u/Character_Band6915

Hi all, looking for some honest input from families who've been to Semporna.

We're visiting in August with two young children. Neither the kids nor the adults in our group are strong swimmers, so open-water diving isn't something we'd do. We're interested in Semporna mainly for the scenery and some shallow snorkelling, but I keep second-guessing whether it's the right fit. The floating island accommodation looks beautiful in photos, but the prices are steep and I'm not convinced the experience suits a family in our situation. There seem to be some decent hotel options on the mainland side of Semporna too. Has anyone done it that way rather than staying on the water?

More broadly: is Semporna worth two or three nights for a family like ours, or does it mainly reward scuba divers?

For context, the rest of our Borneo leg covers Sandakan and the Kinabatangan River. After that, we'd like a few relaxed days on a beach before crossing to peninsular Malaysia. Danum Valley was our original plan for a nature fix, but the main lodge has no availability and the rates are hard to justify. So we have some flexibility on where those final beach days land.

Would you stick with Semporna, or point a family in this situation somewhere else?

Hi I'm looking to book train travel between Jakarta and Yogyakarta with my family when we come to Java in the summer. I've seen that there is a train with luxury cabins but these are private, single/individual cabins. We're going to be a family of four, two young kids. I'm assuming there aren't private cabins for a family of four. No issues being with other people but my girls can be loud so we would like to have a bit more of a private space. Is this possible on this train route/ journey? We prefer train journeys so don't want to fly.

I'm planning a trip to Java, Borneo, and then Malaysia. For the Borneo leg, I'm going to skip Kota Kinabalu and go straight to Sandakan so I spend most of the time in the forest. I feel that going to Kota Kinabalu I'll just be seeing another city where I can do that and my other part of the trips. People who have travelled Borneo, is this wise for me? Going to Borneo for me is about experiencing the forests, biodiversity and seeing the animals.