Heading to the Perhentian Islands? You may need a room in Kuala Besut, Malaysia
We arrived at the Sultan Mahmud Airport, Terengganu, Malaysia by 12:30 pm.
Pick up at the airport was slick; no luggage as we travel carry on only, so we simply walked out where our pre-arranged (by our motel on the Perhentian Islands, Suhaila Palace) driver was waiting for us with a sign! The 1 hour 40 minutes drive to the IZ Budget Motel in Kuala Besut cost 130 ringgit / €28.10 / USD$31.77.
Don’t forget to pre-arrange checkin time because it is by appointment. Located above a clinic in a commercial strip mall, there are cafes, restaurants, a supermarket, taxi stand and bus station all within immediate walking distance.
A very friendly young man, possibly the owners’ son, checked us in. The room is very simple with a double bed, a shelf by the NOT international receptacles, air conditioning, large window and a very Asian wet bathroom with cold water only.
Clothing hooks with hangers, 2 towels, 2 blankets,shampoo and shower gel were the available amenities.
A nice community area with sofa, chairs, fridge, water kettle, cups, iron, ironing board, sink and television is in the entrance area.
Receptacles – please do remember to have an adaptor with you as the receptacle are Malaysian only.
There is only cold water, so be prepared for a chilly shower. The noise level from the traffic is loud, and it goes all night. Probably can be muffled with earplugs, so remember to bring some if you decide to stay here.
Unfortunately, we were content until night rolled around and karaoke started blaring right under our window. We kept hoping it would stop, but 10 pm, 11 pm and midnight all came and went and the music still blared. It shook the building on this Tuesday night. We called the owner and he said he would send someone. By 12:30 they packed up and finally left us in peace.
IZ Budget Motel Cost: 70 ringgit / €15 / USD$17
Would I recommend it? If you are a very deep sleeper, yes. If you value/need your sleep, stay away. The price is right, even with cold water!
