Belum Rainforest Resort

No experience to share about because the resort rejected our cancellation request because of my husband not being in the best physical and mental state to make the drive SAFELY from Tambun, Ipoh, Perak to the resort in Gerik. It would have been our first drive through the somewhat pothole-filled and badly maintained roads (as shared by many local drivers on social media), and my husband being down with fever due to a leg infection, did not want to risk the drive. We had previously driven all the way to Ipoh from Singapore and was obviously looking forward to the stay at Belum, but our safety is more important. We had made the effort to visit a local clinic and gotten a doctor's memo certifying that my husband was unfit to drive, and requested to cancel (or at least modify / postpone the date of our stay), but yet the resort rejected it. Of course the terms state non-refundable booking, but we believe we should have been granted an exemption on a special case basis as it's not like we planned for my husband, the sole driver, to be unwell. We had already made it to Perak. Zero points on service and in Malay we say "Kita tak halalkan duit bayar booking" and may the management / owner receive divine retribution. Kudos though to Trip.Com's higher management for granting us a generous amount of Trip Coins as service recovery so that we could save a bit on alternative accommodation.

Near forest. Found 1 milipede in my room 🥶

We had high expectations for our stay at Belum Rainforest Resort, but the lack of organization and service completely ruined it. Had we known how poorly managed this place was, we would never have booked. We pre-booked two tours, both confirmed in writing several days before our arrival. However, just an hour after check-in, we received a message stating that one of our tours, the elephant spotting, was "fully booked." Instead, they offered us a kayak tour—which directly conflicted with another morning tour we had already arranged. To make matters worse, we later realized they hadn’t even booked the morning tour either. We spent the entire day trying to find available spots with other companies, but the hotel staff was of no help. Even though they could see that our bookings had been confirmed multiple times in advance, they made no real effort to resolve the issue. Instead, we were repeatedly promised updates that never came. They assured us they would write to us the next morning about available bus seats. We waited 24 hours, and no one ever got back to us. By 5 PM the next day (the tour was 8.30 in the evening), we still hadn’t heard anything, so we had to go down to the reception ourselves—because they also don’t answer the phone. When we finally spoke to them, they told us everything had been arranged. We didn’t even asking why they hadn’t simply informed us earlier??? I find it completely unacceptable that we had to go to the reception for answers instead of them taking responsibility and informing us. Totally wasting our time. Their complete lack of organization and unwillingness to assist made this an extremely disappointing experience. In the end, we did manage to join the tour. But when talking to other guests, we found out that one of them had canceled due to illness—freeing up a spot for us. So after all the hassle, they could have just informed us earlier instead of leaving us in uncertainty. We spent far too much of our stay dealing with this issue. All they had to do was admit their mistake, apologize, and keep us updated via WhatsApp, but instead, they left us unknow. No apology, no messages, nothing. We had no idea whether we were going on the trip or not—which is quite relevant when you're in a rainforest. Every time we went to the reception, they just sent us away, saying they would write to us. That never happened Based on this experience, I absolutely do not recommend Belum Rainforest Resort. Book another stay!

Our visit here was the lowlight of an otherwise superb tour of Malaysia. So poor in fact that we left a day early! It was disappointing in most respects. Like other reviews mentioned, the resort feels run down and almost neglected. The impression was that group tours got preference, as in fact only one eating area was open for dinner, in what I would describe as a day time cafe setting. A poor selection of food and very basic. Even the buffet breakfast was scant and unreplenished during service. Our room was meant to be a special one but the only thing that really set it apart was the view of the lake. There was little atmosphere overall and to be honest very little support from staff to show any direction to possible activities. It was absolutely not worth the trip to get there.

I learned about this place many years back from my ex-colleague where his wife is the project architect of the resort and i was quite fortunate to have the chance to come here for the long weekend with my friends. Now, i have to say the resort has got a whole package of what a great resort can be BUT, the management should really look into certain maintenance issues happening in the resort itself. The first impression wasn't that good whereby our key cards are not working when we first reach our room. We were informed by the housekeeper that there will be staff coming over to pass the new cards to us but there were none after an hour plus (i have to walk over to the reception to remind them about that since the phone in my room wasn’t working too). Next, we have a faulty bathtub that is not fixed despite having the maintenance guy coming over. Im unsure if these problems occur due to the number of visitors coming at this period of time but nevertheless, these problems are basic and have to be looked into without further delay. The good thing is, many activities are offered and one doesn’t need to worry bout getting bored. Most staffs are attentive and willing to help. The location is also good and hornbills can be sighted in the morning. I sincerely hope the management can take more a proactive approach to rectify the shortcomings and make this place one of the best resorts in the state of perak.

TERRIBLE experience! I hope someone reads this review so I can save someone from doing a terrible mistake in going here like I did. I went to this place because I read from it on a book but it is nothing what I expected. Everything they sell you Is a lie. It’s not true that you will see elephants or other animals. All I saw was some ants. You rarely even get to walk around in the wild. We had 1 hour only because we asked for more time. The first night there is nothing to do, you arrive just to wait for the next day. The second day arrives which is supposed to be such and adventure and all you get is 1 hour in a small part of a jungle with nothing more. The next day you leave. I saw more monkeys at the Perehntian or in monkey beach or in batu caves. I didn’t see even one fish in the water which of course you can’t go in. The road to get there is the most dangerous road I’ve even been in. When I realised that on my way there I tried to change my transportation since I was with my young kid and when I asked for help from the desk they not only didn’t help but made it worst. They made me wait for hours promising that they can help 100%. So I wait and wait. After more hours they find me a mini car from 1980’s that didn’t even had seatbelts when I even have a car seat. It was almost night and there wasn’t space in the hotel anymore for me and my family to sleep. And there is nothing else near by. Luckily my next hotel was able to help me and help me to find my transportation to another hotel. I was one month travelling all around Malaysia and I also loves there for 8 months and this was the most expensive and frustrating part of all my trip. I’m sorry they give Malaysia such a bad face because Malays are usually amazing people. But the people here are just a fraud.