"Ciao carissima, eccoci tornate alla normalito.
Il viaggio stato magnifico, ti invio alcune foto di elefanti e altro.
Saluti e buona notte!!!!!!"
Regina Della Vedora
Hi Anne,
We would like to once again thank you for the wonderful experience. Although it was a short trip but all arrangement were being planned out very well. You and your team have certainly did a very good job. And of not forgetting the trouble you took in getting me the correct certificate. Million thanks to you!!!
Be assured that I will recommend ABC Tours to my friends who are interested in visiting Sabah. Keep up the good work!!!! Regards to AD as well.
Regards,
Tan Kok Hwa
Dear Anne,
My Friend and I had a wonderful time in Sandagan and at Turtle Island.
It was a trip worth making and the service provided was excellent.
Thank you very much for the arrangements made and thank you for the excellent service provided. Everything was well planned and arranged for us with patient and wonderful guides (Aryrun and Sam). Taking their time to explain and show us things.
We were both very satisfied with the service provided by ABC Tours and SI Tours.
I will be making recommendations about the service provided by you to my friends and the Malaysian Tourism Board.
And once again a Big Thank You!
Regards
Lorinda
Dear Anne
We have been to pulau mantanani and are now relaxed... we enjoyed the climb to mt. kinabalu and the via ferrata very much. it was a great experience, everything worked well and our guide jack was superb!!! we liked it very much!!!
conserning the picture, we can do that when we are at home.
thank you very much for all
cheers leonie & niggi
Hi Anne and Jessica!
We're back for a week now!! The Mt Kinabaula climb and via Ferrata activity
was superb! We had a little bit of rain while we were climbing but we
managed to summit the majestic Mt Kinabalu!
We arrived at Pendant Hut at 230pm and took dinner at Laban Rata at 430pm. I
went to bed at 630om but woke up with a pounding headache at 830pm. I took 2
paracetamol and tried to get back to sleep. By 1015pm, fortunately the
headache went away!! Phew!! I've managed to acclimatise to the altitude..
Of course after the 'scary' episode, I proceeded to summit with no more
issues! Hahaha.. Would like to share some pics with you. Thank you very much
guys!!
Thanks again for organising everything so good for us! you've done an excellent job and we really appreciate your time you spend for us!
We all in all had a fantastic time in Sabah and even though some of it was a bit expensive, it was worth every penny (or ringit) !
of course we will recomend you to our friends and family. we added some of our pictures. If you need them in full qualitity I can send them to you again in better qualitiy, no problem!
so there you go:
3D2N Danum Valley - Deluxe Package
Coach Captain Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Tour Guide Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Accommodations:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Sights:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Schedule:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Meals:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
2D1N Mt. Climbing Via Ferrata Low's Peak Circuit
Coach Captain Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Mountain Guide Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Accommodations:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Sights:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Schedule:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Meals:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
5D4N Pom Pom Island Resort - Diver Package (Hexa/Beach Villa)
Coach Captain Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Divemaster Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Accommodations:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary/Underwater Sights:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Schedule:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Meals:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Or you can summarize your experiences/comments below:
Mount kinabalu: the lunch given on the first day was a bit poor. Some bananas, nuts, bakery, chocolate etc...would have been easier to carry up and would be nicer to
eat aswell. the mountain guide was very nice compared to others we heard from other travellers. But they could all profit from better knowledge of English, so communication is more easy. It was a fantastic experience with the muscle ache of our life after walking down...walking up was really the easy part :-)
Danum Valley: a great experience to be in the middle of pristine rainforest!!! the itinerary you gave us was not the same what we then experienced, but that didn't matter to us, because it was pretty similar.. We actually did more walks as stated in your itinerary and had two night activities: a night walk and a night drive. maybe it is good to tell your customers that they will be thouroughly informed there by Danum Valley staff about activities, even had a DVD show for information with the manager of the resort. it was very well organised and we could tell them our wishes, one afternoon we didin't go for a walk because we needed a rest, that was just fine. the tour guide was nice but we had the feeling that he was a bit stressed with our group, as there were also two homosexual men (obviously) and a man from Singapore who did not listen nor follow the guides explanations and rules, so he was a bit stressed :-) but still he showed us as many animals and plants as possible. we saw "king" the oldest male orang utan! he was very close and it was a breathtaking experience! (see pictures)
we didn't like the logging going on just around the natinal park...maybe also inside?? the explanation for that given to us from the staff in Danum Valley was o.k. but we actually couldn't believe it in every terms... so it's a shame that it doesn't seem to be protected completely from the logging activities.
Pom Pom: an absolutely fanastic place! the staff there is great and really makes the difference! it's a beautiful island, we loved the diving! very good instructors! 3 times a day, very proffessionel and very good equipment (new: only 1 1/2 years old, very well looked after!) they made the diving very easy for us, as we didn't have to look after the equipment nor put it together or taking it from the boat, so very very comfortable! we liked that they work with WWF for the protection of turtles, also they are active in conservation work and "project aware". Also they like to teach you about marine life, about conservation etc. and I found that very very good! We actually saw many many turtles, on almost every dive! food was gorgeous too! the beach villa was very nice but we also liked the Hexa Villa (nicer bathroom, it's newer) the beach villa had a grat veranda with private beach and hammock in the palm trees, so just lovely. It would be great if they will get a sipadan permit for the future (they don't get it so far)
so I think thats about it.
we hope we can help you with that.
wishing you a wonderful time!
thank you again!
cheers!
pamela and thomas, Switzerland
Hi there. Hope you are all fine. Every time we look at the photos we just don't feel like working. We want to go back there in Pom Pom and stay for a longer period of time.
Anyway to Carla please send our regards to everyone especially my dive master Andrea. Tell him I am trying to get the Sabah State government to fund a special coffee book for Pom Pom island. I have called some of my friends and they have not reverted to me. I personally do not have any contacts in E Mal.
Angela, hope you are doing well and diving regularly. I don't know when is the next opportunity for me but be rest assured if the chance arise we will appoint you to organize for us.
To all of you at POM POM have a wonderful day.
We miss you all.
Hey Carla get the owner of the resort to call us whenever he is in KL. We can share some Marketing ideas. And Andrea can make some income with his wonderful underwater pictures. They are world standard.
Azman/Mussadikh
DNA COMM Sdn Bhd
Cara Michela,
purtroppo abbiamo finito le nostre vacanze in Borneo e in Singapore.
Ti invio il nostro feedback sui resort:
Tanjung Aru Resort Shangri-La: ottimo albergo con dei servizi soddisfacenti; il mare è brutto ma almeno c'è un telo che filtra l'acqua, così è possibile fare il bagno tranquillamente senza pensare alle meduse o altri animali. Per le famiglie con i bambini è ottimo. C'è anche il servizio di barca che porta sulle isole vicine.
Cena a buffet: per gli europei non è molto buona, cmq ci sono dei piatti squisiti.
Lankayan Island Resort: molto esclusivo per la bellezza, la tranquillità, il cibo, la pulizia, lo staff e le tartarughe che depongono le uova la sera; non c'erano nè mosquitos, nè sand flyes, nè meduse. Il mare pieno di coralli colorati e pesci. Il prezzo è caro ma vale per l'esclusività del posto. Per le famiglie con i bambini è molto buono visto che il mare è shallow.
Sepilok Nature Resort: ottima posizione, ottimo cibo e gli chalet sono puliti e semplici. Bellissimo il giardino.
Orang utan Sanctuary: abbiamo visto due oranghi solamente, si tratta più di dare un contributo per aiutare la conservazione. Il filmato che hanno fanno vedere dopo il feeding time era più impressionante.
Rainforest Discovery Center: super buono chi è disposto di fare delle belle camminate ammirando la foresta pluviale. Stanno per aprire un nuovo canopy walkway.
Ti invio qualche foto della vacanza:)))
Ho dimenticato di dirti che al Sepilok Nature Resort il nostro chalet era attaccato all' orangutan centre e sono arrivate le scimmie e un orango stava scendendo da un albero a 5 metri da noi, era fantastico!
Un caro saluto.
Judit & Giancarlo, Italy
Dear ABC Tours,
Thanks a lot for the perfect services provided, all worked out very well from picking me up at the airport till returning to the hotel - pretty satisfied with all services & especially people met ! For sure would use your services right away again as well as recommend you to other travelers as well !
The only not so nice experience (next to climbing the mountain :-) ) was the "pretty simple" breakfast at the Pendant hut. Not that fantastic with toast, toast and some more toast ... ops forgot the boiled eggs, butter & jam - but I really don't wanna complain as all the stuff has to be carried up all the 3270m, considering these efforts it's still reasonable !"
From: Horst Iblher
Nationality: German
Dear Michela,
We really enjoyed the MULU tour and have been quite happy that you arranged it, and have not rejected our boys due to their age below 12.
The trip was wonderful and Jarno and Lukas have been the first kids on the pinnacles. They made in in a very short time and have been back faster than us by 45 minutes. Even the guides have been amazed.
Wish you a nice weekend
All the best
Thomas, Kathrin, Jarno and Lukas
Dear Ms. Sarah,
TQVM for the prompt reply and the hard work you have done. YOU ARE GREAT! Hoping that this mail will go to your Board of Directors. We do appreciate your fast and good service. KEEP IT UP!!!!
Warm Regards,
Datin Marie
Hi Len,
This is a delayed note to just say thank you for a fantastic trip to Borneo. We absolutely loved it!!! Everything about our trip was good, we loved the guides, they were all brilliant! Thanks also for the pressies, we loved them too!!! A close friend of mine, Margaret Brand, is planning on taking her family to Borneo this year and is very interested to communicate with you. We totally recommended your company, and I have in fact sent her a copy of our brief itinery and your contact details, We assured her you would all look after her. Thanks again for everything.
Regards,
Jude Bade-Boon
Dear Michela,
Many thanks for organising our trip which all went very well. We both really enjoyed our tours in Sabah and Sarawak.
You were a great source of advice and organised this all really well. I was also very pleased with the high standard of the guides at Mt Kinabulu, Mulu and Kinabatangan and all the accommodation etc.
Many thanks,
Best wishes,
Mark
Anne and the Mountain Torq Team,
I can't say enough about Anthony and rest of the team that helped me summit Mt. Kinabalu last week. They are amazing professional and expert guides, trainers, ecologists, and truly wonderful human beings. Anthony knows people and knew just what I needed, as well as what the mountain needed as he cleaned up after other hikers who had left wrappers and other trash on the trail.
Be assured that I will be telling all my friends about this experience and the 5 Star treatment that I received all along the way.
I have attached four photos that I think capture the best of the best moments while I was on the mountain. Please pass them (and the compliments) along.
Clint
Dear Sarah,
Let me thank you for the wonderful time we had in KK. The tours went without any hitches. We truly enjoyed the sites and also the food. My biggest appreciation would be to Shem, our tour guide. He is an excellent guide and was very helpful to us, most particularly to our 84-yeard old mother. He truly is an asset to your group.
Rest assured that I would recommend you to my friends who are interested in going to KK.
Again, many thanks.
Dr. Cecilia C. Carlos
Dear Anne,
Thanks for all your help. We had a nice and enjoying trip to Mt. Kinabalu.
Hope to get same support from you in future. Thanks.
Kind regards,
Rajat
Dear Michela,
We have just arrived home after a great holiday. We toured Indonesia for another 2 weeks after Sabah. The best part was the Durum valley and Mataking island where we were the only guests on the island for the 3 days (ony 16 guests and all went diving).
Many thanks for the arrangements. If any of my friends want to visit Sabah we will recommend you.
Very best regards
Leonard
Anne,
Thank you. I received the travel vouchers before I left Abu Dhabi and was able to print them. I'm at my friend's house in Kuala Lumpur now and will be heading off to bed soon. My flight is tomorrow to KK, which I'm very excited about. If I have time, I would like to thank you in person for handling my travel arrangements but I don't know if I'll have time before my return flight to KL on Tuesday. If I don't get the chance to see you in person, thank you so much for all of the help, patience, and advice. You've been great.
Clint
Hi Len,
My friends and I had a great trip atop Kinabalu. Very good arrangements, everything went very smoothly. We particularly enjoyed the via ferreta. The guides for the via ferreta (John and gang) were very professional. They were very friendly and simply, a great bunch of guys. The porters and mountain guides (Anthonious) assigned to us as well. The river lodge was Poring was impressive as well.
Thank you for everything and I will like to recommend my friend, Yihan, who I cc-ed in this mail, your package. Hope you can give him the best rates!
Regards,
Douglas and Colin
Ciao Michela!
Oggi ho trovato la nota su quella che mi hai dato il tuo indirizzo.
Quella sera volevamo chiamarti, ma non siamo riusciti a trovare il pessattino di carta!,
A realtà volevo solo ringraziarti per la tu gentilezza e la simpatia quella giorno al lodge.
In particolare mi sonno inamoratto di Kota e Borneo in generale.
....Chi potrebbe essere fortunato ad essere lì come te!
Sai che qui a Barcellona, se avete bisogno di qualcosa mi¡e lo dice. ok!
Vi lascio con un grande abbraccio
Miki
Saluti da Dolors anche
Hi Jessica,
How are you?
I've came back to Singapore already a week but still thinking of the Sabah trip that I booked through your Company. I would like to say my friend and I could enjoy the tour very much even there were some changes to itinerary due to bad weather and not able to climb to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu because of the strong wind. I guess we will go back there again some time again soon.
The guide, Mr. Alex was friendly and helpful for us throughout the trip, so is the driver (Mr. Eddy) who sent us off to the airport for departure. My friend lost her cellphone and he helped us to speak through phone to the other party but and unfortunately, we still won't be able to get back the cellphone. In any case, "Thanks" to all for their kindness and help.
A big "THANK YOU" in many ways!
With rgds,
Karen
Dear Anne,
Our family arrived home last week after a wonderful holiday in Borneo. Without doubt the highlight of our trip was the unforgettable tour down the Kinabatangan River staying in lodges, meeting the local villagers and spotting the wild life.
Thank you for your help in organising this tour. You and the company you represent were professional, courteous and helpful. Even when there was a slight glitch about airline tickets being booked to Sandakan, you were quick to rectify the situation.
Thank you very much for your help in making our holiday so enjoyable. It was a pleasure dealing with you. Our family thoroughly recommends your company to anyone who wishes to visit your beautiful country.
Kind regards,
Kate Porter
I am writing to acknowledge the outstanding service I have received from your company while planning a climb of Mount Kinabalu. I have been making arrangements for this with Anne Dsilva who has been brilliant. We have had to make short notice changes to our plans, due to illness of my partner. On two occasions she was able to rearrange our booking for us with no delay. We found her to be friendly, courteous and professional.
Andrew Robinson
Dear Anne,
Hi : ) We're back from our wonderful Mt Kinabalu trip with loads of fun memories.
We survived the 2 times ascend and managed to summit on the first climb to see the spectacular sunrise. On the 2nd day, our ascend to 7.5KM for via-ferrata activity was a breeze. Many thanks to you for arranging a very experience guide, Anthony Gunting who has been so, so helpful. The via-ferrata acitivity thru Low's Peak circuit was very exciting and adventurous. Roland, our via-ferrata guide was so cool and patient. He took a number of great photographs of us whilst we're busy "hooking & looping".
We've enjoyed ourselves very much and hope to return with more friends next year.
Best rgds,
Miss Tan
Hi Len,
Hope you are well.
Just wanted to give you back some feedback from my trip. I truly had a wonderful, unforgettable, exhilarating time.
My Mountain Guide (Francis Suanti, unsure of spelling) was polite, calm and genuinely friendly. My Via Ferrata Guide (unsure of name, I think it was Subleen, but I was the only person signed up to do Low's Peak Circuit on July 3 with them and they were professional and conscientious as well as fun. Mount Kinabalu and the Via Ferrata were the best experiences I have had in a long, long, long time.
Booking with you was very easy and it was very proactive of you to suggest a trip that matched the time off I had. It was a lovely touch to include the certificate (for climbing to the summit) as well as a welcome note with Anne's contact details if I needed any assistance.
I would certainely consider using your travel services again, the only thing that might be worth keeping an eye on is the pick-up/ drop-off service though. My pick-up was an hour late. And my drop-off was going to take me to the wrong hotel (I over-heard them mention the hotel I had been picked up at). Also, not a problem, but is it normal for other passengers who have not booked a tour with you to be picked up as well?
Anyway, many thanks again for the most excellent itinerary and customer service.
Regards,
Sophia.
Hi Len & Anne,
We are back now and I just thought I'd send you a short email to pass on our thanks for helping us organise the climb. All three of us thoroughly enjoyed it and we have got the bug now, so were looking for a new challenge for next year. I took millions of photo's + a few video's, one of which I put on You Tube last night (of us reaching the summit).
Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, the previous nights climbers were turned back, and it looked like it was going to be similar on our night ascent. The other 2 guys with me were also a little uncomfortable with heights and didn't like the thought of the via ferrata. So, to give us a better chance of reaching the summit (due to better weather in the mornings), we all decided to go up to the summit around 9am. As it turned out, it was a great decision because we were the only ones above the last checkpoint and we spent an hour sat on the summit, which gave us a chance to really enjoy it and soak up the views, without being stuck in a queue in the dark & cold :-D
Here's a weblink for our video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhuP06b5JTY&feature=channel_page
Thanks again for all your help, it is really appreciated and everything went perfectly. I will definitely recommend the climb, and your services to all of my friends.
With kind regards,
Ralph
CIAO MICHELA COME VA. FINALMENTE RIESCO AD TROVARE UN PO DI TEMPO PER MANDARTI ALCUNE FOTO. UN ABBRACCIO E A PRESTO DOMENICO
Domenico, Italy
Tour: Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Perhentian, Singapore
Hello,
Thanks for the trip, it was incredible!
Here is some pictures we took that we would like to share with you. Feel free to aks if you want a better quality...
Thanks,
Vincent Vainunska
Dear Len
We are finally back home in NZ. I can't thank you enough for making my second ascent of Mt Kinabalu possible. The weather was perfect and the views from the summit and via ferrata were magnificent. It was a privilege to be there and I am very, very grateful.
It's a great service that you provide ... when you sit at the summit in those early hours looking at the lights in the distance of Kota Kinabalu, you can't help but feel a real sense of achievement and disbelief that in a few hours' time, you will be back at your hotel (on a soft mattress).
The via ferrata was really well run. I enjoyed the Lowes Peak section in particular. Loved the bridges and finger-biting bits!
Friends are on their way in the next few months - will give them all your details.
Keep up the great work - you are running a faultless business.
With kindest regards and thanks ... Gillian Canham
Hi Michela !
Don't bother any more about that, It is all about misunderstanding as it is the first time we do not travel on a private basis. So in my mind, a family tour automatically was a tour for the 4 of us, as usual, but I understand U can't do that in some remote places where many tourists gather during high season.
I have to tell U about the rest of the trip : Tabin was good, as we had the opportunity to do a close approach of the elephants there, even if the guides were not so skilled (one was a trainee, and the other had started the job a few months ago only). But the best was kept for the end : we had a wonderful stay in Pom Pom Island, accommodation in water villas was lovely, as well as the staff (especially the diving staff, friendly and superbly experienced). We went for 3 dives and were enchanted, due to perfect weather conditions. The only sad point was that we had to leave... This is a place a would definitely recommend, and I wish it was not so far away, as we would love to go there again. U did the perfect choice for us.
Please give our regards to Malindu, Allen and all those nice guides who took so good care of us.
Best regards to you,
Laurence
Ciao Michela!
Siamo tornati, un po dimagriti, un po abbrozati e con tanti bei ricordi..
Grazie di cuore per l'appoggio e l'organizzazione, magari ci sentiamo
per telefono uno di questi giorni. Saluti anche al tuo ragazzo,
Ciao
Elisa & Danilo
Dear Mic,
Please pardon the delay in my response, I appreciate that it is long overdue - as can sometimes happen, when we came home we had a few emergent issues to deal with and time just slipped away. My apologies.
I wanted to say first and foremost, THANK YOU for your assistance - particularly in going above and beyond in assisting us with our flight issue departing KK. There is no question that we would not have made it into Singapore in time to meet up with our friend there - and likely would have added considerable expense.
Our itinerary went off without a hitch, transitions were more or less seemless. It was one of our most enjoyable adventures in recent memory.
I will write reviews on TripAdvisor, and leave myself open for contact regarding travel in Borneo - and will gladly recommend your services to those who ask. Of course, I'll also recommend you to those that are traveling to Borneo that I meet in person. I had never met anyone who had traveled to Borneo, which was part of the appeal for me. It's a fascinating place.
Professionally speaking, unfortunately I don't see us operating a large scale Borneo trip in the near future and I'll explain. In the 8 or 9 days we spent in Borneo - I did not meet a single American traveler. Perhaps this is not the norm, but it became very clear to me that while the Europeans were in Borneo in large numbers, my hunch is that Americans must perceive it as too far, perhaps opting for the Amazon which is much closer to home. Activity-wise I think it's a great fit for our type of travel but over the past couple years with the economic turn-down, Americans seem to be traveling less and less to destinations that are further away from home - never has this been more evident than on our recent adventure. This is not something I look on as a negative as a traveler in any way - but I'm not sure we'd actually be able to fill a trip in this market. In any case, know that if I do come across an opportunity to recommend your agency - I will do so. You are also welcome to refer prospective travelers to my email if you need an endorsement.
A few random thoughts on the trip as I look back that I thought you might find helpful...
- Rasa Ria. It's a property I felt I had to check out. It's vastly over-rated, and for us was a jarring experience coming out of the jungle. My least favorite property on our entire 2 1/2 week trip. Good for British and Australians who want to lie on the beach - but in general I found the prices to be horribly gouging and the experience unauthentic.
- Kinabantagan. The Proboscis Lodge was quite good - food good, staff friendly. No real complaints. The air con (which you may recall I made a big deal about) was a huge advantage for us, we simply aren't accustomed to that kind of heat and humidity and the air con really helped. The boat excursions are unfortunately a bit repetitive, but that's the nature of the area. I can't imagine Sukau Rainforest Lodge or the other lodges in the immediate vicinity would have an advantage here.
What's interesting however is that we only saw one wild orangutan - located at least an hour up river - so my insistence to take a boat into the lodge was crucial. Something to keep in mind here, others saw elephants higher up on the river the day before us (we did not). If I were doing it over again, I would actually stay 1 night higher up on the river (maybe Abai) - and then one or two at Proboscis Lodge. My concern is that orangutans may be avoiding the well traveled areas around the lower lodges...and it sounds like you'd only ever see elephants higher up. Overall, from a wildlife experience we were saddened to see only one orangutan and 0 elephants...but we saw plenty of other stuff.
- Danum Valley. The setting of the BRL is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. We upgraded to the "suite" - you should recommend this additional cost to each and every guest, it was very worth it - and they will thank you if they take you up on it. Wonderfully run lodge experience. Unfortunately, our large game wildlife spotting wasn't great here - and the leeches are a major distraction. But, a true nature lover like myself appreciates all types of diversity - the trees are stunning, and the various "critters" were quite fascinating. If given the choice between the 2, I'd probably opt for Kinabantagan because the wildlife is better...but the vista from our suite at BRL overlooking the river was truly breathtaking.
- Labuk Bay. This was enjoyable, but I think we'd have been fine just making time to go and see one of the feedings, rather than spending the night. No regrets though.
Well - I hope you find this all helpful. Thank you again for everythign - if I can be of assistance please let me know.
Keith
Hi Anne
Thanks for your reply and we only had the one night with no power for a few hours. I was relating Papua to how heavy the rain came down on that one day - other than that the weather has been great. When we get back to Papua I will send you some of the pictures from our vacation here.
So I would think you can put the following comments on your Web Page.
We have had a really good time here at the Nexus Resort. The Staff have been great, very obliging and really helpful in looking after our needs. Meals are average, but the service is good. The beach is really nice with soft clean sand and the sea is clean and warm. The only thing we have found is the Resort is expensive for dining / drinking / Spa etc and a little too far from KK. They do provide good transportation to and from the Resort but if one wants to shop it is a little inconvenient.
The golf cart situation has improved so this has been remedied. We would recommend the Nexus Resort to anyone wanting to have a nice relaxing vacation.
Again thank you for your valued assistance and we will visit again.
All the best
Ron / Diana
Hi Anne,
This for the time being my last mail to you. But I cannot leave
indonesia without thanking you for the splendid choice you made by
offering me the Murex option. It was exactly in line with my hopes and
expectations. And I do not only mean diving-wise, because that we knew
to be suiting, but the atmosphere and basic style of the family managed
resort was wonderfull! Of course I thanked the family for that
(mentioned to them that ABC Tours brought me to them!) But I would
never have come to Manado if you had not brought it up.
Anne I've had a wonderfull 3 weeks (am now finalising in lombok and
then via S'pore back to Holland) in partt thanks to you! I'll remember
to contact you at an early stage for future adventures of mine in the
future!
Bye!!
Eef Wouters
Hi Len, i am recommending a colleague of mine (Brian Oldenburg) contacts you
for a tour of Borneo, similar to mine.
many thanks to your company, my children and I had a wonderful time,
cheers,
Margaret Brand
Hello Jessica,
after the hiking to Mount Kinabalu and the Via ferrata I am back in Singapore for a few days.
I wanted to give you some feedback, so that you know what the clients think after the trail and the summit!!
- The meeting with Anthony on Saturday 31st at the Headquarters and the registrations was made without problem
- We hat some problems to find a bus going to the Timophon gate. All buses were already gone. At the end we took a taxi.
- The way up was without problem. Anthony left me walk first and decide of the pac. We made this first ascent till the refugee in 2 hours 30 minutes.... a good time, said Anthony.
- We hat time to rest and for me do the briefing for the Via ferrata without stress. After that time to read and have a drink on the terrace.
- Dinner at 5pm, was very good. Sleeping at 8pm. I could not sleep very good, it was too warm, then too cold,....
- Stand up a 1:30am, I could have slept longer but Japanese stood at this early time!
- Way up to the summit after a good breakfast. Starting at 2:30am, arrived at 4:45am. We were too early there and had to freeze for one hour.
The weather was not so good, so we did not see much of the sunrise. But for me was the climb of the mountain more important.
- Then back to the meeting point at 7am with Jon from Mountain Torq. Very nice and experimented guy. I had a lot of fun for 2 and half hours!! And Jon took all the pictures for me and of me.
- After that second breakfast at 9:45am, we started with Anthony at 10:30am the way down. I was in a tremendous form, so we went without pause an arrived a 1pm at the gate. We found a bus now without problem.
- After that collect the certification and say goodbye to Anthony.
I was very pleased with the tow guides, Anthony and Jon.
These are very good guides.
If I conclude, the two days were very good and I am very happy.
But I should find some points to make better as the world is not perfect..... wait, let me seek....
1.You should give more informations of the things we find at the refugees.
- For instance there are thick sleeping bags and the thin one inside in the Panar Laban Hut... so I took my thin sleeping bag when it was not necessary. No problem, it was a lot of weight. But imagine if somebody carries his thick sleeping back all the way up to the hut!
- Another information: there is a very nice terrace at the Laban Rata Resthouse. So tell the people to bring sun creme, sunglasses,... they may forget.
Ans a book would be also nice to have, if ever you arrive too early there as I did!
2.The problem of refund if the weather is bad.
If it rains during the ascent to the hut, it's not a problem. People should have the right clothes.
If it rains on the summit day, the same. Right clothes and you go up. If you do not want, then you stay in the hut, but then it is my decision.
But if it rains on the summit day, the Via ferrata can not be done because of water falling on the it. And I can not stay one more night and wait for better weather on the second day.
That means that the client pays a lot of money, maybe 400 RM, and then gets nothing for it because the weather is bad and because the refugees are full every day.
That is not acceptable for a client and it is different from the hiking to the summit.
You should discuss with Mountain Torq and find a solution:
- stay one more night and try the Via ferrata on the next day... even sleeping on the floor (I already did it). But there are complications because the hiking guide left to the headquarters.
- or make like an "insurance" worth 50 RM: if the Via ferrata can not be made, the client gets part of his money back (meaning only the part of Via ferrata).
I am sure that many people will apply this insurance and will not use very often.
As you see, these are minor expectations and commentaries from me. I told you I am very happy to have made the summit AND the Via ferrata and very satisfied of the work of ABC Tours.
Thanks again for your organization and time spent with the many mails!
May this feedback help you too improve your business!
Bye,
Sergio Escudero
PS: I join a picture for Anthony. I hope you can mail him the picture or make a print and send it to him.
Cara Michela..
Purtroppo il viaggio alle Sulawesi e terminato.. Ti ringraziamo ancora per quanto fatto e per averci fatto vivere un'esperienza unica e indimenticabile.
Anche la nostra guida locale si e dimostrata molto cortese e preparata.
Come anticipato a Luca stiamo gia immaginando possibili mete per il nostro prossimo viaggio che molto facilmente sara ancora nel sud-est asiatico...
Grazie ancora di tutto
Take care
Mauro e Nadia
Buongiorno Michela
Ti scrivo solo ora perche sono appena tornata dalla montagna dove non avevo a disposizione internet.
Devo dire che il viaggio e stato molto interessante e organizzato perfettamente. Mi ha fatto molto piacere trovare guide ben preparate e parlanti italiano; il tour leader italiano si e dimostrato molto competente e coinvolgente.
L'itinerario e andato benissimo, mi e piaciuto molto il tour sul fiume Kinabatangan e sul lago; speravo in qualcosa di piu nella Danum Valley dove, a fronte di un viaggio lunghissimo e scarpinate interminabili, abbiamo visto pochi animali; in compenso abbiamo potuto ammirare un bel cobra che faceva il bagno nella Jacuzzi Pool dove un minuto prima nuotava mia figlia....consiglierei ai prossimi clienti di stare molto attenti.
Lankayan e esattamente come me la aspettavo: una meraviglia. Il personale e di una cortesia non comune, la camera(24), l'ultima della serie quindi piuttosto isolata, spettacolare; abbiamo ricevuto anche la visita di una tartaruga che ha deposto le uova quasi sotto il nostro bungalow...siamo scesi a vederla in pigiama!
Le strutture sono tutte di ottimo livello, in particolare le camere deluxe della Danum Valley hanno un'ottima posizione che ci ha permesso di vedere cervi e macachi stando comodamente sul terrazzino; l'unico piccolo problema che abbiamo avuto e stato il dover dimostrare che avevamo gia pagato la colazione della bambina
all'hotel Equatorial sia all'andata che al ritorno. A proposito dell'Equatorial, una curiosita:la tripla Superior del 5/7 era una semplice camera doppia con l'aggiunta di una brandina, quella del 20/7 era una suite con salotto e due bagni(?!).
Ottimi anche i voli Airasia, comodi e puntuali.
Bene, penso di averti detto tutto.Un saluto (AUGURI PER IL MATRIMONIO!!!)
Susanna e famiglia, Italy
Dear Jessica,
I'm back in Australia and back in the office today. I just wanted to say a massive thank-you to you and your team (particularly Anne) for all your help with this booking.
We had a great time in Borneo and climbing Mt Kinabalu, and we were particularly impressed by your and Anne's friendliness, organisation and flexibility with our ongoing changes to our package. The Mountain Torq experience was exhilarating and the accommodation that you recommended (J. Residence) was lovely and v. good value for the price.
Thanks so much for everything and all the best,
Kathryn and Ken
Dear Anne
I just came back to my home Japan today.
Thank you very much for all your help arranging Mt. Kinabalu activities and accomodations.
Low's peak and via ferrata were good experience with great guides under the nice weather.
We really enjoyed the mountain and are thinking of going back there someday again. but next time would be for climbing other peaks such as oyayubi peak. and I would like to stay in a local home, I mean, I want to experience homestay somewhere around the bottom of Mt. Kinabalu. Would it be possible to ask you to arrange???
Please check my FACEBOOK page as EMI SANJO. I made an album of Borneo trip.
How was your days in Mt. Kinabalu?
glad that you also climbed it!
wishing you all the best
Emi
Dear Anne,
I cannot say enough thank you for everything you have done to our group. Allow me to share this website (see below) that depicts our recent climbs in the Philippines and Malaysia. Our high school kids had a great time and I hope they learned a little about themselves during these climbs. Say "hi" to Len for us. You guys are the best!
To Life!
Gus
Dear Ann,
Just arrived in Chicago from Manila tonight.
Allow me to thank you for all the great things you did for us in KK. It would have been difficult to get out of that Air Asia snafu without your assistance. Fortunately, you were there when we needed you most. Among others, you facilitated our re-booking, obtained free accommodations for us from Air Asia and allowed us the use of your office computer and phones. Indeed, you were most generous not only with your time but also with your resources when you comped our dinner that night; that was really nice and lifted our sagging spirits.
Money can buy excellent service but it cannot buy the empathy and generousity that you provided. For these, we are most thankful.
Our appreciation extends to Len and everyone else in ABC Tours. Please, let them know how we feel.
Sincerely,
kerry
Hi Anne,
We have all returned to Singapore and everyone enjoyed the trip very much. The mountain guide, porters and driver were all very helpful. In fact we are talking about returning again to visit other places on interest in Sabah.
Thanks for your great help and being patient with all my questions. Hope to be contact with you again when we plan another visit to Sabah in future.
Take care,
Sylvia, Singapore
Hi Anne,
I just wanted to say thanks for organizing us on a great trip up Mt. Kinabalu. It was a stunning place and it was the highlight of our week long adventure in Malaysia. I attached a picture of my on the via ferrata to this e-mail.
One small thing- on my certificate that I climb Mt. Kinabalu, my name is spelled incorrectly. It is written as "Michael David O'Niell" instead of "Michael David O'Neill". Is it possible to have another one printed out and mailed to me with the correct spelling of my name? I hope it's possible.
Thanks again Anne!
Best,
Mike, UK
Dear Anne,
now I'm back to Germany. I would like to thank you so much for your help and I can only say your organization was EXCELLENT - EXCELLENT- EXCELLENT.
We enjoyed our trips so much and everythink was perfekt. Thanks for the great days with ABC Travel on Survivor Island and Mt. Kinabalu / Via Ferrata. Thanks also for bringing back my lost hiking sticks to the hotel.
In a couble of days I will send you some photos.
Best regards to Sabah,
Anja, Germany
Hi Wendy,
Yes we have arrival safely with minimum injuries and plenty of worthwhile pain. We do enjoy the event and of course your excellence response and services. As for the photos, pls see attachment sent. As for the feedback, pls see answer in red.
Really nice knowing you and hope to see you again sometime this year. Please keep in touch and drop me mails anytime even for chit chat or anything.
Take care.
Coach Captain Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Mountain Guide Knowledge/Responsibility:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Accommodations:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Sights:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Itinerary Schedule:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Meals:
Poor / Acceptable / Good / Excellent
Yours truly,
Jerry Ang (your comedy customer)
Dear Len
cc. Allen
Just a status report now from Sandakan - and 2 photos of your clients!
Our trip is going very well, indeed. Allen can give you a rundown on all our sweat in Maliau. And the one attached photo, taken by ranger Lawrence, shows me removing some of that sweat - after a swim at Maliau Falls. The other is taken by Allen of Anne-Marie and me - and a whole tree of pitcher plants.
By the way, Sandakan has much more charm - for a Westerner - than Tawau. We have enjoyed this afternoon in Sandakan - including scones at the English Tea Garden.
Our transfer by Remli was very pleasant - he gave us alot of local history and nature descriptions. The pick-up by SI tours this morning was also perfect.
And by the way, you have a good man in Allen - he is the perfect host! Attentive and informing.
Probably more later.
Regards,
Stephen - and Anne-Marie
Hi Anne & Len,
I just got back from KK just now and boy am I tired. I summited Mt Kinabalu and then rushed over to do Low's Peak Circuit. And it was amazing!!!! What an experience to behold trying out Via Ferrata. The best part was it was just me and the Mt Torq trainer (Joe)because the other two participants wanted to do Walk The Torq instead of Low's Peak Circuit after they completely exhausted themselves going for the summit. Joe was amazing. He knew which areas to photograph me and was very professional and really made me enjoy Via Ferrata rather than letting me think the safety of it all. I let myself loose on Via Ferrata and had some amazing pictures in my Facebook.
I'll put it in my blog in a couple of days time.
Looks like ABC Tours have struck a perfect chord with me. That's great because when all goes well, I will always continue use you guys as my preferred agent in East Malaysia just like how I always use my Perhentian agent for more than 6 years now. Anyway, thanks Anne , for the Mesilau, Pendant Hut and Via Ferrata arrangement. You did great.
As for my April 2010 Sipadan trip, I know it's a long way to go but I've already bought my KL-Tawau-KL tickets (Apr 21-Apr 25 2010) already for RM70.00.
Can you provide me with the options available so I can plan in advance? Like how much is per dive, rental of equipment, staying in Kapalai,Mabul or Semporna ( I once stayed in Dragon Inn for 2 weeks a couple of years ago), etc. Take your time in providing these info.
Last but not least, thanks again guys.
Teoh Yew Aun
Dear Michela,
back home in the UK I just wanted to say thank you very much for arranging a fab trip for us in Borneo. Everything worked out well, everyone was friendly and we had an amazing time. We especially enjoyed having Patrick as our guide - please thank him on our behalf. We also loved the long house, it's rare to meet such a hospitality as the one we were greeted with there.
We'll recommend you to friends going in the summer. So once again, thank you very much.
Best regards,
Henriette
Len,
Please excuse my late reply to your e-mail.
Had difficulty with the Internet the day before I left for KK.
I really enjoyed my hike of Mt. Kinabalu - we were pretty lucky with the weather; the rain didn't hit until after I had made if back to Pendant Hut.
Your driver and my guide were excellent.
Thanks for all of your assistance organizing this trip.
Sincerely,
Jonathan
Dear Len,
We just returned home from our holiday in Malaysia. We really enjoyed our visit to Mount Kinabalu and climb to the Low's Peak and Via Ferrata. It was really beatiful and all the Mountain Torq services were very well organised. We will for sure recommend the trip to others.
Would it be possible for you to email me the receipt of our payment? I paid with credit card upon reservation.
With best regards,
Jussi Juutinen
Dear Michela,
First of all, happy new year!
I hope you did enjoy your stay in Italy and had a great time with your family and friends.
We have arrived in the cold but sunny Tokyo two days ago but it is difficult to go back to our normal life and a part of our mind still remains in Borneo.
Michela, we would like to thank you for all the arrangements you have made for us. Everything went smoothly and we could enjoy every minute of our vacation. We have seen so many fantastic things and the nature of Sabah is breathtaking. We had a lot of fun in Mabul Island and we were fortunate and got two times the permission to go diving in Sipadan and had so the chance to see sharks, countless turtles and the big school of barracudas.
Also, the experience to see our distantly relatives the Urang Utans in Sepilok and all the wildlife in Danum Valley and Sukau was amazing and we will keep a lot of great memories and impressions.
I have attached some pictures of our trip but it was difficult to choose because we've seen so much and took so many photographs. But if you are interested to see more my friend Stefanie posted some pictures on her side of Facebook. May be you are a member of Facebook, too?
Say hi to your co-workers we've met in your office in Kota Kinabalu.
Cheers,
Anke & Stefanie
Hello Len
I want to thank you on behalf of myself and my family for the excellent arrangements you made, we had a great holiday and particularly fell in love with Mataking!
thanks again for making this a memorable holiday.
have a terrific 2009!
Thomas
Hi Len,
Just wanted to thank you once again and Janet as well as Alan for all
your services and hospitality. We enjoyed ourselves very much and had a very successful concert.
Rebecca Ang Lee
Tour Guide Knowledge:
Excellent, epecially Dennis & One (he did turtle island)
Accommodations:
Good
Itinerary Sights:
Excellent
Itinerary Schedule:
Excellent
Meal
Acceptable no choice as trying to please all
Hi Len,
I hope you are well and that your business is fluorescing!
We have finally received the payment from the insurance and everything has worked out.
Thank you very very much for your help in this matter, it has really been outstanding to have local support.
We will surely promote your company to everyone we can here, and don't hesitate to contact us if you ever need any references.
Once again thank you and good luck with you business!
Thank you so very much for taking the time to write and find out about my experience in Borneo. It will be a true pleasure to contribute to your first Newsletter. Below my answers:
1. How would you describe your Mountain Torq experience?
To begin with, I had no idea what to expect. From many sources it said that Mount Kinabalu was the friendliest easiest mount to climb. However, the pictures shown were dramatic and I was not prepared to assimilate the beauty of the place. I have to say that I was much more focused on following the instructions rather than enjoying the views! It was fun and quite different from my day-to-day activities..
You also have to understand that Cancun (where I live) has no elevations (don't say mountains) and the nearest mount is about 1000K away...
2. What was the favorite part of your stay with Mountain Torq?
Overall- Was a great experience.. I would say that my favorite part was reaching the summit. It was much more challenging than I anticipated, but worth the effort. This is the kind of activity that fosters very productive thinking. Some people may say it's pure physical activity, but I lean more towards believing is all about thinking.
Pendant Hut-When they said I had to go to bed at 5.30pm or 6pm after lunch to wake up again at 1.30am in the morning I tought it was a joke. Afternoon was breezy and beautiful and I had no plans to go to bed.. However, I never considered how tired I may get. The team at the Hut was very good, flexible and ready to help. After my instruction, (they even gave me a room for myself!) I was ready to sleep.. With no doubt my favorite part of my stay was the starry skies at night. What an unbelievable sight! Climbing at night was also the highlight of the trip. It was amazing!
Via Ferrata. I didn´t know what to expect. >>From my window at the Hut the wall looked challenging and I remembered the pictures on the internet. And my training was fast and looked pretty basic.. Once you begin climbing down, you realise how easy it is and that was when I really enjoyed the views and the panorama!
3. Why did you choose to come to Mountain Torq for your holiday in Borneo?
A friend of mine, who is the Executive Chef at The Ritz-CArlton in Cancun, lived a number of years in Malaysia and told me to give it a try. He and his wife had a wonderful time and I tought that if they have found it easy and amusing, it must be the same for me (my mistake...) So, I began "training" for about 6 months...I can confidently say my holiday began at that time...
4. What tips will you like to share with customers who are planning their Mt Kinabalu trip?
Going down is far more difficult than climbing up... And never forget that! It comes to a point in which you are tired and your joints don't stop complaining.. It is insulting to see the "2hours and 9 minute" record for the Climb-athon when you are in pain... ha, ha,
How many days were you in Borneo?
5 Days and it was surely a short visit..
6. Any other toughts or feelings you'll like to share with the Mountain Torq readers on your entire Mountain Torq experience?
Be open to talk.. open to listen.. but most importantly be open to talk to yourself. Altough not as challenging as other moutains, Mount Kinabalu has something special to listen to minutes before you reach the summit...
7. Any feedback or comments on how we can improve our service/product offerings?
I would say improve the quality of the food...
Dear Luca (our foreign speaking guide),
Thank you for your translation and your excellent guide job.
Ci hai fatto innamorare a poco a poco di un paese a noi sconosciuto e con te abbiamo incontrato molti animali della giungla.
Grazie con tutto il cuore
We really enjoyed the MULU tour and have been quite happy that you arranged it, and have not rejected our boys due to their age below 12.
I've came back to Singapore already a week but still thinking of the Sabah trip that I booked through your Company. I would like to say my friend and I could enjoy the tour very much even there were some changes to itinerary due to bad weather and not able to climb to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu because of the strong wind. I guess we will go back there again some time again soon.
Thank you so very much for taking the time to write and find out about my experience in Borneo. It will be a true pleasure to contribute to your first Newsletter. Below my answers:
"Ciao carissima, eccoci tornate alla normalito. Il viaggio stato magnifico, ti invio alcune foto di elefanti e altro. Saluti e buona notte!!!!!!"Regina Della Vedora