The Desaru Coast is a new development on a 17 kilometre stretch of coastline east of Johor, about four and a half hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.
Westin Desaru
If you have kids, book the Deluxe Room with two queen beds at the Westin Desaru. The room is clean with plenty of space and has a lovely stand-alone bath tub and separate shower.
Your booking comes with breakfast, and hands down this is one of the best buffet breakfast spreads, right down to the gluten free section.
There is a kids’ club that is free if you stay and play with the kids, but if you prefer to leave them much like a nanny service, there is a fee. There are also additional costs for some of the activities, like kite making.
Do a little research on options for evening dining if you don’t want to pay hotel prices. There are some famous seafood restaurants close to the hotel.
Hard Rock Hotel Desaru
You can take a five minute stroll to the The Hard Rock Desaru for dinner. Compared to The Hard Rock Penang it is less lively with a smaller pool and a little further away from the beach, but it does have direct access to the Adventure Water Park.
The Adventure Water Park
The new Desaru Coast Water Park is what everyone is talking about. It is famous for having the biggest wave pool in Malaysia.
Your older kids will be keen to try every ride in the park, while the young adventurers’ area, Kids Ahoy, is great for the little ones. The mini tornado ride is a big hit here.
Like other water parks in Malaysia, no outside food is allowed, but fear not, there are plenty of food choices for hungry families.
Unless you are a Hard Rock Hotel guest, you only have a single entry ticket which means you can’t pop in and out again for lunch.
Water park ticket prices start from RM129 for adults (and RM96 for kids. If you book online you can make a small saving.
Shopping at The Riverside
Just outside of the Adventure Water Park you will find The Riverside shopping and dining area. If you visit in the low season, the upside is that you have less people in the water park. The downside is that not all the shops and restaurants are open.
The Els Club
For all of you keen golfers, what could be better than a round of golf overlooking the ocean? Keep a lookout for packages, as some of the hotels offer a ‘Stay and Play’ package.
Desaru beach
You will of course spend time at the beach each day. You may wonder how you found the time, but you will. It is a lovely clean beach with a shop offering beach activities such as kayaking, sail boating and the zorb ball at a reasonable price.
The beach shop only accepts cash, so you need to be prepared if you want to do any of the activities offered.
You might find quite a few jellyfish in the sea during high tide. Avoid them and play on the beach. Your kids can have fun helping the locals dig for clams. They will also have a blast at low tide searching for crabs in the rock pools.
Desaru Fruit Farm
If you have extra time, head to the Desaru Fruit Farm close to Desaru Coast. Your kids will enjoy the ride on the back of a truck to the orchard. Be sure to buy some local fruit before you leave.
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