Malaysia/Borneo Honeymoon Itinerary

thejaguar

Hi all,

I'm planning my honeymoon in August of this year. We're thinking of heading to Malaysia for about 3 weeks.

We'll probably do a couple of nights in KL, see the sights etc. Apart from that I have no concrete plans as yet and was hoping some of you might have been and could give some ideas of places we could try to get to.

To give an idea of what we're after I've listed a few things that we consider priorities:
- serious down time on a beach in a luxury resort (possibly to start and to finish)
- meet the orang utans in Borneo
- see some turtle hatchlings if possible (being as eco responsible as possible)
- some diving (I'm thinking Sipadan)

After that, we're up for moving around, and generally being active without too much exertion.

If anyone has any ideas or has been anywhere around that area, I'd love to get some tips.

Thanks!:D

athtrasna

I think three weeks is way too long for Malaysia IMO. We did 15 nights I think and were well ready to leave.

Ours broke down as:
7 nights luxury resort on Penang...could have been Costa del Anywhere to be honest, not helped by our dates clashing with the end of Ramadan so the hotels were taken up with locals partying everywhere (they booked into the hotel and had big family parties in the rooms, in the restaurants, by the pool everywhere).

3 nights in KL...the most boring city on the planet. Went up the Petronas Towers, visited Chinatown, had dinner in the revolving restaurant in the Menara KL tower...then went to the tourist office. We asked if there was anything else that we should see or do in KL with the exception of Mosques and we were told straight out "no, just shopping, lots and lots of shopping".

5 nights in Kota Kinabalu (Borneo). This was the highlight, we stayed in a Shangri La...Tanjung Aru. We did a day trip to the main Orang sanctuary in Sepilok, booked flights and transfers ourselves and saved a fortune. We also went to the Orang sanctuary at our sister hotel the Shangri La Rasa Ria. Didn't do the turtles but we did the North Borneo Express day trip on the Pullman train, that was a great trip.

Hope this helps a little

Bogieman

Singapore and Tioman Island are both worth a visit. Slippery Senoritas in Penang is a good night out too.

iwantmydinner

Penang is a great city, lots of lovely restaurants etc. I was there for four nights - reckon 3 nights is plenty. Batu Forenggi is a nice area - a night market and restaurants. I was staying with family friends so don't know much about where to stay/not to stay.

I'd give KL 2 nights max - agree with above poster, it's pretty bland. Also, bit of a nasty vibe has developed there, according to a former resident. Muggings, etc. One night might even do there to see what's to be seen.

We also went to Langkawi Island - a really nice beachy spot. Would recommend but 3 nights is probably enough there.

thejaguar

Thanks for the info folks.

I was thinking only 1 or 2 nights max in KL, as you've said - see the sights and move on.

We've been looking at a package which includes the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, so it's good to know that's decent.

If anyone's done any diving in the region I'd love to get some info on that aswell.

charlie_says

Make sure you go to Sipadan (and make sure you dive for at least2 days actually at Sipadan - you need the day passes booked in advance from your dive centre - I did Borneo Divers they were great) it was the most unforgettable experience in my life. Just stunning.

Kota Kinabalu is a cool little city, the outdoor food market at night is class, bring beers from local 7/11 type shops for a super fun and cheap night out. Very friendly place KK is. Air Asia (like Ryanair but more chilled out) is a cheap way to city hop around Borneo as it is massive. If you choose Borneo Divers you can get decent discount if you visit their main office in KK - we got a 18% discount.

I wouldn't bother with Brunei, it's just expensive. I didn't explore any of Indonesian Borneo.

One of the best places I ever stayed in in my entire life is called Manana near Kota Belud (not too far from KK). Their website is:

http://www.manana-borneo.com/

Don't be put off by the website and their warnings on it, the place is just so drop dead beautiful location that you ignore any very minordiscomforts and just super chill out. It really was just a fabulous experience, it's just paradise huts on a beach cut out of a jungle headland on the edge of a bay with a cool outside bar and restaurant. Simplicity, craic, relaxing and wonderful location. Just don't expect 5* facilities - expect boutique 3* uniqueness.

PM me and I'll send you my lonely planet guide to Borneo and other tips

thejaguar

Thanks charlie_says - just popped you a PM there.