Damai Tioman Resort
My wife and I arrived at Genting Village on a Friday morning and the moment we spotted Demai Tioman Resort, we were pleased as punch. Sure, Demai Tioman Resort isn't the best maintained cottage cluster in Tioman, that much is true.
But what you get for your money, in our opinion, is a great deal, especially since we'd be spending the majority of our time outdoors anyhow.
Charming Malay-style cottages
We also liked the way Demai Tioman Resort is owned and run by islanders and not some anonymous hotel conglomerate.
The main reason we came to Tioman is to do our PADI Open Water. We liked the dive school in Genting and they recommended Demai Tioman Resort. As far as we're concerned, it was a perfect match. We took the Deluxe Room, which was actually rather decent.
The Demai Tioman Resort cottages are typical Malay by design, i.e. a lot of dark woodwork along with a few high-lighted details here and there. Basic , unassuming and charming. We simply loved the exotic mood of our cottage.
Our room had 2 queen size beds and was air-conditioned. We also had a hot-water shower at our disposal in the en suite bathroom, as well as a private little terrace. Room, terrace and bathroom were all clean.
Book your Demai Tioman Resort room
In addition, there was a kettle jug with a few complementary coffee and tea sachets, as well as a small TV, which I believe was satellite. I don't know for certain, because we didn't watch any TV at all, since each night, we instantly zoned out the moment we laid down on our bed.
I guess the full day's diving activities really drained us. Then again, I'm pretty sure that Demai Tioman Resort's pleasantly tranquil tropical beach ambience may well have had something to do with it too.
Demai Tioman Resort has an in-house lounge/restaurant that is within view of the sea, which doesn't only render the place breezy and cool, but also makes for stunning beach and sea panoramas. The sea opposite Demai Tioman Resort is clear as crystal and the beach has clean golden-coloured sand. Truly, the view from the Demai Tioman Resort restaurant at sunset is a sight for sore eyes.
Bienvenue à Demai Tioman Resort
Meanwhile, the food served, local dishes and some international fare, was good, especially the seafood-based meals. I'm not sure if this applies throughout the year, but we had free-flow of coffee and tea with our meals, which was awesome, because the restaurant was our favorite wi-fi spot.
Réservez vos billets de ferry pour Tioman
De Mersing, Jan De Tanjung Gemok: N.A., [Tanjung Gemok = Teluk Gading] Vas-tu à Mukut ou Juara? Cliquez ici. Pro Tip: Vous ne savez pas quelle jetée choisir lors de la réservation de votre ferry? Pas de problème, parce que le ferry généralement, sauf exceptions, à toutes les jetées principales de la côte ouest. Prendre le ferry Tanjung Gemok? Clique ici / ici |
Items of interest near Demai Tioman Resort include a karaoke corner, a modest clinic, a pub, a little convenience and souvenir store and a bicycle rental place. And if you're not in Tioman for the scuba, then do try your hand at snorkeling, fishing or sight-seeing.
We found the two-hour night-tour quite interesting, as we were shown around all of Genting's historically significant sites. Anyways, all the activities can be arranged from the Demai Tioman Resort front desk. Oh, and the Genting jetty is a 5+ minute stroll away.
We found the Demai Tioman Resort staff friendly and helpful. I think it's easy to see that these folks aren't in it for their salary. They own the place and it shows. We certainly appreciated the way they met us as we arrived from Mersing and even carried our luggage to the resort, free of charge no less.
At the end of the day, Demai Tioman Resort is a budget sea-front hostel that's suitable for those keen to scuba off Tioman, or travelers looking for a tropical retreat on a shoestring budget. We were chuffed during our entire stay at Demai Tioman Resort and we'll, hopefully, be able to come back one fine day.
Tip: Whilst the food is quite good, the variety is a little limited, so try some of the other eateries nearby. The walls of the cottages are a bit thin. Just so you know. Also, note that there's no room/cleaning service at Demai Tioman Resort, nor, I heard, at any of the other family-run resorts in Tioman Island. It's just not the custom here I suppose. Demai Tioman Resort is quite popular amongst the mainland Malaysia weekend crowd, so tends to be fully booked most of the time. You need to secure your room timely. Lastly, we figured that the rooms near the restaurant are better, because you'll have fewer stairs to climb.
