Belum Rainforest Resort♡

Poor experience

2.0

The location is pleasant and the rooms are well-maintained. However, the restaurant offers only basic dining options. The primary concern is the service quality and lack of integrity from the management team. They failed to book our pre-arranged activities and, when we departed a day early due to these issues, promised via email to reimburse our room costs. Eight months later, we have yet to receive this refund despite their written commitment. Rather than addressing the situation honestly, the staff chose to make false promises and avoid accountability. I recommend considering alternative accommodations to avoid similar disappointment.

It could have been so beautiful….

2.0

We tried very hard to make a reservation for 2 nights, tours and permits by ourselves, but unfortunately the staff of this resort isn’t communicative at all…. We’ve sent e-mails; no responses at all…. We’ve sent whatsapp messages, only unclear reactions. After several days. We even called them 2 times. They promised to send us information, which they didn’t or only after a couple of days. With unclear information….. The last resort was to ask the hotel staff in Georg Town where we also booked, to help. Which they did (a big thank you!). But without any result…… After a couple of weeks of several attempts we decided to stay longer in Georg Town and skip Belum Rainforest Resort…….🥲 When we drove by on our way to the Perhentians, we we’re exited of (the surroundings of) Belum Rainforest Resort. But also happy that we skipped this resort. This resort first needs better staff, and certainly better management……

A Mixed Experience

8.0

We stayed here in a ground floor ‘Chengal’ room for two nights as part of a short group visit. Our overall experience was mixed, but we left feeling we would like to return, but in a different category room. First the positive comments. The resort location and scenery are without doubt stunning, with views over the water to jungle covered mountains. The resort is also quiet (we did not hear any traffic noise, which other reviews have mentioned) and the combination of the views, and the silence make it a good place to simply relax. We took, and would highly recommend, the resort-organised tour by boat which includes some short jungle walks to see the Rafflesia plant, a Salt Lick, and a Waterfall. The walks in the forest are not difficult, but a couple of short sections required use of a rope handrail to negotiate steeper parts of the trails. Our boatman/guide Hafeez was excellent, knowledgeable and very friendly. The entire tour was conducted by speed boat between the locations, and the scenery around the lake en route was just stunning. Sadly we did not see any of the wildlife which inhabits the forest, but Hafeez reported having seen an elephant on the previous day. We also hired resort kayaks, and that too was an excellent and tranquil experience. Now the negatives. We were disappointed with our Chengal room for a couple of reasons. They are constructed of grey concrete, and the interior floors and walls are of polished concrete, which gives a boxy, industrial, unfinished feel. Our major gripe however was the toilet, which opens directly into the bathroom area at the rear of the room, and is not equipped with a solid door - just a shower curtain! If you enjoy privacy when using the toilet, this is not the room for you, unless you are alone. I do not understand why this has been done, but all Chengal rooms are apparently the same. Our second complaint was that when we arrived, the in-room safe was not working, and it took three requests before it was finally fixed 20 hours later. Another major issue with our specific room was the frequent noise from a steel staircase which ran up up the side of the building (our room was ‘end of terrace’) which created loud clanging and clunking noise every time someone used it. We could also clearly hear people moving around in the room above us. Having said all that, the bed was very comfortable, the shower worked well, and the in room amenities - including tea and coffee making facilities - are good. Some instructions for the state-of-the-art TV would have been very helpful. Dining is a mixed experience - breakfast and dinner are served buffet style, and while there is a good variety and selection of local and western food, a way needs to be found to keep the ‘hot’ food warmer - food in the chafing dishes was often cool. Alcoholic drinks are not available or served anywhere in the resort. Cans of beer only can be bought from an on-site vending machine, but have to be consumed in your room, or in a couple of designated outdoor locations (the smoking area being one). They cannot be taken into the restaurant. Having said all the above, overall the pluses outweighed the minuses and we would be happy to return, but not to a Chengal Room. On future visits, we would most definitely book one of the wooden chalets (‘Tualang Chalet’) which directly overlook the lake, have a small balcony equipped with table and chairs, and which have a conventional properly separated bathroom and - more importantly - a toilet with a proper door.

High expectations, but very disappointed

4.0

The resort rooms are OK , a great swimming pool. But when you go into the restaurants this all goes away. The breakfast is cold (you expect warm food) taste is not the best and in the a la carte restaurant is even worse.. big part of the menu is not available, staff doesn’t care about this and just ignore the guest. Expected a lot of this resort but we are very disappointed.

A hidden gem not to be missed

10.0

Truly a hidden gem that is well worth the drive from KL. This was my first visit, and I was there to facilitate a training session, but the overall stay experience exceeded all expectations. I was genuinely impressed by the team’s passion and humility. They embodied authentic Malaysian hospitality, making every guest feel welcomed and cared for. The resort is beautifully nestled within a lush rainforest, and I appreciated how well-maintained and preserved the natural landscape was. The room was set up to a high standard, with great attention to cleanliness and comfort. Quality and guest satisfaction are priorities here. Breakfast spread has a good balance with both local and international mix, and was amazed with the creative texture of poori (traditional indian breakfast) as opposed to how it is made in local indian eateries and loved the sardine curry to go with it. The resort is more than just a place to stay and relax; it also has a garden of greenery to explore. Not to forget, the team members who assisted us with the recreational activities demonstrated their well-equipped knowledge and skills. We also learned through their sharing about nature. Overall, a perfect retreat for anyone looking to escape the city and enjoy some peace, tranquility, and nature. Highly recommended! Thank you once again to the management and team for your hospitality, and keep up the good effort.

Great place to experience the jungle in comfort.

8.0

From the moment we arrived we were impressed with this resort. The rooms were clean, spacious, comfortable with a good size bathroom. The resort is on the lake with spectacular views and plenty of walks without feeling crowded by other visitors. The food was great. Plenty of selection for breakfast. Can recommend the satay sticks for dinner. Must say the service was great as we only speak English. We took advantage of the 6 hour day on the lake where we were welcomed at an aboriginal village with lots of happy children and women doing their washing the traditional way. Also walked through the jungle to a salt lick and later a waterfall. Our guide Id and driver Chew were fantastic and accommodating when we spotted birds. The guys were so great that as we got off the Hornbills called so they excitedly pointed the direction. We also took the nature walk around the resort. Very interesting, and informative, learning amongst other things the uses of plants by the Malaysian people. So the reason for 4 out of 5 stars is the Night Nature Walk. In the dark this turned out to be a trek up and down slippery slopes for an hour with nature being a white cockroach and a shy spider. Other than this we enjoyed our time at Belum Rainforest Resort.