By Ian Hall Since 2006 we have been working on the renovation of Borneo Rainforest Lodge. 24 of the 31 rooms are complete and we have finally started the Big One - renovation of the Main Lodge building itself. This is a big deal because it means shutting down the hotel for over two months and doing a major shopfitting type job under difficult conditions. Shop fitting type; because work will progress around the clock to minimise the closure time. Difficult conditions; in normal weather it takes a 4WD lorry 4 hours...

The Daily Express 22 Nov 2009 Borneo Rainforest Lodge picks up three awards at Sabah Tourism Awards. Read original story here Kota Kinabalu: The State Government aims to double tourism receipts under the 10th Malaysia Plan (1011-2015) to RM8 billion and increase arrivals to 3.55 million (2.2 million domestic and 1.35 million international visitors). State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said his Ministry in the meantime had set a target of RM4 billion in tourism receipts and 2.3 million...

The second phase of refurbishment at Borneo Rainforest Lodge was completed earlier this year. The completed work adds 4 deluxe and 1 standard rooms to the upgraded inventory. Following the popularity of the outside tubs in Phase I, all remaining deluxe rooms will have their own private outside tub with view of the river and/or primary rainforest. The bath is filled with water gravity fed from a local rainforest stream and returned via a soakaway to the river. Only biodegradable soap please! Hot water option is available...

Work has just started on site for the second phase chalet refurbishment. I'll bring you an update on this in due course. Meanwhile here are some professional photos of the first phase chalets which were completed last year. Visitor feedback so far is excellent, especially on the private outdoor bathtubs. There is also anecdotal evidence that the room design has been able to achieve a comfortable reduction in ambient temperature without resorting to air-conditioning, although I regret that I did not have the foresight to test...

This is Borneo Rainforest Lodge, otherwise known as BRL to the cognoscenti. It’s marketed as ‘An exclusive facility for natural history tourism’. It is exclusive because it is relatively small, relatively expensive and difficult to get to. Size is a key issue when talking about eco-tourism. The Danum Valley Conservation Area is virgin lowland rainforest, far too fragile to put up with hordes of tourists trampling through the undergrowth. Besides, the uncomfortable two and a half hour 4WD journey should be enough to dissuade...