I am planning a Honeymoon for August 2003 and am doing some comparison between these 2 islands. <BR><BR>My fiancee definitely wants to scuba dive quite a bit and I am told that Tioman is better for that, but Langkawi's resorts are far superior.<BR><BR>Also, if we should go to Tioman, what type of accommodation at the Berjaya are the most upscale? private?<BR><BR>Thanks to all who respond!<BR><BR>Lara<BR><BR>

I'm staying in Malaysia and your conclusion on the two islands are absolutely correct. <BR>If you intend to carry out scuba diving, then Tioman is the place. The best hotel there is Berjaya Tioman Resort (around 4*). But don't expect too much of privacy especially during the weekends and public holidays as this is when the crowds will flock to Tioman from Singapore and Malaysia.<BR>Langkawi is a more commercialised island with many 5* and 4* hotels. It all depends on what you are looking for.

I just went to Tioman in July. It is one of the most beautiful islands I have been to. Here's the catch. The island itself is gorgeous, but the resorts are really lacking. I thought the BErjaya was a little overpriced. I bought my package in Singapore and it came out to about $70 USD per night. But that was for the basic chalet. Boy was it basic. My bathroom looked really old and the shower needed to be fixed twice. It smelled musty the whole time. The resort itself is rather run down. I had a conversation with one of the staff and he told me that Berjaya is maybe the third owner of the resort, he said there was a major renovation due in two years. The facilities were decent. A golf clubhouse, nice beach, beachside bars, pools, restaurants, internet lounge, even a karaoke lounge. But my room was not worth $70 per night. If it's your honeymoon, I only hope the honeymoon suite is exponentially nicer. My chalet felt like a furnished homeless shanty. <BR><BR>Here is the funny part. I spent another three days at a differnt resort in a different village on Tioman and it was worse. But to be honest, the $40 per night at the second resort seemed more appropriate. Keep in mind that the BErjaya and maybe one or two other resorts are easy to manage. Some are in other villages adn when you arrive on Tioman you may have to flag down a passing shuittle boat to get to the other village. The berjaya provides a shuttle bus to the resort and takes your luggage for you. You may have to throw your luggage on some boat and then carry it through some village on the way to your hotel. The Berjaya is alot less hassle. It really depends on your standards. <BR><BR>However the snorkelling is the best I've done in Asia&gt; I've also done Bali(not that large coral reef off the SE coast thought), and Phuket. TIoman snorkelling was excellent. The water was very clear, adn lots of coral and fishes. I didn't get a chance to do it, but Coral Island which is 40 min by boat is worth it. <BR><BR>If you are set on the bErjaya, it's really the lesser of two evils. The older section that I stayed in has small dingy chalets, but it's in the main area where the beach, restaurants and pools are. There is a newer section on the other end of the resort where the suites looked larger and very new. But it doens't have a beach, or facilities. Only a pool. You need to take the shuttle to the main area of the resort for all of the facilities and the beach. It is closer to the golf clubhouse though. The berjaya really is the only western level of accomodation on the island, but it still isn't so great. And by no means is it a 4 star. 4 star campared to the rest of Tioman, but not compared tot he rest of SE Asia. <BR>I'm not sure what type of accomodation you want for your honeymoon, but Tioman defitiely isn't the luxury resort island at all. Langkawi or Redang are more that type of island. Or Bali, which has more beautiful resorts than you can shake a stick at.

May I make a suggestion in which you'd get Aman standard luxury and scuba diving better than Tioman? <BR><BR>Tanjong Jara Resort is an upscale resort in the Aman style, actually in traditional Malaysian kampung style(they are also owners of the Pangkor Laut Resort) in Dungun, Trengganu which would be perfect for a honeymoon. 1hr by speedboat off that coast lie the best dive sites in Peninsula M'sia: Pulau Perhentian, Redang and Kapas. And it has great beaches!<BR><BR>I havent been there myself but seen pictures and eagerly waiting to go one day. Check it out at slh.com and let me know what you think.

Topping...

Dear Lara:<BR><BR>I lived in Singapore for 5 years and spent many weekends and holidays on the east coast of Malaysia. Tioman is very beautiful, but is has no 5 star or good international standard hotels. If you know this ahead of time, and can adjust your expectations, I think you would enjoy Tioman.<BR><BR>For an island in the same area that I think is even more beautiful and much less crowded, I would suggest Rawa Island. It is a small island (you can swim or canoe around it), and has maybe 40 rooms. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: soft white sand and clear water that changes from blue, to green to purple depending on weather. There is one hotel on the island, and as it is small, the staff is very attentive. I have not stayed there in several years, but can see from their web site that they have made extension renovations. Like Tioman, it is not 5 star, it is more like a 3 star but I believe it would be superior to anything on Tioman, and the beach and surrounding islands are even more beautiful. The diving is great, you can dive or snorkel right from the beach, or the hotel will arrange for a boat to take you to more remote islands/reefs/wrecks. To reach Rawa, you would drive from Singapore (3 hours, you can charter a taxi) and then take a ferry for about 1 hour. The hotel is called Rawa Safaris. I would suggest you check their website: rawasfr.com.<BR><BR>Please see the continuation of this message for info on a 5 star hotel further north as well as suggestions for Phuket.<BR><BR>

Dear Lara:<BR><BR>To contiune with my suggestions for your honeymoon, if you really want/need 5 star (and if you don't deserve it on your honeymoon, when do you deserve it?!) then I would recommend you go further up the east coast to Kuala Terengganu and stay at the Tanjang Jara Resort, which has already been mentioned in this thread. This is a gorgeous resort, built of teak in Malaysia long-house style. I stayed there 10 year ago, and it was a 5 -star international standard hotel then, and from the website, they have even improved it since. They are part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which gives you some idea the quality. They have an infinity pool that looks spectacular. The beach is beautiful. The diving is the world-class, you can hire boats for the day to go out into the South China Sea. The beaches in the area are one of the few remaining places where you can see giant sea turtle laying their eggs. The season is generally June-July, but you may be lucky in August. They are as big as a Volkswagen, and struggle up several hundred yards of sand in the middle of the night to lay their eggs. Incredible! To get to the resort, you would fly from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu, and then take a taxi or hotel car to the hotel (about an hour); it might also be possible to rent a car at the airport in Kuala Terengganu and drive yourself. Alternatively, you could drive up from Singapore, it is a very pretty drive through coconut plantations and beaches; however it would take a least a day. I could not find a website for the hotel, but they are in the website for Small Luxury Hotels of the World at: slh.com<BR><BR>Another option is Koh Samui off the coast of Thailand a bit farther north. You can fly there from Bangkok (and possibly Singapore). The Meridien Baang Thaling Ngam hotel is supposed to be beautiful. I do not know about the quality of the diving in the area.<BR><BR>Other than the above, for great diving and 5 star hotels, you would need to go to Phuket or Bali. I would assume Bali may not be high on your list right now, although I have to say it is my favourite place in the world and I would go there if I wasn't currently living in Switzerland. Phuket has great diving. If you really want to dive and be pampered, I would recommend charting a boat in Phuket. They comes with a crew (driver and cook), although you can also do it on your own. I did a charter last Christmas for 3 days and it was great. Imagine diving all morning, and then coming up to have lunch served to you on china and crystal in your air-conditioned lounge or on deck. You can plan your own itinerary and if a dive site is crowded, move on. Our charter cost about $1500 per day, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you are interested, write to me via this thread and I can give you the name of the charter company I used. They have a website as well.<BR><BR>As for Langkawi, that is on the west coast of Malaysia. The island was formerly a tin mining site, so the water is muddy and the diving is not good. However, it has been rebuilt as tourist island and has some great 5-star hotels, so if you can compromise on diving, it might be a good choice.<BR><BR>Have a great time wherever you go!<BR>