Ruchell was an amazing travel agent! In addition, this was my first time ever using a travel agent. She made sure we had all of our documents and transportation set up along with our tour guides. She knew the hot spots for us to visit. We had nice hotels and she gave us tips on how to embrace the culture over there in Japan and South Korea! We are already planning another two trips with her. I definitely would recommend. read more

This agency helped us with a fabulous trip to Bali several years ago. Good listeners! They heard what we wanted and put together a dandy trip. Planning on calling them again soon to see what they can recommend and then seeing them create this vacation into reality. Can't wait! read more

Would NOT recommend. First, the flight portions were terrible. I called months in advance, was sent flight information and I asked him to reserve flights to lock them in. When it was time to pay for the flights, we got different flights because he didnt reserve them. Now we had a 3 hop, instead of 2, return flight from asia to SFO. On the day of our trip, we got all middle seats for the long international flight out! The counter clerk said we could have reserved seating at purchase. Called Jigmey and he said they were supposed to keep family together... Nop. I asked him to please check the domestic transfers for seating together, especially the return flight. Guess what, I had to check/fix each domestic flight leg to pick seats. The return was no better, the 4 hr transfer from bangkok to taiwan were also all middle seats. The long taiwan to SFO flight was also not unassigned. Again, I'm scrambling at last minute to fix things. Not acceptable for total trip price with air about 20k. Finally, the actual trip contents were average - low content with shop stops and optional/extra fee tours. Overall not worth the packaged price. Wont be recommending this company to family or friends. ps. also left out important travel information like Laos visa at airport only takes US dollars ($41 per person)and there is NO ATM for dollars before the visa checkpoint and they dont take credit/debit. We barely scraped by... read more

Excellent excellent excellent service I received from Jigmey, for my trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. From the very first inquiry into vacation packages, I could see that Jigmey's customer service skills were top knotch. Jigmey was able to create a vacation package that was beyond our expectations while being within our vacation budget. The hotels and tour packages that Jigmey booked us were all great. This turned out to be one of the best vacations my Wife and I have ever been on, thanks to Jigmey. If you're looking into booking a vacation, look no further than Jigmey at Sayang Holidays. He will make the process effortless. Jigmey has earned my business for life! read more

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Worst travel agent I have ever dealt with. International travel and luggage costs extra?

My husband and I contacted this company to find an eco-tour of sea turtle island for a specific date as we didn't have any flexibility in our schedule. The experience includes seeing a turtle laying eggs, watching a naturalist bury those eggs in a deep sand pit, and on that same evening, seeing baby turtles (hatched from eggs laid two months ago) scramble into the sea. It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The location is a nature reserve on an island off the Borneo coast, which you reach by speed boat: views are spectacular. Pannir, the owner and is Malaysian, promptly found a tour for the date we needed. The tour guide that we had was knowledgeable and friendly. If you're a first-time traveler to Malaysia and want a local expert to organize your trip, contact Pannir. read more

Sayang Holidays is unethical, unresponsive, unprofessional. Especially Jigmey and Pannir. Do not use Sayang Holidays, save your money and save yourself from a headache. We booked a tour through Sayang Holidays to Nepal. Paid over $4000 for flights, hotels and a tour. After 12 hours, an 7+ magnitude earthquake hit Kathmandu. Numerous aftershocks hit the fragile city, thereafter, leaving the city without electricity or running water. Food was scarce and there were people left without homes and injured people everywhere. Our hotel was damage and our tour guides left the city to return to the family. Sayang took advantage of situation and would not refund the unused hotel or tour. The hotel and the guide in Nepal were very sweet, humble, ethical, they took care of us and reassured us said nothing would be charged, because they weren't able provided us with the services to the level of standard they advertised and are use to. We contacted Sayang to book a ticket out of Nepal, as advised by the US embassy. Pannir said any unused portion would be refund because of the natural disaster and that they would book the tickets out of Nepal using the unexpended portion of the trip. They ended up charging my credit card for the flight to Malaysia, ($200+) and when we returned to the US they would not refund, or credit our trip. They would not even respond to our emails to this day. If the fees were paid to the Nepalese citizens and their businesses, then I would be a different story and I would commend Sayang, but unfortunately they're just horrible crooks! What a shame, that someone or business would operate in this manner and take advantage of a situation, as devastating as once in a century earthquake, in a such a humble city, with soooo many sweet individuals, for a profit. DESPICABLE, absolutely disgusting!!! It's sad, that people/businesses like this exist. Do not endorse Sayang's Shady business model. Save yourself the time, money and misery, don't use Sayang for anything. read more

Sayang Holidays - Travel Services Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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My friend Sisca told me to check out Singapore Airlines travel deals because she got an awesome deal like five years ago to go to Indonesia, and she said they hooked her up in a nice hotel in Bali, including airfare for 5 days for less than $2000. I checked it out and the deal is from Sayang Holidays. It had expired. But I called anyways, asked about it. And Pannir said "I'll still give you a good deal.. even if I can't give you that particular deal." He was totally laid back and easy to work with. He is very adorable in his way of describing things too, like for Jakarta he said "there are lots of clubs there, you can get down." It's cute because Pannir sounds like he's past the clubbing age (like imagine your dad saying "go to clubs and get down." hehehehe..) Anyway, Pannir tried to get a feel of what I like to do. I said, well, I kinda wanna sight-see. Then he asked specific questions "like an adventure trip? you like watersports?" I was like yeah yeah.. He's like .. ok, let me put something together for you.. You do have to call and kindly remind.. hey still waiting. But I like to bug ppl anyway, and Pannir was always funny in getting back to me.. maybe he won't get back the next day, but if you call and nudge and say... "Hi Pannir, still here.. waiting" he'll totally get back to you. Anyway, after he gave me the price, I paid partial, he sent me a package in a batik pouch with a zipper that hangs onto your neck. This WAS SO USEFUL, because everything was in there: itinerary, hotel reservations, and I put my passport in there. So at the airport, it's easy to find, easy to access. Now the price, crazy good value. I'm not kidding. I was gone for 14 days in Indonesia: 3 days in Jakarta to visit the family, 2 days in Yogyakarta to see temples considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world, a week in Bali at Ayodya- which is the most beautiful luxurious hotel by the beach and I did compare to other hotels nearby, and a day in Singapore for less than $2500 a person. This includes tour, with some lunches, a driver and by lucky accident (off season) a private tour guide. Oh and a day in Singapore. I was really happy with Sayang Holidays in particular. Because everything exceeded my expectations.. And I had such a good time in Southeast Asia.. Mostly because the human connections made there.. Such sweet people. So my next trip.. if it's anywhere to the East side of the world, I'm calling Pannir. Thank you thank you, Pannir! read more

Pannir, the principal, has helped us for 10+ years with international flights and done a superb job. This last trip to Nepal had me flying Qatar airlines. By far, this is the best airline that I've ever flown. Thanks to Pannir, I had the easiest 28 hour (each way) travel that I've ever experienced. read more

update to Pannir's reply: How is a client to check a itinerary when you never sent one to us via email? I'd like to see you proove that. You never got back to us so we had to GO IN PERSON to review our itinerary, where you STILL got it wrong. You said it was your fault, you would fix it, at NO CHARGE TO US. Then 2 weeks later when you realized you had to pay, (which is what I told you already previously) you tried to MAKE US PAY FOR YOUR MISTAKE. Get real. Admit your own mistakes and stop blaming the client. You are unbelieveably completely and utterly out of touch with reality, how can you even run a business? Yeah I got every penny back because that is what you promised. Like i said at the end of the day you either paid the airline and change our date like you said, or you had to pay to cancel our ticket. Instead of doing whats right you paid the airline to cancel- and you lost a client and got tons of negative reviews. Good luck. read more

I can not say enough good things about Sayang Holidays. I've used them four times - all for crazy adventures in Bali, Indonesia. They're the travel company for those who want to get to where they're going, but not be forced to engage in the big group tour thing. Exactly what I want in a travel operator. For a flat price you get airfare, transfers, a driver to take you from this place to that, small one on one tours with a guide, and the best hotels the island (or wherever you're visiting) has to offer. Easy to use and friendly staff. I'll use them again and again and highly recommend for your next SE Asia adventure. read more

Highly recommend I used Sayang holidays to arrange for travel to Asia twice and was very happy with their service. We used Sayang for trips to Hong Kong and Japan, Singapore, Bali and Thailand and they got us great flights at excellent prices. Their are partners with Singapore Airlines which is an added bonus considering that SIA is one of the better airlines to flight with in terms of service. With have worked with Yoke and Pannir at Sayang - do look for them if you contact them. read more

A fabulous tour operator for South-East Asia. We chose them (via the website of Singapore Airlines) and were very pleased with the entire process and journey. They have a lot of pre-made tour packages to countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, etc. The office staff was courteous and professional and we were able to book a rather complex tour package without any problem. The prices are very competitive. We went to Taiwan, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia in the space of a month with their booking. The local tour operators arranged by Sayang Holidays in Malaysia and Indonesia were very professional and helpful. I would definitely use them again for any travel to this part of the world. read more

Sayang means affection/love in Malay. Well guess what? I have no love for Sayang Holidays. Before this review gets misrepresented, I just want to say that I did not have a chance to get a quotation let alone fly with this travel agent. As usual I always try to shop around for good quotes and I thought why not give Sayang a try. When I called Sayang, I spoke to a really nice representative, Raj. He was friendly and courteous. He told me he will submit my travel request to his agent and I should get a call back. He took down my email and we spent a good time ensuring that he got my email address correctly. I decided to call back the next morning to follow up. I asked for Raj and he transferred me to the agent who was supposed to handle my request. That agent sounded a little annoyed that I called her too soon to check up on her. (mind you I was courteous!). She said she will call me back with the quotes. Of course days pass, months pass and I never heard back from her. I don't understand why many travel agents do that! They say they will call back but never do!!! Even if you can't find a good quote it is common courtesy to call back!!! Anyway, I already got my tickets with Borneo International. This is my second time using Borneo and they are superb! read more

sayang holidays helped us with our recent thailand and cambodia trip reservations and planning. while at times they were hard to get in touch with by phone, they did help us find the best airfare and provided great recommendations for local activities. the tour guides and drivers that we met on our trip were great! in fact, i think the network of travel agencies that work with sayang are even better than sayang themselves. we especially liked our tour guide mindy from asia world travel in bangkok. she was so pleasant and organized (checking our flight status and confirming reservations etc.) and even provided wonderful recommendations for local eats (not for tourists, please!). if you do visit bangkok, then definitely check out these restaurants: for dinner - ban khun mae for lunch - mallika read more

My wife and I have been using Sayang for years and couldn't be happier with the service they provide. We come up with all kinds of special requests for Yoke (our agent there) and she always comes through. Their packages are great values. They have an extensive knowledge of Asia. And will customize any trip. The transfers at the airport as well as they tours they provide (through Indochina Services) are alway private coaches with very personable guides. Their primary airline is Singapore (which can't be beat). read more

Yesterday I booked a flight from New York to Bali with Sayang Holidays. I'm still in the process of finalizing the entire trip, composed of separate elements, working with Sayang's agent Yoke Choong. I couldn't be happier with the service she offers. In fact I'm thrilled. We're saving A LOT of money. I rarely use a travel agent because I've found I know as much as (or more than) most and that I'll put in far more effort into the planning of my trips. But having dealt with Yoke, I have changed my mind, at least as far as she and Sayang Holidays are concerned. Not only did she find me a perfect flight on Singapore Airlines, pulling it out of what seemed like thin air and beating the prices of atrocious flights on other airlines, she spent considerable time on the phone with me, offering specific recommendations and money-saving advice--all of which I'm using. She is incredibly professionally, friendly, knowledgeable, and just all-around wonderful to work with. I would highly recommend Sayang Holidays and urge anyone contemplating Asia travel to contact them before booking independently. Perhaps they cover even a broader swath--it would be worth finding out. It was absolutely excellent service. read more

I am a professional event planner and a few months ago, I contacted Sayang Holidays to assist me with a VVIP group. Their staff, especially Mr Pannir did excellent work. He was very accommodating because he understands that dealing with logistics for VIPs can be extremely challenging! The VVIP trip went well and my client was very happy! Having a vendor/service provider like Mr Pannir is priceless for a busy professional like me! :-) read more

Pannir was wonderful..He saved me a lot of money on my recent trip to Bali. I hope he will be able to hook it up for my next trip to India. read more

My 11 year old grand daughter and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Sayang Holidays booked hotels, guides and outings. All went smoothly and our two female guides were exceptional. They were warm, professional and respectful of our time and interests. Our guide in Bangkok went out of her way to provide information on Buddhism for a middle school report. We especially enjoyed the Tamarind Village, a small hotel in Chiang Mai. The day spent at the Lampang Elephant Conservation Center was informative and fun and we loved the dance performances at the Knatoke dinner held at the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center. I will use Sayang Holidays in the future. Judith, Oakland read more

We used Sayang Holidays for our honeymoon to India. Pannir was exceptionally patient with our somewhat complicated needs. My husband and I wanted to do a "classier" trip than we'd done in the past, but still have a high level of flexibility to do our own thing as we're fairly experienced travelers. He understood what we wanted and helped us devise a more unorthodox itinerary. The local agents in India were attentive and fabulous and it was great to come back to nice hotels at the end of the day. I'll definitely use Sayang again. read more

My sister and I have made two trips to Southeast Asia with the help of Sayang Holidays. Each tour was customized, with our own guides and drivers provided throughout. We live in Virginia and Delaware. After our first no-glitch trip that was planned by Sayang Holidays, we happily departed last November for several weeks in South Korea and Cambodia. It was an excellent experience. Our primary contact at Sayang was Pannir, who patiently made changes to our itinerary as we requested. Accommodations were wonderful. Our next trip will start with Sayang Holidays, no question. read more

My sister and I travelled with Sayang to Kuala Lumpur and Bali. It was an advertised deal on their website at a great price for what it included. I also loved that their airline partner is Singapore Airlines, which I already know is a fabulous airline for a coach seat. When I saw that the package allowed for a few free days, I asked Pannir if I could potentially book additional tours ahead of time with him. His response was "just go with the flow when you get there." OK so the flight to KL was lovely, as expected. Pickup at the airport to bring us to our hotel was prompt, easy, and the driver was super friendly and informative. Thumbs up, so far. Check in to the hotel was slightly bumpy, with keys not working (several times in a row), but the room was ultimately clean and perfectly fine. The following morning was our first scheduled tour that was included in Sayang's price. We had a printout that Sayang mailed to us that stated "Full Day CIty Tour." When the driver arrived to pick us up, he informed us that we were only scheduled for a half-day city tour. After some confusion about this, I began to ask him about the tour's details to see what else didn't match up. One of the highlights of this tour that Sayang's website advertised was a visit to the Batu Caves. This, the driver informed us, was NOT included. He would take us, for an extra fee. We argued a bit, and he told us that the city tour NEVER includes the caves... Since the caves was something we were most excited about, we relented and paid the extra sum (in cash directly to the driver) to visit the caves. I then asked about the Towers (also NOT included in our tour), but the driver said he would change around the itinerary and take us there. You would think this makes our driver super accomodating, but in reality it came off as an annoyance to him. He seemed like a glorified taxi driver. Meaning-- at each place visited, he simply dropped us off, pointed to where we should go and take a picture, and disappear for 20-30 mins or so. This is not a guided tour! To top it off, one of the major attractions (National Mosque), was closed at the exact time our "guide" brought us. Shouldn't he know the hours of the places we were scheduled to visit? So my sister and I awkwardly walked around the perimeter of the place, took a few pics, then when we got back to the car and our waiting driver, we told him the place was closed for another 2 hours or so, thinking maybe he would offer to return later in the day. No apology, no offer. At the end of our day, the driver informed us that he would be taking us out again the next day for our next scheduled tour that we prepaid for with Sayang. He told us that he would come pick us up at 8:30AM sharp. As soon as we got back to the hotel, we attempted to contact Sayang to change our guide for the next day and to clarify the Batu Caves mishap. Since there is a 13 hour difference we had to wait until morning to see if we would get a return email/phone call, and no response in the AM. So 8:30 the next morning rolls around, we are sitting in the lobby ready to go. An hour goes by, so we ask the concierge to call the tour provider. She tells us that she was YELLED AT by the tour operator for calling to check on driver' status for us. They deny even knowing the driver's name, cell number, or schedule. Driver shows up around 10:45AM. No apology, just a statement that he had to bring someone else to the airport first thing in the morning. It ended up being another completely independent "tour" with no guided information from him or anyone else. We actually ended up asking him to bring us back to the hotel several hours early, because we were not stimulated or engaged in any way, and we figured we would have a better time just navigating the city ourselves. The day rolls around that we are to fly to Bali, Indonesia. Again, the flight and transportation to the hotel go smoothly. BUT AGAIN, the local tour operator considers a "tour" simply a bus with a driver dressed in traditional Indonesian clothing. We literally learned NOTHING about local culture from them, NOTHING about the beautiful country we were visiting. Dont bother asking questions either. Their English is limited to the few lines they memorize ahead of time when they herd everyone onto the bus. OK now that I have ranted so much, I want to give credit where credit is due. I did mention that Singapore Airlines is fabulous, right? It is. The included hotel in Bali was beautiful (Aston Bali). I also truly believe in my heart that the guides in Bali had good intentions-- they just really dont understand the concept of us Westerners wanting to learn about local culture. They think we want to take a pretty picture and move on. At least, this was the consistent feeling we got. If you want to visit these places, use another provider. The local partners were disappointing and didnt allow for any cultural enrichment. read more

I have to encourage extreme caution if relying on Sayang Holidays. My first trip with them was good. My last trip fell through and they would not stand behind their work or admit their part in the mistake. Be willing to double check everything and walk away from money you have spent. I love the Pandaw boats they booked, but I would find another company to use to book the reservations on those cruises. read more

We have yet to take our trip, but in planning a trip to Malaysia I've been working with Yoke at Sayang Holidays. She has been above and beyond AMAZING. I think we've been through over ten iterations of the itinerary to get it to the point I where I want it. She's handled it with patience, humor and professionalism. She's knowledgeable and she has also been able to reach some of the remote lodges I didn't get any responses from when I tried myself (I was trying to book our trip on my own before I discovered Yoke). She understands my needs as a parent for the trip which is important since we are traveling with young children to remote places. I cannot recommend her and Sayang Holidays enough from a booking perspective. We travel in April and I'll update this post if my recommendation changes. read more

This is my 3rd trip with Sayang Holidays and I cant say enough abut everyone there. They are amazing Yoke and Pannir are the most wonderful people .The prices are amazing and they really care about you. Pannir is the most unbelievable person he cares so much about his clients and he did something for me I will never forget .We left from San Francisco in June to Hong Kong and Malayasia so we got to meet them and go to his office it was wonderful.If u want a trip that is reasonable and have wonderful memories use Sayang Holidays.We are going to Vietnam in February and can't wait it should be a wonderful trip Pannir planned.We will continue to travel with them fr many years.Thank u Pannir and Yoke love u guys. read more

I highly recommend Jigmey Dorji at Sayang Holidays. I called him and he was able to arrange a trip to Bali at a reasonable price. He was patient and was able to explain various options for me. I noticed that he was able to identify good value hotels at my destination. Also, the tours that he recommends seem amazing. In the end, I had to reschedule my trip but I am very happy with Jigmey Dorji. read more

I have traveled to China with Sayang Holiday several years ago and it was a great trip. I am going to India in January and have made my own travel arrangements this time. I have been trying to get an Indian visa for 4 days. The website is a nightmare. It won't progress to the subsequent pages, deletes your information etc. I called Sayang Holidays to see if they could help me in any way and spoke to a lovely man, Jimmy (or Jigmey). He went through and was able to help me progress through the application and I was finally able to finish up the application and am no long tearing out my hair!! I highly recommend Sayang Holidays for their kind and professional service! read more

We just returned from our second excellent trip organized by Sayang. The first was to Cambodia in 2008 (private car and driver and guide) and now two weeks in southern India. Panir did a great job of getting our air reservations (Singapore Air), and setting up the tour with private car and driver and good english speaking guides along the way. The hotels were good and the price was great, at least as good as going with group. The service you get from Sayang cannot be beat. We cannot imagine taking a trip to that part of the world without checking with Sayang. We will do so on our next trip. read more

Pannir and his team are experts in South/South-East Asia travel. We used them once before and were very satisfied with their service. They went out of their way to remedy some challenging situations that we faced during one of our travels. It's reassuring to know that they truly care for their customers. We are ready to use Sayang again for our imminent holiday travel. read more