After spending 2 nights in KL, we flew out to Kota Bharu in order to get to Petani Beach House on Pulau Perhentian, our island destination. At the airport we bought an official airport taxi transfer ticket to Kuala Besut's jetty. We had been told by Debbie (the lady who manages/owns Petani Beach House with her husband Hash) to not go for the cheaper combined taxi-boat tickets if we wanted a better "boat experience". She also advised to look for Kuala Besut Travel at the jetty. It was a little hidden away, but was worth looking for since we managed to get a boat ride before most of the other people who were waiting for their boats. The lady who manages Kuala Besut Travel was very efficient and quickly got us on our way. The jetty is quite chaotic and confusing, so having someone that takes control is very handy. By the way, since Pulau Perhentian has been made a "Marine Park" you now have to pay an admission fee of 5 MYR to get on the island.
We must have looked a bit "out of place" with our over-sized luggage (blame the city destinations), excessive hand luggage and Siân's white leather handbag. The boat ride itself was fast, very fast and a little bumpy.


Now, in order to get the perfect beach on an island such as Perhentian you have to be willing to make a trade-off between luxury and nature. It would be really difficult to build concrete aircon bungalows without affecting the surrounding nature and destroying some coral while at it.













Tips when staying at Petani Beach House:
- Go for the "specials" at dinner time. Every evening Bianca or David came by the bungalow to say what the special was that evening (always fresh from the day and served at about 8pm) and we systematically just went for it. We had some amazing food, and I particularly remember the red snapper, calamari and crab.
- David organises his own snorkel tour which is just amazing. Do it! With David being ex-military, a qualified diver and having a certificate for rescue at sea, he made us feel very safe and relaxed while we were just totally gobsmacked at seeing sea turtles from up close, giant rays, sharks, and the most techni-colour bunch of fishes ever.
- Make sure to have an underwater camera. I'm still kicking myself for not having brought one to the island.
- Bring some battery powered LED book lights and torches when staying at Petani.
- If you are planning on keeping some snacks or food inside the bungalow, make sure to bring Tupperware style containers, because the ants seem to be able to find your food wherever it might be (even when hung, in a tightly knotted plastic bag).
- Mosquito repellent! Loads of it, and go for the strong stuff! Even though Bianca and David hand out mosquito coils and use them under the tables at the restaurant, the mosquitoes are really aggressive. Seemingly Off is one of the most efficient mosquito repellents for the island according to them.
- For the ladies, bring a mirror you can place on the deck outside if you want to do a bit of pampering. (the light inside the bungalows might not be bright enough)
- Get yourself a local Malay SIM card before going to islands. All the major Malay mobile network providers have a decent signal on the island.
- The nearby bigger Impani resort is handy for when you want a snack when Petani's restaurant is closed, or when you need extra rental snorkel equipment.
- Try the local Orang Utang rum, also known as "Monkey Juice". It mixes very well with Coke or pineapple juice.








6 comments:
O_O
... Damn, you really know how to find them, do you.
Looks like a place to move to. Rob a bank, get on a plane, and never look back.
Hi Greg! It's Tuomas, your neighbour at the Petani, also known as the cameraman :)
How are you doing? It was nice reading your comments and seeing photos from the Petani beach.
I'm still working on my photos (originally about 1400, now some 700 :) and travel story.. Maybe in 2-3 weeks it's online at http://www.papaija.net
Greetings from Finland,
Tuomas
Hi Tuomas,
Great to hear from you! I have been checking out your web site regularly for pictures of Petani Beach House and our snorkel trip. Your other pictures on papaija.net look amazing, so I am really looking forward to the Perhentian pics!
All the best and enjoy the weekend.
Greg
Hi!
Sorry for delayed reply but the good news is that my Singapore&Malaysia -travel story/report is finally ready and online @ http://www.papaija.net . As you know it's in Finnish but I'm sure you can enjoy the pictures.
Don't expect any cool shot from the snorkling trip as the camera sucked and so the pictures too... :(
Have a nice week!
Tuomas
your trip was amazing but carrying a lot of luggage make more difficult to enjoy the trip.
Petani beach house pics were good. Near to nature.
Its a great information and i love to read your future post.
keep on traveling :))
shanky
Great Blog..!!!! Keep Blogging.... :)
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