The Swiss Garden Golf Resort & Spa Damai Laut, situated on the mainland facing the island of Pangkor, sometimes offers irresistible promotions – two nights’ stay for two adults and two children, including breakfast, for less than RM600, which is a pretty good deal for a hotel of this standard.
From the hotel, you can take a 30-minute drive to Lumut town from where the Pangkor ferry departs. Leave the car in a multi-storey car park near the jetty and take a quick look around the town – Lumut has a relaxing seaside resort feel to it.
The ferry trip to Pangkor is usually smooth and pretty uneventful and 30 minutes later you would have arrived at Pangkor town jetty.
From there, take a minivan taxi to Teluk Nipah, reputed to have the best beach on the island. The road to the beach passes through the quaint town then along the west coast lined with coconut groves.
Once you’ve arrived, spend a pleasant few hours relaxing on the fine white sandy beach, and swim in the clear warm sea.
At the northern end of the beach there is a small Chinese temple and from there, you can scramble over some rocks to a small secluded cove.
If you’re there mid-week during the off-peak season, they will be very few people around.
One drawback however, is that many of the shops and restaurants will be shuttered-up (a common feature all over Malaysia).
Perhaps they only open during the local school holidays when the island sees more of a rush of Malaysian visitors.
The street alongside the beach is lined with a somewhat scruffy row of shops, stalls and accommodation. Considering that Teluk Nipah is such a beautiful location, the accommodation is really quite humble, a somewhat common feature in Malaysian beach resorts.
It could be to ensure that access to their best beaches remains affordable for the ordinary Malaysian rather than converting this spot into exclusive luxury resorts which is what happens in many other countries.
Whatever the case, the basic buildings add to the quaint charm of the place.
The atmosphere in Teluk Nipah can be rather laidback and sleepy during these periods.
Before catching the return ferry, take a look around Pangkor town (more an overgrown fishing village) and stock up with a supply of dried fish, including ikan bilis, an essential accompaniment to a host of famous Malaysian dishes like Nasi Lemak.
Accommodation
A full range of accommodation is available on Pulau Pangkor from basic low-budget hostel/hotels to high-end resorts such as Pangkor Island Beach Resort, that has its own beach on Belanga Bay.
For those with money to burn, there is the super luxury Pangkor Laut Resort, set on its own island with exclusive villas on stilts stretching out into the bay.
The Anjungan Beach Resort, a modern apartment-style, moderately priced resort in a prime location on Teluk Nipah is a beauty.
For something more special, Tiger Rock, a boutique guest house, is also well worth considering.
This article first appeared on thriftytraveller.wordpress.com