A Mini Guide to Perhentian Kecil

For many, the Perhentian Islands are paradise. Located just off the north-eastern coast of Malaysia, they offer the clearest blue water, white sandy beaches, endless snorkelling and diving possibilities, fresh seafood and beach bars.

But as with every paradise, it doesn’t always fit into the backpacker lifestyle or budget.

Here’s a few tips I picked up whilst there that may help you decide whether this particular paradise should be a stop on your itinerary too.

Getting There

Getting to the Perhentian Islands is more complicated – and expensive – than it may first appear. Initially you have to make your way to the jetty at Kuala Besut and buy return tickets to the islands, which usually cost around 70RM ($23) each for the fast boat, but you can sometimes barter the agents down to 60RM ($20).

Then just before you board your boat you’re required to pay a conservation charge of 5RM ($1.60) each which apparently aids with the conservation of the marine parks and coral reefs.

If you are staying on Long Beach, once you have completed your hopefully non-scary boat ride, you will be required to then pay 2RM ($0.70) each for a water taxi to take you right up to the edge of the sand (and even then, you may have to be prepared to wade through the ankle-deep water with your bags).

This involves transferring people and bags across from the larger fast boat to the smaller water taxi….slightly unnerving when you have all your worldly possessions and electronics with you, but the only choice unless you want to try and swim ashore with your backpack or suitcase above your head.

The Food

The food on Perhentian Kecil, as is sometimes the case with such idyllic vacation-style islands, was disappointing. Catering to Westerners, most of the food comes with fries, even at breakfast.

What Malaysian food we did try was bland and did not reflect what we had been eating around the rest of the country. There are regular beach barbeques with seafood and meat, but if it starts to downpour (as it did one night we were there) these will quickly shut down as everyone hustles inside the beach restaurants.

However, if you are looking to enjoy some Western-style food, there are some decent meals to be had, just be warned that it will not be the cheap prices you have been used to elsewhere.

The Accommodation

With Perhentian Islands accommodation, you really seem to get what you pay for.

Doing our initial research into places to stay it seemed common to not be able to book ahead, meaning that most people have to just turn up and hope to find a place to stay.

We had Skyped a place with chalet accommodation the day before we arrived, making a tentative reservation for one of their basic chalets with double bed and fan. Once we arrived we discovered that although the chalet had a fan, the electricity in the resort wasn’t turned on until 7pm each evening.

I would love to say that we are hardcore enough to be able to stand being drenched in our own sweat all day, but unfortunately we’re not. As it was the beginning of peak season on the islands, the heat was at an all-time high. We got our things together and walked along the beach until we found Bubu Villas (then called The World Café) – a lot more expensive, but which had round-the-clock air conditioning.

This was a personal choice but obviously not one I would recommend to budget backpackers. I like to spend time at the beach, snorkelling, swimming, drinking, etc. but I also want to be able to spend time in my room if the mood strikes me.

If you are planning on simply sleeping in your chalet at night and nothing else, the basic chalets will be perfect for you and are much more budget-friendly. As we were only staying on the islands for a couple of days, we were able to justify the extra cost.

The Prices

As mentioned above, accommodation can be as cheap or as expensive as you are willing to pay.

Food can be cheap, but only if you eat the Malaysian-style cuisine. As there are only a couple of small local stores, prices for things like suncream and snacks are more expensive than the rest of the country, so be sure to stock up on any essentials you need before you go.

Alcohol other than the local bottled spirits is also fairly pricey, but no more so than the rest of Malaysia. If you are on a tight budget, bring your own to the islands with you.

The Beaches

We stayed on Long Beach and walked across to Coral Bay on our first evening. Of the two, Long Beach is much prettier and also easier to walk along, as Coral Bay is strewn with small broken pieces of coral and shells. However, the snorkelling is great on both, as are the sunsets, so it is worth splitting your time between the two unless you personally prefer one to the other.

We didn’t have time to get to any of the other beaches around the island, but were assured by locals that there are several which are just as nice (if not nicer) as Long Beach and which are reached by either water taxi or a 20 to 30 minute walk across the island (just lather on the anti-mozzie lotion before you go).

The Nightlife

There are a couple of great beach bars on Long Beach which stay open until the wee hours, one of which sells bottles and buckets of the infamous ‘Monkey Juice” (local rum). At both you can sit on a mat on the sand and listen to the sounds of the sea while flame torches flicker away and the music bursts your eardrums.

There are also a few more low-key bars inside the resorts which line the main beaches, but prices are higher and the clientele is slightly different.

Whatever your drinking style – cocktails, beer or buckets – you’ll be able to find it somewhere on Perhentian Kecil.

Other Malaysia Posts:

The Best and Worst Parts of Travelling Around Malaysia