Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort @ Tioman Island, Pahang

By : Chha

I have been staying on an island for as long as I remember and also visited a few island around Malaysia. I am really happy to add one more island to my list of visited island in Malaysia. This time, i manage to pick up my backpack and head on over to Tioman Island. It was a fun, enjoyable and memorable 3 days 2 nights trip to Tioman Island though traveling there all the way from Penang is really tiring but the fun time spend and all those amazing photos taken was worth the effort.

There are few ways to go to Tioman Island. Here is what i did. I took a 10 hours long bus ride from Penang Sentral at Butterworth all the way to Mersing Ferry Terminal. Then from Mersing Ferry Terminal i take a 2 hours Ferry ride into Tioman Island. As i know, there are two Ferry operator there at Mersing, one is the Bluewater Express another one is Cataferry. Remember to validate your tickets at their tickets counter to obtain your Boarding Pass. After getting your Boarding Pass you will need to proceed to the Taman Laut Malaysia counter to pay for the Conservation Fee of RM 5.00 per person.

During my visit to Tioman Island, I choose to stop at Paya Beach and stayed at Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort. When taking the Ferry to Tioman island, remember to inform the staff in the Ferry that you are disembarking from the Ferry at the Kg.Paya Jetty so that you won't miss the stop. My stay here is really nice, Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort is just few minutes walk away from the Kg.Paya Jetty. Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort is a 4 Star resort in Tioman Island with its own beach area and plenty of rooms for guest to choose from. There is a welcome drink at the lobby where you can drink fruits juice and refresh yourself after few hours of Ferry Ride.

Checking in to Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort takes a while as a lot of guest area staying there during my visit but once it was my turn to check in to my hotel room, the process was seamless. The hotel will collect at returnable deposit of RM 200.00 and also a Pahang state government Sustainability Charge of RM 3.00 per room per day.

I personally enjoy staying here. The room I get during my visit is a Deluxe Suite Beach Front room which is specious with private balcony with sea view and pool view. Comfortable bed to sleep on and with complete toiletries and clean towel. One thing I really like is the implementation of penalty for those who use the bath towel as floor mat, this way, all the bath towel are kept clean with no stains on it.

The Deluxe Suite Beach Front room that I get comes with a big living room and the sofa at the living room is comfortable to sit on. Instead of sitting on the sofa, i spend hours sleeping on it watching tv and enjoying some drinks that i bought from their convenient store. Arriving there late in the Afternoon on the first day, i basically just chill and relax inside this big nice room. This room is just perfect for a family holiday.

The bed room has a big bed with a balcony which is facing the swimming pool and a private bathtub. The placement of the bathtub is special as it place at an open place where you can actually enjoy the sky view with a little sunshine while having a nice dip in the bathtub.

There is another balcony next to the living room area which is facing the sea. It is really nice to have a cup of morning coffee or tea while enjoying the sea wind blowing here at the balcony.

This Deluxe Suite Beach Front room is a fully equipped room with Private Toilet, Hair Dryer, Extra Pillow, Safety Box, Bottled water, kettle and some coffee. It makes me feel like as if I am staying in my own home away from home.

Sea view from Balcony

Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort has a very beautiful swimming pool, though the swimming pool is not a very big one but having it directly in front of my hotel rooms is really nice because I can go for a swim when ever I like without having to walk far away from my room. They also prepare a lot of filtered water dispensers station all over Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort, this makes it easy for guest to fill up their water.

The Deluxe Suite Beach Front room is not the only room available at Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort, depending on your preference, there are also other rooms which is facing a lake at Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort which is only a few meters walk away from the main beach. There are also bungalow type of room which is directly at the beach but regardless of which room it is, it comes with an awesome view.

My hotel room include buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner at their own restaurant. With my meals for my stay covered, I don't have to worry about getting food elsewhere. As the restaurant is just few meters walk away from my hotel room, it is really convenient for me to fill up my hungry tummy daily. Since all three meals are serve in buffet style, I can have as much food as my tummy can take before or after I head out for some activities by Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort.

For mains there are some food like Anglo Saxon Lamb BBQ, Long Cabbage Young with Red and Green Peppers, Fried Green Vegetable Pak Choy, Mexican Beef Stew, Seafood tofu, Ginger Onion Chicken, Ayam Pongteh and many more.

Anglo Saxon Lamb BBQ

Long Cabbage Young with Red and Green Peppers

Fried Green Vegetable Pak Choy

Mexican Beef Stew

Seafood tofu

Ginger Onion Chicken

Ayam Pongteh

While for buffet breakfast there are something light food like Fried Noodles 'Siam Mee Hoon', Fried Flat Noodles 'Char Koay Teow', Baked Red Beans, Hash Brown, Pancake, Vegetable and Mushroom Porridge and many more. The food choice here are on rotation daily to give guest the different choice of food to choose from.

Fried Noodles 'Siam Mee Hoon'

Fried Flat Noodles 'Char Koay Teow'

Baked Red Beans

Hash Brown

Pancake

Vegetable and Mushroom Porridge

As a Foodie myself, a buffet would not be complete without some dessert to satisfy the sweet tooth and here at Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort, they got that covered too. Random dessert will be serve during the buffet daily.

Red Bean Soup with Barley

There are some Cakes, Red Bean Soup with Barley and Cup Cakes to choose from.

Flush all the food down with some hot soup to the satisfying tummy. There are soup like Crab Meat Corn Soup, Cauliflower Cheddar Soup and Tomyam Soup available during my visit.

Crab Meat Corn Soup

Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Tomyam Soup

Guest can also add some greens to their diet from the Salad bar and also daily fresh cut fruits.

Just next to the resort buffet station is a Beach Bar. Here, guest can enjoy their food, drinks and the beach sunset views.

If you want to celebrate a special occasion with a more special and private setting for dinner while watching the sun set, there is a private and romantic Gazebo available by the sea, probably guest need to make pre book in order to use this area for dining. So for those love birds out there, here is a romantic atmosphere for you.

Traveling to Tioman Island and staying at Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort is a perfect place to hide away from the hustle bustle of city life. In my personal opinion, Tioman Island is a place to chill and relax while enjoying the beautiful beach around Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort but if you would like some activities to fill up your day. You may proceed to the activities centre to enquire about all the activities here at Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort. There are some activities available organized by Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort like Snorkeling, Hiking, Mangrove swamp walk, Yoga, Volleyball Game and more.

I tried their snorkeling activity and really enjoy myself. It was a half day activities where they will bring us to Renggis Island and Marine Park to see the beautiful marine life and healthy corals in Tioman Island. There are a lot of fish in the sea during snorkeling. The snorkeling activities is divided into two session where one session we did our snorkeling out in the sea (Renggis Island) while the other session we did our snorkeling by nearer to the beach side (Marine Park), these two sessions are done in half day.

I enjoy my stay here and it was a memorable Tioman Trip for me. The surrounding of Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort is really nice and if you are someone like me who love taking photos, there are a lot of good vibes area here in Paya Beach Spa and Dive Resort where you can take Instagramable photos, you can probably even Threads about it.