Pangkor is the relaxation watering-hole of local Malaysians. Although not as famous and developed as the more well-known Langkawi, Pangkor it is much close to KL (a 3 ½ hour drive from KL to Lumut – or 5 hour bus ride since the busses here stop at many places along the way, or short flight from Subang airport), and infinitely more laid back.
Getting There
We took the bus from Puduraya bus station – which costs RM24.50 each way (from KL – Lumut). The bus station is in walking distance from the Pasar Seni LRT stop, and pretty much attached to Plaza Rakyat LRT station – so basically the most convenient transportation hub outside KL Sentral. We decided on the Transnasional bus company, because you can purchase round trip tickets (some of the others only let you purchase one way). As we were going over the Raya (Eid) Islamic holidays, we wanted to ensure a seat so purchasing in advance was a must. The bus was, well, ok – the seats were a bit tightly packed in, but overall I can’t have too many complaints. What else can you expect for RM24.50 for a 5 hour drive? However, next time I will try to convince some friends with a car to come along, so we can shorten the drive time immensely.
Once we arrived in Lumut, we walked directly to the jetty. Now being Malaysia, there are absolutely no signs from the bus station – so FYI the best bet is to just walk towards the water and then look for the jetty signs. The ferry is RM10 – round trip – which is a pretty great deal considering that the picturesque ride is about 30 minutes each way. If you are lucky enough to get onto a boat with outside standing areas, definitely go outside. The views are spectacular. We were there about midday, and were able to see fishing boats coming back from their morning run, birds soaring in the skies and towering evergreen hills.Accommodations
Upon arriving, we hired one of the Pepto Bismol – colored taxi vans. These vans go all over the island. A trip to Teluk Nipah ran RM15 (for the two of us). Teluk Nipah is the most popular beach area, with a plethora of discount and mid-range chalets and hostels. We reserved in advance, thinking it would be sold out for the long holiday weekend, but were surprised to see how many vacancies were available. Apparently November is off-season for Pangkor (rightfully so since it rained for a few hours every day). In the future, I probably wouldn’t book in advance during off-season, as I could have gotten a much better deal that I did.
We ended up staying at Nipah Bay Villas. Overall the place is charming: the owners are great, and they even have a free book exchange library where you can give them your old book in return for a new one. My husband and I took full advantage of this – bringing 4 books from home to exchange! Books can also be purchased or rented. In addition, they have a nice garden area surrounding each of their chalets. We stayed in a family room, instead of a chalet (as the chalets were not available online), and were disappointed that we missed out on staying in something nicer for practically the same price. The only downside to the place is their restaurant. Although it looks nice, it’s quite overpriced and not as good as some of the other places we ate at.
Activities
Like my advice for Langkawi, do not book any activities in advance. My chalet was advertising snorkeling for RM45 per person, whereas directly on the beach you could get it for RM20 (with RM5 for snorkel rental). We ended up snorkeling, as you guessed. The snorkeling takes place on Coral Island – which is a short boat ride across the bay (the smaller of the two outlying islands). It was our first snorkeling experience as we did not know what to expect. Overall, I don’t think I would do it again. Although we could see some brightly colored fish, crabs, a few (and I mean few) coral and some sea cucumbers, the experience was not worth all the effort it entailed. Chiefly, on the side of the island that is roped off for snorkeling, the group is so slippery and sharp (shell-based razorblades sticking out of the rock ready to cut anything that grazes over) that everyone, and I mean everyone was cut up and bleeding – on their feet, hands, legs, arms, etc. We were really careful and still got cuts on our hands and legs. It totally put a damper on things, as the salt water stung our cuts, and we were mortified at getting into and out of the water. Additionally, there were soooo many boats coming and going from the tiny island – dropping off hordes of tourists (and this was off-season) – that you got completely seasick from the constant heavy rocking of the water – blurring your vision of the little you could see below. It was cool to see the things we did, but the experience left us not ever wanting to try snorkeling again. With that said, if you do go, definitely go to the other end of the island – where it’s not roped off (there is still a lot of people snorkeling over there). There is way more to see, and the sea floor is not nearly as slippery or jagged.
We also checked out Pangkor town (the small fishing village located at the ferry exit). It’s quite picturesque with a few restaurants, bakeries and shops. We peered into a few, but didn’t end up buying anything. It’s a nice time-pass for an hour or two – especially if you want to travel back in time to experience simple Malaysian life. The village contains both Malay and Chinese touches, which added to the history and mystique.
Finally, and most importantly, we spent a ton of time at the beach. As our accommodations were in Teluk Nipah, we started out at Teluk Nipa beach. This was the most crowded beach (although not really, considering there were less than 50 people in the water at any time). The sand and surf are nice and enjoyable.
However, we soon discovered that we could also check out emerald bay – which is about a 5 minute walk north from Teluk Nipah. This was an extraordinary beach – almost secluded (with less than 15 people there when we went). The waters here were emerald green (hence the name) – yet almost crystal clear when you get close. There are two restaurants on the beach: Island 1 Café and Daddy’s Café. We ate at Island 1 Café – Yummy!!! as discussed below.
Food
The food in Pangkor is very hit or miss.
Hits
Island 1 Café: Malay, Chinese, Thai and Western food (primarily seafood). Their nyona shrimp is to-die-for (garlic, lemongrass and turmeric – need I say more) and their sweet and sour chicken reminds me of the States (both pictured). Great ambiance – being right on the beach at sunset. The prices are a little more than at other places (about RM40 for 2 ppl – eating light), but the quality of the food is more than worth it.
Ikan Bakar stall with yellow sign (see picture) right on the teluk nipah beachfront: The best, best, best restaurant on the island. You pick your fish and ask for it ikan bakar (ikan means fish and bakar means toasted or frilled) style (grilled over an open flame). So delicious, especially since they butter the fish before placing it in between banana leaves on the grill. The fish is moist and perfectly done. We got the cheapest fish – not knowing what to choose. In addition to fish you can also get crabs (ketam) and squid (sotong). Their crabs looked really good cooked in this read sauce (not sure what it was). In addition to this, definitely order the kueh teow char – fat rice noodles in the succulent brown garlic sauce with shrimp and scallions. Also try their freshly squeezed orange juice – seriously the best orange juice I’ve ever ever ever had in my entire life. We liked it so much we ordered it 3 times over the weekend.
The owner of this restaurant also has another restaurant that is only open for breakfast and lunch (pictured). The other restaurant is across the street – near the Mini Mart. If you are on the main road by the beach, and see the cross street that Nipah Bay Villa’s is on, look to the restaurant on the corner of the street (Mini Mart is on other corner). They have no sign outside, and a small yellow menu board on the inside. Their breakfast is so-so, but their lunch is quite delicious. I had the nasi goring kampong (friend rice with salted anchovies – true Malay classic) and my husband had kueh teow goring. Both were great – with fresh orange juice of course.Misses
· Nipah Bay Villa Café: too expensive, food quality only so-so
· Pretty much any other stall on the teluk nipah beahfront (other than the one with the yellow sign I described above). We tried a few and didn’t eat anything memorable – other than remembering to never go there again.
· Any breakfast place. We were not able to find any fresh breakfast – only hours old food that has been sitting out in the sun (and we went to eat around 9AM – so it’s not like we are up really late or anything).
As always, if you have any questions and your heading that way, let me know and I can give suggestions.
