Nick Jansen

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

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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
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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

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

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

Verdant Hill Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel 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

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

Activity Reviews

Kuala Lumpur City Tour & Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur

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

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

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

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