Pulau Perhentian (Perhentian islands) consist of 2 main islands Perhentian Kecil and Perhentian Besar. The island that I went to was Perhentian Kecil so this is mainly what this post will be about. I have heard from some people that Perhentian Besar is more for relaxing and it’s more suitable for couples or families. I will definitely go to Besar on day, but I had a really great time at Kecil and I don’t know if it will get any better.
I remember my first thoughts when I first step foot on the island – you really don’t have to go that far away to get a taste of paradise.
Basically, Pulau Perhentian Kecil has 2 main beaches – Long Beach and Coral Bay. It’s really cool because Long Beach is the bigger beach where you find all the bars and party places while Coral Bay is much more quiet and chill. There are other more secluded beaches such as Romantic Beach, Golden Sands Beach and also Rainforest Beach. You can find the map of Pulau Perhentian here.
Long Beach, which is the part filled with backpackers has lots of cheap accommodation. I seriously recommend the place I stayed at – Lemongrass. For the price and the view which overlooks the beach, it is definitely worth it. The rooms are 80RM for those with ensuite toilets and 50RM without. Dorm rooms at Long Beach cost around 20-30RM per night so that’s a pretty good option too!
View from the hammock at the balcony
Coral Bay (Teluk Aur) is the more quiet part of the 2 main beaches. At night, there’s a bar (which I cannot remember the name of) that does movie screenings. In my opinion, Long Beach is much more happening and I spent most of my time there and at the more secluded beaches. The 2 other beaches that I like a lot are Rainforest Beach and Romantic Beach. When facing the sea at Coral Bay, Rainforest Beach is 15 mins on the left side and Romantic Beach is 10 mins on the right. I know the name Romantic beach sounds super cheesy and almost seem like it is only for couples, but it’s not! Trust me, it’s super beautiful and many people told me scuba diving/snorkelling at this beach is great.
Romantic Beach
Rainforest Beach
And the night life in Pulau Perhentian Kecil was really great. The main bar, called the Beach Bar tables and mats for people to sit at and watch the Burlesque Fire show. I don’t really know if it is really “Burlesque” but it is really super amazing. Just thinking about the music, the night sky, the people and the fire makes me want to fly to Perhentian now. The show starts at around 8plus to 11pm and after that people start going to the dance floor. The dance floor ends at around 3am so party short, but party hard.
very bad photos, but you get the jizz
I really loved the atmosphere of the beach bar at night. You can see groups of friends or couples sitting down on the sand, smoking, drinking and just chilling. I really like the people on the island. Almost everyone is so cool and you really get to meet cool and genuine people. I had a fucking awesome time dancing and laughing the whole night.
Beers cost around 10-12RM (yeah, not that cheap) and hard liquor cost between 30-35RM for a 35cl bottle. They have this liquour called Stanley Morgan and Orang-utan. It doesn’t taste bad/good but it gets you drunk HAHAHA. If you want to shisha, it costs 25RM. AND DANCING IS FREEEEEE.
So, about the food. You can get Roti Canai for around 5RM to 15RM, depending on what you want inside your roti canai. A veggie omelette with toast cost 10RM. Fried rice/noodles cost around 10RM. For dinners, BBQ is a good option. There is a place along Long Beach called Chillout Cafe that serves really decent BBQ fish/squid/chicken with sides for 25RM. TOTALLY WORTH IT. Plus, the owner and the people who work at the place were super nice.
To get to Pulau Perhentian Kecil from Singapore
There are a few options to get to Perhentian from Singapore. Most people take the direct bus which stops at Kota Bharu / Kuala Terengganu. If you take the bus to Kota Bharu, the driver can drop you off at Kuala Besut (which is the jetty where you take the ferry from) or they might drop you off at Jerteh. From Jerteh, it is a 10RM/20mins taxi ride to Jalan Besut. At Kuala Besut, there a couple of ticketing counters where you can buy your ferry tickets from. They cost around 70RM for a round trip. The ferry takes off at specific timings so it is important to take note of when your ferry will take off. The incredible ride to the island takes around 30mins.
Time from:
Kota Bahru to Kuala Besut jetty / Jerteh– 1 to 1.5 hours
Jerteh to Kuala Besut jetty – 20 mins
Kuala Besut jetty to Pulau Perhentian – 30 mins
Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Besut jetty – 1.5 hours
I personally wouldn’t suggest taking a bus that stops at Kuala Terengganu. Because from Terengganu you will have to spend time taking a cab/bus to the jetty. If the bus goes to Kota Bahru, it will be more convenient because drivers will usually stop at Jerteh so that passengers going to the island can go to the jetty conveniently.
On the last day, I felt a sense that I couldn’t bear to leave the incredible island, but I know that this short vacation is just going to make me appreciate the island so much more. Chilling at the beach with the sound of the rushing waves, the warm sun against my skin, the gentle breeze, and looking at the leaves of the trees swaying in motion to the wind is definitely much more than I could ask for.
Everything about Perhentian Kecil was so amazing and I am definitely going back there again. I am addicted to freedom.
XX
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