A string of quiet gems

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This was published 12 years ago

A string of quiet gems

Island delights ... Perhentian Besarl.

Island delights ... Perhentian Besarl.Credit: Getty Images

The islands on Malaysia's east and west coasts are still low-key jewels, writes Michelle Jana Chan.

I first went to the Perhentians in 1997 after meeting an American woman in Hong Kong who was on a round-the-world trip and, having criss-crossed south-east Asia, spoke passionately about these two small specks cast out from Malaysia in the South China Sea.

Getting there was not simple. After landing in Kuala Lumpur, I flew to Kota Bharu on the north-east of the peninsula, where I thumbed a ride a couple of hours south. At a small port called Kuala Besut, enterprising fishermen offered to ferry me across to the tiny archipelago beyond the horizon. We put-putted across the sea, arriving half a day later.

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I can still remember the vivid, teal-coloured water and the sand underfoot as soft as sieved icing sugar. There were beach shacks for $1 a night. For another $1 you could eat three meals a day: fried rice, spicy curries, mangoes and fresh lime juice. I wanted to stay forever - and could nearly have afforded it.

When the day came to tear myself away, I had to flag down a passing boat for a ride back to the mainland. It had been everything the American woman had described.

So it was with trepidation that I returned more than a dozen years later. Of course, there had been changes. At the Kuala Besut port were souvenir stalls selling inflatable toys, T-shirts, buckets and spades. A host of hotel touts lined the dock. There was now a regular ferry schedule; faster boats had cut journey times to an hour.

As we neared the islands - so perfectly formed in my memory - I saw from a distance the jetties, the flotilla of dive boats and the bold lettering of hotel names. My sentimental heart sank. On closer inspection, however, I realised commercial development had been as restrained as I could have hoped. There's still a low-key, laid-back feel on both sides of this part of the Malaysian peninsula.

West coast

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Facing the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, this is the more tourist-oriented side of the peninsula, with good transport links and five-star resorts. Unlike the east coast, this side is unaffected by the monsoon season and hotels are open year-round.

Pulau Pangkor Laut: best for families

A few hours' drive up the coast from the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and 4.8 kilometres offshore are the twin islands of Pangkor and Pangkor Laut. The former, and larger, island is where the treaty with the British was signed in 1874, marking the beginning of colonialism. Today it is home to fishing villages, traditional Malay houses and a host of hotels.

Lovelier yet, the smaller, more secluded sister island of Pangkor Laut is the site of one of the country's first beach developments.

Pangkor Laut Resort is the only hotel on this privately owned island. It has bungalows built over water, a sensational spa and a half-dozen restaurants, including Uncle Lim's Kitchen, serving traditional Chinese and Malay dishes. Plus, there are jungle walks to see pit vipers, monitor lizards, hornbills and macaques, as well as an array of plant life. It is very child-friendly, with forest trails, water sports and tennis courts.

Pangkor Laut Resort garden villas cost from 760 ringgit ($235) a night; see pangkorlautresort.com.

Penang island: best for food and culture

Penang is no longer a remote beach idyll. The main city, George Town, feels like a brash young Hong Kong with its mix of colonial architecture, waterfront skyscrapers and old streets.

The downtown area, now a World Heritage site, reflects the region's mercantile history with the striking Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, a former residence of a Chinese shipping magnate, and the 19th-century clan house Khoo Kongsi, as well as Buddhist temples, mosques and churches. This cultural heritage is the island's greatest draw, combined with Malaysia's best hawker food.

On the northern tip of the island, Ferringhi Beach has lost its lustre but there is a delightful boutique hotel called Lone Pine, which has rolling lawns, swinging hammocks and a slick pool. It is less than an hour's drive from George Town, where the new Hotel Penaga is made up of restored Chinese shophouses close to downtown.

Lone Pine Hotel's rooms costs from 680 ringgit a night; see lonepinehotel.com. Hotel Penaga's rooms cost from 522 ringgit a night; see hotelpenaga.com.

Langkawi: best for diverse hotels

Long the destination for well-heeled tourists to Malaysia, the island has top-notch hotels, including the Four Seasons Resort, the Andaman and the newly opened Danna. Sitting on the marine border with Thailand, this is the largest island on Malaysia's west coast, with limestone cliffs, fiords and sea stacks, as well as mangroves that are home to kingfishers, eagles and dolphins.

Many visitors rent a car for the day and drive a circuit taking in the island's beaches, hot springs, rubber plantations, boat-building yards and co-operative craft centres.

The classic resort is the Datai, nestled within the rainforest, fronting a beautiful beach and backing on to a golf course. I had one of the best meals of my trip, Malay-Indian curries and fresh fish dishes, at the hotel's Gulai House.

But the Datai's trump card is Irshad Mobarak, its resident naturalist and a Malaysian Attenborough, who offers unmissable nature walks at dawn and dusk.

A more quirky resort is Bon Ton, made up of restored traditional wooden homes among wetlands just 10 minutes' walk from the beach. Bon Ton has an unusual tranquillity, an excellent Asian-fusion restaurant and a shop stocked with stylish souvenirs - with proceeds going to the on-site animal shelter.

The Datai's rooms cost from 1845 ringgit a night; see thedatai.com.my. Bon Ton Resort's rooms cost from 540 ringgit a night; see bontonresort.com.

East coast

Facing the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea are the peninsula's best beaches.

The east coast is the more traditional face of Malaysia, with its fishing communities, night markets, Muslim customs and modest dress (alcohol is not served, except in hotels).

During monsoon season, this coastline experiences heavy rain and rolling seas, so many resorts close from November to February.

Perhentians: best for escaping; learning to dive

My old favourite is still not the easiest place to reach but it's worth the journey. Although there are now more than a dozen hotels across the two islands, they are all small-scale and understated.

Perhentian Besar is considered the more grown-up island; Perhentian Kecil is popular with budget travellers. It's a good-value place in which to obtain scuba-diving certification.

No one comes for five-star facilities and polished service; the most comfortable options are the Perhentian Island Resort's bungalows with terraces and en suites (book one on the beach).

Perhentian Island Resort rooms cost from 310 ringgit a night; see perhentianislandresort.net.

Pulau Redang: best for flawless beaches

A short distance south-east of the Perhentians, this island - the largest on this stretch of coastline - enjoys the same clear warm water and soft sand as its northern neighbours.

But access is more straightforward, with a small airport operating regular flights from Kuala Lumpur (about 60 minutes) and Singapore (75 minutes). On landing, you're on the beach within minutes of disembarking.

The Taaras Beach Spa Resort (formerly known as Berjaya Redang Resort) sits on one of the best beaches on the peninsula. The pontoon anchored in the crescent bay is a perfect place to pause between snorkelling stints. This is a child-friendly hotel with interconnecting family rooms.

The Taaras has rooms costing from 880 ringgit a night; see thetaaras.com.

Pulau Tenggol: best for divers

The furthest island from the mainland in the Terengganu Marine Park, this petite outcrop has deep-water diving to spot black-tipped reef sharks, barracudas and nudibranch. Snorkellers will find turtles by the shore, as well as schools of bat fish and giant trevallies and jacks. Whale sharks pass by between March and April and September and October.

Accommodation is limited but the Tanjong Jara Resort on the mainland has an excellent dive school and offers full-day snorkelling and diving trips to Pulau Tenggol. The hotel has two very good restaurants and offers cooking lessons and visits to night markets.

Tanjong Jara Resort's rooms cost from 450 ringgit a night, minimum three-night stay; see tanjongjararesort.com.

Pulau Tioman: best for access and romance

Pulau Tioman served as Bali Hai in the 1950s film South Pacific and even today it could pass as a pretty Polynesian isle. Although tourism has grown since then, particularly among Singaporean weekenders, Tioman - part of Malaysia's protected marine park islands - has managed to maintain a sense of serenity.

It has pretty coral reefs both off the north coast and at Turtle Island near the airport.

The island is reached by regular direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, as well as frequent ferries from Mersing on the mainland (90 minutes).

The delightful Japamala, built on a forested shoreline in a rocky bay, may be the country's most romantic hotel. Guests arrive by speedboat at a private pier and villas built into the landscape feel like a cross between tree-houses and caves. Beyond the rough shoreline is good snorkelling in the bay.

Michelle Jana Chan travelled courtesy of Audley.

FAST FACTS

Getting there

Malaysia Airlines has a fare to Kota Bharu and Kuala Terengganu from Sydney and Melbourne for about $1250 low-season return including tax. Fly to Kuala Lumpur (about 9hr), then to Kota Bharu or Kuala Terengganu (1hr). From either airport, take a bus or taxi to Kuala Besut jetty (60-90min); see malaysiaairlines.com. AirAsia also flies from Australia to Malaysia.

Touring there

Michelle Jana Chan travelled as a guest of Audley; phone +44 (0)1993 838 130; audleytravel.com.

Sedunia Travel has three-day Perhentian Island discovery packages, with accommodation at the Perhentian Island Resort, all meals and boat transfers from Kuala Besut jetty, priced from 430 ringgit ($134) a person a night, twin share, low season. See pulaupulau.com.

More information

See perhentianisland.com.

- Telegraph, London

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