and seeing the orangutans. It is quite commercialised with a lot of people visiting at the same time, however, seeing these amazing animals in the wild was a wonderful experience. There are set feeding times each day so you have to fit in with these for a chance to see the orangutans and the park does warn that you are less likely to see them in fruit season. We saw 6 orangutans in all including a large male and a mother with baby.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Rangers had walkie talkies to communicate where the orangutans had appeared

Transport

Trip was amazing. It really was exactly what I was looking for with limited time.
I found trying to book a trip online to Borneo Rainforest Lodge really difficult until I found Nick at KimKim. I am positive it was not the cheapest way to go about it but it was worth it for me to not have to be constantly chasing quotes etc and I felt like Nick had the right connections to make it a smooth trip.
Everything ran like clockwork and we had no problems at all with connections or our package etc.
We saw orangutang at both Danum Valley conservation area and Sukau Rainforest Lodge!! And SOOOOO much more. Both experiences were entirely different but wonderful in their own right. Experiences were rich. Guides were great. Food was fab. I cant recommend going to Borneo enough. And if you want a seamless booking experience definitely use Nick.
Take a proper, good pair of binoculars if you want a full experience.
I would have loved more information on what to take before we left as I found myself scrambling to find information in online reviews/forums to know what to take just before we left - which I don't love doing and it should be reasonably simple for these guys to put together but apart from that I cant fault this experience of a lifetime. It would also have been good to get a heads up that it was Hari Raya (Malaysian/Indonesian version of Eid) when we landed as so much was closed when we arrived in Lahad Datu it could have been problematic if we hadn't fluked our accomodation being near one of the only open restaurants. Small detail but worth knowing in advance.

Thank you for a wonderful trip! Jassie, our driver, was terrific. So personable and helpful. We really enjoyed both the river excursion and sea setting. It was wonderful to be taken such good care of - transfers were super efficient and always on time.

Nick did an excellent job of creating an itinerary that suited us. He was incredibly responsive as well - even when we had a question while at Sukau Rainforest Lodge.

The staff at both Sukau River Lodge and Lankayan Dive Resort were all wonderfully helpful and kind. Wendy, the dive master, was especially helpful!

Our guide Jason was wonderful. He suggested additional things to add to our day with him that were fun, interactive, and allowed us to learn more about the Malay culture. He took us to a local restaurant for lunch that was excellent, and suggested a few places for dinner that were also great. Sam was a great guide as well, a bit soft spoken, but very knowledgeable and thoughtful. His botany experience made the trip to the botanic gardens extra special! Many thanks to Nick for all of his help and guidance in planning our trip. Everything went smoothly and it was a great experience!
Elizabeth Irwin

Thank you Theresa, for planning a seamless trip very last minute for me and my daughter to Malaysia. Plus, I greatly appreciate offering alternative itineraries “on the fly” after unexpected weather impacts arose. Each step of the way our drivers and activities were waiting and ready, all very courteous and offering additional advice and insight. Your suggested itinerary met all our touristy goals. This is my second time to use KimKim’s services, I’ll be back soon!

Hotel Reviews

Strawberry Park Resort

Their Christmas buffet and Malaysian Santa was very festive for an American away from home at Christmas.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Loved being up on the hilltop with cool breeze and great view from the cozy balcony.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mutiara Taman Negara Resort

Kuala Tahan

Authenticity & Character

The chalet was cute and gave yiu the feeling of sleeping in the jungle, especially as monkeys pounced on the roof.

Location

It was fun to cross the River and feel very secluded from the world.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Park Royal Service Suites Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Room was very neat and clean. Breakfast buffet offerings were very good. Location was good, quick Grab ride to anywhere we needed to go.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit Taman Negara

Taman Negara

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Travel from Kuala Lumpur to Taman Negara via Batu Caves and night trekking

Malaysia

Had to check this off the touristy list … just beware of the monkeys, they were aggressive.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Alisha was really helpful in her recommendations and customizing the trip! She also provided timely responses which was appreciated.

The trip overall was great- Hasan was our driver guide and he was so friendly and gave us a great overview of Malaysia's history and areas we visited. He even showed up one day when we didn't expect to see him in order to make sure we got picked up by our other local tour guide. All the pick ups/drop offs went very smoothly. We really enjoyed our time in Teman Nagara, Cameron Highlands, and Penang.

Two minor hiccups-
1) When we checked in at Taman Negara, the resort had listed us as participating in different activities than what we expected on the itinerary: no biggie though, it was easily switched around without extra cost!
2) Our itinerary didn't list what time our dinner was in Penang, and we completely forgot to ask about it. A guide showed up to our hotel and waited for an hour to meet us (which we feel so badly about) but we were already in the town! We didn't make it to the dinner but I'm sure it would have been delicious!

I'd definitely book another trip with KimKim based on this experience!

Activity Review

Visit Mossy Forest

Cameron Highlands

Beautiful place!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

An unbelievable trip of a lifetime. Through Kimkim, Sticky Rice we’re able to put together a truly unique experience. Although some details weren’t exactly clear before travelling (some confusion over one accommodation) when I arrived the whole trip ran like clockwork. I can’t recommend Sticky Rice and each of their staff more, and without KimKim I wouldn’t have found them.

Our guide was well informed but sometimes didn't seem very interested in answering our questions. He was a bit impatient when we wanted to wait to see animals. Otherwise, we loved it!