I like to sit and day dream about my time on the Perhentian islands, it was amazing. I spent a tiring 2 weeks in the jungle and surrounding area before deciding at the last minute to make the journey to the small set of islands on the East coast of Malaysia for a few days rest. It was the best decision I have ever made. After enduring the bumpiest speedboat journey ever (the only way of getting to the unspoilt islands) we dropped off the majority of people at Kecil island (small) and continued ourselves to the larger, but much quieter of the two islands named Besar (large). The water was crystal clear and the coral was dazzling in the water. There is a upmarket resort on one side of the island which looked beautiful but we opted for the £5 beach huts! When you are surrounded by such a beautiful setting we did not plan on spending much time in the hut. The wooden rooms were clean but very basic. There is only water and electricity at certain times of the day, 7pm-7am which did not cause any problem and most of the beach huts provide you with a mosquito net.
The island offers relaxation and a wide variety of activities to keep you busy. What had meant to be a few days rest turned into 10days of complete bliss-we just did not want to leave. We kayaked to the kecil island(hard 3hours),but there are boats for 10rm (£1.20 approx) that will take you in 5mins. We walked round the island,seeing, macaques, langur monkeys (which was a first for me), camelions, lizards,frogs and butterflies the size of your head!
The main attraction however, is experiencing the wonderful sea life. For very little, (£10 max) we spent 9hours on a boat with a man called Joe who took us to 5 different dive sites. It was better than I ever expected. Green turtles, reef sharks, parrot fish, clown fish(or you may know him as Nemo!). I felt like I was in a David Attenborough documentry, it was an experience of a lifetime. This can not be missed if you are on either of the islands.
The food is excellent and since the Islands are near the Thailand border there is a selection of Malay, Thai, Chinese and Indian food. Fresh seafood is laid out for you to choose every night and you can even decide how you want it prepared. I recommend trying them all; chillied, bbq, satay. The prices are very reasonable in all of the restaurants (there are not many) or you can sit with the islanders and get some roti chani from the stalls or bbq sweetcorn, delicious.
The Perhentians were not only the highlight of my 6month trip round S.E Asia, but they have given me the most memorable experience, swimming with the green turtles. It all feels like a dream now and if your time is limited in Malaysia, it is worth making this one of your only stopovers.
More details
Sightseeing
Excellent
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
