Sundowner Holidays Reviews 

Jo organised a fabulous once in a lifetime holiday for our family in Costa Rica. She took the time to find out all of our requirements and then put together an amazing holiday that suited us perfectly. This included gorgeous hotels that could facilitate our needs, beautiful locations, as well as the right balance of activity and down time for us. Nothing was too much trouble.
When we were in Costa Rica we were brilliantly looked after by Sundowner's partner there. They were very attentive and checked in with us regularly to see if we needed anything.
Booking a holiday with Sundowner was a brilliant experience from start to finish and I would recommend them unreservedly.
Thank you Jo!

I’ve just gotten back from my 10 day trip to Borneo organised by Lucy and Caitlin at Sundowners and I honestly don’t have enough words to express how amazing my trip was. This was my first time travelling to somewhere like Borneo and I was also doing it on my own which was daunting. But I had no reason to be worried, the wonderfully organised tour made travelling solo quite easy.

I flew into Sandakan and stayed at MY Nature Resort, Manni was welcoming and fantastic and Sonny was the most amazing tour guide, he was constantly looking out for the best experience for us. I ended up with the same group of people for some of my trip which was fantastic.

From there we took a boat to Abai Lodge, on the River Kintabagan, stayed one night before moving on to Sukau Lodge for 2 nights. From there I went to Gaya Island which is just paradise, and a great place to relax.

Unfortunately I missed out on seeing wild orangutans and the Pygmy elephants but honestly, the wildlife are a bonus. Just the fact that I was in a boat, on the river in the middle of the jungle was enough! Beats a week at work. Saw so much wildlife, macaques, proboscis monkeys, silver leaf and red leaf monkeys, crocs, spiders, snakes, tarsiers, civet cats, flying squirrels, turtles and black tip sharks when snorkelling.

I absolutely would recommend Borneo as a location to visit, it’s awe inspiring and can think of no better company to organise it for you than Sundowners!

We have just returned from a fabulous trip to Borneo which was put together by Lucy & Caitlin at Sundowners.
We had an amazing adventure led by very knowledgeable guides - Alex &Din in Sarawak & Mannie is Sandakan.
We went to Kuching first - staying at The Waterfront Hotel with a beautiful view overlooking the river & the Sarawak Centre. Here we visited the orangutans at the Semonggoh Wildlife Sanctuary - we watched the orangutans at feeding time which we really enjoyed. Our guide then took us the Anah Rais Bidayuh Longhouse Village to see village life & farming, this was very interesting.
The following day we went trekking at The Bako National Park with our guide Don. We saw long bearded wild boar, a Borneon viper snake, Proboscis Monkeys & Macaque Monkeys - the flora & fauna in the Rainforest was amazing. The trek was quite strenuous as it was so hot & humid in the rainforest.
From here we flew to Sandakan & stayed at The Sepilok Nature Resort & stayed in a beautiful wooden bungalow. We visited the worlds largest Orangutan Rehab Center & Sun Bear Centre which was within walking distance next door. Here we had the most wonderful experience of getting up close to a female orangutan & her baby in the rainforest. The folllowing day we went down the road to the Rainforest Discovery Centre & walked along a series of walking canopies above the trees before travelling 2 hours to the Kinabatanguan River where we stayed for 3 nights at the Bilit Rainforest Lodge!
Here we went on 4 river cruises & a night cruise in search of Proboscis monkeys, Pygmy Elephants, crocodiles & allsorts of different wildlife but sadly we didn’t get to see any orangutans in their wild habitat.
Sadly we were unable to go trekking in the rainforest as it was too dangerous due to the migration of the Pygmy Elephants, but atleast we got to see them from the river.
From there we flew to Kota Kinabalu where we visited the Mari Mari Culture Centre & sampled some street food in Gaya Street before we got the ferry over to Gaya Island to relax on the last 2 days of our trip.
Here we went on a guided tour of the island & went kayaking in the mangroves & we went to visit the turtle rescue & conservation centre. We also went on a 30 minute boat ride & went snorkelling in the Tunka Abdul Rahman Marine Park which lies in the triangle known as the worlds marine epicentre!
This has certainly been a trip of a lifetime & one that we shall never forget.

We knew we wanted to go on a Safari trip. We are both in our 70s, and it was top of the Bucket List, but where to begin and how to make the most of our trip. Searching the internet as you do, we came across Sundowner Holidays, advertising South African safari combined with a few days in The Seychelles, another Bucket List destination. I contacted them, and was introduced to Lucy, who is very knowledgeable about all things Safari. We discussed budget and special requests, a few phone calls/ emails/tweaks etc, and we were presented with a full itinerary of our wonderful trip to South Africa and The Seychelles. Nothing was left out, all our flights, connections, pick ups, hotels, fabulous Safari Camp, timings, the whole lot neatly presented to us in the itinerary booklet, together with airline tickets, vouchers, and info about the countries. I’m happy to say everything went like clockwork. I am looking at the rest of the places on our Bucket List for our next trip. My husband is just finishing the last of the holiday ironing.

We have just returned from a two week tour of Sri Lanka designed by Lucy. It was an incredible trip and we loved every minute of it. Lucy’s expert knowledge and design of the itinerary suited our interests and ensured the pace was just right with an incredible break in the middle at the amazing Karpaha Sands. Our guide on the ground was fantastic from start to finish and gave us the right amount of history, information and humour making the road trips enjoyable whilst watching the beautiful scenery go by. We loved everything about Sri Lanka including the people the food and the stunning wildlife. Particular highlights were Gal Oya watching the elephants, Temple of the tooth, Sigiriya, Dambulla, the train ride to Ella and 98 Acres, no hotel will ever compare as we watched hornbills on our balcony! Thank you Lucy, you are a credit to your company and I shall be picking your brains again soon for another trip!

We have just returned from a bespoke 2 week trip to Madagascar. Everything was exceptionally well organised from all of the communication when organising the trip beforehand, to the quality of our guides, accomodation and overall holiday experience. We would not hesitate to recommend Sundowner Holidays to anyone wanting an amazing experience, we will certainly use them again. We can also highly recommend Madagascar as a country with incredible wildlife, stunning scenary and very friendly people.

This was our second holiday booked with Sundowners and we cannot recommend them highly enough. After discussing the budget and what we wanted to get from the experience, Lucy and her team tailored a fantastic trip. Lucy was happy to make adjustments to the itinerary and it really felt that there was a commitment to ensure that we had the best experience possible. The standard of the accommodation was excellent from small family run boutique hotels and guest houses, right through to lodges. Lucy was able to give first hand experience of travelling in South Africa which was really reassuring and communication with Sundowners right up to departure was spot on.
We are looking forward to our next holiday and we won’t hesitate to book through Sundowner Holidays!

We have just returned from a 2 week tour of vietnam with our teenage sons. Everything was put together thoughtfully, the hotels were superb and the trips were just right. We had plenty of time to explore on our own. The local guides were knowledgeable and we always felt well looked after. Thankyou Lucy for putting together such an adventure. We will be back to
you for our next trip!

Great holiday, a good variety of experiences, always felt safe and well looked after.

Had a fabulous holiday in Costa Rica booked by sundowners. All the accommodation was excellent and the transfers went smoothly. We went to 3 different locations in 2 weeks. Lucy and Caitlin spent time making sure that we got the most out of our time and booked the accommodation that would suit us. Thank you!

Just returned from a 2 week holiday in Borneo, all booked with Sundowner, including a last minute upgrade to all inclusive at our beach resort.
From originally contacting Sundowner, and giving them an idea of the trip I wanted, they came straight back to me, I then discussed with them a couple of things I wanted to tweak, and the perfect holiday was arranged.
Staff respond quickly to emails and telephone calls, if the Person you want to speak to is unavailable, they will call you back.
The 2 booklets I received prior to travel were very useful one was the day to day itinerary, times of flights, times to be ready to leave the Hotel/Lodges. It also had ideas of things to do in the different Lodges and areas we visited. Some guests travelling with a different tour operator, did not know about the discovery centre in Sepilok, they were very disappointed to have missed it. The other booklet contained facts regarding Borneo, including what tips to pay if we chose to do so, this was very helpful as a previous holiday booked through a different company did not inform us of what tip our guides may be expecting, this resulted in the guide, telling us, we were expected to tip approx £75 per person for him and the same for the driver, needless to say, this is not what he got.
I would definitely book another trip with this company, their attention to detail is excellent.
Thankyou Jo and team for a wonderful holiday.

Wow what can I say . We had the most amazing experience with sundowner . We travelled to Costa Rica - we had been there before 15 years ago but wanted to relive our honeymoon ! The team gave us loads of ideas but listened to our needs as a family travelling with a teen and almost teen. Every recommendation was amazing and they worked to help us stay in budget and maximise travel time fun and chill . We had an amazing trip - perfection in paradise . I would recommend sundowner to anyone .

This company actually goes that extra mile to make your holiday a special occasion. Their knowledge of your destination is unsurpassed and you can be sure that the most is made of your trip. We would not hesitate to use this company again. They were a delight to work with and extremely personable. We have great memories of the holiday thanks to James and his team. We did some some wonderful things, saw incredible sites and stayed at some unbelievable places, which we would not have experienced had it not been for Sundowner Holidays!

Lucy listened to our wishes and organised the most wonderful adventure in Costa Rica. I cannot recommend highly enough.

Perfect holiday one you dream of , perfect food perfect hotels and trip we're amazing would recommend a trip to Borneo wonderful experience.

From the moment of speaking with Lucy initially on the phone to the actual trip to Costa Rica for our honeymoon, it has been stress free and such an enjoyable process. We had no hiccups during the trip and it all went smoothly - what an amazing country it is! We honestly cannot thank you enough, it was so special!

Just returned from a family holiday in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Perfectly put together by Lucy at Sundowner. We gave her the brief of combining our family's love of nature, animals and outdoor activities and we were provided with a magical tour with five truly amazing hotels that exceeded all our expectations. Would not hesitate to use them again in the future.

Amazing...we gave Jo a simple idea of the activities we think we will enjoy as a family in Borneo and the rest was sorted! A detailed sample itinerary followed, we made a couple of small tweaks, all of which was dealt with quickly, efficiently and made so much easier knowing the advice and changes were being given based on own experience. Jo was able to answer any questions I had regarding the accommodation and activities without delay. Cannot wait for the holiday and feel very happy with the overall booking and help given to date. Highly recommend!

We have just completed our second adventure with Sundowner Holidays. James worked with us to build an amazing, personalised trip to Borneo, recommending amazing locations and including all of the experiences we were looking for. We were impressed by their attention to detail, and where we asked for specific activities or locations the team ensured all of our wishes were met. Our holiday had to be postponed twice due to the pandemic, but the Sundowner team were on the case and we were kept up to date, and informed throughout. Oh, and the overall cost was reasonable too, and cheaper than competitors! We’ll be planning our 2023 holiday with Sundowners soon, and have recommended them to our friends too!

The sundowners team ensured that we had a seamless and fun experience. Starting from detailed information on the trip to everything organised to the last detail during the trip. Their local teams were very efficient, including reorganising a local trip when we overlooked the date. Thank you for an amazing trip to Borneo.