The Perhentian Islands in Terengganu are definitely not a secret anymore. Together with Redang, they probably belong to me most popular Malaysian island destinations at the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The archipelago consists of only 2 islands: the smaller island called Perhentian Kecil (which literally means 'Small Perhentian') and Perhentian Besar ('Big Perhentian').
Paradise beach at Abdul's Chalet on Perhentian Besar
Big Island vs. Small Island
Most backpackers and budget travelers prefer the small island as there is more going on when it comes to parties and a choice of cool little bars. The big island is more frequented by couples, travelers with a higher budget and people who seek tranquility.
So which one to choose? If you ask me, I would always prefer the bigger island Perhentian Besar! Why?
What I didn't like about the small island is that the main beach (Long Beach) was full of plastic chairs, colorful umbrellas and even trash next to abandoned little buildings. There were even big construction sites for new hotels. Bah! A big disappointment for me. I probably will never visit this island again and prefer to show you the beauty of the big island.
'Teluk Keke' on Perhentian Besar
Perhentian Besar was amazing! So many beautiful white sand beaches with shining turquoise water and great snorkeling opportunities. I stayed there for a few days with my girlfriend and we both loved it: the serenity, the friendly locals and even some empty beaches (we went there during Ramadan time).
Swimming with the turtles
The beach at the Perhentian Island Resort (also called Teluk Pauh) was one of our favorite places. We stayed at Tuna Bay, which is the next bay south of it. There are no streets on Perhentian Besar so you have to take a taxi boat or go through the jungle to get to Teluk Pauh from Tuna Bay. We did it even 2 times.
Perhentian Island Resort Beach aka Teluk Pauh
The water is like a swimming pool!
One great thing is you can go snorkeling directly from the beach. In the water you can see colorful corals, Nemos as well as many other fish AND: sea turtles! That was the very first time for me I saw them in my life, even before I swam with the turtles in Redang. So I was pretty excited and happy to find one of them.
Finding 4 Nemos ;)
One of the most beautiful beaches in Southeast Asia?
Next to Teluk Pauh, there is another bay with the name Turtle Beach. One day we took a taxi boat from Perhentian Island Resort to get to this beach. Since I saw the Google Maps satellite picture, I really wanted to go there. And I didn't get disappointed. The beach was breathtaking!
Turtle Beach
Almost no people, beautiful white fine sand unbelievably clear water. Also, there were almost no other people so me and my girlfriend could enjoy this magical places for a while. OK, there were unfortunately no turtles in the water so the name is a little bit misleading at first. But supposedly, this beach is a breeding ground for the sea turtles and that's why it has this name.
I have seen quite a lot beaches in Southeast Asia but this one was really mind-blowing! For me personally, it was definitely one of the most beautiful ones I've visited so far in the Southeast Asian countries.
I hope you enjoyed this post! If you liked it, I would be happy about your upvote. If you want to read more about beautiful places Malaysia and the other Asian countries, follow me :)
Looks really pretty. I'm looking for a new beach holiday destination. I might check it out.
I really liked it. However, in the high season there might be more people than when I was there. But I think it will be still great.
I had a look at it on the internet. Looks like it might be a little difficult to get to from Kuala Kumpur. I'm not very adventurous. My last two beach holidays were to Koh Lanta. It would be nice to go somewhere different next winter.
Well, yes, unfortunately the trip is not very easy. From Kuala Lumpur you have to take a domestic flight to Kota Bharu and then a taxi from the airport. From there to the Kuala Besut pier it's a drive of approximately 1 hour (price is reasonable for a taxi though). Finally you take a speed boat to the islands.
If Malaysia, have you ever thought about Langkawi? The island has an airport and getting there is way easier.
It doesn't have to be Malaysia, but Langkawi does look nice. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Ich habe gerade erst herausgefunden, dass ihr homeiswhereyourbagis seid, ich folge eurem Reiseblog schon seit einiger Zeit - toll euch jetzt auf Steemit zu finden!
Hey, wie cool ist das denn! :) Freut mich riesig, dass du uns (eher mich, Tobi ist nicht bei Steemit) hier gefunden hast.
Gefunden hab ich dich durch travelfeed schon vor ein paar Wochen, bin aber erst heute beim Plagiatscheck von einem der Fotos in diesem Post auf eurer Website gelandet und hab dann den Link in deiner Beschreibung gesehen :D
Übrigens: Falls du mal etwas auf deutsch schreibst, gibt es seit heute @de-travelfeed / #de-travelfeed ;)
Ahh, interessant :) Ja, Fotos verwende ich hier teilweise die gleichen wie auf dem Blog, da Tobi und ich unser Fotoarchiv teilen (hoffe, das ist ok). Auf jeden Fall werde ich da in Zukunft mal was posten - super Idee!
Been all around Malaysia beside this place. next visit for sure ! Thanks for the post and show us a little more of some good places to go !
Will do! :) Thanks for your comment. I still have some places in Malaysia that I wanna check out, but also been to many already.
Dear god, seeing these kind of beaches makes me want to go back to Southeast Asia so, so bad...If I ever happen to be in Malaysia, I'll definitely check out these two islands ! Resteemin' this ;)
Thank you so much for resteeming! Yes, Malaysia has some really beautiful places. I always enjoy being in that country.
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Hiya, just swinging by to let you know that this post made the Honorable Mentions list in today's Travel Digest!