Help Me Pick a Beach Destination Between SIN & KUL
 

We (couple + 9 y.o. boy) have 5-6 nights in late July between SIN-KUL. Looking for a beach destination within 2-3h flight max between our stay in SIN and KUL.

Accommodation budget is U$100-200/night. Looking mostly beach and pool, but would enjoy a place with good food, interesting culture. Don't need a hellish "kids club" style places, just places which would welcome a well-behaved chid. Bali could fit the bill, but too chaotic? Phuket? Langkawi, Koh Samui, Perhentians, Vietnam...?

All ideas welcome!

Krabi

Langkawi

IMHO, Bali is a terrible place for beaches, especially if you want to avoid chaos. Phuket is almost as bad. Go to Bali for the temples and the jungle. Don't go to Phuket at all (beaches not great, Patong is terrible).

Phuket and Krabi would normally be my recommendations. I really like Koh Lanta. However, it is the rainy season. Considering you’re going in July, have you looked at Pulau Tioman? I believe Berjaya Air flies from both KL and Singapore. You can also go by bus and ferry.

You could try Kota Kinabalu. 2.5 hours from KUL/SIN. Plenty of hotels in town or secluded beachfront resorts within an hour's reach. Lots of pristine islands just off the coast for the day. Or stay on some of the islands. Gaya Island for one.

not sure but make sure you err on the side of Malaysia over SIN due to cost

This is also an option worth looking at. But be prepared for rain.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm surprised to see Phuket written off. I thought there were nice spots?

Langkawi: I've actually been over 20 years ago (stayed at the Berjaya). Would love to stay at Datai but that's well outside my budget, unfortunately.

Pulau Tioman sounds intriguing. Any recommendations for decent mid priced resorts?

And Kota Kinabalu got me thinking that I could actually mix a bit of other activities around Sabah.

Desaru also had come up on a search but it looks like the area might be somewhat uninteresting.

Am nowhere nearer to a decision, but got plenty for a deep dive!

Have you thought of Nikoi? Pricey, but plenty of beach and water sports.

Can't comment on other Bintan destinations.

https://nikoi.com/

Reading the thread was going to suggest looking at Bintan Island as well. We had a few extra days on a longer Hong Kong - Singapore trip several years ago (just before the pandemic) and my wife wanted a break. Caught the ferry and spent a few days at the Club Med on Bintan Island and it was great . My boys 9 and 3 had a great time. My wife and I liked it enough we are trying another Club Med family oriented place this winter. Beaches not be as nice as other places mentioned but very easy to get to and you can get a little exposure to Indonesian culture. Club Med is probably about $600/night for your family but perhaps when you consider the savings of not another flight and all food included, it could make sense -- or if you can find a deal. Or take a look at other hotels on Bintan Island.

Geographically, Cherating? Tanjung Inn was nice when we stayed there.

I see a Hyatt Regency in Kuantan. Is renting a car in Johor Bahru and driving there (can then also fit Cherating) and on to KL a good idea? Or flying better?

Also tempted by Bintan with a Four Points and a Tribute Collection option.

Nothing wrong with a road trip as it is a nice way to see rural Malaysia. It can be slow and not very nice though (on the west coast) but I think the east coast is still good. I drove from Kota Bahru to JB 7 years ago and it was good for the most part though lots of palm tree plantations in the southeast corner of Johore. Roads weren't too busy back then except around the major towns/cities. FWIW, Sixt and Avis offer O/W KUL <=> JHB rates (I've booked for each for early next year, but there's a limit on the number of cars they'll allow so it's been showing sold out for my dates for the past few weeks).

Desaru is a beach possibility but waves can be rough (Cherating is sheltered) and subject to shipping oil polllution.

Just read recent reviews of property. Malaysian hotels seem to fall apart fast. I suspect that part of the issue is using imported fixtures of which replacements are not easily obtainable and then there is competency of the maintenance staff (and to be fair, probably their lackof access to parts and tools).

It's rainy season in Phuket and Langkawi (doesn't rain all day but not the cloudless blue sky you'd expect). Rainiest months are September to November. Wouldn't recommend Bali or Phuket if you want a beach (pool sure). It's dry season in Bali.

Perhentians will be nice but not the easiest to get there. You'd have to fly to Kota Baru and take a 1 hour Grab (uber) ride down to Besut jetty that'd cost around $20USD one way. There's only 1 major international chain hotel there and that's Marriott. $200/night will not fit your budget at the Marriott Perhentian (more like $300+/night). The rest of the accommodation in Perhentian can range from a backpacker campsite to a nicer hotel. Don't recall any hotels with a nice pool at Perhentian other than the Marriott and maybe Mimpi resort. Most places in Perhentian serves the same Malaysian food with a few international options.

Tioman will be nice but you'd need to drive or take a bus there. Other places in Malaysia include Kota Kinabalu with nice international chain hotels and you can take day trips to nearby islands (or you can stay at some of the islands resorts too e.g. Gaya Island Resort / Bungaraya Resort or go to Pulau Mantanani [island]). Plenty of culture and local food in Kota Kinabalu. If you are more adventurous, you could drive to Kudat and stay near the tip of Borneo (Simpang Megayau) - the northern most point of Borneo island. There are a few nice locally run beach villas there.

Vietnam will be very hot in July. Koh Samui is very much overdeveloped from what I hear but I haven't been back in over 15 years. There are no direct flights from Koh Samui to KL tho.

I can't say for sure all of Phuket is as disappointing as my experience, but it is the reason I am selective about my destinations today and disregard marketing photos.

On the other hand, I enjoyed Khao Lak up the coast, a more manageable beach destination (at least in 2015).

July is dry (good) season for Kuantan and east coast Malaysia. The Hyatt there is good enough for cat1 redemption. The suites (confirmable by certs or book directly w/8k pts) are gorgeous with nice ocean view. Beach itself is decent with lots of locals (covered from head to toe). No problem driving from KL and JB.