Cuti-Cuti Malaysia: Pulau Pangkor

Day 1: 7th June 2019

After much delays and deliberation, we finally made it to Pulau Pangkor on the third Hari Raya. We had been talking about going there for quite some times and even did some research (read: Google-d) about where to stay, what to do there already - but for some reasons, it was not materialized until now 😁

As we were still entertaining guests the night before and had to do the clean up afterwards (penat teramat!), I did not finish packing our bags until the very few minutes before our departure. As a person who is terribly particular when it comes to packing, this was an ultimate nerve wracking task. Anyway, we made it, though we were left home almost two hours later than the planned departure time.

Getting There 

Despite of travelling during the peak season, the traffic was okay and we arrived at Lumut around 2 p.m. There are two ways to get to Pulau Pangkor from Lumut – either through the Lumut Jetty or Marina Island Jetty. We chose the latter as the travelling time was shorter (about 10-minutes as compared to 40-minutes via the Lumut Jetty) and it was said to be less crowded.

The Marina Island Jetty Terminal is situated at the Marina Island Pangkor – a man made island connected to the mainland by a 400 meter causeway bridge. There are a few options for car park at the Marina – covered, non-covered and VIP parking. The rates are of course different. The fixed daily rate for the open parking space was RM15/day for the peak season. We had to carry our bags all the way to the Terminal and it was quite a walking distance especially under the hot sun. So here goes Tips #1: Drop your luggage first at the loading bay before going to the car park. Tips #2: Wear comfortable clothes and shoes as quite a lot of movement is required. 

Then we went to buy the ferry tickets. The fare for the return tickets are RM14/adult and RM6/child under 12 years of age. The fare is the same with Lumut Jetty, so okaylah.  Tips #3: Remember to keep the tickets for the return trip.

The Jetty is spacious, clean and equipped with facilities like the restrooms, waiting area, café/restaurants (if I was not mistaken). The weather was scorching hot and we were quite tired already, so nobody including me was in the mood to take picture at the Marina. On normal days, the ferry is scheduled to depart every hour. When we got there, we were told that we just missed the 2.00 pm ferry. Ingat nak kena tunggu another hour. Luckily we decided to stay near the gate area and was being told by the gatekeeper that during peak season, they would increase the frequency of the trip. So not long after that another ferry had arrived and we got on board. Alhamdulillah. Here is the ferry schedule for easy reference:

Even if the Marina Jetty Terminal looked quite new, the ferry seemed to be quite dated especially the interior. Pendek kata not Instagram-able hehehe. But getting on the ferry was quite convenient for everybody including children and elderly – even my Mom with knee problem could get into it without much hassle. The ferry ride was smooth and quick. Tak sempat nak mabuk laut ke apa, tau-tau dah sampai hehehe.

Dalam ferry ~ tudung senget, double chin - don't care! Hehehe

Transportation & Accommodation

Pangkor is relatively a small island (approximately 22 km2 ) thus getting around the island is very easy. Many visitors rent the motorcycle, but I don’t think that it is a good idea if you are travelling with kids. No helmet and I could say the driving was not so safe too. Untuk ke tempat yang dekat, kami berjalan kaki (walaupun panas berlengas 😅). Other than that, we used the pink taxi (well it were vans actually) service. Flat rate RM15/trip for 4-5 passengers.

The kids kata teksi Black Pink!

We stayed at Puteri Bayu Beach Resort at Pasir Bogak. Sebenarnya dah lama simpan niat nak ke Nipah Guesthouse. Tapi tengok rate time cuti tu yang tinggal bilik RM700/malam sob sob sob. Puteri Bayu ni pun kira nekad je, sebab tengok review tak berapa ok. Tapi sebab harga online reasonable dan dikatakan dekat dengan pantai, kita cuba nasib. Alhamdulillah, ok je tempatnya untuk kami. Makan pun sedap - berasa walaupun variety tak banyak. Fasiliti hotel memang dah outdated, tapi still in working condition. Pendek kata hotel yang sempoi. Tips #4: If you prefer a quieter place, choose hotels near Pasir Bogak. Teluk Nipah is more crowded and happening.

The beach

The best part about this hotel is........Pasir Bogak beach is sooooo near! Depan bilik je! Lepas check-in, lunch dan hantar beg ke bilik, terus kami pergi survey pantai. Pantai pendek je, tapi tak ramai orang. Best!

This is what we came for!!

Chillin' by the beach

Lepas booked package untuk island hopping esok harinya, makan aiskrim, kami jalan-jalan di sekitar pekan beli sedikit cenderamata. Malam tu dinner kedai tomyam - musim raya kedai banyak tutup. 

Nothing much to see and do there.