A few weeks ago, I was invited by Berjaya Tioman Resort to have a 3D2N vacation at their resort in Tioman Island, Malaysia. I went with my friend Jemma, who is a huge fan of the ocean like me, and we enjoyed ourselves.
Tioman is well known for their beautiful corals. A friend of mine who is an avid scuba diver told me that she learned how to dive here and that it is one of the places near Singapore which has some of the best corals and underwater life.
How to Get There
You will need some time to get there. First you have to reach Mersing Jetty, which you can get to by boarding one of many bus services available online. We used WTS Travel & Tours, and they had pretty good service. The bus ride takes 2 to 3 hours one way, depending on traffic and immigration queue conditions.
Once in Mersing, you then take a ferry to Tekek Jetty. This takes around 2 hours as well. While waiting to board this ferry, you can get food and drinks at a small food court.
Once you reach Tekek, Berjaya Tioman Resort has a free shuttle that picks you up and brings you to their resort.
Resort Room
The resort has been around for a while, so do not expect brand new facilities.
We had a Garden View Chalet, which is pictured on the right above. It was nice to have a separate house that afforded us privacy.
The room inside is old but clean, with an aircon and attached bathroom with shower and toilet.
They provide all the basic toiletries, but if you find some of them missing, you can just call reception to bring them to you.
Beach
The resort is situated on the beach itself, so it takes maybe 2 minutes to get from your room to the beach.
Perhaps the cutest thing on the resort is the photography frame set up they made on the beach which is a perfect backdrop for pictorials.
The best time to take a photo here is early in the morning when the sun isn’t in the way and causes you to have photos against the light.
The sunset is still a good time to take photos around the area, though.
Doesn’t that picture look like a romantic postcard or the cover of a romance novel, maybe?
Renggis Island Snorkelling
As I said previously, Tioman is best known for its underwater scene. Jemma and I grew up in different seaside towns, so we both have an affinity for the sea. We were pretty excited to go snorkelling.
You can make your bookings at a booth in the reception area. We were told to show up at the resort’s port at 9am the next day.
When we got there, we were asked to register, sign waivers, and handed a life vest and snorkel. While waiting to board the ferry, we posed for pictures with Renggis island in the background.
I love how these photos look like they were taken with a drone. They were just taken from a higher angle, that’s all.
We then boarded a small boat which brought us to two locations.
The first stop wasn’t really that fascinating, to be honest. There were some corals and fishes but nothing to write home about.
But when we went to the second stop, which is Renggis island, I was so stunned with the beauty of the underwater scene that I went “WOW!” while underwater.
These are some of the most “alive” corals I have ever seen! You can watch the video below to see what I mean. The camera did not do them justice, actually.
I saw a sign saying that they were planting corals, which could explain why there are so many.
The activity took about 2 hours. The island is so near the resort that it takes such a short time to get there.
By the way, when I got back from my trip, my colleagues were amazed that I didn’t get tanned even though I frolicked in the sea. Here’s my tip to prevent sun damage: double sunblock. I took Heliocare oral capsules and slathered myself with La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Ultralight Fluid.
Aside from snorkelling, there are plenty of other activities available. They put up a board that shows you the schedule of sports and recreation daily activities for the week.
Ayura Spa
Jemma and I decided to pamper ourselves by booking a massage at the Ayura Spa which was conveniently just across our chalet.
There were a few options available, but we decided to go with an hour of aromatherapy massage. They asked us to choose the oil we wanted, and after sniffing all the available scents, we decided to go with tone, which smelled minty.
The massage was really good, I have to say – firm yet relaxing. This was a good choice!
Food
There are plenty of dining options in Berjaya Resort.
Sri Nelayan
Breakfast and lunch buffet is served at Sri Nelayan, which is a short walking distance away from the garden chalet.
I was impressed with the decor, which includes a gigantic sailboat.
They have a lot of food options ranging from local dishes like nasi lemak to western fare like sausages and pastries. There is a live egg station as well.
For both breakfast and lunch, they change the food options daily so you won’t worry about being sick of eating the same food all the time.
Matahari
On our first night we had dinner at Matahari, a Thai restaurant.
We had the Miang Kham for our appetiser. This is a spicy snack of betel leaves, limes, shallots, peanuts, dried shrimps and chili. You put a little bit of all the ingredients into a leaf, roll it up, and munch on it. It has a diverse taste.
We had deep fried fish with spicy green mango salad and tom yum soup for our mains. I really loved the fish!
For dessert we tried the chilled water chestnut and jackfruit in coconut cream as well as the mango sticky rice. Both were sweet and refreshing. It was nice to have sweet mangoes.
We made the mistake of ordering coconut mango shakes as well – these turned out to be very sweet. I suggest just skipping sweet drinks if you plan on ordering dessert.
Matahari also offers the option of setting up a romantic picnic on their premises. It looks beautiful and is the perfect set-up for an anniversary or proposal. You should definitely avail of this if you’re celebrating something special with a partner!
Xuan
On our second night we had Chinese food for dinner and I did not regret it one bit, except maybe for the weight I gained after eating carbs because man, that fried rice was so delicious and hard to resist! Bear in mind that I don’t normally eat rice, so this is a testament to its taste.
We ordered the fried rice with assorted seafood, stir fried broccoli & cauliflower with garlic, stir fried chicken with sesame oil & ginger slice, and sweet and sour prawn ball.
They were all really tasty. I was so full afterwards. I enjoyed the food here a lot more than at Matahari, though both were good.
Beach Bar
If you want a place to chill with drinks and light snacks, the beach bar is the place to be.
As the name suggests, it is right on the beach, so the view and ambiance is fantastic.
They have live music at night. No that’s not their band, but me pretending to be a singer. 🤪
Overall, if you love viewing underwater life, I recommend going to Berjaya Tioman Resort.
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