I don't think there is any better routing than the Singapore Air non-stop to SIngapore. From Singapore, you can go to Java first or to Borneo first.

My husband and I stayed at The Last Resort several years and highly recommend it--if you don't mind the many, many stairs. Check out their website. We saw orangatans in the tree tops nearly at eye level while standing on their balcony. One morning we saw evidence of the small elephants down at the bottom of the hill but never actually saw them ourselves. On the boat rides, the river was full of animals and birds. The owners are wonderful. They picked us up in and returned us to Sandakan. One of them had studied at the gourmet cooking school in KL and so the meals were exceptional.

If you spend any time in Sandakan, be sure to read "Three Came Home" by Agnes Newton Keith about Borneo during WWII. Or you can watch the movie which starred Claudette Colbert. The Keith house is open for visiting in Sandakan. Very interesting house from a very interesting time period. Also, an excellent restaurant is on the site.

Jane

JaneB; I am sold on Last Resort. But Katie I am not asking you or anyone else to be a travel agent but if I were to go to Borneo first, if someone has recently traveled S.E. Asia how easily and economically without using Air Asia or other budget carriers but don't get me wrong we travel Economy Class,can we get from the The Last Resort to either Bali (we can fly in 70 min. to Jojka) or Jakarta and then also only 1 hour to Solo or Joyjka.

Stan, there are no direct or non-stop flights between Sandakan (or Lahad Datu) and Bali or Java. You have to fly to/from those places from Kota Kinabalu. Typically, that means one needs an overnight each way in KK.

JaneB; I mentioned the steps to the rooms at The Last Resort Lodge and she is said "Just how many" having gotten winded on a trip in the Amazon where we stayed at a resort that was up in the tree tops, sort of. she looses her breath easily going up stairs though she can walk long distances on flat surfaces. I realize we do not go to our room often but they offer A/C and in the heat we will go there when not out on the river. So help me out.
Katie:b Can you believe I can get a fare from JFK to kk for $600+/- with just an overnight in HK.

Stan, 538 steps!

This is a picture from their website:
http://www.thelastfrontierresort.com/mainpage.html

Jane

stan - I've been following this thread as we also plan to visit Borneo at the end of next June. I assume you are referring to the Last Frontier Boutique Resort and not the Last Resort Rainforest Lodge or other variation? I have researched flights and Kathie is correct that you must pass through Kota Kinabalu inbound to Sandakan or outbound to elsewhere. Malaysia airlines flies between KK and Sandakan. On our outbound leg, we will be connecting onward to Penang and will not have to spend the night in KK.

BTW, there are 538 steps up to the Last Frontier Resort.

Its also worth looking at MAS Wings for flights http://www.maswings.com.my/index.html

What's wrong with the Borneo Rainforest Lodge vs. The Last Resort Boutique Lodge. The steps might be brutal for my wife.

I have booked a reservation for late Jan. and have a couple of questions.
Are flights from KK iffy depending on the weather? If the flight is delayed or cancelled, what happens then?
Secondly, can you tell me what vaccinations you needed for the rainforest and for the rest of Borneo?

I think the flights from KK are pretty reliable.

www.cdc.gov/travel

Print out the cdc recommendations and take them with you to your doctor.

Basically, I break down immunizations into three categories, routine vaccines, travel vaccines and destination-specific vaccines.

Routine vacines: everyone should be up to date on diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus, and you should check on whether you ned a new booster for measles/mumps/rubella. ALso, talk with your doctor, as you may need a polio booster, depending on when and what type of vaccine you received as a child.

Travel vaccines: Hep. A (Personally, I think everyone should have this whether or not they travel) and Hep B, and typhoid.

Destination-specific Vaccines: No destination-specific vaccine for Borneo.

Malaria: There is malaria in the jungles of Borneo, but none in the coastal areas. So unless you are going somewhere else in the interior, you'll only need it for the BRL. We like malarone because we have no side effects from it and because you only start taking it the day before you enter the malarial risk area and a week after leaving the area. Of course, you'll want to use a reliable mosquito repellant as well.

I was able to have the Sepilok Lodge arrange to take me on an outing on the Kinnabatangan River (90 minute ride) and be on the water from 5-9 PM and either stay over night in a non-A/C lodge fora 5:3-8 AM river trip or return to the Sepilok by 10:30 and spend the day at the rehab station and then that morning leave at 3:30- back to the River. So it works all with A/C if I want it.

Stan, I'm glad you were able to arrange what you want in Borneo.

Good news is I am headed to Sandakan once again (in October) to visit the Borneo Bird Festival. Just so you know, I work closely with Sabah Tourism in writing articles about Eco-tourism places and did a number of them including Sandakan's Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC), Gomantong Caves, Agnes Keith House (Famous American writer) and the English Tea House (thx Jane) for some traditional Bread Pudding and Scones, Sandakan War Memorial Park, Kinabatangan River and the lodging there. I would love to share the full experiences here but it would be too long and too much. If you are interested, you can take a look at my personal experiences in Sandakan Sabah here - http://blog.malaysia-asia.my/search/...ia%20-%20Sabah

For the Kinabatangan, I would recommend you stay a minimum of 2 nights there. It can be expensive but the key to this place is sighting the rare Borneo Pygmy Elephants. There are about 5-7 lodges available. I stayed at Bukit Melapi Proboscis Lodge when I visited in January 2010. Take a look at my articles about the river safaris, day and night. With this, I would recommend you make Sandakan your main city as most of the Eco places are located around here.

For Sarawak, I would advise on 3-4 days at Mulu for the stunning nature, caves and culture there. Mulu is a tiny town with only one high end resort called the Royal Mulu Resort. Prices are on the higher side here while they have cheaper alternatives around the Park HQ. The trick here is to time your flights correctly so you do not have to stay in Miri. There is not much to do in Miri as it is an oil town. Miri is the gateway to Mulu and flights from here are about 30 minutes on a turbo prob ATR planes.

Best possible connections are AirAsia-MasWings. Only MasWings flies to Mulu while Airasia flies in from Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Kuala Lumpur. Apparently there is a so called direct Kota Kinabalu-Miri-Mulu flight too. Check with the agents. Flights from KK are usually full and busy. It is MasWings that fly to the rural areas with the ART planes that you worry. If the weather is really bad, they cancel flights or delay flights.

Personally, I would recommend you do 7-10 days in Sabah exploring the place and another 7-10 in Sarawak to fully experience the nature and cultures in each state. Most people make the mistake of trying to do 7 days for both and end up missing a lot of the interesting places. 2 weeks would be perfect for both.

For the record, when I get back from Sandakan after the Borneo Bird Festival, Turtle Island and possibly Lankayan Island in October, I will be heading out there again in early November to Tawaw-Semporna-Mabul-Sipadan to do an article on the Sea Gypsies and live around the islands. If time permits, I will do some snorkeling and possibly some diving too.

I hope the information here will come in useful for future travelers and I will try to pop in and help those here seeking information. Safe travels and have a lovely day!

David
Malaysia Asia

Gosh, please excuse my grammar and spelling mistakes in my last posting as I am rushing out for a dinner function :)

David

The information was extremely helpful. Thanks.