Testimonials

“When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, we were contacted by Melvin by a note left under the door and later that evening a phone call from him and he assured us everything was in place for our tour of Malaysia. Melvin arranged to meet us on the morning we were departing on the tour and was there promptly at 9.00am and introduced us to our guide Alan George Tung ( known as Alan). Alan was to be our guide for the duration of the trip and he was fantastic. You could tell he had over 30 years experience in the tour business. He was professional, helpful and a delight to be with, we were taken to places I am sure were not on the tour itinerary but he thought we would be interested in. On arriving at Taman Negara we were left by Alan for two days in the capable hands of the staff at the Mutiara resort. The resort was great, bungalow style accommodation with a rustic charm that had everything. Our guide for this section of the trip was Hasan who was again knowledgable in his field and obviously had a love of the history and botanical wonders of this fantastic place. We were then back with Alan and he was with us until the end of our trip when he delivered us to Penang. We would like it ,if you could pass onto the above people a big thank you for their effort in making our stay in Malaysia a memorable experience.”

Wonderful trip! Fantastic support from Ananias; would not have got back without his attitude and help.   Thanks also to Julie as anchor-person.
Thanks also to Leo on the boat trip and Sylvester on the memorable mountain bike trip through the rubber plantations.
Also to bus drivers for the yarns about family and Sabah.
(Mt Kinabalu Summit Trail/The Little Kinabatangan/Kiulu Cycling)

Just wanted to let you know Borneo was amazing.
Lankayan Island was incredible and would highly recommend to clients that want to have great snorkeling off the beach with turtles, great reef, lots of fish and clear pristine blue water .
The staff were lovely, rooms were great and right on the beach, food was good and so much of it and the best thing was seeing baby turtles hatching and another night a mumma turtle came up to lay her eggs which the staff came and knocked on our door to let us know.
They are doing a fantastic job of conservation with the reef and also turtles which is so refreshing. Was sad to say good bye but we are going back next year about May or June and will stay for longer. Transfers were seamless all but one which was our transfer to the island it said on our itinerary that we were getting picked up at 8.30 but was meant to be 9.30 but was  no big deal.
Orangutan and Sun bear sanctuaries  were fantastic and are also across the road from each other. Extremely well run, not expensive to enter and are proper sanctuaries not Zoo’s made to look like sanctuaries which is so wonderful.
Overall Borneo is doing an amazing job of conservation all round. The government has made laws that only 40% of rain forest can be planted out in palm oil and 60% must be held for Orangutans. Rehabilitation of Orangutans and Sun Bears are supported by government with hefty fines for people that hold either of these beautiful animals captive as well.
Kota Kinabalu was our relaxing part of the holiday (and relax we did) and of coarse the Shangril La was incredible. Our room was amazing with the best outlook over the ocean. Staff, food, amenities out standing and would highly recommend  this Hotel. We had a day at the sister Hotel Shangri La Rasa Ria for something to do and we found it to be a little run down. Staff didnt seem as happy and it was a long way from everything.
So to wrap things up we had a fantastic holiday and we look forward to booking our trip back there next year with you.

It was a really good tour. (7Day Wildlife Tour).  Great guide (Phyllis) and driver (Kelvin) from Wildlife Expeditions and as you advised me, you get out what you put in.
We are overall very satisfied and it was the experience we wanted for our children with a few gentle challenges and a completely different culture.
The wildlife opportunities were great and some of the highlights. We also appreciated the visits to the WWII memorials and gardens. 

Thank you so much for putting together a wonderful holiday package for us.  Wow what can I say from the first pick up to the last drop off we didn’t have to worry about a thing, we felt very special . All of the tour guides and transport drivers were great, very friendly and helpful.
A special mention to Mason from Sandakan for putting up with us for 3 days. He could not have been more helpful. (Especially when I slipped in the Birds nest cave on the ramp , hurt my pride more)

Just a few words to thank you for the wonderful trip, especially in Borneo.  It turned out to be more than we expected and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  Your recommendations for the guided tours was very much appreciated and the guide, herself, was a very lovely young lady who was friendly and knowledgeable; we learnt quite a lot from her.  We were lucky to see the orang-utans and more specifically the pygmy white elephants.  Apparently only 25% of visitors get to see the elephants. 

We are hoping to go back to Borneo again ‘one day’. Thanks again!

The B….  family arrived in my office straight off their flight home. They had a fantastic holiday, loved everything the river tour was an absolute highlight although Nature resort was fantastic.

It is great to have such happy clients. Thanks so much for your help and enthusiasm it has definitely paid off, they would like to go back again. So hopefully will see them again.

Just a quick note to advise that we are back from our Borneo holiday which you organised for us.

The trip was great and all transfer arrangements were perfect with no hic ups at any stage. The trip down to Sukau and the Kitanabangan River were highlights as was the standard of accommodation throughout the holiday.

Yes we had a great time. The resort in Kota Kinabulu (Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort) was amazing. The kids and us really enjoyed the water park. We went across to the nearby islands on a few occasions to take kids snorkelling and to go diving which was fun. The visibility from a dive perspective was not very good unfortunately perhaps to do with the time of the year. It was a shame as the coral in the shallow waters was is pristine condition so it would have been nice to be able to appreciate it more in deeper water.

Brunei was interesting although in hindsight 3 days was too much we could have managed with only 2 days and stayed another night in KK. The tours you organised for us were good as we are not the group touring types so having our own private tours worked really well.

We also had the opportunity to go see the Orangutans at the Rasa Ria resort, it was nice to see them roaming virtually free. Then there was a few trips into the city for some shopping and dinners out. 

Thanks for organising the trip you did a great job. If we have the opportunity to go Royal Brunei airlines again I would jump at the chance, so good with the kids and very safety conscious.

Thanks for helping with our holiday. We had a lovely time and can’t rate the RASA RIA highly enough.  We ended up upgrading to the ocean wing which was awesome.
I also highly recommend the Elephant Sanctuary just north of KL… we had an unbelievable behind the scenes experience. It was a magical and memorable day.
You guys were so easy to deal with and your travel advice spot on – so well done.

Just wanted to thank you for your guidance with booking our tour to Sandakan we had an amazing experience and our tour guide Mason was exceptional. Cheers

We had a fabulous trip. Everything went well and our guides and drivers were amazing. We felt immersed in malayan culture, we ate street food, fresh, fresh fruit and shopped and talked with local people in markets. Everyone we met – the airline staff, hospitality staff, shopkeepers, people in the streets, even most other tourists we encountered (not many aussies, no americans) – were kind welcoming and helpful.
We saw so much wild wildlife! Orangutans, proboscis monkeys, macaques, langurs, lemurs, monitor lizards, snakes, crocodiles and to our great joy, even pygmy elephants!! We witnessed green turtles laying eggs and hundreds of hatched baby turtles being released to the sea. We experienced everything that was promised and so much more.
.. the companies that supplied our terrific guides… how knowledgeable, interesting and helpful they were. We felt that they went way above and beyond for us.
I’d recommend the trip to everyone interested in wildlife, or getting out beyond the resorts, especially to pay the extra for the private guide experience. We felt that, especially compared to those we saw on bus trips, we received preferential treatment, extra consideration (our hotel rooms were upgraded and amazing, when we ate at restaurants we were given the best tables) and inside knowledge.

Just thought I’d drop a quick note to say how much we thoroughly enjoyed our recent Sabah tour.  Our guide “Del”, was amazing – a very dedicated, knowledgeable man with the expertise of someone much older than his 38 years.  I’ve actually just finished sending an email to Del’s boss … to thank him for allocating us Del. 
I have to admit that Terry and I were initially a little hesitant about having a Private Tour but, thanks to Del’s Aussie-like sense of humour and easy-going manner, we relished the idea immensely –  especially when we came across several coach-loads of Trip A Deal customers.  We were glad to have the freedom we had, and to enjoy the serenity of places without the noise from fellow-travellers.

Thanks again

Our clients are back and they did have a great time, and they highly recommend the Orang Utan Island Tour. Their driver Ramesh was fantastic. They also enjoyed the company of the other couple from Nevada, USA!!

Thank you so much for organizing all the extras for xxxx’s birthday. It was a lovely surprise when we checked in to the Rasa Ria and the bed was decorated with his birthday greetings. Xxxx loved it! Thanks also for arranging the fruit and somehow we were upgraded to a beach view from the garden view took. Did you do that too?
And thank you also arranging the birthday cake. That is so kind of you.
We have had a fantastic holiday. We really appreciate all the effort you have put in to make it a truly unforgettable 50th birthday celebration. We feel very pampered and grateful for it all.
Everything has gone exactly to plan.
The Grandis Hotel in KK was really lovely. Our triple room was massive. You could jog from one end to the other!
Our jungle experiences were great too. We got to see plenty of wildlife. And the Rasa Ria is the best hotel and experience I’ve ever stayed in. We love it.

Just a quick report to say we love the resort in Langkawi!!! ? (Berjaya Langkawi Resort)
It’s really lovely – and the food !!! We’ll need our own plane to get us home!!! ?
Would really recommend  this resort!! Great position, great food, nicely designed cabins and good service!

I’m back after having a fantastic time in Borneo!
Our guides (Tan & Geoff) were super friendly & informative in Sandakan, who looked after us so well.  Tan was with us on our first & second days, which included Seligan island.  Then he passed us over to Geoff on the last day of our tour.  Sepilok was great – we were lucky enough to see a mother & baby at the feeding platform.  Labuk Bay was really interesting except I thought that maybe there should be more supervision & control around the Silverleaf monkeys, as people were touching them.  So different to the Orangutan experiences.  We paid extra and saw the Sun bears too, which was really a privilege.  Seeing a turle on Seligan was amazing, to be that close!!!!
Four Points Sheraton was perfect for us.  One night we ate at Sim Sim water village, then another night along the waterfront at the Harbour Bistro Café, which was a great blend of western and local!  The Tanjung Aru Resort in KK was amazing.  Highly recommend there, in fact we only went into KK once for a seafood lunch, because we were enjoying the resort too much.  We did a 2 island cruise from Star Marina, which I would highly recommend the Manukan Island over Suri Island.  Suri Island was very crowded in comparison.
So overall, everything was wonderful and we hope to return!
Thanks again for all your assistance and advice.

We had a wonderful time. The holiday was a great choice for our family’s age group (travelling with 16 & 18-year-old).
Shangri-La Tanjung Aru was lovely. We hired a charter boat for a day which was perfect because we got taken to snorkelling areas that were inaccessible to your run of the mill tourist. It was staffed by Jonathon (captain – Englishman who has lived in Malaysia for 28 years) and 2 local crew. They fed us, always had someone snorkel with us and Jonathon was a font of information. They would take us wherever we wanted so they took us to the zip line between islands also…..We were lucky enough to be around for the Sunday street markets as well.
We were met by our guide at Sandakan airport (G.K. Tan) who stayed us for the entire rest of the holiday. Tan was great! We saw 5 wild orangutans at the bird’s nest cave (2 mums with babies and 1 male showing unwanted attention!). They were really close. Tan said it looked like the older mum was testing the child to see if he could look after himself as we watched him get sent across open ground to climb a tree and pick his own jack fruit.
Billit Rainforest Lodge could not be faulted. Food was good & plentiful. Rooms were clean, spacious & air conditioned. We saw wild pygmy elephants, orangutans, crocodiles, 5 types of monkeys on our river cruising. The elephants couldn’t be found again the next day so our timing was perfect.
Overall, a great holiday. Thanks for organising for us.

Just wanted to give you some feedback on our ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS Malaysia Holiday! All transfers were spot on!
Firstly, the Kapalai resort was excellent. Thank goodness we didn’t stay at Mabul as Robyn did a day trip there and said it was no comparison. Room, food ,diving, staff-all excellent!! What a beautiful Resort!
Sandakan 4 Points Sheridan- excellent as per their Worldwide standards . The Bilit Lodge on the River was excellent. All you needed and again with great food and friendly staff++. The tour guide (AZMAN) was excellent (please give his company that feedback)
On the river cruises we saw Elephants, proboscis monkeys, long and short tail Macques, hornbills, crocodiles, kingfisher etc!!
I actually saw all I hoped to see and more! The Gomantong Caves were excellent ++ with birds, bats ,insects and other critters and we saw 4 Orang Utans on the walk back from there!
The Shangri La at KK was also brilliant and the perfect chill out ending as you suggested. Rooms were beautifully appointed, great pool, terrific facilities, great food and staff. Keen to have another holiday in Malaysia but we will jettison the kids next time!

Just wanted to let you know Ann and I had a great time. Everything went to plan – I could not believe the difference in Penang. Loved the hotels esp the upgrade in KL. Also we would highly recommend the food tour in KL.  Our guide Jen was so good and the food was marvelous . Once again thank you 

I just wanted to provide feedback about our tour guide in Sabah, Iru (didn’t get his last name). He went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that we had a fantastic tour and saw everything that there was to see, including a night river cruise so we could spot owls, kingfishers and crocodiles (which are more difficult to see during the day because they fly away). Watching a herd of pygmy elephants cross the river was an amazing highlight and we know that this isn’t possible on all tours. Iru was extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife and Sabah’s various conservation programs which made the experience all the more rewarding. We were really impressed with his knowledge and passion about wildlife conservation on the island and he made it a trip none of us will ever forget!
And thank you for arranging the tour, the accommodation, the internal transfers and the flights. Everything went off without a hitch and all of our flight connections were perfect, no rushing for flights but by the same token, no hanging around in airports for hours either!

We had an absolutely wonderful holiday thank you. You know the old saying ‘when things seem too good to be true……it was much more than our expectations! We were fortunate to have a small group of 8 (maybe that is normal) so we did not feel rushed. Accommodation was wonderful, breakfasts amazing, lunches too were just the best. Our tour guide, Mike Singh was very informative, we saw and learnt so much about Malaysia from him, and the best tour guide we have ever had. Our bus driver (owner) was a very careful driver and kept the bus in top condition. A 5 star tour and we have already told different ones about it. Thank you.  (Colonial Malaysia Tour) 

After returning home from our memorable trip to Borneo, I would like to take opportunity to thank you very much for contributing to so many beautiful moments. This trip to Selingan Island was one of the highlights of our trip. Vendon was a true gem and this humor, positive attitude and knowledge contributed to the success of this trip. It was a super smooth flow from pick up to drop off. We had a great time with our small group and truly enjoyed our time on the island. 

Good to be home after an extremely enjoyable experience in Sabah.   Couldn’t fault anything, from the minute we were met at the airport, until we were dropped back again.    All the tour guides were friendly, helpful and professional, as were the drivers of all the buses.Our bike adventure in KK was a little extreme, especially for me, as the heat was really bad.   The two guides were amazing (we had a backup bus following us the whole way) and when we decided to stop, they loaded the bikes in the bus and took us the rest of the way in comfort.  Visited a family in a village and the whole experience was terrific.  (Sandakan Wildlife/Kiulu Cycling)

Ok where to start!  Everything was great. Pick from airport was there waiting for us on arrival.  The hotel central to everything, clean and well maintained. Breakfast was buffet and very plentiful.  Turtle Island was rustic, with cold saltwater showers & single beds but not really a hardship when the beer is cold, the water warm, the food tasty and the sun is shining.  We really enjoyed the whole process and its definitely a conservation park that is doing something good.  As it was my birthday I sponsored the first eggs layed that evening, 64 in total.  So hopefully all live to be released late next month.
Sipilok – Fantastic experience, would recommend anyone to visit the centre.  Im glad we actually stayed overnight and didn’t have to rush off to catch a plane. We went back to the centre after lunch and spent another 2 hours just Watchung the orangutans in the outdoor nursery. Amazing!  The next morning before catching our flight we spent 2 hours at the Sunbear centre. Another fabulous experience. 
While we were in Kota Kinabalu we went out on a late afternoon river cruise to see the proboscis monkey & fireflies.  Another must see while in Sabah.
Thanks Matt for organising everything for me.  Definitely a different way to spend a birthday.

We had a fantastic time, thank you so much for organising a great holiday. We loved hanging out with the Shangri-La resorts, particularly Rasa Ria… that was incredible. We both came back exceptionally relaxed.