Japamala Resort

Japamala is a very special resort. The location is so beautiful, quiet and full of nature. The gently lapping sea and perfect yellow sand is great for a relaxing beach resort and better than anywhere else in the world I have been. The resort is described as rustic luxurious and everything lives up to that name. The villas are large and well set out with lovely touches like the passion fruit tea and other little treats. Ours was high up in the jungle and we loved looking out at the trees and getting visited by the wildlife around. The island is famous for its sealife and we spent so much time in the water seeing so many fish, turtles and dolphins. What really makes the resort are the staff. They are so helpful, friendly and really know how to make you feel special. All our trips were organised by them and we really appreciated them providing towels, water and fruit when snorkeling. Sundown on the pier with cocktails was our favourite time of the day, watching the sun go down and enjoying the company of the staff. Occasionally we would eat the fabulously cooked freshly caught fish on the pier. Other times we loved the Malaysian food on the restaurant cooked by our favourite cook. The highlight of the week was dinner on the beach which was so romantic. Thank- you to all the staff for making this such a great return visit. We would definitely come again.

Okay the journey to get here may be convoluted dependent upon your starting point but the travel is part and parcel of the experience and unless you have need to clock watch then just go with the flow. A ferry from Mersing to Genting (with Cataferry) took about 1hr 15 minutes where we were greeted with an enthusiastic wave from Robert the Japamala manager. Assisting Robert at the quay were a number of staff from the resort to help with luggage. A short hop along the coast in the resorts own boat captained by Christopher brought us to the Japamala jetty and a greeting from Mike the assistant resort manager and restaurant manager. We were led to our home for the next 7 days - The delightful Penghulu House situated a stone's throw from the crystal clear South China sea and we were immediately struck by the calmness and tranquillity of the house and its location. We had opted for the 7 night inclusive package taking full advantage of the inclusions - a snorkelling session, romantic beach dinner with set menu, nightly sundowners on the jetty, a massage, afternoon tea and daily laundry. We also opted to take the included trip + walk to a nearby waterfall. Japamala is surrounded by nature, no matter where your accommodation is you will be sure to come across the native wildlife. We were privileged to be close enough to the sea to observe from our balcony fish swimming, lizards climbing trees and Malaysian giant black squirrels scurrying along between trees and visits from resident long tail macaque. Breakfast allowed for a lazy start to the day, the buffet was available until about 11am and the a la carte options until 3pm and both offered some very tasty options During our visit we enjoyed eating in the main restaurant and on the jetty serving BBQ fish and sea food. The main restaurant doesn't have an extensive evening menu but on the whole is good. We were slightly disappointed with a lamb curry, having travelled in South East Asia on a number of occasions we felt the spice level and flavours were a little lacking, that said I dare say had we asked for an uplift in the spice department it would have been delivered. The BBQ fish on the jetty was probably our favourite evening meals. To have the sundowners whilst watching the sun setting was so peaceful and relaxing. The variety and freshness of the catch to follow was exemplary. Price wise as with and fish restaurant we have been to the fish/sea food is sold by weight, for example a 600g Golden Snapper at 52 MYR per 100g and with the addition of local tax came in at 361 MYR or £69 - BBQ Prawns (6) 78.88MYR or £15 and 2 BBQ Squid 81 MYR or £15.52. Other fish was available, Grilled Grouper @ 44 MYR + tax and Sea bass. The Romantic Dinner! I have always shied away from the 'Dinner on the Beach' concept due to the fear of the sun setting and fading light making things difficult to see. This fear came true when try as we might we had to revert to the torch on the i-phone. An improvement in lighting or repositioning of the table would go some way to improving the ambiance. The menu for this 'Dinner on the Beach' was very good but for us we were slightly over faced with the quantity but certainly not the quality. Every member of staff we interacted with were all quite charming and willing to engage in conversation. The house keeping was provided by Akash and Taizul and was exceptional in both quality and thoughtfulness The restaurant was overseen by Mike assisted by Saw and Sameer, professional ever willing to serve and ensuring our needs were met. Chef's Boi and I QA produced some very nice food for the main restaurant and perfectly cooked fish/sea food on the jetty after the Sundowners. We also need to mention the hard working ground staff A Saw and Robin who always had a smile and acknowledged our presence and the lady in the spa providing us with a great massage. A big shout out to Robert for taking the time to listen to our observations. For anyone contemplating a visit to Japamala don't go expecting marble floors and crystal chandeliers, this is a small rustic but luxury resort in the middle of nature. Japamala resort is true to its concept, it provided us with the peace and tranquillity we had been looking for. Yes Japamala SUCKED us into a world of calm serenity where our inner wellbeing was recharged and refreshed. Would we return? absolutely in a heartbeat.

We thoroughly enjoyed our two-night stay at Japamala. The cliffside house was truly fantastic. It was a little unfortunate that the heavy rainfall limited our ability to participate in activities such as kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling. Perhaps fishing at the jetty would be a good alternative for the rainy season. I also wanted to extend my sincere thanks for the motion sickness medicine that resort manager tried very hard to get for me—it was exceptionally helpful.

Best place I have stayed in. The Sea cliff view chalet was absolutely stunning! We would return again for sure. The beach is beautiful too and the staff are very professional. Special thank you to Rocco who took us on a hike to the highest point of the resort that really made our day. All in all 5 stars, dinner portions must be larger though but the fact that you get room service twice a day is actually EPIC

This unpolished gem will beguile you from the moment you walk from the sundowner over the water bar to the reception. Sea cliff rooms are perched over looking the South China Sea and golden beach below. Rooms are rustic with luxury bedding. Glamping at its finest. The staff are the secret ingredient and make the magic happen. Italian restaurants is authentic and fabulous. The mineral swimming Pool is formed around the bedrock which is positioned below the Italian restaurant with stunning views of the ocean. Getting to and from Tioman Island is a bit of a journey as the ferry service can be spontaneous so patience will be required. In the end it’s all part of the experience of traveling and making memories.