Has anyone visited Malaysia for a family holiday? Looking for advice

[TravelExplorerUK]

Hi everyone,
We’re thinking about visiting Malaysia for a family holiday and I’d love some advice from anyone who has been.
We’re looking for somewhere with a good mix of beaches, culture, food and activities that work well with children.
I’ve been looking at places like Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Penang but not sure which areas are best for a first visit.
Has anyone travelled to Malaysia with kids? What places did you enjoy, and is there anything you would recommend avoiding?
Thanks!

We had a 3 centre holiday: KL, Borneo(Sepilok and a lodge on the kinabatagan river). This was followerd by 5 days in Langkawi. Borneo was lovely. We only had 3 days on the river lodge doing trips up it. If we were to do this again I would spend more time in Borneo and not got to Langkawi. Langkawi was just a 5 star beach resort with a couple of very interesting trips. Many people like this but we are not beach resort people. No kids

Sorry, I don’t think we saw hardly any children on holiday while we were there. It might have been because it was in term time. I think it would really depend on the ages of the children. The trips from the lodge to see the wildlife were all done by boat. They certainly couldn’t have children who didn’t sit still in them.

I’ve travelled extensively in Malaysia with kids. Langkawi and Penang are both great- the former has lovely beaches and mangrove boat tours where they can walk through a bat cave and feed eagles from the boat. Penang has Georgetown which is interesting and fun - nice resorts on the island too if you wanted a couple of days of that. You can take a boat from Penang over to an island with lots of macaque monkeys and a beach - think it’s called Monkey Beach.
Borneo is amazing too - my DC were only 4 and 7 when we went so we flew to Kuching from Singapore (where we lived) and as part of the trip we went to Semmengoh which is an orangutang sanctuary - you’re not guaranteed to see any but we were super lucky and saw so many.

Been a few times to Lankawi as a couple and with kids, sometimes just there are sometimes with a couple of days in Singapore or KL. All great with kids.
Went to Penang years ago and keep looking at going back but I don’t think the sea is at all good for swimming in nowadays which puts me off.
Also done Borneo- few days on the beach, a couple on the river in the jungle and a couple nearer the orangutan sanctuary. Loads of kids everywhere we went! Been at Easter, October Half Term and Christmas/ New Year.

We went last summer with DS (17) and DD (13). 3n in KL, 4n in Borneo in a river lodge and 7n in Langkawi. Had a great time and loved the variety of places we stayed.

We got a quote from Trailfinders that was very high, priced up the same trip ourselves for less than 2/3 of the cost, went back to Trailfinders and they matched the price so booked through them.

We had a fab family holiday in Malaysia this year with a 10 and 7 year old. We had 3 nights in KL, 2 in Ipoh, 5 in Penang, 3 nights on the Perhentian islands and then 2 back in KL before flying home. We did a cookery course and learned how to do batik and swam in coral reefs. Would highly recommend it but it is VERY hot

Thanks so much for sharing this! It’s really helpful to hear from someone who has travelled around Malaysia with kids.
Langkawi and Penang both sound amazing, especially the mangrove boat tours and Monkey Beach experience. The orangutan sanctuary in Borneo also sounds like such a memorable experience for children.
Can I ask, how many days would you recommend for a first family trip to Malaysia? Would you suggest combining Langkawi and Penang, or focusing on one area to avoid too much travelling with kids?
Also, was there a particular time of year you found best for visiting?
Thanks again for the detailed advice!

I haven’t done it (kids grown) but my friend highly recommends the Philippines with kids, were made so welcome. Dc were 10&12. They stayed in 3 places and flew via Singapore where they had 2 nights too. Very reasonable prices once in Philippines

I have been several times with my DCs. Malaysian Borneo’s weather is dry in the summer so it’s an ideal summer holiday break. I prefer Sarawak to Sabah. We visited longhouses, went kayaking, visited the wildlife park for a semi wild viewing of orangutans etc. Stayed in Kuching.
kota Kinabalu is okay - but easy to take a day trip to Sapi island - 15 mins by boat from jessleton point. We visited hot springs,Mt Kinabalu and looked for the Rafflesia flower.
not keen on KL, but Malacca is interesting.

How old are your DC op? Will help answer your question of how to plan the trip ☺️

Thanks for sharing this! Malaysia Borneo sounds incredible, especially the wildlife experiences and visiting the orangutan areas. The kayaking, hot springs, and island trips sound like such unique experiences for a family holiday.
I hadn’t considered Borneo before, but it sounds like a great option for children who enjoy nature and animals.
Would you recommend Borneo as a first Malaysia trip with kids, or would you suggest starting with places like Langkawi and Penang first?

Depending on their ages I would fly into Kuching and stay there for a night and go to Semenggoh for the orangutans. I would then head here for a few days https://www.damaibeachresort.com/

Then I would head to Langkawi and do a few days there including a Mangrove tour.

if your kids are teens I’d also add a day or two in KL but not if they are little