R A W A

I S L A N D

2/9/2001  -  4/9/2001

Looking for a short trip this coming September school holidays, I decide to go to Rawa Island.  This is a privately-owned island about half hour boat ride from Mersing.  Mersing is a small little town that has not much attractions to woo tourists.  It is a ferry point to the many offshore islands (eg: Tioman, Rawa, Besar, Tinggi and others) in Johor..

As usual, to prepare my trip, I searched the web for countless hours for any useful information.  Sad to say, it is  difficult to find many good websites pertaining to Rawa.  If the place you are going is not a tourist attraction, it is even more difficult to gather information.  For example, if I am finding information about Tioman, I am sure I have no problem in getting facts about this once-paradise island.

With bus tickets bought, it is time to book the room.  Obviously, there is only one and one only resort in Rawa Island.  It is the Rawa Safaris Island Resort.  The price the room is charged, I personally feel, is very expensive.  It is equivalent to a five star hotel rate but not five star quality.  I paid RM227.70(peak) and RM202.40(shoulder)  for two nights stay with breakfast for two.  Different rate for different days.  Boat transfer from Mersing at 12pm is at RM60 (return) per head.  Return time from Rawa is at 10.00 am.

Another beautiful part of Rawa

Reaching Mersing at about 11.30 am, we alighted where the R&R Plaza is located.  Here is the ferry point and you can find many travel agencies offering accommodation and boat transfers to the islands.  I did not notice much change in the place.  Because the boat leaving to Rawa Island is at 12.00 pm, I had to hurry to find where was Rawa Safaris office.  I did not want to miss the boat.  I had no much time to look around.  Asking around, I managed to locate the office and did the necessary registration and payment.  You need to pay for your accommodation before you are transferred to the island.

There were twelve of us including the boatman and assistant in the twin engine speed boat.  Twenty-five minutes, we reached the beautiful Rawa island.  Compared to Tioman, it is very much smaller in size. Whereas the holiday-makers are congested in Tioman,  the crowd here is small.  Maybe it is because this is a privately-owned island which will charge even for a day-trip entry.  What it lacks in size, it does not lack in her sandy white beach and crystal clear water.  I did not see much corals around though.  However, the marine fish is abundant.

With its 53 bungalows spreading across the island, we were quickly brought to our 'home' for the next two nights.  This is a no-frill room with no television, no phone, no mini-bar, no water heater, no kettle, no potable water.  Water from the shower tap tasted kind of salty !  The only comfort we had was the air-con and attached bathroom.  I do not mind but somehow I still feel the room rate is expensive for this kind of facilities offered.
What I liked about this room is the patio.  Amid the rustic surroundings, this is a nice natural environment.  Imagine waking up to the rhythmic crowing of the cockerel, the raucous chorus of the birds and the swaying of the coconut trees in the comfort endless supply of the cool breeze.  For once, I felt I was living in a kampung.  If only the staff of this resort will be more friendly, this will be a very ideal place to spend your vacation.

It was very hot when we were there.  So, sunglass and sun-block lotion are useful items to bring along.  For drinking water, we had to refill our water bottles from the resort only restaurant called Cafe de Rawa many times.  This is also the only place for your food.  Unfortunately, the seafood I ordered was not fresh. The first day's breakfast was buffet style.  If you have stayed in a city hotel, you will find the breakfast quite miserable. For our second day's breakfast, the ABF contained a piece of toasted bread and some scrambled eggs !  It was insufficient for my 10 year old daughter, let alone for me !  A very ridiculous serving indeed.  I have never had such a miserable breakfast of my life in a hotel as this ! 

Feeding the marine fish 

Our snorkelling gear - simple but does the job

My intention was to spend the second day going for island hopping.  However, I changed my mind for two reasons.  Firstly was the lukewarm response when I enquired from the recreation staff.  It was a take-it-or-leave it attitude that had somewhat muted my enthusiasm.  Secondly, I agreed with my wife why not spend the day at the beach instead.  It was a decision that I did not regret.  We had an enjoyable time snorkelling and swimming.  Besides, I saved some money on island hopping too.

I always think there is only one resort Rawa Safaris in the island. However, after some exploration, I learned that there are two different resorts.  We were staying in Rawa Safaris Island Resort.  The other side of the island is the Le Rawa Club, a more laid-back and smaller scale resort. If you like to know more this laid-back resort, you can contact ALang @ 012-7279559.

This is the jetty of Le Club Rawa

It was an enjoyable trip for us despite some unforseen "hiccups".  We left Rawa island with a golden tan and some irritable sandfly bites.
We took a cab back to Larkin for RM80.00.  Return coach tickets to Johor or Singapore were sold out[]