Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the orangutans in Borneo and the river cruises
Thoughts on Group Leader
My experience of the guide in Malaysia has been the worst I have experienced and will make me seriously question the use of Exodus for future trips. Andy was obsequious and undoubtedly the worst guide I have encountered. It started a racist joke at the airport and continued with the arrival at out hotel in Malacca where he said we were with Intrepid and went downhill from there. At the KL hotel he said the same and we questioned this and he said that Exodus and Intrepid were the same company. News to us…..but perhaps he is right, however, we booked under the Exodus name. He failed to give adequate explanation about what we were doing each day, he never learnt our names and his guiding was frankly useless. When asked a question, he would often make up the answer. We asked for a recommendation on the second night in Malacca for somewhere to eat and he suggested a supermarket! The dinner restaurant in Malacca was below the standard expected for an Exodus holiday, the toilets were so disgusting they felt to be unusable. It felt like he reached the city and called into the first place he saw. He treated the group like children and was patronising on many occasions. On the walking tour of KL it lasted for 5 and a half hours due to his poor organisation. During this activity we had a guide from the Islam temple talk to us about the history and religion, in the few minutes we spent with her she remembered all our names and was clear and informative. We finished in the Chinese temple and then caught the underground went 2 stops and then a walk to lunch. Many of our party were over 70 and this was exhausting. The lunch restaurant was little more than a canteen and once again sub standard to previous experiences with Exodus. On the transfer day to Penang we left the hotel at 9:30, we arrived at the station at 9:45, when asked why we were there an hour and 20 minutes before departure he said it was the railway rules to be there an hour before otherwise they would sell your ticket. We found a notice saying “ we recommend you be here 30 minutes before departing and the train doors close 5 minutes before” ……. Nothing said to be there an hour before. He also said we could get nothing to eat or drink on the train and in our carriage was a buffet bar. We arrived in Penang and on the coach to the hotel asked about the itinerary for the next two days. He just said we would do a walking tour but no information about what we would see. We asked about the optional tours in Langkawi, he said there were two but could give no explanation about the costs or what they entailed. His walking tours were poorly managed and his knowledge inadequate. He did not make me feel safe or as though he had any clear idea about what he was doing. Having a lovely group and going to some interesting places the holiday was very spoilt by this inadequate guide. By the time we got to Penang several of us refused to go on his walking tours and went off by ourselves. I for one could not bear his disorganisation any longer…..but that is not what I expect to do on a guided tour holiday. Malaysian guides poor performance was brought into relief by the caring and friendly nature of our Borneo guide.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be prepared for a lot of days of travelling!
Suggestions
On a positive note the restaurant we were taken to for our final night was very good, ambient setting and enjoyable food. I felt we missed valuable time in Penang as we only ended up with one day due to the travel arrangements. The hotel in Langkwaei is dingy and very disappointing after a further day of travel. Once again not the standard expected. Overall the trip feels poorly executed with too many days spent travelling at times which means that is all that happens. Travelling over lunch meant there was not time to do anything before or after the journey. The internal flights were changed without explanation. When we tried to contact Exodus about this, there was no response until after the flights and even then we were not told why this had happened.
Reply from Exodus
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us regarding your recent trip to Borneo and Malaysia. We appreciate your positive comments about the orangutans, river cruises and the restaurant chosen for your final meal. On the other hand, we sincerely apologise for the challenges you encountered whilst travelling in destination and regret that your overall experience fell short of expectations. We understand the importance of clear communication and effective organisation during guided tours so it was particularly disheartening to hear about the issues you faced with your Malaysian tour leader as this is not reflective of the standard of service we aim to provide. We take all feedback seriously and will investigate the matter further to ensure that appropriate action is taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. This includes taking steps to reinforce training and guidelines for our local staff to ensure that all guests receive the level of professionalism and support they deserve. Regarding the itinerary and travel arrangements, we apologise for any inconvenience caused by the scheduling and accommodation issues you mentioned. Your feedback regarding the time spent traveling, as well as the quality of the hotel on Langkawi Island has been shared with the product manager and other relevant personnel, and will be carefully reviewed and considered for future trips. Once again, we apologise for the shortcomings of your experience and thank you for bringing them to our attention. Your feedback is invaluable to us as we strive to continuously improve our services. We hope that you will consider traveling with us again in the future, and we would welcome the opportunity to restore your faith in Exodus on a future trip.
Kelly Reid, Product Manager