Japamala Resort

A truly special place. Travelled as a family and we stayed the Penghulu House. A breathtaking master bedroom upstairs and a twin bedroom downstairs with a private pool. From the moment we stepped off the Mersing Ferry (make sure you book that early) Japamala greeted us and whisked us away for a very relaxing 7 days. We booked direct so we benefited from an amazing package which made it even more unforgettable. They looked after us so well, what a treat. The accommodation is first class and food very good. The sundowner drinks and breakfast were a highlight of our day - I’ve never been so excited to work my way through a juice menu with such amazing flavours. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to the staff who looked after us so well, everyone is so cheery and always greeted us with a smile and appreciated the lovely chats - the staff are a credit to the island. They did unfortunately have some monsoon damage but this is no way going to affect your stay, everything is amazing. Didn’t want to leave. Thank you Japamala

Nestled in pristine rain forest, the resort and its surroundings are quiet and serene, and turqoise blue clear waters. The wooden villas, restaurants, and walkways add rustic charm to the resort. We stayed at the Beach Sarang villa. It's spacious and clean. However, we find the interior of the villa rather dim. We also checked out the sea cliff villa. While the view from the sea cliff villa is breathtaking, the room itself is rather small. The manager Kenny and another staff, Bella, were very friendly and cheerful, but some waiting staff at the main restaurant were a bit slow, and some of the bartenders at the sunset bar appeared lukewarm, probably due to manpower shortage. Breakfast consists of a small buffet and a la carte menu. The buffet spread consists of salad, nasi lemak, turkey ham, cheese, porriage, homemade yoghurt, fresh fruits, bread and cake, food from the a la carte menu was rather disappointing, in terms of quality of the ingredients (e.g. the chicken sausage was dreadful), culinary skills (e.g. the chicken sandwich had way too much mayonaise/thousand island sauce, poached egg was cold, etc.) and plating skills. Nikoi Island (another eco luxury private island resort off Bintan) offers a higher quality and more sophisticated breakfast. The complimentary local afternoon tea during our stay was nothing to shout about, with a very small spread (about 3 items). We dined at both the Italian restaurant and the main restaurant serving Malaysian cuisine. We enjoyed the food at the Italian restaurant. The seafood was fresh. The price was reasonable (about MYR 230 for a salad, a pasta dish, and a main). We enjoyed the guided morning hike (about 20-30 min to the summit) and massage at the hotel spa. Overall, it was an enjoyable stay. Given the travel time (6-7 hrs from Singapore) and the price tag, we will return to this resort if the quality of breakfast improves.

A scenic sanctuary with rustic charm and excellent service. The food was carefully prepared and we loved having sundowners on the pier. Some aspects of the buildings and steps are a little faded and in need of repair but we did not mind as the place is remote and sits lightly in a beautiful natural environment. The team there took care of our every need.

Friends, I just can't keep quiet. YOU should know what awaits you at this "Paradise" resort. And what awaits you is a dirty and small beach, disgusting cuisine, destroyed infrastructure and very polite staff. Yes, the staff, unlike everything else, was welcoming and friendly. But, this is not enough to drive a thousand kilometers and be disappointed. Yes, you can interrupt your vacation and they will even promise to return your money! Amazing, right? Don't flatter yourself! You will not get your money back! At least I have been waiting for a refund for more than a month! So, my advice to you is - DON'T GO THERE.

Small, private resort by the beach with decent snorkling. Bigger fish due to protected area. They arrange snorkling and diving tours at competitive prices, providing snorkling equipment, fruit, water. We tried a trip to Renggis Island, very many fish, recommended. Massage was professional. Competitive pricing. We stayed 6 nights in a Seacliff Chalett with balcony and sea view. Clean, checked several times a day, incl. drinking water. Comfortable bed, working aircondition and fan (needed), separate wash room, bathroom with access to balcony, balcony with private feel and great view. Visits by birds, squirrels and monkeys, which were friendly - dominant male needed a show of power at day one and since then we agreed to mutual respect. 3 restaurants were open: Malay with western options especially for breakfast. Italian, and finally a grill restaurant for evenings and sundown drinks on the jetty. Great breakfast, many options, free juices and lassies, fruits, incl. nice details such as homemade yoghurt and toasting your bread over coal. Tried the Italian restaurant once, all dishes were superb. Grill restaurant offered fresh fish but also classic grill menu with burgers, and angus steak, spid, etc. and sunset cocktails. Diet: All staff very observant re. glutenfree for one person. You can walk to Genting, a bit tricky due to lack of maintenance of pathways/bridges, and easier continuing on to Paya. Took taxiboat back - got booking help from the restaurant right by the jetty. Also, worth walking a short but steep path up to a view site, just above the resort. Professional operation by Kenny and team. Very friendly staff, always ready to help, personal touch. Many small details increased the personal touch - I won’t mention them to allow you to have the full experience. Install WhatsApp for communications. Transport: We took the CataFerry from Mersing Jetty (check your tickets from which Jetty) and Japamala arranged a taxi boat. Came early to Mersing because sometimes there are delays at the boarder, and stayed a couple of hours in service center accross the street, providing printing of tickets, restaurant, a bit of shopping. Con: Malay restaurant would benefit from more music variation ;-) Note that taxiboat is needed to move away from the resort, price competitive if booked by resort, but requires a bit of planning. Reuse of building materials gave a slight “worn” experience but appreciated tradeoff considering the environmental focus of the resort.