Legoland

One highlight is Mulu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sarawak, where several caves, all easily accessible via plank walks, cannot fail to impress visitors.

You must hire a professional guide when exploring the Deer Cave, which boasts the world'€™s largest cave passage and the Sarawak Chamber '€” a massive cavern big enough to hold eight jumbo jets.

Venture further inside and you'€™ll come across swiftlets, earwigs, centipedes, spiders, crickets, scorpions, white crabs and thousands of bats whose guano droppings produce such a strong odor, it overwhelms your senses.

A limestone formation resembling Abraham Lincoln'€™s silhouette at the cave'€™s entrance will get you reaching for your camera, before exploring the deep recesses and reaching '€œThe Garden of Eden'€ '€” a lush forest patch, once part of the cave system until the roof collapsed.

The nearby Clearwater Cave, meanwhile, has a gushing river along a 170-kilometer (km) subterranean route, emerging from the cliff face at the outside of the cave. The crystal-clear waters here are ideal for a refreshing dip.

After exploring the caves, the bat observatory deck located outside of Deer Cave is a fantastic place to stop and enjoy the thousands of bats flying out of the caves in the early evening.

Inside Deer Cave.
For a more precarious activity, take the rough trails that lead to Mulu'€™s Pinnacles '€” a cluster of large, protruding, razor-sharp rock formations situated on Mount Api'€™s limestone hills. The rock formations were created by heavy rain that eroded the rocks over millions of years.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Desa Water Park'€™s 11 water rides and slides will delight children and those young-at-heart adults.

The park'€™s main attraction the Thunderbolt is Asia'€™s longest gravity-defying water coaster ride-and-slide and it is not for the faint of heart. For a milder experience, head to the Surf Shark and Shock Wave Pool, which mainly attract 12-year-olds and below.

For a truly fantastic experience, the Selangor River in Kuala Kubu Bharu, located an hour'€™s drive from Kuala Lumpur, is '€œIt'€. Here, you can partake in extreme water-based activities such as kayaking, canoeing and white water rafting at a fee of RM50 (US$16.22) - RM100 per person. Tubing on the river'€™s calmer parts is popular with families too as is a refreshing dip at the nearby picturesque Chilling Waterfalls.

Over 40 different rides, shows and other attractions at Johor'€™s Legoland will get young children and adults alike in a frenzy of exploration.

View of the beach at Talang-Talang Besar.
Push, pedal and program or steer, squirt and splash, your way through a truly interactive experience at the seven different areas, including The Beginning, Lego Technic, Lego Kingdoms and Imagination.

You'€™ll have a blast riding the roller coasters and traversing the Miniland are '€” a space where Asian landmarks have been recreated using more than 30 million Lego bricks and where toy replicas of people, trains and airplanes come to life at the touch of a button.

Alternatively, the whole family can indulge in a major shopping spree at the Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) in Kulaijaya, Johor.

Attractive discounts for off-season items by luxury, high-street and sportswear brands are galore at the 330,000-square-feet JPO, Southeast Asia'€™s first premium outlet centre with more than 80 standalone stores.

Think A|X Armani Exchange, Burberry, Canali, Salvatore Ferragamo, Coach, DKNY, Giorgio Armani, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, Gap Outlet, Lacoste, Tumi, Michael Kors, Levi'€™s, Nike, Puma and Oroton. These brands offer 25 to 65 percent discounts throughout the year '€” and there'€™s something for everyone here.

Pinnacles at the Mulu National Park.
We were fortunate to have a preview of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), which will be opened to the public later this year at Sabah'€™s Sepilok Rehabilitation Center.

Promoting sun bear conservation, animal welfare, rehabilitation, education and research, the BSBCC will definitely be a hit among families, who can get up-close to the highly endangered sun bears.

Sarawak'€™s Talang-Satang National Park, a half-hour boat ride from Sematan (110km west of Kuching), will appeal to those who want to partake in turtle conservation activities without sacrificing quality downtime.

With only six persons allowed each week to visit the national park, including islands such as Talang-Talang Besar and neighboring Talang-Talang Kecil, where the thick forests and white beaches with clear, emerald-blue waters are normally off limits to the public.

The Turtle Conservation Station is on a stunning beach on Talang-Talang Besar Island and offers comfortable accommodation for visitors, complete with a kitchen, dining area and two well-maintained portable toilets located near the station.

Designer stores at JPO.
A special permit from the Sarawak Forestry Department is required for visitors to the islands, where turtle landings are a common sight in the evenings. Look out for the Green, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtles; unfortunately, the Leatherback has not been seen here since 2000. The turtles'€™ nesting peak season is from May to September.

To raise awareness of turtles, the SFD introduced conservation efforts such as the sea turtle adoption program. You'€™re required to stay for 4D/3N to enjoy hands-on tasks including turtle egg production, hatchling management, nesting, tagging and data recording '€” all led by the national park'€™s warden and his team.

You must also attend a briefing to gain insights into issues such as fishing trawlers that affect the turtles'€™ wellbeing; and marine conservation efforts, such as some 2,500 reef balls which have been seeded around the national park.  

Families are guaranteed an exciting holiday in Malaysia.
 
'€” Photos by Tan Hee Hui