3D2N - Rawa Island, Malaysia

Back from a 3D2N island vacation in Malaysia. These days due to the rise of budget airlines, one tends to look for overseas vacation, forgetting that sometimes there are gems near us. I'm one of those guilty as charged. Better late than never though, this year is a Cuti Cuti Malaysia year for me and seems like our quick island escapes has garner a lot of interests and I'm more than happy to share our little discovery here :)

Rawa Island is a beautiful private island located in Johor, 34km from the more popular tourist destination, Tioman Island.

Just a tiny dot on Google Map, the low density of this island is it's main attraction. With crystal clear waters and limited tourist, it gives one a sense of peace and tranquility - perfect for a short getaway from the hustle and bustle of KL city/ Singapore. Plus, for locals, one need not bother with flight arrangements nor long annual leave as a 3D2N package is just nice.

Get the location here

Getting there: 

Depending on where you depart from, there's direct buses to Mersing. From Mersing bus station, it's about 15-20 minutes walk to the jetty. Else, you can opt to cab to the jetty, though I don't think they will go by the meter.

My friends opt to drive from KL (which took about 4 - 5 hours). There's a gated car park area near the jetty for those driving. It cost us RM18 per day. Best to bring an extra pair of car locks just to be on the safe side.

From Mersing jetty, the boat ride would be about 15 - 30 minutes to Rawa Island depending on the sea condition. 

And the view that greets you after the boat ride is amazing...

Accommodation - there's only 2 on the island:

The more "atas" or expensive one would be Rawa Island Resort. As the name implies, it's a resort, thus one can expect better facilities like hot shower & air cons. Their sea sports equipment is pretty comprehensive and well maintained too. The only downside, ka ching $$ ka ching $$...you would need to rent most of the items plus the package itself is quite pricey.

For us, we went for the more basic B&B style accommodation at Alang's Rawa. A 3D2N package cost us RM650 per head. This includes:

• 2 way boat transfers - with additional RM5 boat tax to be paid at the Jetty
• 2N accommodations - no air cons, no hot shower, just basic bed & fans. O I almost forgot, no keys to the room as well...so pandai pandai la (use your creativity here)!!
• 7 meals (B/L/D) - do note that drinks are NOT included in the package except for breakfast time
• sea sports equipment/ books/ board games!! A deposit of RM50 is required per head if you wish to use their snorkeling equipment/ kayaks/ etc.

The package is slightly cheaper as we went on weekdays (Sun to Tues). Weekend rate would be more expensive as it includes Sat Buffet BBQ.

In terms of accommodation, the bonus is, whether you choose to go with Rawa Island / Alang's Rawa, both places embrace the open concept. So you can still enjoy the beach from either side of the resort.

Meals:

The standard package includes 3 meals per day:

• Breakfast - bread, eggs, fruits with coffee/ tea/ orange juice
• Lunch & Dinner - 1 main meal (chicken/beef/seafood) + 2 sides (salads/ rice/ noodles/ etc)

The food is pretty good, a tad bit too salty but good nonetheless. Plus, I find them quite generous with their servings, enough to feed me full. So, for those who knows me well, surely this is quite an "ok" serving.

Activities:

Other than the usual sea activities, the one additional item here would be the slides which goes straight down to the sea!

Trekking is officially off-limit as there was some incident with their generator blowing up, suspect due to tourist cigarette. Unofficial trekking at your own risk though is another thing...just saying.

If you are not into it, then do the next best thing, i.e. to "nua"/ simply just do nothing & enjoy the view, whichever view you like - blue sea/ white sand/ bikini gals/ bare chested hunks :P

Judgments (solely my personal one):

Perfect for those looking for a quite place to relax. Beautiful sea minus the crowd is a plus. Not so much for those looking for a party unless you come during the weekends (Fri - Sat) where the place turns to a party zone at night. 

Accommodation prices in Rawa has gone up in recent years, but given the economy of the country and the fact that I save on flights & annual leave, I would say it's still a good getaway option.

Here's some short videos:



For more pictures taken in Rawa, please click here.