Name: Permai Rainforest Resort
Address: Pantai Damai Santubong, Jalan Sultan Tengah, PO Box B91, Sarawak, 93050, MY

8/10

Excellent

11 Jan 2026

Amina

This was a cabin in the rainforest, so in the thick of nature. Sadly for us, it rained during our whole stay. I think its an amazing location for getting away and seeing wildlife on your doorstep. There are on resort things that you can pay for like bat walk, kayaking, high ropes and boat trips. There are also self guided trails. I think if you are staying longer than a few days, you may run out of activities. I also thought the boat trip was a bit pricey considering others we had been on in Malaysia.

The staff were friendly and answered all concerns.

There is no Wifi in the cabins and even our eSIMs struggled with reception. The rooms could do with a few more amenities like hooks, iron, hairdryer, more sockets and wifi. The fridge and kettle were welcome.

The breakfast was lovely with a variety and changed daily. You can order a meal or even to your cabin from the restaurant, but we wanted a few more options. They also do yummy milkshakes. The restaurant is a lovely place to relax as there is wildlife around and you are practically on the beach. It also had Wifi.

You can get laundry done, but it needs to be requested - no option to do yourself.

There is a small shop at reception, but not well stocked and seemed musty. The 'second' beach really needs better steps sorted so you can get to it safely.

We didn't use the jungle pool - my kids were very suspicious.

City centre is 1 hr drive & Grabs don't come

I loved this resort, but a few improvements could be even better!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Oct 2024

Matthew

Great place for families

Staff were really kind and friendly and it's suxh a beautiful place to stay. It's better than the photos in real life.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2024

RONELLE

Permai is fantastic, we had a treehouse and enjoyed waking up to monkeys and bird song each morning. It is a perfect place to just relax and do nothing or book some tours from. The staff were all lovely and helpful, if driving us themselves to catch a late afternoon boat trip. We extended our stay another night as we loved it so much.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Oct 2021

Alexandra

Basic needs were met. Nice jungle experience and beach nearby.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2021

Sharminie

It was pleasant to stay here for our business trip. We are looking forward to come again on our holiday vacation.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jan 2020

MCBM

The foods should be more variety.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2020

Mathias

Very good for a rainforest experience.

Nice one-day experience in the resort, with both rain and shine periods. Managed to get into one of the 2 new Treehouses, and experience was really good (with Monkey appearing on our doorstep in the morning).
Overall property could be a bit more modern, but the feeling is good: you're really immerged in the rainforest, and trails to Mount Santubong are right out of your doorstep. Very nice to spend 1 or 2 days there.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

28 Dec 2019

Chuck

You are staying in the rainforest, in a treehouse, with the China Sea crashing on rocks outside your back door. Everything else that could be considered a problem is overlooked

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

20 Dec 2019

Lakshmi Narayanan

ture retreat

Stay was generally good.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

The tree house had a stunning view of the sea on one side and forest at the back. We liistned to the sea from our bed and watched the sun go down from our balcony. The beach was deserted (2nd beach) and we swam as the sun went down. A great marked trail of about 2 hours through mainly secondary forest. We had a fantastic high ropes experience and were lucky to find two snakes. The property is an easy walk to the cultural village. Breakfast if great with fresh fruit and any eggs you want plus other hot goodies, juice and tea/coffee. Again great views from the restauant.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Amazing to stay in the rainforest. Unique properties in the jungle. Lovely safe beach and incredible sunsets. Good food and helpful staff

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

28 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Quiet isolated location
Basic facilities
Beautiful beach

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jan 2019

Michelle

Amazing place to stay in Borneo

This is an amazing place. Be sure to book a treehouse for beautiful ocean views. There are two beaches and a waterfall pool. They offer many activities, and there are gorgeous monkeys who live wild in the trees. Just be aware that as it is in the rainforest, there are ants that will get on any food you have in your room, so always rinse coffee cups and throw out wrappers. As long as you do that, your room will be fine.

Partner

2/10

Poor

09 Sep 2018

Susie

Bad service and condition

It’s nice to have beach beside the hotel but there are many hotels around have this advantage too. Staff service overall is very bad. The attitude is bad esp at the restaurant. Less food. Bread and egg out of stock

8/10

Excellent

03 Sep 2018

nria

Nice place to stay in tree top

Its definitely a unique stay , however the choice of food is limited, especially if you are a vegetarian.

6/10

Pleasant

10 Aug 2018

James

Could be better

Oustanding location, but cabins in need of some tlc (and some cleaning) and the food is pretty mediocre.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

22 May 2018

Verified traveler

Good service and nice staff for this resort. I like it very much.

8/10

Excellent

05 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Undiscovered charm

Staying in a Permai treehouse was a unique experience. It’s true that the houses are a bit dated but I believe they are in the throes of a refurbishment programme. They are beautifully situated with the rainforest in one side and the sea on the other and going to sleep with the sound of the waves and the crickets was very soothing! The pace of life at Permai is much slower that we are used to and you need to just relax and be patient, the staff are delightful and do their best in their own time. We were however a bit surprised that there was no alcohol served at all on site and thought that should have been mentioned in the booking process. The resort was keen to promote their trips and we took an evening boat excursion supposedly to view dolphins, crocs etc - unfortunately we did not come across any. Not their fault of course but we would have loved to have had some information during the trip about where we were, the local environment etc. Permai still feels like a relatively undiscovered holiday destination and this is undoubtedly part of its overall charm.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2017

simona

Special place in nature

Superb location. LOVED the jungle pool, LOVED the beach, LOVED having meals overlooking the beach. LOVED being surrounded by nature. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Seeing the Silver Leaf Monkey was really cool. For use, this is what took a bit of adjustment: wildflife in the cabin (giant ants, a large spider, a very fast little lizard). Not complaining - this was part of \"one with nature\" charm. One thing that could have been better: since there is no AC in the cabins, one must use the ceiling fans - except they were very DIRTY, a thick black layer of dust covering the white wings of each fan. Well, our family got into the cabin late in the evening, and, before turning the fans on, we took some toilet paper and cleaned each one.

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Nov 2017

simon

Back to nature

Clean beach, nice jungle pool although is a bit small, nice water fall & jungle track, good food, friendly staff.

8/10

Excellent

17 Nov 2017

Charline

The place is amazing, being in the middle of the nature is truly appreciable. The activities are diverse.
I was disappointed by something: the room was not clean (treehouse). We paid quite a price and expected the place to be clean.
Unfortunately the room and mini kitchen and bathroom didn't seem to be really cared off. Why?
The curtains were really sticky and dirty (metallic ones in the bathroom), the towels had some yellow stains on it, the toilet paper had apparently been under some water and dried again (how can you give this to clients...), there was some dust in the corners. The place is really nice overall and I don;t get why the tenants don't take a real care of it, specially in a place being in the middle of the jungle and by the sea, it needs even more extra care.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2017

LEE SAN

Relax

Comfort and great natural views.

Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Jul 2017

Fez

Excellent location rainforest & beach

Fantastic location in the heart of the rainforest. We stayed in a cabin and upgraded to AC by phone prior to arrival, we could not do this at the time of booking, when I contacted Expedia this was promptly sorted out with extra payment to be at the Permai.
In relation to the price paid, the accomodation and food represented great value for money. The cabin was clean but as expected was basic and comprised of a lounge, two bedrooms, a shower room and separate toilet. There was a fridge in the lounge and bottled water was provided each day.
The setting was excellent in the heart of the rainforest, we saw monkeys, squirrel, exotic birds, snakes and more. The beach was pristine and the water was clear and warm - ideal for swimming in. There is also a freshwater jungle pool which is refreshing. There are many activities such as kayaking, nature trails etc.
We took a trip to see the Orangutans at Semenggoh Nature Reserve, we left the hotel around 7am with a free packed breakfast and made it well in time for the 9am feeding and we saw several Orangutan and babies too - this was a highlight of our trip. We shared the Permai van of costing 220 MYR between the two families + small entry fee.
All staff were friendly and helpful. The food at this hotel seem home cooked and was local and deliciously flavoured. In fact we enjoyed not having too much choice.
Overall we enjoyed our stay here, beware of mosquitoes. The only negative point was the beds were not comfortable.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Mar 2017

rene

Great location and setting

We really enjoyed our stay at Permai, the staff were helpful and the shuttle driver was very friendly and well informed. The location was great right on the coast surrounded by rain forest, we saw monkeys and squirrels from our room. The place was clean and quiet. The meals were good value and the restaurant was located with great views.
I really enjoyed our stay here, we enjoyed climbing Mount Santubong and visiting the cultural Sarawak village.
I would reccomend this as its great value and well located with great staff.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Feb 2017

chen

Good for day trip

The place are actually beautiful nd nice, my only complain it's the cleaniess of the room and the foods.

8/10

Excellent

06 Feb 2017

Verified traveler

Nature lovers

Gotta love nature cause this place delivered

Family

8/10

Excellent

09 Jan 2017

John

Great escape to the jungle

A great place for a jungle getaway. The cabins are in the forest and near the beach so it is easy to stroll between them. Cabin furniture wasn't so comfortable but we had a very nice stay. Cabin is in the jungle sonexpect some signs of humidity, damp and wildlife. Ceiling fans keep it cool.

Family

8/10

Excellent

30 Dec 2016

Verified traveler

great

A great place for a relaxing purpose. cabin we stayed was a bit far even for young people. get help from the staff to pick up and sent my mum to our cabin.

Family

8/10

Excellent

02 Nov 2016

wong

surrpinded by green

Beach- fairly clean
Activity- a lot of variety but slightly costly
Room- clean
breakfast- nice, keuhteow, omelette, cereal, tori canal, pancake, fried sting roll.

6/10

Pleasant

22 Mar 2016

UKoldie

Tree house experience

This hotel generally is in sore need of refurbishment but the tree houses are an experience not to be missed. They are set individually high up in the forest at the edge of the sea ( 30 steps up) and their location and ambience more than compensates for their need for some tlc. Having said that, the room provided all amenities, comfortable bed, good shower, aircon, fan, efficient mozzie netting and a great balcony to sit out on, so for a couple of nights R&R not to be missed. Nice beach (but not accessible at high tide) and a great fresh water forest pool for a refreshing dip only a hundred yards away.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2016

Verified traveler

jungle expeirence

out in the jungle experience. terrific pool

Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Jan 2016

CAT

4Days 3Nights Family of 6 Rainforest Experience

Loved the real rainforest experience....though I think RESORT should be replaced with EXPERIENCE. We wanted to be within the rainforest and Permai delivered.Saw cheeky but well behaved monkeys ( compared to the naughty ones in BAKO ).If you take the time to look hard enough...we was a lizard like creature at least a metre long..thank goodness it was shy. Squirrels and birds darting on the branches while we had breakfast was a sight to delight.Sounds of rolling waves and the restaurant overlooking the South China Sea was just beautiful.Jungle Trails inside Permai was enough challenge for us with kids from 8 yrs to 17 yrs.Would highly recommend jungle trails.Rough beaten but well marked trails..rope bridges, scaling up near vertical hills with secured ropes, balancing on huge fallen tree trunks to get to the other side, water fall to cool us down as we wade in cool clean mountain water.
The beach was clean and it always felt like we had our own private beach.The Jungle pool in Permai was a hit with the kids.
Can't complain with breakfast.We had a good feed every morning and nature putting a show for us.Can walk to nearby 7 eleven for cheaper food in the food court.Not too late as they seem to run out on some things on the menu.
Accomodation is basic BUT hey we chose to live in the \" jungle\". I am just very happy they have hot water in the shower.I am impressed that we even have our cabin beds made every morning and dry towels provide every morning. Mozzie repellent a MUST

Family

6/10

Pleasant

30 Dec 2015

Sue

Horrible breakfast

Breakfast was very limited and taste awful. There is only 1 bread toaster and only choice of white bread no other pastries available.

6/10

Pleasant

21 Dec 2015

Verified traveler

perfect house for beach and jungle.

rough sea condition and frequent rain at the end of the year. However we managed to have fun on the beach with paper boats.

2/10

Poor

10 Jul 2015

Hiew

So horrible and v dirty.i think the cleaner didt do their job as well.all dust around

Family

4/10

Poor

28 Mar 2015

Verified traveler

Should have not overcharge

too expensive in terms of antel and its breakfast not that good

6/10

Pleasant

03 Jan 2015

family of 5

Quite an experience

Bungalows are basic (maybe a bit too basic) but beds are comfortable. Go here if you want to experience the jungle. Dont go if you need a 5* resort. We stayed for 6 nights with our kids. First impression was that everything was a bit run down. The place grows on you though and we had an unforgettable experience.

6/10

Pleasant

05 Dec 2014

Mohd

Family bonding time

Lot of potential of outdoor activities. For city parents, bring along your teenager, and make sure you hide all their electronic gadget.

8/10

Excellent

05 Jul 2014

Sandra

Facilities: Above average; Value: Affordable; Service: Go the extra mile; Cleanliness: Tidy;
Located right in the jungle. Beautiful location. Perfect for RFWMFestival. Very kind staff. need good legs and knees to get to and from the cabins.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

05 May 2014

Barbara

Hotel in the middle of the forest!

We are a family with 3 young children (2, 4.5 and 7 yo). We were in a cabin because any tree house weren't available. 2 bedrooms with 3 single beds in each, a shower, a toilet, a little fridge and a little living room. Not luxurious at all but we had everything we need.
It's a good location because we had the monkeys all around the house, the Sarawak Village at 5min walk, and also trek departures (waterfall...), a food court, 7eleven...
The natural swimming pool was crowded and very very dirty, 2 beaches.
The restaurant has a good view, and the food is correct for Malaisia (this is not our favourite).
We enjoyed our trip!

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2012

hamilcaro

Facilities: Home away from home; Value: Great deal; Service: Friendly; Cleanliness: Beautiful;

Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jun 2026

Nicolas

It's a nice place in a beautiful location with lots of activities to do. The staff is very friendly and helpful and the food is good.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jan 2020

Birgit

Die Lage der Baumhäuser ist traumhaft. Direkt am Meer, mit einem kleinen wunderschönen Strand und dennoch im Dschungel. Die Baumhäuser sind unterschiedlich im Grad der Renovierungsbwdürftigkeit, es lohnt, sich ggf mehrere zeigen zu lassen. Und es gibt zwei ganz neue, die unbedingt wert sind zu buchen, wenn möglich. Das Essen vom buffett ist eher einfach, aber man kann sich für wenig Geld Gerichte von der Karte bestellen, was ebenfalls lohnt. Und unbedingt die Wanderung durch die Anlage machen, toller, anspruchsvoller Weg mit -zumindest in der Regenzeit- beeindruckendem Wasserfall. Das Permai lohnt für ein paar Nächte auf jeden Fall schon wegen seiner Lage und des Ambientes.

Leisure Friends

4/10

Poor

13 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Not worth the prize, terrible food

A film crue or what not was camped just next to our treehouse and made quite the noise. The next morning some group started to play loud music on the beach at 7am. Quite hard to sleep in those circumstances. Dinner was terrible, tried it the first night and after that went straight to the food court at Damai central. Breakfast wasn't better. Treehouse was a good sized, hasn't had maintenance in a while, but was ok. Toilet seat wasn't attached properly so the whole room smelled like pee. Airport shuttle driver was 1/2hour late from our booked leaving time.

Jungle trail was nice, not so well kept as the one in Santubong National Park but preferred it that way.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

17 Aug 2019

veronique

Belle emplacement.

Super emplacement en bord de mer et en pleine jungle. Par contre, pour le prix, les bungalow sont équipés du minimum et sans aucun confort et au niveau de la restauration du soir en demi pension, les quantités étaient trop juste ! Par contre, le personnel était très agréable. Privilégier les maisons dans les arbres !

Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

+ boomhut met een fantastisch uitzicht. slapen tussen verschillende apensoorten.
+ geluid ‘s nachts was geweldig
+ vriendelijk personeel
+ lekker eten (wisselt tussen a la carte en buffet)

- geen ijs en sinaasappelen waardoor er nog maar weinig keus overbleef van de menukaart.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2019

Verified traveler

Ein Baumhaus mitten im Dschungel und den Strand direkt vor der Tür, was will man mehr. Für Naturliebhaber einfach einzigartig. Wir genossen die Natur und vorallem die Ruhe (wir hatten Glück und waren fast alleine dort, zumindest hat es sich so angefühlt) . Das Personal war sehr freundlich und auch die angebotenen Speisen sowohl zum Frühstück als auch zum Abendessen waren einwandfrei. Am liebsten hätten wir mehr Zeit dort verbracht.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

15 Feb 2019

Nicole

Nicht empfehlenswert

Scheinbar wegen schlechtem Wetter kein Freizeitangebot. Essensbuffet (Frühstück und Nachtessen) war sehr bescheiden und langweilig. Preis/Leistung unverhältnismäßig.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jan 2019

Patricia

Resort in the jungle

Went to permai rainforest resort for the real jungle experience. We saw a lot of exotic animals and the staff were so nice and showed us the animals who visit.
The location were really nice if you just want to relax in the jungle.
The cabins were old and beaten.
But perfect for you who looking for the jungle felling and relax. Not luxury.
They don’t have alcohol in the resort so bring with you or go to Escobar a bar in a resort 15 min walk away.
I really enjoyed it!!

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jan 2019

Patricia

Beautiful

Really nice staff, very helpful. You really get into the jungle. The cabins interior were old but you had what you needed. Nice if you will enjoy junglelife but not luxury.

Friends