Kuala Lumpur or Tioman Island?

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sasi91
sasi91

Hi everyone im planning my first trip to south-east asia with my partner but unfortunately we dont have so much time.
We will be there around the beginning to middle of october and land in Singapore on the 13th of october around 3pm after a couple of days visiting Bangkok.
At the end of the whole trip I still have around 2 days in Singapore which I consider is enough, therefore in the time from arrival in Singapore on the 13th until returning there on the 17th i would love to see a little bit of Malaysia and dont lose any time.
On one hand Kuala Lumpur and especially the Batu Caves appear worth visiting to me, on the other hand I think if you are in South-east asia you should spend at least 1 or 2 days at a paradise beach.

The facts are:
-We only arrive at 3pm in Singapore I dont want to sleep a night in Singapore and start travelling to KL or Borneo the next day and lose a day
-I dont know if I could make it on the same day from Singapore to KL since its around 6 hours trainride
-Im not really a beachperson but i enjoy swimming and snorkeling for a couple of days.
-I dont want to spend 5 days at the beach but on tioman island there is also a jungle put probably only fills 1 day
-I cant find a way to combine KL and a beautiful beach like Perhentian/Langkawi/Tioman Island without making it too tight
-I dont want to party and dont like very crowded touristic places so much, especially overflowing beaches I dont enjoy
-I love jungles, rainforests, volcanoes and wildlife

Do you suggest that I should skip KL or visit another malaysian place since I read there is not soo much to do and Im anyway already staying at two big cities?
Not all reviews I read about Tioman Islands are so good but I dont know if in only 5 days I can get to Perhentian or Langkawi without flying or spending days in the train, did you experience Tioman as a very nice island or would you say the other islands are worth the further travel?
For those who have been on the malaysian islands on the eastside during october, how was the weather?
Should I try to combine 1 and a half days Cherating and 2 days Taman Negara or is the travel there too far/ difficult?

Thank you very much for your answers!

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westwood
westwood

If you want to get from Singapore to KL, have a look at getting an Air Asia flight. Dirt cheap at S$52 for a 7.10 flight on 13th.
Would have been better if you had initially planned to fly into KL than Singapore.

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alfredm
alfredm

Here are some pictures of Tioman in mid-October:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Tioman/?page=4

It was still nice and sunny, but you could feel that the monsoon was on its way.

For a paradise beach head to Perhentian, Lang Tengah or Redang:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/

Even Rawa, much closer to Singapore, has some very nice beaches:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Seribuat/Rawa/

If you arrive at 3pm in Singapore, catch an evening flight to KL, Borneo or wherever you want to go.

1 and a half days Cherating and 2 days Taman Negara doesn't sound that impressive, because the beach in Cherating is not that nice:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Cerating/

See here photos of my trips: https://www.molon.de/
Here are detailed reports of my trips: https://www.molon.de/travelogues/
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sasi91
sasi91

Thank you for your answers!
Im considering rawa now instead of tioman but im still not convinced if i should try to go to kl or if it doesnt become too full.

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davelliot
davelliot

I think Juara on Tioman Ilsand would be better option than Rawa. There is a possibility of heavy rain even now at this time of year on Tioman island . But even in November there can be sunny weather sometimes as THIS PICTURE which was taken in november at Juara at Tioman Island shows. This is an old picture but even now Juara is relatively unspoiled but the Tekek side of Tioman island is quite built up and developed Visiting Juara is a bit time consuming , it would be better if possible to have more time than just 5 days up your sleeve if possible.

As for the Perhentian Islands having 'paradise beaches' , I'm sorry to be negative and its just my opinion but for me the Perhentian beaches have become overdeveloped , expensive and crowded . They were never suited to mass tourism and the big island Perhentian Besar (big island) has resorts and contruction cluttering up the beaches from one end to the other . On the small island Perhentian Kecil (small island) the once beautiful Long Beach has been trashed by development .

As for 5 days being too long to be on a beach in the era when Tioman island and the Perhentians were still unspoilt budget traveller's islands some stayed weeks or months on them ! But if you don't like 'crowded , overflowing touristic beaches' then I don't think the Perhentians are for you.

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alfredm
alfredm

Both the Perhentians and Rawa beat Tioman (Juara) 10:1 in terms of idyllic beaches and pristine waters:

Perhentian: http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Perhentian/West/
Rawa: http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Seribuat/Rawa/
Juara on Tioman: http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/EastCoast/Tioman/?page=3 (pics 45-47)

See here photos of my trips: https://www.molon.de/
Here are detailed reports of my trips: https://www.molon.de/travelogues/
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davelliot
davelliot

Buts that's in your opinion alfredm , much as I respect your opinion , my opinion is different - That is that Juara beats Perhentian Islands because its less developed and has cheaper acommodation. The sand isn't as white as Perhentian beaches and in their natural state the Perhentians were more beautiful but the reality today is that the Perhentians are cluttered and over priced and over touristed - the islands simply are not big enough for the number of tourists . Furthermore much of the original fringing coral reef has been spoiled on the Perhentians , altho having said that Juara doesn't have any good coral reef.
When discussing idyllic beaches I thinks its important to discuss the amount of development , I take your point that the Perhentian islands have been built up with chalets and resorts for many years now but that doesn't make it any less intrusive to some people . Rawa is more expensive than Juara and at times has less reliable water supply.

PICTURE - of the southern beach of Juara.

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