Up until now, we have determined not to load this feedback onto our website for fear that it might seem like we are blowing our own blowpipes a little too loudly.
We have now reversed this decision and feedback from guests (both good and bad) has started appearing on this page - see below.
We always think that repeat custom is the best indicator of good service.
Around 35% of our guests are either repeat or referral, which is extremely high for our type of business.
11 November, 2008
Penny,
Thanks for your enquiry on our well being while we were away. I thought you would be interested in a little feed back on what turned out to be a great trip.
Firstly well done on the itinerary it was very informative, contained all contacts to cover any mishaps, plus little cue’s to prompt or remind us of specific travel issues.
Getting to Balikpapan the way we did was taking the long way round & the stopover in Brisbane was totally unexpected. It’s easier to get to Europe than Kalimantan travelling the way we did. As a matter of fact I’ve arrived in Europe less tired than we did after this effort. From the time we left Sydney til the time we arrived at Samboja took 25hrs. Having said all that we arrived safely (with luggage) though we did have to obtain visas in Jakarta (unexpected) which cost A$25.00 each for 1 month.
Samboja Lodge was well worth coming to, in fact from a wildlife perspective we saw more there than at Sepilok where we saw only 4 Orang u tan (each day). The Lodge is quite new, accommodation & food is very good. There is no hot water for showers but that’s not unusual for these parts. We were taken on a tour of the centre including the office & nursery, and could observe (at a distance) the work with the animals there including Sun Bear where they have around 40 (including infants). The tour of the facility was conducted by a member of the staff on the 1st morning & took around 3 hrs; we learned what they are endeavouring to achieve there (& its all good as far as we could see). I would recommend this place to anyone interested in these programs & is going that way. As well as Orang u tan they have sun bear, gibbon & we also saw wild boar, python, slow loris etc. At the nursery they are raising seedlings from animal droppings in an attempt to re-establish rain forest for the benefit for native wildlife. The centre is run by BOS (Borneo Orangutan Survival) of which there is an Australian branch.
Our trip along the Mahakam River was worthwhile. Though I considered it was expensive I can see where much of the money goes, particularly when considering we had 3 crew, 1 cook & a guide to look after us; also we did side trips which involved long-boats & a car. The boat was large, accommodation on board is basic (think of the “African Queen) but it was pleasant & comfortable in a rustic kind of way. We slept on a mattress on the floor but it was clean. Bathroom facilities were, well best not mentioned - but all was OK though it took a creative mind to find what worked best for us. Again everything was clean just unexpected. On our last evening we had dinner with Mr Joko the manager of Trans Borneo to whom I promised I would pass on my impressions.
The remainder of the trip all went to plan with only minor hick-ups along the way. The high-lights for us were as mentioned Samboja, Mahakam River cruise, Sukau Rainforest, Mulu resort - but we did enjoy ourselves elsewhere & the independent travel components. All up I don’t think I would change too much, certainly disappointed not getting to Tanjung Putting N.P. though would it have been any better than Samboja ?, & maybe a visit to TurtleIsland would have been worthwhile, I can’t remember why I didn’t include it now. At all times we felt safe, & never threatened; the people we were involved with were all nice particularly the local people in the remoter area’s of Kalimantan.
Regards,
Dennis & Pam Smith (Australia)
02 May, 2009
Hi Phil just back home . just wanted to say thank you for organising everything the english tea house was WOW! and your guide in the morning was excellent .once again thanks . ps if we return next year roughly how much notice is needed for turtles thanks
kev
Kevin Peggs (UK)
09 May, 2009
Hello Katie,
You organized our trip to Borneo in December and I've been meaning to write you ever since we got back, however work has managed to get in the way. I just want to express a very big thank you to you personally and to your company, we had the trip of our lives! We didn't quite know what to expect when we arrived in Borneo since most of our contact had been online. We could not have asked for any better service, guides, reception, places to stay, experiences, food, and so on, the list is long. I would recommend you to anyone I know, and anyone I don't.
Hopefully we will have the opportunity to go back soon! It is just an amazing place, scenery, culture, hospitality and wildlife, simply just amazing! I just can't praise Intrepid Tours' Allan Riches and Joey, as well as Borneo Eco Tours' Jumaidi enough, I just want you to know that you entrusted our business to some very talented people.
Thank you ever so much!
Nelly Bengtsson and Michael Maloney
25 May, 2009
Hi Penny and the team,
Just a short note to let you know what a great time we had.
The airline was good ,the guides on our trips were fantastic and lucky for us there were plenty of animals and birds to see.
For me, the highlight was Mulu National Park.Deer Cave would rate right up there as one of the most impressive natual wonders of the world ( i have seen a few),Royal Mulu Resort was just a bonus.
For Wendy, her thing was the Kinabatagon River and wildlife spottting(4 orangutangs in one day). I have left a report with Borneo Eco Tours suggesting a couple of changes(small hiccups in the context of a trip like this).
Thanks for all the smooth arrangements. We would highly recommend Borneo Tour Specialists to our family and friends.
Regards
Rod and Wendy Locke (Australia)
14 September, 2009
Hi Philip,
Just a quite email to thank you and Penny for organising our trip to Borneo. We had such a great time and will plan another (third!) trip back in the next couple of years. We are completely in love with Sabah and Sarawak!
The kayaking and pinnacles climb were definate highlights.
Thanks again.
Cheers, Renae and Mark Sawatzki (Australia)
16 October, 2009
Hi Phil, the trip was great. A few comments -
Kuching - Dione the guide was very good. We felt we would have rather had less time in Kuching (perhaps condense the city tour and longhouse trip into one day?) and instead had an extra day to chill at the beautiful hotel in KK (Tanjung Aru), where we felt we had insufficient time to make use of the resorts facilities which doubtlessly we'd paid a lot for. We were disappointed that we didnt go to Bakko NP due to heavy rain, but did find the orangutan reserve that we visited instead much better than sepilok (I think maybe we were lucky in how many organgutans came down to eat).
Mulu - the guide here Mathew - was very nice but wasn't as good as he could have been as he quite simply walked far too fast and ddin't wait for us which meant that we didn't learn as much from him as we could have done. The caves were absolutely fantastic and a real highlight. A little annoyance re the hotel that they left us to carry our bags to the room (which was quite a way) - I know its spoilt but its not what we would have expected for a 'Royal' resort.
Kota Kinabalu NP trip - guide here - Nelly - was fantastic and we really enjoyed this trip.
Tenom trip - again the guides - Nelly and George - were brilliant and really made this trip for us, they made us feel like welcome friends. It was really enjoyable and we were fascinated by the coffee and rubber factories.
Sukau - although a long way to go for 24 hours it was more than enough time and well worth it. We got some fantastic shots on the night cruise.
Gaya & Manukan islands - the phone issue you know about, but that aside we did think we would have rather have spent this day at the hotel (see earlier comment): The guide JJ was very nice but the first thing he said to us on the the walk was that he wasnt a botanist or an animal expert - we therefore didn't really learn anything new on the walk.
I hope this is helpful. Sorry its a little rushed however internet time is money in Asia! If you could pass on our deepest thanks to Borneo Eco Tours re Nelly and George, that would be great.
Regards
Sam Mulchinock & Umesh Mistry
31 January, 2010
Hi Phil,
We are back from Borneo and had the most fantastic holiday. The holiday was very well organised and everything went as per schedule. We also made it to the summit of Mt Kinabalu. The climb was very challenging but awesome. It was great how you managed to mix the luxury with the adventure!! I sure will recommend my friends to go through you!!
Cheers
Mala and Nitin Shah (Australia)
11 March, 2010
Dear Phil,
First of all: Thank you very much for organizing such a wonderful Borneo-Trip for us! Even with a wheelchair Borneo is possible, especially because of the friendly and very helpful people.
But you asked us for a short feedback and therefore please find below our inputs:
I. General comments:
Transportation: The airport of Lahad Datu did not have a cabin wheelchair.
Food: We were a bit confused why a lot of the food, especially the buffets at the hotels were very Chinese orientated and less Malay.
Ecotours: The guides were always friendly and informative.
II. site specific
Kapalai:
Positive: Absolute Highlight! Accommodation great, with extra ramp and close to all facilities. The staff was so friendly and offered an extra boat for me and my sister. 5 members of the staff helped me to get into and out of the water.
Negative: Food was not special.
Sepilok Resort:
Positive: Much better food.
Negative: Bathroom too small for wheelchair.
Sukau Rainforest Lodge:
Very basic accommodation, but spirit made up for it. (Ed note - the accommodation at Sukau has now been completely rebuilt in 2010) They got me in the smallest boat, I have ever been in. Lots of Wildlife (6 Orang-Utans, 3 herds of Proboscis Monkeys), Boardwalk was possible by wheelchair.
Danum Valley:
Amazing Accommodation right at the riverside (best chalet). Beautiful vegetation, but less wildlife. Food was excellent. The special guide really put all his efforts to accommodate our needs (2x night drive, boardwalks, ice cream in the staff quarters, one bridge on canopy walk, tracking with Verena).
Negative: Under Renovation till May!!!
K.K. Tanjung Aru Resort:
Perfect wheelchair facilities and great for relaxation in the end. Very, very friendly and competent staff…..
This might now sound a little negative, but actually overall this was one of our greatest vacations so far (Brasil, South Africa, Egypt, Namibia, Indonesia, Australia) and thank you a lot for the organization. Also we met great Australians (Nigel and Karen George, who also booked over your agency), so that we have now visit contacts in Melbourne.
With kind regards,
Tobi and Verena Streitferdt (Germany)
16 December, 2010
Dear Penny,
Our apologies for the delay in providing feedback regarding our Borneo travels....ie the 14 Day Tour - The Best of Borneo - Tour Code: BTS 14.
All our expectations were exceeded. We would recommend travelling to this part of the world to anyone. The tours were well planned, the accommodation and food excellent and wildlife spotting a real thrill. The highlight was the collection wonderful guides who were excellent and made us feel very welcome.
Thank you for arranging all our travel requirements.....it was very much appreciated.
Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Regards, Madeleine Baker and David Parker (Sydney, Australia)
11 April, 2011
Sweat, leeches and rain we loved it all. Early morning adventures before breakfast!! Fabulous holiday, exhausting yet filled with awe and wonder...extraodinary sights. I had no idea how uplifting it would be to see orangutans, pygmy elephants, western tarsiers and all the other primates in the wild....and no idea I would gladly run thru the rainforest in thongs braving said leeches, ants and other slimy bitey creatures to grab a glimpse of Borneo wildlife.
Borneo Eco Tours are a joy to travel with, ultra professional....the guides good fun.
Thank you for providing us with one of the best holidays ever experienced.
Anita and Daniel Watt (Australia)