Our last beach vacation was back in 2019 to Phuket. This year, we actually wanted to return to Redang Island, but February is still a bit too early. Then I saw a friend's post on Instagram of her kid going down a giant orange water slide straight into the ocean. I knew immediately I had to go see this place.
That's how I ended up booking a 3-night stay in a 3-bedroom waterfront bungalow at Rawa Island Resort!
It only took me a week to plan it out. The bungalow was big enough to fit up to 8 adults. So, I invited my parents and sister to join us. It was about time since our last vacation together to Bali was 6 years ago.
The Sweetness
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As I stepped onto the wooden jetty, I thought to myself, "Is three nights going to be enough?"
The island is beautiful. The way the resort is laid out against the island backdrop is just perfect. The 4-minute walk from the reception to our bungalow felt like a dream; The sea on our left and lush, green forest on our right.
The bungalow is huge and as the term "waterfront" suggests, the view from every angle is unobstructed with unlimited panorama of the South China Sea. Each room has direct access to the oversized balcony. The outdoor master bathroom lets you shower under the sun, moon and stars.
Sleeping with the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks literally underneath your bed was so calming. Experiences like these only come your way every so often. And I didn't realize spotting playful crabs on the rocks could be so much fun!
We love our morning walks around the island. There is incredible beauty all around us, no matter where we look. It is impossible to take bad pictures around here and the view from the hilltop was breathtaking. Subhanallah!
The Bitterness
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The furniture in the bungalow could use a serious update. They are cheap and outdated, I wouldn't even consider displaying them in my own house. Overall, the resort is overpriced. The buffets are abysmal. It doesn't even include access to a decent coffee machine, ice creams or juices. I mean, we are on an island, for God's sake!
On the day of arrival, there was an earthquake in Sumatera. Tremors were reported as far away as Pahang. I guess that was probably one of the reasons the sea condition was very rough that day. My wife couldn't handle the boat ride from Mersing, she threw up halfway and had to lie down as soon as we got to the room.
The waves were aggressive and it was hard to enjoy our afternoon swim. The strong wind also caused damage to the orange water slide. We were not allowed to use it throughout our entire stay and there was no effort from the resort to fix it. And to think the slide was what brought us to the island in the first place!
Because of the low tide, snorkeling in the morning is prohibited. So, we went in the afternoon during the high tide, but the water was so murky we couldn't see anything at all! We couldn't even spot a single fish in the area. It was also impossible to enjoy the beach as there were broken corals everywhere; You'd hurt your feet when you walk, hurt your butt when you sit down.
The corals around the island are mostly dead. Comparing Rawa Island to Maldives is a joke!
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I was so frustrated, I went snorkeling during the low tide with the hope of at least catching a glimpse of something interesting in the water. Instead, I accidentally stepped on a sea urchin. I had my water shoes on, but nine spines managed to pierce through the side. The pain, however, was bearable.
It was impossible to pull the spines out as they were soft and broke easily. My dad called on the receptionist/medic who had dealt with this before. To prevent swelling and internal infection, he beat the affected area on my foot with a blunt object until it turned blue. It hurt so bad!
On a Monday afternoon, while we waited on the jetty for our boat back to Mersing, the resort decided to start fixing the damaged slide. It took them about an hour or so. As we sailed away, we saw people enjoying themselves going down the slide and it made us (especially the kids) super pissed.
Is Rawa Island Worth a Second Trip?
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You know how when a vacation comes to an end, you'd be upset because you don't want it to end? Well, we didn't get that feeling when we left Rawa Island. We were actually somewhat glad to leave because we were running out of things to do and getting bored with the food being served.
I spent a lot of money on this trip hoping for an unforgettable experience in Rawa Island, but I didn't get that. Told my wife I'm not going back there. She concurred.