Daydreaming in Private Paradise

Gem Island getaway

Daydreaming in this idyllic private paradise is the perfect ending to your Malaysia trip. In a popular holiday destination like Malaysia you’d barely expect to find a beach all to yourself, but on Gem Island and neighbouring Kapas you can actually pick your own private little piece of island. The islands are some of Malaysia’s best-kept secrets and at just 15-minute by boat from the mainland at Kuala Terengganu the island draws mainly Malaysians looking for a place to relax on the weekends. Don’t expect to find any lively beaches like on Perhentian or Tioman, and the islands considerably smaller than Lang Tengah. Instead what you come here for is the low-key atmosphere and ultimate privacy.

We fell in love with the tiny Gem Island as soon as we set our bare feet on the soft sand. The friendly resort staff will make your stay here as comfortable as possible, whether it’s daydreaming on your private beach you’re after, swimming with sea turtles or taking a canoe to the neighbouring island.

Duration:	4 days / 3 nights Departure daily from March - mid October	Accommodation:	3 nights in island resort accommodation category 4
Price:	from $339 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes:	accommodation with breakfast, transfers
Transport:	boat	Excludes:	other meals

Day 1 - Boat from Marang to Gem Island

From Kuala Terengganu it’s a 30-minute drive to Marang, where you can catch the boat to Gem Island. We can arrange a transfer for you, or you can drop off your hire car here. There are four crossings daily, depending on the weather. Departure times are 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm. On Fridays there’s no 1pm crossing as the time coincides with the local Muslim prayer time. We’ll find out the best departure time to fit the arrival from your previous destination in your itinerary.

As the boat sets off from the mainland you can already make out the shape of Gem Island and Kapas on the horizon. Just 15 minutes later you’ll step onto the jetty of your tiny island resort. Welcome to Gem Island Malaysia! Once you’ve checked in you’ll be shown to your room where you can begin to soak up the island atmosphere. Depending on your arrival time have some lunch at the resort. The restaurant’s excellent as you can tell by the exotic, mouth-watering aromas wafting out of the kitchen. The rest of the day you can keep yourself entertained with swimming, sunbathing and dozing on the beach. If you can drag yourself away from the idyllic beach, you can walk all the way around the island at low tide.

Day 2 and 3 - Gem Island

Start your day by slowly wandering over to the restaurant for a tasty breakfast. In the morning we went on a snorkelling trip with Runi in his speedboat. If you’re with a small group you’ll pay around £2-3 per person including goggles, snorkel and flippers. The coral reef at the other side of Gem and close to the beach of neighbouring Kapas is where you’ll find the most fish – and if you’re lucky a sea turtle.

Later on we hired a kayak to paddle over to Kapas, popular with backpackers, for a fantastic lunch of nasi goreng at the Makcik Gemok (literally Fat Lady) resort before paddling on to one of the many deserted beaches where we spent the rest of the day. Remember to bring water, sunscreen and some food, and your day in private paradise couldn’t be more perfect. In the evening after dinner at the resort we headed to the makeshift reggae café at the end of the beach on Kapas. As Runi to take you in his boat. If you’d rather enjoy a more peaceful ending to your day, your private balcony is a wonderful spot to just sit back and watch the sunset.

Day 4 - Boat from Gem Island to Merang

We thought three nights on Gem Island was enough to fully enjoy the tropical paradise and recharge out batteries, but if your itinerary allows it you might want to stick around a bit longer. Just let us know in your quote request form if you’d like us to book a couple of extra days for you.

The boat back to the mainland leaves at 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm (except Fridays) and 3.30pm. At the end of this module most travellers take a flight from Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Lumpur for their connecting flight back home. We can arrange this domestic flight for you as part of an international flight, or with a local airline like Air Asia. If necessary we can also book an extra night in a comfortable resort in Merang before flying out the next day.

If this isn’t the end of your trip around Malaysia, then you might want to continue with our module At Home with the Malay, where you’ll spend the night as a guest of a local Malaysian family. For more tropical island delights, you can go island-hopping along the other paradise islands along the east coast.

Accommodation images

Malaysia Gem Island - Sea turtle hatching

Turtle hatchery on Gem Island in Malaysia

Your resort on Gem Island has its own turtle hatchery. In turtle season, from July – September, turtle monitors will collect the newly-laid eggs along the beaches of Gem Island and Kapas to relocate them to a safer spot by the resort where they’re buried in the sand. As soon as they hatch the baby turtles are released into a pool where they for the next 6 months they can grow and gather strength before being released into the sea. The turtle pool is next to the swimming pool so it’s almost like you’re swimming with them.

After the 6 month period the young turtles are transferred to cages in the sea. Initially they’ll be fed by the turtle monitors, then gradually taught to find their own food before being released into the big blue underwater world. Adult males will stay in the area while the women head further until breeding season, when they return to their loyally waiting mates. Feel free to ask the resort staff if you want to find out more about their work with the turtles. If the season’s good you might even be able to join them on a watch; sitting quietly on the beach in the middle of the night waiting for a turtle to lay her eggs…

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