Salam and hello everyone! Alamak..dah berhabuk blog ni. Work and 'life' have been getting in the way, finally I've got the time to really sit and blog. This is a post that memang dah lamaaa sangat nak upload, sebab excited punya pasal; My first island trip with a friend, Liyana, who is my long lost friend from primary school, terjumpa balik, and is now my travel buddy for island getaways, because she is a beach bum like me too! This may not be a long post sebab tu lah padahnya delay delay blog sampai terlupa sampai details. InsyaAllah, mana details yang penting I will selitkan, alright :)
2015 was a year of emotions for me; there were so much tears as I was going through a rough breakup. It was a year of heartbreak, so I decided to get out of the city, and escaped to a beautiful island that has been on my bucketlist for a really long time. Akhirnya, jejak jugak to Pulau Perhentian Kecil!
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Why Perhentian? Look at the picture above. Perfect beach, perfect island. Although it's very touristy and not so quiet at night because of the beach parties that happen every night, but it is a great place to chill, relax, and still enjoy a good nightlife.
Perhentian Islands consist of 2 islands; Perhentian Besar (big) and Perhentian Kecil (small), located in Terengganu, but you need to catch transport to Kota Bharu, Kelantan to head to Kuala Besut Jetty. Kota Bharu Airport is nearer to Kuala Besut Jetty compared to Kuala Terengganu Airport.
I chose Perhentian Kecil because the crowd is less, many young travellers from all over the world, and of course, the happening nightlife. Perhentian Besar is suitable for families and big groups. I've never been to Perhentian Besar, but the locals say Perhentian Kecil is cheaper and has better beach :)
Day 1
It was an early flight for us. Made our way to Subang Skypark to board on Malindo Air. Bummer when our flight was delayed for almost 2 hours but managed to reach the airport by 12 noon. The pakcik taxi that was waiting for us in KB, was kind enough to understand our situation and actually waited for us, called me a few times to make sure everything was okay. A very friendly, nice old man! If you would like to have his contact, please contact me, I will share it with you! :)
If you didn't book your transport to the jetty beforehand, don't worry. There is a taxi counter in Kota Bharu Airport, and plenty of taxis waiting outside.
It was a super bumpy ride, because we were on speedboat yang terlebih speed! I wanted to take out my camera pun pikir 10 kali takut terpelanting masuk laut..kes naya lah jawabnya.
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Before reaching our destination, the boat needed to make some pitstops to drop off passengers at Perhentian Besar and Fisherman's Village. It's a normal routine, so please make sure that you ask and know where you want to be dropped off before going off the boat. As we approached Perhentian Kecil, big speedboats are not allowed to reach the shore. So we got on a small taxi boat, which means kene lompat from your speedboat to the small boat okay. Jangan mengelamun nanti terjatuh dalam laut and, jangan lupa beg beg anda ye! The small taxi boat took us to the shore for a fee of RM2 per person.
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We stayed at Mohsin Chalet, located at the end of the beach on your left. Mohsin Chalet is located on a hill, so their cabins have a breathtaking view of the sea. I've read on Tripadvisor that the steps going up to the reception and your rooms are a killer, but worth it. I prepared my mind for that, so behold! We climbed the "stairway to heaven" to check in, (memang mengahhhh habisss lahh). Greeted by a friendly guy name Faizul, who runs/owns the chalet, paid the remaining balance from the deposit, and straight to the buffet for lunch.
I took a fullboard package for 4 days 3 nights from Mohsin Chalet. The package is inclusive of:
*RM 575 per person
I didn't take any pictures of our room because I forgot. It's pretty basic with a good space to put our bags, drawers to keep our valuables, simple bathroom with high pressure shower, no hot shower but Im good. I don't like hot showers anyway! Please take note of the cut-off power time for Mohsin Chalet. Yes, the electricity is not on for 24 hours ya. But who cares, you will be out most of the time anyway kan!
When we got to our room, the electricity was already on. We rested for a few hours before heading out to the beach around 5pm. The sea was calling meeee. I couldn't stop staring at the view from my balcony.
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It was not a peak season for Perhentian Kecil, because it was approaching monsoon and European travellers were not on their holidays at that time. The beach wasn't crowded, hooray! The wind was blowing hard, thank God no rain thoughout our trip.
Gosh I love white sandy beaches! No sights of rocks or washed up dead corals. The beach was super clean!
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2015 was a year of emotions for me; there were so much tears as I was going through a rough breakup. It was a year of heartbreak, so I decided to get out of the city, and escaped to a beautiful island that has been on my bucketlist for a really long time. Akhirnya, jejak jugak to Pulau Perhentian Kecil!
Why Perhentian? Look at the picture above. Perfect beach, perfect island. Although it's very touristy and not so quiet at night because of the beach parties that happen every night, but it is a great place to chill, relax, and still enjoy a good nightlife.
Perhentian Islands consist of 2 islands; Perhentian Besar (big) and Perhentian Kecil (small), located in Terengganu, but you need to catch transport to Kota Bharu, Kelantan to head to Kuala Besut Jetty. Kota Bharu Airport is nearer to Kuala Besut Jetty compared to Kuala Terengganu Airport.
I chose Perhentian Kecil because the crowd is less, many young travellers from all over the world, and of course, the happening nightlife. Perhentian Besar is suitable for families and big groups. I've never been to Perhentian Besar, but the locals say Perhentian Kecil is cheaper and has better beach :)
Day 1
It was an early flight for us. Made our way to Subang Skypark to board on Malindo Air. Bummer when our flight was delayed for almost 2 hours but managed to reach the airport by 12 noon. The pakcik taxi that was waiting for us in KB, was kind enough to understand our situation and actually waited for us, called me a few times to make sure everything was okay. A very friendly, nice old man! If you would like to have his contact, please contact me, I will share it with you! :)
- Subang Skypark to Kota Bharu Airport : 45 minutes
- Kota Bharu Airport to Kuala Besut Jetty : 1 hour
- Kuala Besut Jetty to Perhentian Kecil : 30 - 45 minutes
If you didn't book your transport to the jetty beforehand, don't worry. There is a taxi counter in Kota Bharu Airport, and plenty of taxis waiting outside.
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| With my travel buddy, Liyana |
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| Kuala Besut Jetty, Terengganu |
It was a super bumpy ride, because we were on speedboat yang terlebih speed! I wanted to take out my camera pun pikir 10 kali takut terpelanting masuk laut..kes naya lah jawabnya.
Before reaching our destination, the boat needed to make some pitstops to drop off passengers at Perhentian Besar and Fisherman's Village. It's a normal routine, so please make sure that you ask and know where you want to be dropped off before going off the boat. As we approached Perhentian Kecil, big speedboats are not allowed to reach the shore. So we got on a small taxi boat, which means kene lompat from your speedboat to the small boat okay. Jangan mengelamun nanti terjatuh dalam laut and, jangan lupa beg beg anda ye! The small taxi boat took us to the shore for a fee of RM2 per person.
Yes, Im here!! Excited tahap maksima time niii.
We stayed at Mohsin Chalet, located at the end of the beach on your left. Mohsin Chalet is located on a hill, so their cabins have a breathtaking view of the sea. I've read on Tripadvisor that the steps going up to the reception and your rooms are a killer, but worth it. I prepared my mind for that, so behold! We climbed the "stairway to heaven" to check in, (memang mengahhhh habisss lahh). Greeted by a friendly guy name Faizul, who runs/owns the chalet, paid the remaining balance from the deposit, and straight to the buffet for lunch.
I took a fullboard package for 4 days 3 nights from Mohsin Chalet. The package is inclusive of:
*RM 575 per person
- Return boat transfer to jetty
- Meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner)
- Snorkelling trip (Long trip - 4 to 6 spots)
- A/C room
What I read on Tripadvisor about the view, is true! Semua penat lelah panjat tangga under hot sun was so fricking worth it when I saw this as I ate my lunch.
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| This was my view for the next 3 days! |
I was told that they have the BEST view of the sea compared to other chalets. I totally agree!
Mohsin Chalet is no 4 star or 5 star luxury accomodation, it is a basic backpackers/budget chalet, you get what you paid for kinda thing, BUTTTT the view from my room was definitely 10 STARS!
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| View from my room. On the right side is the reception and restaurant area. |
When we got to our room, the electricity was already on. We rested for a few hours before heading out to the beach around 5pm. The sea was calling meeee. I couldn't stop staring at the view from my balcony.
It was not a peak season for Perhentian Kecil, because it was approaching monsoon and European travellers were not on their holidays at that time. The beach wasn't crowded, hooray! The wind was blowing hard, thank God no rain thoughout our trip.
Gosh I love white sandy beaches! No sights of rocks or washed up dead corals. The beach was super clean!
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| Super soft sand |
My camera doesn't do justice to the beauty of the beach!
It's true what they say; you meet people when you travel. We bumped into this lovely Korean lady who was there on a solo trip around Southeast Asia. We started talking when all of us were dipping in the water. Had a great time sitting and laughing on the beach with her, and we agreed to meet again for dinner.
After a long day, it took us some time to get ready for dinner. When we got to the restaurant, buffet was finished! Bummer. But we could order a la carte meals if we wanted. We decided to go to the beach area and had dinner at one of the warong (stalls) there. There were plenty of warongs to choose from.
Dinner under the stars, with the sound of waves crashing to the shore. Who would not want this!
I ordered a plate of Nasi Goreng, and Watermelon Juice which cost me almost RM20.
Please be aware that food and beverages on the island are a little bit expensive. So if you don't want to spend on every meal, I suggest you pack some food from home.
After dinner, we didn't want to go to bed yet. Still too early to sleep. There were fireshows happening in almost every bar on the island. Coincidentally, while enjoying the shows, we bumped into our friends from KL! What a small world.
The music was blasting, the crowd was entertaining, the atmosphere was amazing, good vibes all around. It was a great first day for us but time to get some sleep because tomorowwwww we are going to go snorkeling the whole day!
Expenses on Day 1:
- Flight from Subang - Kota Bharu (Malindo Air) : RM 169
- Taxi from Kota Bharu Airport to Kuala Besut Jetty : RM 70
- Dinner : RM20
- Marine Park Fee (paid at jetty) : RM5
- Boat taxi fee : RM2
- Mohsin Package 4D3N : RM 575
See you at next post!
XOXO
Lina