A short boat trip from Kuala Besut will take you to the beautiful islands of Pulau Perhentian Besar and Pulau Perhentian Kecil, just 20km off the coast. With their crystal-clear aquamarine water and white-sand beaches they are among Malaysia’s biggest tourist attractions.
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The smaller island, Kecil, has an abundance of cheap chalets and lively café-bars, and is popular with the younger backpacker crowd, while Besar offers higher standards of accommodation and a quieter, more relaxed ambience. The undecided can cross the strait from island to island for around RM10 (about five to 10 minutes).
The more-expensive resorts on Besar have excellent restaurants, with seafood and barbecues being particularly good; all are open to nonguests. Over on Kecil, there are a few reasonable cafés serving up the usual burgers, pasta, beach barbecues and fish and chips. Alcohol is available in cafés, shops and hotel restaurants on both islands, though it’s not always advertised and you may have to ask for it. Prices are, naturally, higher than on the mainland.
Activities on the islands include snorkelling and diving, jungle walks and the always popular self-basting on the beach.
Note that many places on both islands charge ‘high-season’ prices, usually from late May to September, and sometimes on weekends year-round. Prices quoted here are for the high season. These islands basically shut down during the monsoon (usually from mid-November to mid-February) although some hotels remain open for hardier tourists. However, a few of the cheaper places don’t bother opening until April or even later.
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