Travel Guides And Tips: The beautiful island of Perhentian Kecil (Small)

General Information

There are 2 islands in the Perhentian region: Perhentian Besar (the big Perhentian) and Perhentian Kecil (the small Perhentian). The islands are small, especially Perhentian Kecil. You can walk from one end to another, go jungle tracking to get to the other side. The commercial part of the island is the Long Beach. This is where the life is! But because it is a remote island, the island is not as busy and hectic as Phuket in Thailand or Bali in Indonesia. Therefore we can actually enjoy your privacy and at the same time made some new friends!

How to Get There

It takes approximately an hour and a half (speed boat) to get to Perhentian Kecil from Kuala Besut (a jetty situated north of Kuala Terengganu, the capital of the state Terengganu). We flew to Kota Bharu (capital state of Kelantan) from Kuala Lumpur with the local cheap flight called AIR ASIA, which cost us just below 15 pounds (with tax!). Why not fly to Kuala Terengganu instead, since the port is located in Kuala Terengganu and not Kota Bharu? Well this is because although the jetty is situated on the state of Terengganu, the port is nearer to Kota Bharu. Alternatively you can also fly with Malaysian Airlines (MAS) which is more expensive with the exceptions that you get a glass of juice for free! Or you can also take the bus if you would like to see more things along the way (but it takes 7-8 hours!). From the Kota Bharu airport, it takes approximately 45mins to get to the jetty and cost approximately 3.50 pounds. So if there are 4 of you in a taxi, you only pay 90p! The boat ride cost about 3-4 pounds for to and fro. Remember to keep your ticket! Since it is a speed boat, it can be quite bumpy.

The Experience

From the environment at the jetty, the water doesn't look convincing. It makes you feel a little sceptical..and wondering to yourself that in an hour and a half you will be looking on to the white sandy beach and crystal clear water.

On the boat we met many travellers from different parts of the world - mainly the Europeans and Australians. Many of them were backpackers, just like us. The ride was bumpy but the water slowly becoming clear as the boat drove away from the jetty. Along the way we saw small islands with just rocks, very beautiful indeed. We saw corals along the sides very clearly! As we got closer to the island, the water was deep blue, it showed how deep the ocean was. But when we put our hands in the water, it definitely was clear. We were satisfied already! The boat stopped about 100 ft away from the beach, and a smaller boat approaced us. The driver of the big boat told some of us to get off the boat into the smaller one! Some were scared, as we were not given a life jacket. But this truly is an advanture! We were told to get into the small boat to get to the shore of the island. The big boat was too big and will destroy the corals - or so they said. But it was cool. Only 5 minutes or less, we arrived to the shore of the island. I thought to myself, this truly is a paradise island. We could see people lying on the beach already, baked under the hot sun which was I believe approximately 36 degrees centigrade! It was extremely hot though. We were approached by a friendly local, who assisted us to our accomodation that we have booked in advance. The sand was rather hot (so a good pair of shoes and sandals will be needed) but the good thing is it was white and sandy!

Where to stay

We stayed in Bubu Resort, which is the most comfortable one among all of them, as the rooms are en-suite, in comparison with the rest. However the other accomodations are very cheap, which can be as low as 2.50 pounds a night. I believe they are reasonably comfortable, but without air conditioner (which can be very important especially in a tropical country like Malaysia) and bathrooms. The bathrooms are shared and are located outside - or so it seemed. The resort we stayed in cost us about 10-12pounds a night per person. Which is still inexpensive. It is situated by the beach, facing the beautiful sea, and the corals are even visible from our balcony!!

During the stay

We stayed for a week on the island. We only found TVs in the restaurants. The food is great and I can almost say that Malaysian food is the best, as it is not too spicy, not too rich, not too mild but with an exotic tropical taste! The food and drinks weren't expensive. A lot of water will be needed, and it is highly advisable to purchase water from the shops available there and not to drink the tap water as the water (yes as you would have guessed) comes from the sea! During our stay we went snorkelling and diving. Many parts of the island and the small islands around them are surrounded with corals. The corals are so beautiful, we just couldn't take our eyes of them! We fed the fish with bread, and loads of them came to us! but they don't bite! The best thing is we were brought to different areas of Perhentian for snorkelling and we even saw baby sharks! We saw some sea turtles too, who are not very friendly and will always try to run away from us! if you have a diving license, it is best to go diving in this paradise island because there are loads you can see! There are many sea activities can be done during the day, and bon fire party at night! yes...it is that great!! There was performances where the performers played with fire - it was cool! The locals are very friendly and they spoke reasonably good english. By the bon fire, small tables were arranged on the beach, and everybody will sit on the sand (or on some kind of a cloth) around the table and just chill!! Different kinds of exotic drinks were served (both alcoholic or non-alcoholic). Good music in the background. This is the place to make friends with the rest, most of whom were on their way to Thailand or back to Kuala Lumpur.

Shopping
There is not much to shop on this island except for sea gears and such, drinks, and perhaps some small souveniers-type things.

And Finally

I have been to many different islands, tropical islands or south of europe, i must say, this beautiful Malaysian beauty is the best I have been so far. It truly is a paradise, a get away, the people are great and the food is excellent.

I highly recommend to those island-lovers to go to this island. My next visit to Malaysia will be Lang Tengah island (apparently it is another Malaysian paradise!)