奇妙的1111

Wednesday 13 April 2016

视。透

走过你的边缘，看尽澈底的心

RAWA ISLAND-- NEW GEM OF JOHORE (SOUTH MALAYSIA)

Rawa Island despite being less well-known than the neighboring Tioman Island, is breathtaking with its untouched nature and crystal-clear coral-adorning turquoise sea.

We went there in the mid of March, sea is calm and therefore perfect for snorkeling and other water sports. And not to mention perfect glorious sun for basking.

The pick-up boat waited us at Mersing jetty. Took a 20-minute boat ride and the picturesque scene unfolded.

Rawa Island greeted us in such breathtaking way. No matter how bad your mood was with the rough boat ride or long wait at the jetty, would get instantly lightened up.

There were only 2 resorts available at Rawa Island. We stayed at Alng Rawa (I guess the color theme is Santorini BluexWhite) attap house.

But if you can afford (something like RM1000/ night) you can stay at Rawa Resorts Seaview Bungalows in which you can enjoy the beautiful sunset at your own private balcony

We strolled along the beach, over the plank, we could see fish swimming in the crystal clear water.

Sunset was amazing as well.

And there was the iconic Sea Slides which you would slide down, go through a few sharp turn and twist and ended being hurled into the sea with a big SPLASH! Kinda exciting actually.

What else to do on the island?

Exploring the private beach

Canoeing

Read a book while basking in the sun

Enjoying the breeze with your love one

Make friend with the only dog on the island.

And of course go hiking. And enjoy the spectacular sea view atop.

Important tips before you hop onto the island:

1. You are not allowed to bring in liquors. But you can buy liquors from the bars.

2. The non-air-conditioned room can be very stuffy. You can book those with air-con

3. No free flow drinks provided. You need to buy your drink there.

4. Snorkeling gears, canoe, lifejacket are provided for free but you need to deposit RM50 for it.

5. Water pressure is quite low, and the water from the shower and tap are sea water. Still feel the stickiness on the skin after a thorough shower.

6. The sea slide are only for Rawa Resort guests but sometimes they might not stop next door guests using it.

Sunday 12 April 2015

Port Dickson -- a short escape from the bustling city

I'm sure most of the city dweller especially KLites feel tired with the bustling city. It comes to a point that you just need a break and get away from the hectic concrete city to a peaceful, slow-paced towns.

Fortunate enough, there are many choices on the escape list. Popular few includes Malacca city, Cameron Highland and Port Dickson as well.

This time I decided to go to Port Dickson after my first visit 5 years ago.

Indeed Port Dickson is a good choice in term of distance, convenience and money. Instead of taking the PLUS highway, it is much faster to get to Port Dickson by taking the road from Sepang passing by Lukut town . It only took me about 45 minutes to get there and the best part is to save on your toll fees.

Port Dickson is never famous for the beautiful seas, I'm pretty sure many out there would agree. That's the reason no one ever snorkel there as well,
But if you are looking for a place just to swim or sunbathe, the beaches in Port Dickson can fulfill that aptly.

I have to warn that during the peak season (school holiday), the beaches especially at Teluk Kemang can be very crowded and noisy.

Seaside with a small areas of Mangrove swamp. The sea appeared murky.

However, if you can afford, it's better to stay in resorts like Avillion or Thistle which catered private beach that keep outsiders at bay.

But for a budget traveler like me, I would rather choose an affordable accommodation which is clean and has a nice pool.

Thus, I have checked in Paradise Spa Hotel. Besides the online reviews of new and clean rooms and good service which turned out to be as true, I was attracted by the so called INFINITY POOL which looked amazing in the photos on the webpage.

Honestly, I'm quite happy with Paradise Spa Hotel. First, at affordable price of less than RM200 per night for a double deluxe room inclusive of breakfast for 2, it was quite a good deal. Second, there are a pool and a basic gym. Third, the room is new, frontdesk service is good and provided ample car park.

One drawback was it is not exactly by the sea, you still need to walk at least 10 mins to get to the sandy beach. But for me, that was not a problem, since I preferred to have a swim in the pool and hang around the poolside reading a book. And the seaview, especially during sunset, from the infinity pool is great.

The infinity pool with seaview

The Starbuck at Waterfront

Besides hanging around at the pool and in the room, another thing i like to do is to drive to the waterfront, get to the second floor of Starbuck (open air) enjoying the sea breeze and my coffee at the same time. Salty tang of sea, the sound of waves breaking on the rock, cool sea breeze and the aroma of good coffee are the greatest combined pleasure for me.

I would say Port Dickson is a great choice to have a short vacation either with family or friend when you have enough of city life. But if you want to enjoy better island vacation, there are other places like Pulau Redang or Pulau Langkawi are better choices.