http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/escape/island-hopping-malaysia-334981
1. Perhentians: Hippie hideaway
They might not be easy to get to, but the Perhentian islands off the
northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia have achieved iconic status on
the backpacker trail.
And for good reason -- the waters are so clean that you can snorkel
right off the beach and still see a diverse array of aquatic life.
Fishermen turned tour guides will also take you out in their small boat for a day trip to swim with sharks and turtles.
In the evening, beach bars set up cushions on the sand as wandering fire artists do their thing.
Where to stay: For high-end Malaysia holiday lodgings, check out the
Tuna Bay Island Resort. Budget hunters should look up
Abdul Chalet.
Getting there: Regular buses leave from Hentian
Putra bus station in Kuala Lumpur, taking nine hours. Alternatively, fly
from Kuala Lumpur's LCCT airport to Kota Bharu, and then catch a taxi
to the port town of Kuala Besut.
2. Tioman: An island for flashpackers
Although part of the Malaysian state of Pahang, Tioman is actually
reached from the Johor town of Mersing. There's also a direct ferry from
Singapore.
This popular Malysia holiday island has two claims to fame that
continue to be hyped by media and marketers. One, the dramatic
topography of this teardrop-shaped isle in the South China Sea was
(supposedly) used as a backdrop for the 1958 movie "
South Pacific," while Time magazine named it one of the world's most beautiful islands in the 1970s.
Though it's now a firm fixture on the tourist trail and has lost a
little of its exotic mystique, it retains –- where many of its Southeast
Asian contemporaries have lost theirs –- the natural environment and
wildlife that first made it famous.
First among animals, on land at least, are the giant monitor lizards
that roam among the kampungs (Malay for villages) in search of food.
Don't worry, they avoid humans. Most of the time.
Where to stay: They don’t come more recommended than
Bagus Place Retreat, winner of a 2012 Travellers’ Choice award from TripAdvisor. For a boutique experience, check out
JapaMala.
Getting there: There are bus services from all over
Malaysia to Mersing,; from here it's a two-hour boat ride to the first
jetty on the island. Tioman also has a small airport, which Berjaya
Airways flies to from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
3. Langkawi: Best for luxury
Located hard by the border with Thailand, Langkawi is part of the
Malaysian state of Kedah, not Perlis which is in fact directly adjacent.
Famously, the Malaysia island was believed to have been cursed in
1819, when a woman named Mahsuri, was put to death for alleged adultery.
Before she died, she uttered the words, “There shall be no peace and
prosperity on this island for a period of seven generations.”
Two years later Langkawi fell to the invading Thais, with much of its
population subsequently dying from starvation. The island was then
indeed barren for a long time, before Prime Minister Mahatir Mohamed –-
the colossus of Malaysian politics who also built Kuala Lumpur's
Petronas Towers and the Sepang F1 circuit -– decided to turn it into a
resort island in 1986.
He declared it a duty-free island, and ever since then Langkawi's
growth has been nothing short of spectacular, with high-profile resorts
dotting its sandy shores to make it a Malaysia holiday star.
The best way to take it all in is on the 2,200-meter-long cable car,
which rises some 710 meters above sea level. Interestingly, Mahsuri's
husband and son moved to Phuket after the Thai invasion, and it was on
that island that her seventh generation descendant was born –- in the
year 1986. Coincidence?
Where to stay: They don’t come much more stylish –- or eclectic –- than
Bon Ton, eight traditional Malay homes set in a former coconut plantation. Or there’s always the
Four Seasons Resort Langkawi.
Getting there: Langkawi has by far the best flight
connections of any Malaysian island, with dozens of daily flights to
Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Penang.
4. Penang: Food and heritage
The Pearl of the Orient has a long and illustrious
history. "Discovered" by Captain Francis Light in 1786, Prince of Wales
island, as it once was known, was for a long time one of the jewels of
the British empire.
Alongside Melaka and Singapore it was known as one of the Straits
Settlements, a string of outposts that dominated the sea trade between
India and the rest of Asia.
However, its importance gradually waned over the centuries, before it
was rediscovered as a Malaysia holiday destination and reinvented as an
IT hub.
Today, under the close eye of Malaysian opposition and Penang Chief
Minister Lim Guan Eng, the island is proudly parading its past –- the
UNESCO status granted to historic Georgetown in 2008 guarantees that.
But its greatest attraction is its street food -– from Penang laksa
off Macalister Road to banana leaf in Little India to seafood on Gurney
Drive –- you'll find it all here.
Alongside a raft of improvements designed to attract even more
visitors, including investment in public transport, a tree planting
program, pedestrianization schemes and a schedule of new cultural
festivals and fairs, this magnificent island –- only slightly smaller
than Singapore –- is once again making its mark on the world stage.
Where to stay: Since 1948, the recently restored
Lone Pine sits serenely on the north shore of the island, while for city digs look no further than the
Hotel Penaga, heritage buildings in the heart of town. Attracting a lot of attention among luxury lovers is the
Eastern & Oriental Hotel,
a restored colonial property.
Getting there: Flights from around the world land at
Penang International Airport. From there, inexpensive taxis can
transport you to destinations around the island, or you can catch the
airport bus into town.
5. Labuan: An isle of bankers
Located off the coast of East Malaysia, sandwiched between Sarawak
and Sabah, Labuan is one of three Federal Territories (the others are
Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya).
Its special status as an international offshore financial centre and
free trade zone has allowed it to attract outside investment from the
financial sector (some 6,500 offshore companies are based here).
Long-term, the Malaysian government envisions the island as becoming
one of the world’s major offshore business centres, akin to the Middle
Eastern hubs of Dubai or Bahrain.
While it has some way to go to achieve similar status, the nation has
a track record of dreaming big and making it happen -- the Petronas
Towers and annual F1 race attest to that.
If you’re not involved in the financial services, there are other
reasons to visit such as wreck diving. Over the years, numerous ships
were sunk in the shallow waters off Labuan, making it ideal for novice
divers. These are simply known as the American, Australian, Blue Water
and Cement Wreck.
There is also a well-tended War Cemetery, where an annual remembrance
ceremony is held for some 3,900 Allied soldiers who died during in
World War II.
Where to stay: For both service and quality, it’s a close toss-up between the
Tiara Labuan and the
Grand Dorsett.
Getting there: There are daily flights to Labuan
Airport from Kuala Lumpur, Miri in Sarawak and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.
There is also an air-conditionied ferry to Brunei.
6. Layang-Layang: Isolation guaranteed
little more than a coral reef with a runway, the tiny island of
Layang-Layang is located some 300 kilometers northwest of the Sabah
capital of Kota Kinabalu (KK), the state to which it belongs.
A creation of the Malaysian Navy, which reclaimed land from the sea
in order to state the nation’s sovereignty over the Spratlys, that South
China Sea island group also claimed whole or in part by China, Taiwan,
Vietnam and the Philippines.
Surrounded by pristine waters that drop to 2,000 meters,
Layang-Layang is often ranked as one of the top 10 dive sites in the
world due to its remarkable array of marine life.
Due to the Navy's presence, the coral reef has been spared the
explosive damage caused by dynamite fishing and other destructive
practices, leading to underwater visibility of more than 40 meters.
Particularly of note are the schools of scalloped hammerhead sharks,
which can sometimes number in the hundreds, though you can also expect
to see manta rays, dolphins, barracuda and turtles.
Where to stay: Easy one to answer. At the only game in town, the traditional-styled
Layang Layang Island Resort run by the Avillion group.
Getting there: The only way in and out of this
Malaysia island is on a charter flight from Kota Kinbalu, with the price
included in the various packages offered by the only place to stay on
the island.
7. Sipadan: For hard-core divers
At the end of 2002, following a long dispute with Indonesia, the
International Court of Justice ruled that the island of Sipadan was
Malaysian.
The country, and the state of Sabah which it is part of, have reason
to be relieved. Sipadan is often rated as the world’s best dive site,
with a location in the centre of the planet’s most bio-diverse marine
habitat.
In order to protect the fragile ecosystem of this Malaysia holiday
destination, in 2004 the government ordered all of the dive resorts off
the island, banned night dives and set a limit of 120 divers per day.
The move worked, as the surrounding waters continue to teem with
life. It's home to 3,000 species of fish, hundreds of species of coral,
an abundance of rays and sharks and large populations of green and
hawksbill turtles –- so much so there is a famous turtle tomb, an
underwater labyrinth that has drowned many of the unfortunate sea
creatures.
Where to stay: As you are not allowed to stay on Sipadan itself, stay close by at the
Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort built on stilts over the water or
Sipadan Pom Pom Resort.
Getting there: It’s a 55-minute flight from Kota
Kinbalu to the town of Tawau, an hour’s drive to the even smaller
township of Semporna, and then a 40-minute speedboat ride.
8. Redang: For a "Summer Holiday"
The Redang archipelago actually consists of nine islands, namely
Lima, Paku Besar, Paku Kecil, Kerengga Besar, Kerengga Kecil, Ekor Tebu,
Ling, Pinang and Redang itself.
Together, they form a marine park situated 45 kilometers off the east Peninsular Malaysia state of Terengganu.
Unlike its close cousins, the backpacker-filled Perhentian islands to
the north, Redang is very much an upmarket destination, with mostly
resort accommodation on offer.
Accordingly, the island also has its own airport, served by Berjaya
Air, which since 2004 has flown daily to Kuala Lumpur’s Subang Airport
and Singapore’s Changi.
With excellently preserved coral, the main attractions of Redang are snorkeling, diving and the crystal clear waters.
You’ll need to stick close to the shoreline regardless, as the
interior is mostly impassable, apart from a road that connects the
airport with the coast.
In 2000, the Malaysian island was the setting for Hong Kong movie
"Summer Holiday," which featured Cantopop star Sammi Cheng and Taiwanese
heartthrob Richie Ren. The success of the film led to a sudden influx
of tourists.
Where to stay: The same company that owns the only airport and airline to fly in, also has the best place to stay,
The Taaras, by Berjaya. However, film fans should head to the
Laguna Redang Island Resort, where the colourful souvenir shop was a key setting in the movie "Summer Holiday."
Getting there: If you don’t want to pay to fly in
directly, the alternative is to fly to Kuala Terengganu, and then
continue by car and take a ferry from the port of Merang.
9. Rawa: For a weekend break
There aren’t many chances to stay on a Sultan’s private island. Rawa
is one. Owned by the family of the Sultanate of Johor, Rawa is a small
island 16 kilometers off the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia.
Only two resorts hug its white-sand fringed west coast, which is
accessible by boat from the mainland port of Mersing (also the departure
point for more distant Tioman).
Because of this exclusivity, Rawa attracts tourists looking for a
more secluded vacation. While the west coast is postcard perfect, the
rest of the shoreline consists of inaccessible, dramatic rocky cliffs
that plunge directly into the sea.
To check these out, take the easy way and rent a canoe or hike up
steep steps to the summit of the island, from where you have vantages of
the eastern shore, the coast of Johor and the other 12 small islands
that make up the Johor Marine Park.
As your choice of accommodation is limited -- it can often fill up
quick with young Singaporeans looking for a weekend getaway -- so book
up early.
Where to stay: There are only two places to stay on the island:
Rawa Island Resort or the smaller
Alang’s Rawa.
Getting there: From Kuala Lumpur, catch a bus or
drive to Mersing, from where regular ferries depart. Note that during
low season (November to March), ferry frequency can drop sharply.
10. Pangkor: Loved by locals
Despite measuring just eight square kilometres, Pulau Pangkor (pulau
is the Malay word for island) is one of the most popular beach getaways
in Malaysia -- among locals, that is.
Pangkor is one of the country's most accessible islands, yet it is
overwhelmingly the preserve of Malaysians, who head there every long
weekend for a little rest and relaxation.
There is little in terms of nightlife but instead you'll find
uncrowded sandy beaches, a huge variety of amazing local cuisine and
friendly people.
Where to stay: For a Malaysia holiday splurge, book a sea villa at the exclusive Pangkor Laut resort. This stunning one-of-a-kind property, part of the YTL group of hotels, has a small island all to itself. Or, try the
Pangkor Island Beach Resort.
Getting there: There are direct flights to the
island from Subang's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport via Kuala Lumpur, or
it's a 30 minute ferry ride from the town of Lumut.
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