Malaysia homestay experience - Terengganu

At home with the Malay - Malaysia homestay experience

Travelling in a foreign country and experiencing new cultures you’ll often find yourself wondering what everyday life is like for the locals here. What are their daily routines, their traditions, how do they eat together, what do they do in their spare time? Our Malaysian homestay experience will give you the answer to all these questions and give you a fascinating insight into the daily life of the Malay.

You’ll be staying with a friendly Malaysian family in a well-maintained home. During your stay you’ll get to experience their daily life, especially the Malaysian hospitality and sense of humour. During a river boat trip you’ll explore the mangrove forests and visit a traditional kampung with wooden houses and admire the local crafts. The module ends with a relaxing stay in a resort in the peaceful fishing village of Merang. For an even more in-depth experience of Malaysian life, check out our module Creative kampung life.
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Departure daily from March - mid October
Accommodation: 1 night in double room at home with your Malaysian hosts, 1 night in comfortable resort directly on Merang beach
accommodation category 2 and 4

Price:

from $379 per person - based on 2 peopl7 sharing
Includes:

transfers, accommodation with breakfast, 1x lunch & dinner during homestay, rivier safari

Transport:

car or minibus, boat

Excludes:

other meals

Day 1

From Kuala Terengganu you’ll be transferred to your hosts in the small town of Teluk Ketapang where you’ll be welcomed with open arms by your extremely friendly hosts. They speak reasonably good English, though the first thing you’ll hear is “Selamat Datang”, ‘welcome’ in Malaysian.

The home in which you’ll be staying is reasonably luxurious, tidy and well-maintained. As you settle in you can get to know the family a bit better and talk about daily life in Malaysia. You can watch dinner being prepared by traditional methods and learn to play some traditional Malaysian games like kite-flying and congkok, a type of board game. They’ll also be happy to show the surrounding area and introduce you to their family and friends. Make yourself at home, Malaysians are very reserved and polite but above all they’re extremely welcoming. Everyone’s addressed as “Abang” or “Kakak”, literally brother, or sister and elders are respectfully called “Uncle” or “Auntie”. It’s all one big happy family! 

Travel time: approximately 1 hour
Malaysia homestay experience
Malaysian homestay tour

Day 2

After breakfast it’s time to explore real Malaysian life and hop onto a small boat for a relaxed boat trip up the river. Monkeys keep a cheeky eye on you as they swing between the branches and if you look closely you may even spot a monitor lizard hiding on the muddy banks. After lunch you can wander around the area and observe the daily goings on of the locals. Buy some dodol sweets made of sugar cane in one of the small shops. Incredibly sweet but delicious. The people in this area live a modest life with limited means but they’re happy, and it shows. Later that afternoon you’ll say goodbye to your hosts and transferred to your resort in Merang, a sleepy fishing town where you can spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool or on the beach. If you’d like to experience more authentic Malaysia, take a taxi to one of the nearby kampungs along the coast. In the evening, if the weather’s clear and dry you can go on a fire fly boat trip from the resort after dark.

Day 3

Later this morning you'll make your way to your next destination. If you'd like to spend some more time in Merang, we can book a couple of extra days for you. Just let us know in your quote request form and we'll arrange it for you.

Check out our beach module Daydreaming in private paradise for a tropical grand finale to your Malaysia trip. You'll be staying in a comfortable island resort with beaches so deserted you'll have the place all to yourself. In a rented canoe you can paddle over to the neighbouring island for some low-key island nightlife. For more tropical getaways, have a look at our otherTropical gems along the east coast.

Click here for a map of Malaysia.

Malaysia homestay experience - Build up some good friendships

 

Accommodation images

Malaysia homestay experience in Kuala Terengganu


     

  Resort in Merang

  



Click here for the
quote request form
or
For inspiration check out our
suggested itineraries