Holiday helpline: Malaysia
We asked three operators – Silverbird, Goldenjoy Holidays and Magic of the Orient – to come up with a recommendation and sample price for three clients who have special requests for holidays in Malaysia.
Request 1: Clients A are travelling on a tight budget and are looking for a cheap and cheerful two-week package to a Malaysian beach.
Silverbird
Area: Borneo
Product: Stay 10 nights at the Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort. Surrounded by tropical vegetation and overlooking the unspoiled Dalit Beach, this is an international standard hotel with its own wildlife nature reserve complete with orang-utans, other unusual native animals and beautiful orchids.
Price: from £599 flying from Heathrow or Manchester with Malaysia Airlines departing September 1 to November 30.
Magic of the Orient
Area: Penang
Product: A great value destination offering a lot of variety – history, culture, shopping and beaches. Stay at the four-star Golden Sands Hotel on Batu Ferringhi Beach for a wide choice of amenities and one of the most attractive pools in Penang.
Price: Two weeks at the Golden Sands Hotel in November will cost £645 per person including flights with Malaysia Airlines, private transfers and complimentary use of non-motorised watersports equipment.
Goldenjoy Holidays
Area: Penang
Product: Spend a relaxing two weeks at the beach or by the pool at the four-star Golden Sands Hotel.
Price: Flying with Malaysia Airlines, the package – including transfers – will cost £579 per person for the fortnight – for departures in September or October.
Request 2: Clients B are a middle-aged couple interested in the culture and history of Malaysia. They are looking for a touring holiday in Malaysia.
Silverbird
Area: Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Malacca and Kota Bharu.
Product: Stay at the Penang Parkroyal Hotel for five nights and then follow a nine-night fly drive itinerary coupled with a hotel pass to cover accommodation en route. Cities and towns visited include cool hill resorts, a mining town and Kota Bharu, which was once the centre of a great trading empire and is the northernmost town on the East Coast.
Price: travel in October and the fly-drive package and accommodation will cost £959 per person.
Magic of the Orient
Area: Borneo
Product: Join the Ulu Ai Longhouse project in Sarawak – a guesthouse run by the Iban people and designed to give earning power to the remote rainforest community and encourage orang-utan protection. Guests learn about the local lifestyle and customs first hand and can combine time here with a five-night stay on the beach.
Price: Four-day tour based at the Ulu Ai Longhouse combined with five nights at the Holiday Inn Resort Damai Beach will cost £835 per person in October and November including flights with Malaysia Airlines.
Goldenjoy Holidays
Area: Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Langkawi.
Product: Fly to Kuala Lumpur and stay there for three nights to give time for excursions to 15th century Malacca with its mixture of colonial buildings, the Batu Caves and a Hindu Shrine. Then move on to Langkawi for five nights – for excursions around the island including the tomb of Mashuri and the batik factory.
Price: Flying with Malaysia Airlines the three nights in Kuala Lumpur and five nights at the Sheraton Perdana in Langkawi will cost from £629 per person for departures in September and October.
Request 3: Clients C are travelling to Malaysia on their honeymoon. They want a no-expense spared, luxury upmarket holiday.
Silverbird
Area: Kuala Lumpur, Pangkor Laut and Langkawi.
Product: Stay two nights at the Shangri La Kuala Lumpur, seven nights in a Royal Bay sea villa on the island of Pangkor Laut and then seven nights at The Datai, Langkawi. Honeymooners receive an upgrade at The Datai, fruit, flowers and champagne and can plant a tree at a reaffirmation wedding ceremony at the Pangkor Laut.
Price: travelling with British Airways Club class to Kuala Lumpur and staying at the quoted accommodation will cost £3,319 per person travelling March 2000.
Magic of the Orient
Area: Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi.
Product: Fly to Kuala Lumpur and stay four nights at the Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel – a colonial style, former residence of the Governor of the Malay States set in 40 acres and served by 24hr butler. Travel on to Langkawi for 10 nights at the Datai – the ultimate romantic hideaway tucked between pristine deserted beaches and verdant virgin rainforest.
Price: Flying with Malaysia Airlines and with a complimentary honeymooner’s upgrade at the Datai the package will cost £1,620 per person for departures in November.
Goldenjoy Holidays
Area: Kuala Lumpur and Pangkor Laut Resort.
Product: Fly to Kuala Lumpur for three nights at the deluxe Sheraton Imperial and then fly to the romantic Pangkor Laut Resort. Set on a private island the resort’s Royal Bay Sea Villa accommodation is built on stilts over the sea. Honeymooners can enjoy candlelit dining on the beach, fishing trips and private picnics on deserted beaches.
Price: Travelling with Malaysia Airlines the complete package will cost £1,549 per person for departures in September and October.