i'm going to malaysia quickly for 5 days or so with my 50yo
mother who likes her comforts (air con etc). but i'm not too
keen on touristy places... which of penang or tioman would
be the better option. how difficult is it to get to tioman
island if you fly? and is it possible to stay somewhere
reasonably comfortable with a/c apart from in the major
resort? and if we are going to stay at a resort in either
penang or tioman, would it be better and cheaper to book it
while already ther or book ahead? any tips would be very
appreciated. thanx
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I can't comment on Penang because I've never been there but
I can comment a bit on Tioman. Flights go in/out of Tioman
from Singapore (Pelangi Air out of Seletar airport) and
Kuala Lumpur (Berjaya Air) daily. Planes with propellers-
not jets, but comfortable enough for the 30-40 minute
flight. Make sure you book ahead though as the flight you
want may be full.
The airport is at the end of 1.5 kilometres of pavement
that runs through Tekek village where there are several
places you can stay with a/c. Unfortunately, there isn't
much to do with your mom there except choosing between
several places to eat and get groceries. The beach fronting
Tekek is dirty compared to the other beautiful beaches on
Tioman and that's probably the reason why many who arrive
move to another location quickly. Transportation to the
other beaches with their clusters of accommodations and
services is by boat from Tekek pier. Otherwise, its moving
on foot over headlands packing all of your stuff.
Other nearby beaches are Ayer Batang, and Salang to the
north and Paya, Genting and Nipah to the south. Juara on
the east side of the island is beautiful but accessed by
boat or by walking up and down through the jungle from
Tekek village (3hours).
The Berjaya resort (a 5 minute mini-bus ride from Tekek and
the airport) is a class above the rest of the back-packer
oriented beach-accommodations on Tioman. All of their
accommodations are clean and a/c'ed. They have a large
swimming pool overlooking the beach where your 50year-old
mom can relax on a lawn chair and sip on a cocktail or
drink afternoon tea. The sweeping beach fronting the resort
is the best on the island. If you get tired of the resort
life, there are free and hired shuttles into Tekek. In
fact, many of the resorters take their dinner in town to
enjoy local fare at local prices. Book the resort in
Malaysia. Packages including air are not as expensive as
you think. Just make sure you book through a local
Malaysian tourist service and save a bundle off the so-
called 'discount' published rates on the internet.
Have a nice trip with your mom!
You
but what about the sand flies?
I've read several comments on other threads about Tioman
about these dreaded sandflies. However, in my two visits to
Tioman (last time in early April) I had never seen one of
these little pests. I don't know if they are seasonal or
not. Staying at Berjaya was great because if there was a
problem with the flies, you could get your tan and swim in
the pool or go snorkelling in the sea.
Maybe others who have been recently could comment more
accurately.