Southeast Asia has wonderful destinations and I believe that the best beaches and islands in the world are there. It is a distant destination, many hours of flight, but the payoff is great so it is worth getting on the plane and traveling sometime.
Malaysia It is a constitutional monarchy made up of several territories whose capital is Kuala Lumpur. It has a population of around 30 million people so it is one of the most populated countries in the region. Precious is the word that many use to describe this country. Find out why!
The best islands in Malaysia
The islands of Malaysia they are very diverse so there is something for all types of traveler but if you like the sun and the sea, the offer is incredible. Any choice will be filtered by personal points of view, but it is as I told you above, you have to travel and discover for yourself.
Among the most beautiful islands are the Stop. They are on the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia and are a great destination among backpackers of the world. They have the clearest waters and that is why you can go snorkelling steps from the beach and delight yourself with the rich marine fauna.
From the fishing villages you can get on a boat and go for a walk to see sharks and sea turtles or enjoy a sunset. And not to mention getting lost in the sunset lying around a fire.
There are accommodations of all types and pricesFrom the expensive ones like the Tuna Bay island Resort to the cheaper ones like the Abdul Chalet. To get there you have to take a bus in Kuala Lumpur, at Hentian Putra Station, and travel nine hours. Or fly from the capital to Kota Bharu and take a taxi to Kuala Besut on the coast.
Tioman it is another lovely island. It is quite popular in the tourist market since Time magazine baptized it as the most beautiful island in the world in the 70. Tourism has transformed it quite a bit since then but the villages are still charming and the accommodation offer is varied.
You can get there by ferry from Singapore or by bus from anywhere in Malaysia to Mersing and from there travel by boat for two hours. Or on small planes from Kuala Lumpur as well. Do you like Asian luxury?
So fate is Langkawi. Legend has it that it is a cursed island, although luck changed when in the 80s it was decided to orient the island's economy towards tourism. The entire island is duty-free so as of today it's great.
You have hotels, beaches, restaurants, tourist activities and a spectacular cableway of 2.200 meters that reaches 710 meters in height and allows you to appreciate it in all its beauty. In terms of accommodation, you can choose from a boutique hotel in a former coconut plantation to the Four Seasons.
To get there you will not have any problem because there are daily flights from everywhere.
For some more Malay history and heritage you can go to Penang, once considered the Pearl of the East in the British Empire. It was important in the English trade routes between India and the rest of Asia and although it fell into oblivion with the political changes of the XNUMXth century, it has managed to reinvent itself as a tourist destination.
Georgetown is World Heritage according to UNESCO, for example, and the government has invested in improving public transport, planting new trees, making pedestrian zones and cultural events. It is popular for its street food stalls and tourists usually arrive by plane because it has an international airport.
If you like diving, a very good destination is Labuan, an island dedicated to finance with thousands of offshore companies. Financial haven for white-collar thieves, we could say, it even has its own Formula 1 circuit.
But as I said, under the waters there are hidden treasures for divers and there are australian, american ships and even a kind of war cemetery. Every year, for example, the deaths of 3900 Allied soldiers in World War II are remembered.
For a lonely stay, one of those that make you sink into your mind, there is the island by Layang-Layang. It is an island born from land reclaimed from the sea to set a flag in an area claimed by China and other countries.
Crystal clear waters with depths that plunge abruptly more than two thousand meters into the coast is another paradise for divers. It is counted, in fact, among the ten best dive sites in the world. There is a beautiful coral reef and 40 meters of visibility assured. And sharks, dolphins, barracudas, turtles, and stingrays.
Another island mecca for diving is sipadan although in order not to endanger the ecosystem for some time now, only 120 divers are allowed per day. Corals, thousands of fish, sharks, turtles of all kinds and there is even a turtle cemetery under the waters.
The islands redang, the private island rawa with its elegant resorts (all owned by the sultan) and Pangkor Island, with their Malay spirit intact are still on the list.
The best beaches in Malaysia
Now it is the turn of the beaches. Having dozens of islands in Malaysia then there are hundreds of lovely beaches and many of them are hardly known so they are cheap, have fewer tourists and are more natural.
The most popular are on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula.. They are easy to reach because there are cheap flights and they are the favorite destination for weekend getaways. Here are the beaches of redang, those of the islands Stop and the marine parks of the island Tioman.
On the other hand, there are beaches on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. I'm talking about the duty-free island of langwaki, with small but beautiful beaches and a lot of tourist life, without monsoon season that affects them and with unforgettable waterfalls, the beaches of the island Pangkor and Borneo, an island shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
The important thing when visiting Malaysia and its islands and beaches is escape the monsoon. The monsoon season is between November and March, on the east coast. It rains a lot. Afterwards it is necessary to bring a lot of sunscreen and insect repellent.
The rest, the desire to have a good time and enjoy an earthly paradise seems to me never to be lacking.
Interesting article but the monsoons are not clear to me. If I go in October to which islands could I visit that did not have bad weather ?!