Pulau Pngkor!

Speaking from my own view point, Pulau Pangkor is a nice place for their food and quietness. Though its not much of an activity in comparison with Pulau Langkawi or Pulau Redang, Pangkor is not equipped with the extreme water sports or beautiful beaches as those there. I would personally give a 7.5/10 for the beaches.

And recently there's a mini airport built on pangkor. The flight is from Berjaya Air and it cost RM428 each which is totally out of the equation.

Pangkor is definately a good place to spend time with friends but not a place to have real extreme beach-ing pleasure as what you would get if you were to be in Langkawi.


Here's some info on Pangkor Island

Getting there

By ferry

The closest mainland settlement is the town of Lumut, an attractive, laid-back place about 7km away. Buses from KL and other places will drop you off at the bus station next to the pier. From the Lumut pier, ferries depart regularly to different parts of Pangkor Island. A single fare is 5 ringgit per person (return is 10 ringgit), and bicycles is free. First departure from Lumut is at 07:00, last at 20:30. First departure from Pangkor is at 06:30, last at 20:30. Departures are at 30-45 minutes intervals, depending on the time of day, and the crossing usually takes no more than 45 minutes.

The are two major ferry stops for the residents in Pangkor island, namely the SPK Jetty in Sungai Pinang Kecil and the Pangkor Jetty in Pangkor Town. Tourists should stop by the second pier, Pangkor Jetty as this is the main township in Pangkor Island and have a closer distance towards various beaches on the west cost of the island.

There third pier, the Pan Pacific Jetty at Teluk Dalam, is exclusively for guests of that hotel.

See

• Pangkor Town

• Dutch Fort at Teluk Gudang

• Fu Lin Gong Temple and Mini Greatwall (福临宫） - but beware: the owner keeps some monkeys in small rusty and dirty cages. The poor animals look very ill and show behavioral disorders. Pure animal cruelty!

• Batu Bersurat (inscribed stone) - also known as Tiger Rock due to the etching found on this huge granite boulder. The rock measures about 10.7m long and 4.6m wide and stands at 4.3m tall, and today, there is a pavillion built to shelter it. Batu bersurat is located close to the Dutch Fort, in Pangkor Island. The etchings shows the picture of a tiger carrying away a child. There are also two round-shaped leaves, and the letters "If Carlo 1743" and "VOC". The "VOC" probably refers to the Dutch East India Company. There are several theories about the inscription. One sinister version of the tale claimed that the Malays and Bugis kidnapped and murdered a Dutch dignitary's son in 1743, in revenge of the ill treatment of the the Dutch to the locals. When the Dutch looked for the boy, the locals made up a story that they saw the boy was snatched by a tiger. In comemorate to such incident, the Dutch soldiers etched such inscription.

DOs

Beaches

The beaches have clear water and almost white sand. Though the water seems to be clean, the beach is littered with plastic debris and driftwood. The island has some waste management problems, as can be seen in the southern part at the huge waste dump and at the small villages where sewage is discharged into the sea. Some travellers have reported sea lice.

• Coral Bay - the best west coast beach, just north of Teluk Nipah, with clear emerald-green water due to the presence of limestone. Usually clean and pretty, but there are not to many people swimming there.

• Pasir Bogak was the first-developed beach and thus the most famous. It is fine for swimming, but gets very crowded during holidays. The beach here has white sand but is rather narrow. It is the largest and most popular beach on the island. The beach is crescent shaped and numerous shady trees provide idyllic picnic spots under the canopy of their lush foliage. The water is shallow and crystal clear, offering endless hours of fun and frolic in the sunlit sea. There are some facilities for boating, fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving (Pulau Sembilan), kayaking, rafting.

• Teluk Nipah - a wider beach.

• Teluk Belanga - a wide beach spanning this whole bay. Privatly owned by the Pangkor Island Beach Resort (see below).

Activities

• Jungle trekking - at Titi Gantung and Teluk Segadas Hill.

• Motorbike tour - rent a motorbike (from RM 25) and go around the island. The road is good, but on the north side of the island it is quite steep. You can visit the Dutch-Fort, south of Pangkor town, but there is not much of the fort left. Another very nice place is the temple north of Pangkor Town.

• Bicycle tour - rent a bicycle (from RM 8 a day) and cycle around the island. It takes about 5.5 hours at a leisurely pace. Some uphill and downhill roads are steep (20%). Make sure brake is working before you rent.

• Taxi tour - pink taxi (from RM 40 per taxi per round) if it started form Teluk Nipah. It will show you airport, stop at seafood junk factory, Big Chinese Temple where you can find very big fish in the pool and mini china great wall and Kota Belanda (Dutch Fort).

Sleep

Budget

• Delima Chalet (Teluk Nipah)

• Nazri Nipah Camp (Teluk Nipah) is at the end of the road on the edge of the rainforest with new renovated A-frame huts and a lot of hangmats. 15/20 ringgit weekday/end for 2 pax A-hut with fan, dimmable light and socket. Very friendly place to chill out.

• Seagull Beach Resort is located 200m apart from the noisy road and beach of Teluk Nipah. Air-con-rooms from 40 ringgit and fan rooms for 30 ringgit. They serve common breakfast. Its the place to go for backpackers. There is free Internet with WLAN. They give long-stay discounts. Free drinking water, a snooker table and table-tennis facilities for stay-in-guests. They are very friendly and helpful. Highly Recommend!

Mid-range

• Pangkor Bay View Resort at Teluk Nipah beach. Despite the name, this resort doesn't actually have a view of the bay. However, rooms are nice and staff are friendly. Free WiFi which is available in some rooms (if you're close to the router), nice swimming pool and sun lounge area, TVs with astro, all rooms air-con. Discounts are available during quiet times and for staying a few days.

• Coral Bay Resort at Pasir Bogak beach. Apartments, hotel rooms, penthouses,. Swimming pool, open air jacuzzi, sauna.

• Puteri Bayu Beach Resort at Pasir Bogak beack. Hotel rooms, chalets, suites. Swimming pool with slides, tennis courts, futsal and street soccer courts.

• Sea View Hotel at Pasir Bogak beach. Hotel and chalets. Swimming Pool and sports facilities. Hotel is owned and run by Mr Tan, a former Malaysian badminton champion. Excellent Chinese restaurant.

• Golden Beach Hotel and Resorts offers a very welcome environment and comfortable stay for your holidays. This 3 star pleasant, homely and lovely resort is suitable and fascinate for your vacation.It is located near the prime beach of Pasir Bogak which is approximately 5 minutes away from the jetty of Pangkor Island. Pasir Bogak is the most popular stretch of beach on the island of Pangk