When we arrived at Kuala Besut jetty, it was already 10am. Our boat would arrive at 10.30am to send us to Pulau Perhentian. We sneaked out for a very quick local breakfast made up of Nasi Kerabu and Nasi Lauk, the famous local delicacies. It was good, perhaps because of our grumbling tummies. In a jiffy, we were all strapped in our life jackets and on our way to the island.
The boat ride was rather smooth even though there were a few rough moments that required a good cushioning to absorb the shock due to choppy waves. It took us 45 minutes to arrive at Pulau Besar (Big Island) where we would put up at Coral View Resort, rated as the second best resort after Perhentian Resort that is situated beside Coral View.
The service we encountered in Coral View was a let down. Their staffs are friendly and helpful. However, they are extremely slow. Even though the check-in time is 12 noon but they told me that the rooms will only be available at 2pm as there was a lack of man power. We ended up having an early lunch in the restaurant while waiting for them to prepare our rooms. Don't expect the food to be cheap. One glass of fruit juice costs RM5-RM7 and a plate of fried rice costs around RM12. The quality is just alright. We eased ourselves and explored a bit. There are chairs and tables arranged on the sandy beach right beside the sea for those who prefer to eat alfresco style and closer to the sea.
I personally don't find the room too satisfactory. If it was due to the lack of staff this particular weekend then it can be dismissed but if it is always in this dire state, Coral View really do not deserver the second spot. We had altogether 3 rooms to accommodate all of us. Out of the 3, 2 smelt musty, wet and moist. The air-condition unit in one of the rooms was chugging along heavily trying to cool down the hot air as fast as possible. Another room has toilet covered with stains in the sink, on the floor. They could have done a better job cleaning the room. However, one of the room was satisfactory. The room was clean, cold and perfect. So, I guess it was just due to the lack of man power to clean and maintain the rooms properly.
Since everyone was still suffering from the horrendous bus ride and looking groggy, there was no activity in the afternoon. We were just lazing around by the beach staring into blank space or the vast sea ( that I am not sure ). When energy seeped back into our nerves, we started to look for a water taxi to ferry us over to Pulau Kecil, Small Island. The resort called a boat man for us who charged us RM10 one way to Pulau Kecil and double the price for one way after 7pm. Since we decided to have our dinner there, we would have to come back after 7pm hence a return journey costed us RM30 per head.
Everybody loves Long Beach on Pulau Kecil. The sand is extremely fine and smooth, the sea is crystal clear and the breeze caresses our faces as the boat docked. The girls removed the slippers and sat down on the beach whereas the guys immediately removed their t-shirts and jumped into the sea for a soak.
Strolling along Long beach was fun and relaxing. We walked aimlessly, merely hoping to cover more ground. There are lots of resorts along the beach. To name a few, there are Panorama, Matahari, Palm, Turtle Bay. All the resorts here do not allow any bookings to be placed during peak season, which is from May onwards as the crowd can get overwhelming. You can only try your luck by walking in and wait for other tourists to check out. That is why we didn't pick to put up at Pulau Kecil.
When our tummies started giving out signals and hints, we headed to Panorama Chalet. It is famous for its meals, reasonably priced yet tasty and delicious. There is a wide variety of food to choose from too, ranging from western to local dishes. We went there real early as the more crowd would come in later and we would have to wait long for the food to be served. Panorama Chalet is located right at the entrance to a short jungle trek to the other side of Pulau Kecil. A lot of tourists would trek along this path to travel between one side of Pulau Kecil to the other side. We were the first to place our orders. We ordered 2 pizzas, 2 grilled fish (barramundi and king fish), 1 vegetarian lasagne, 1 fried rice, 1 fried noodles with seafood, 1 tomyam seafood, 1 caesar salad, 1 plate of fried chicken wings and some others that i can't recall anymore. Everything was finger-licking good!! Even though they served quite slowly (again, they blamed it on the lack of man power), the quality of the food kept our mouth tightly sealed.
When we came out from the restaurant, we were awe-struck by the scenery. High above the vastness of sea and sand, there is a bright round sphere in the sky lending light to everything underneath. There is no trees, no sky-scrappers to hide the moon. It shone on proudly. Too bad I couldn't capture the beauty at the moment as I didn't have the proper equipment to do so. If you ever want to visit Pulau Perhentian, do remember to visit Long Beach at night.
The next day was spent snorkeling. We visited Shark Point, Turtle Point, Romantic Beach and some spots with beautiful corals and interesting school of fish. We were shown huge clam, sharks, and turtles. Romantic Beach was our last stop, where we showered using the freezing cold water from the mountain. It was refreshing indeed after soaking ourselves in salty sea water that left our skin sticky yet dry. Came dinner time, we tried out Water Colours Restaurant.
