Alang’s Rawa Resort

All the FUN and EXCITEMENT at Pulau Rawa would not be fulfilled without experiencing a memorable stay at Alang's Rawa Resort. Alang's Rawa, named after the late Tengku Alang, is one of two resorts on this little island. The other resort is called Rawa Safari (or Rawa Island Resort), both of which are founded by the family of the Johor State Sultan.

The 2D1N Package that I booked includes 2-way boat transfer from Mersing Jetty to Pulau Rawa and buffet meals (1 x dinner + breakfast) which cost a little over RM600. Lunch is not included on the first day. Hence, be sure to settle your lunch over at Mersing Jetty before departing to the island. Do check out their website for more information on the current rates and packages available.

Overview

My first impression about Alang's Rawa is that it has this simple, carefree island feel to it. Every structure of the resort - the rooms, dining hall, tables and chairs just sit on the sand, fronting the creamy beach. There is no aircond, no wifi, no TV, even the tap water was kinda salty. Everything here seems so simple and basic - the perfect way to experience an island lifestyle.
I like how Alang's Rawa arrange their dining tables along one row. It makes mingling around much easier and thanks to that I managed to make a few new friends on the island.

The Room

Although there are only 19 rooms at Alang's Rawa, they come in lots of varieties including the huge Coconut Tree Group Room for group travelers, the Little A-Frames and Beachfront Room for 2-4 persons and many more. They also have tents for those who want to take simplicity to the next level.

The Beachfront Room which I stayed in comes with an attached bathroom. The room is very spacious and has a double bed and a single bed. Ventilation is provided by 2 wall fans and a rotating ceiling fan. Not sure about others but I feel that the room has some Santorini element to it. As for cleanliness, to me it was not 5-star clean as I could feel some sand on the floor. I'm glad that they provided a pail of water at the veranda to wash off the sand on my feet after returning from the beach.

Water from the tap and shower head was salty, which is actually good for your skin as it contains natural minerals from the sea. Nah just joking! But it did caught me by surprise as I didn't experience salty water on Pulau Besar's Aseania Resort. Fortunately, Alang's Rawa prepared two medium-sized complementary mineral water for us so that we won't need to rinse our mouth with salt water. You might want to bring along extra drinking water if you are staying for 2 or 3 nights as mineral water sold on the island is expensive.

The Food

Lunch and dinner were served in buffet style. They have lots of variety including pasta, rice, seafood, chicken, veges etc. and fruits for dessert. They all tasted really good and it was really sayang (a shame) that I didn't come here on a Saturday when they have their weekly barbecue dinner and party. Another thing that I regretted was that I didn't try their famous, Rawa-made cocktails! For those of you out there who have read this post and successfully booked with Alang's Rawa, please try their cocktail for me. Especially their vicious Rawa Special!

To sum it up, I'd highly recommend you guys to try out Alang's Rawa for that valuable island life experience. Yes it might not be as comfortable as staying in a so called higher class resort like Rawa Safari. But for that island experience itself - a few nights without internet access, without aircond, without TV and not to forget those salty showers, I guarantee it will be something that you will never forget in your life.

I'd also like to thank Sheena, Alang's Rawa friendly receptionist for hosting us with your positive energy and wonderful life stories. And also Daisy who never fails to steal everyone's attention during dinner!