Pangkor Island
Pangkor Island
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4.0
138 reviews
Excellent
59
Very good
48
Average
17
Poor
7
Terrible
7
Cath2015
Puchong, Malaysia358 contributions
Sept 2020 • Friends
Last visit to this island was 26 years ago. Was shocked to see how dirty this island has become. The Perak state government has obviously not been paying attention to its development which is really pitiful.
Written 7 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julia Nicole
Taichung, Taiwan17 contributions
Dec 2022
Pangkor might be Malaysia's most underrated island. This was my second visit to Malaysia, and while Pangkor might not be as shiny and perfect as the Perhentian Islands or Langkawi, if you want to truly relax and unwind, Pangkor is the perfect place.
It's small and quaint, and since there isn't much to do, it's a wonderful place to fully slow down. It's mostly local tourists on Pangkor, but it's also a duty-free island! People are kind and friendly, and the cost is incredibly budget friendly!
Wild animals roam freely on the island, including cats and monkeys-- and best of all, hornbills. We saw hornbills every day, close by, in trees. There is even a resort you can go at 6:30 and feed them from your hand. There is snorkeling at Coral Beach, beautiful mosques and temples to explore, ATV riding, water sports.
We went to Penang, Langkawi and KL on our trip, but honestly, my favorite part of our vacation was Pangkor. It's the ultimate chill place where you can let go of your stress and worries. It's also one of the least touristy spots, which made it feel so authentic and enjoyable.
It's small and quaint, and since there isn't much to do, it's a wonderful place to fully slow down. It's mostly local tourists on Pangkor, but it's also a duty-free island! People are kind and friendly, and the cost is incredibly budget friendly!
Wild animals roam freely on the island, including cats and monkeys-- and best of all, hornbills. We saw hornbills every day, close by, in trees. There is even a resort you can go at 6:30 and feed them from your hand. There is snorkeling at Coral Beach, beautiful mosques and temples to explore, ATV riding, water sports.
We went to Penang, Langkawi and KL on our trip, but honestly, my favorite part of our vacation was Pangkor. It's the ultimate chill place where you can let go of your stress and worries. It's also one of the least touristy spots, which made it feel so authentic and enjoyable.
Written 5 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara P
11 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Loved this place, for the relaxing nature. Loved the beaches. There was always someone who was there to keep it clean. Such a contrast to the main island which is very dirty.
We stayed here for 3 nights.
The accommodation is great we stayed at apartment on the hill and our children stayed in the sea view chalet.
Personally I think that the staff in this private island make it unique because they are so attentive and very friendly. I even had a chance to have a chat with the person in charge called Danny.
Food is good we had 3 breakfasts for 4x of us with a lovely Starbucks quality.
The was choice of continental as well as traditional Malaysian food but not all was what I expected for the price I paid.” There is lots of food so definitely can find something me and my husband loved dosa and our children liked Paratha. Shame that we had to wait quite a while for dosa to be made. There was a lovely older gentleman who was serving both dosa and paratha but also there was a younger man and wasn’t very friendly or helpful and he was the one who made us wait as he couldn’t do the paratha.
We also had dinner at the main restaurant as well as in the Chinese restaurant at the hotel. Both were good but not exceptional for the price we paid. Both our children loved the Emerald Beach and stayed there for hours just wonderful.😍
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who served us in this beautiful place we appreciated everyone of you 🙏🙏. You made our holiday so much more special and memorable.😍
Lots of love to everyone from white lady her Indian husband and 2 teenage children.
We stayed here for 3 nights.
The accommodation is great we stayed at apartment on the hill and our children stayed in the sea view chalet.
Personally I think that the staff in this private island make it unique because they are so attentive and very friendly. I even had a chance to have a chat with the person in charge called Danny.
Food is good we had 3 breakfasts for 4x of us with a lovely Starbucks quality.
The was choice of continental as well as traditional Malaysian food but not all was what I expected for the price I paid.” There is lots of food so definitely can find something me and my husband loved dosa and our children liked Paratha. Shame that we had to wait quite a while for dosa to be made. There was a lovely older gentleman who was serving both dosa and paratha but also there was a younger man and wasn’t very friendly or helpful and he was the one who made us wait as he couldn’t do the paratha.
We also had dinner at the main restaurant as well as in the Chinese restaurant at the hotel. Both were good but not exceptional for the price we paid. Both our children loved the Emerald Beach and stayed there for hours just wonderful.😍
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who served us in this beautiful place we appreciated everyone of you 🙏🙏. You made our holiday so much more special and memorable.😍
Lots of love to everyone from white lady her Indian husband and 2 teenage children.
Written 2 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Philippe D
Huy, Belgium124 contributions
Mar 2020
I only stayed 2 days and 1 night and it was more than enough. The sea and the beaches are quite dirty and the small roads and villages around the island are crowded. Only a couple of beach bars in the entire place. No more corals and garbages are floating everywhere
Written 14 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
leemingfook
Melbourne, Australia8 contributions
July 2024 • Friends
The island comprises of beautiful beaches and hotels but sadly , they are poorly maintained and a lot of it in a declining state. The taxis are supposed to be the island ambassadors but most of it are dirty and run down. There is no central control of the taxis and you may be haggled when you arrive at the terminal and prices varies and you could be slug with high prices for 1-2 km ride to your hotel . You can rent a motor bike or a car from the locals but dont expect too much if you are going for the cheap rentals. The taxis and drivers are definitely projecting a bad image for the island.
Suggestion: Introduce an island overall control/Std of the taxi and drivers operation.
Island cleanliness is a bit of challenge as locals dont seem to care about their environment. I am sure there are many who cares but just not enough to stop others(tourist/locals) from littering. There are not enough bins along the beach for people to throw their rubbish and it defeats the purpose/cost of signage being put up. Even if there are bins, they are not animal proof as I see monkeys and crows pulling the rubbish out and making a mess of the place. Local beach cleaners are not properly cleaning it as they are just picking up the plastic bottles and throwing in to the bush to hide it. It was a bit of shock to me when i saw them doing it.
Lastly , a suggestion to those who stay there and who wants the island to prosper and develop, then they must up the game to make it a world class destination or it will turn into another a rat hole like Langkawi island who was a great place initially but due to poor management, it is now an island in disarray/decay and a sea of rubbish of plastic bottles and styrofoam boxes flooding around it .
The local food in small stalls are too be avoided if you do not have a strong seasoned stomach . Only consume it hot or just being cook. Food are relatively cheap and may not be hygenic.
If Pangkor island were managed corporately by locals like Pangkor Laut Island , then it will truly be an island of excellence. But sadly , it was not so.
Suggestion: Introduce an island overall control/Std of the taxi and drivers operation.
Island cleanliness is a bit of challenge as locals dont seem to care about their environment. I am sure there are many who cares but just not enough to stop others(tourist/locals) from littering. There are not enough bins along the beach for people to throw their rubbish and it defeats the purpose/cost of signage being put up. Even if there are bins, they are not animal proof as I see monkeys and crows pulling the rubbish out and making a mess of the place. Local beach cleaners are not properly cleaning it as they are just picking up the plastic bottles and throwing in to the bush to hide it. It was a bit of shock to me when i saw them doing it.
Lastly , a suggestion to those who stay there and who wants the island to prosper and develop, then they must up the game to make it a world class destination or it will turn into another a rat hole like Langkawi island who was a great place initially but due to poor management, it is now an island in disarray/decay and a sea of rubbish of plastic bottles and styrofoam boxes flooding around it .
The local food in small stalls are too be avoided if you do not have a strong seasoned stomach . Only consume it hot or just being cook. Food are relatively cheap and may not be hygenic.
If Pangkor island were managed corporately by locals like Pangkor Laut Island , then it will truly be an island of excellence. But sadly , it was not so.
Written 27 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Boolat
2 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
Nice island to visit. So much activity to do. Nice food and people. So many hotels, motels to stay. Easy to find transport to move from one to one place.
Written 13 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adrean N
Puchong, Malaysia55 contributions
May 2022
Around 3hrs++ from Kuala Lumpur to Lumut.
Take the Pangkor island ferry for an inexpensive, hassle-free, comfortable and punctual way of reaching the beach resort island of Pangkor from the ferry terminal at Lumut, Perak. Lumut Jetty Terminal is a famous gateway among the tourist to get to Pangkor Island.
- Ruins of a 17th-century Dutch colonial fort
-Pangkor Island’s Iconic Floating Mosque - Masjid Al-Badr Seribu Selawat
Most convenient travel around vehiche are - renting a motorbike.
I stay in homestay where you can find many variety in this island.
Take the Pangkor island ferry for an inexpensive, hassle-free, comfortable and punctual way of reaching the beach resort island of Pangkor from the ferry terminal at Lumut, Perak. Lumut Jetty Terminal is a famous gateway among the tourist to get to Pangkor Island.
- Ruins of a 17th-century Dutch colonial fort
-Pangkor Island’s Iconic Floating Mosque - Masjid Al-Badr Seribu Selawat
Most convenient travel around vehiche are - renting a motorbike.
I stay in homestay where you can find many variety in this island.
Written 4 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James O
Connemara, Ireland1,361 contributions
July 2018 • Friends
Visited this place for 9 days maybe a little too long but have to say so relaxing and chilled out. Arrived from Kuala Lumpur by taxi 400 Myr for 3 persons. Ferry from lumut travels every half hour and punctual. About 20 min trip do not get off at 1st stop only for local people 2nd stop Pangkor Town. Taxi no problem plenty outside terminal and set price no rip off to your resort. Nipah Bay coral beach area best on island. Good safe place to swim two nice bars on beach Nipah noodle steamboat and Daddys bar. Great places for sunsets. Hire moped driving licence required in a lot of places. Nice leisurely drive around island roads pretty good but after airport end of Island a lot climbs and steep descents. Could be dangerous in wet. Easily cover island in one hours drive. Before entering pangkor Town about 2kms there is an area called khecil there are some really cheap restaurants here with good food. In Pangkor Town there is a restaurant known locally as the Chinese shop. Good food here and sells beer. Not the cheapest but good spot. If taking taxi at night prices go up. From town to Nipah during day 16 Myr. Nightime 40 Myr. If you need medical assistance hospital etc very good but make sure you bring passport or copy of same. Cheap and efficient. Overall good experience. Would return.
Written 21 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
melumbagoiskillingme
tasmania52 contributions
Oct 2016 • Couples
My last trip to Pangkor was in 1981 where I remembered it always as being the most beautiful island I had ever visited, dense jungle and white sandy beaches, unspoilt coral, there was just one guesthouse that I can remember. I returned anticipating change, but shocked to discover an absolute travesty. The beach was a refuge tip, covered in rubbish, there were bins around, all empty - but people were just leaving their rubbish on the beach. Ugly concrete buildings blocked the view of the sea, at one end of what was the most beautiful beach, two giant garish Disney characters pointed the way to a tacky looking temple, an absolute eyesore. The authorities should be ashamed of themselves, an appalling example of the very worst that humans can do to ruin somewhere so beautiful. Also there were boatloads of tourists being ferried over to the non existent coral reef in low tide, less than knee deep, everybody covered in cuts and scratches, but they still kept taking people in a short sighted money grab. The coral is all dead. No wonder, one had no choice but to stomp all over it. What are they thinking of?, surely its worth preserving this once beautiful place with sustainable tourism, if only for future financial gain...
Written 13 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hafsah A
Johor Bahru, Malaysia40 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
So Ive been to Pangkor 3 times now, the latest was about 7 years ago. From what I remember, there was only one swimmable beach and there are not much to do. This time it has impressed me so much that I felt Pangkor is so underrated than the more famous Malaysian islands.
1- It is so much cleaner than before and I even get to see the local trash company doing their rounds. Every village house has their own big trash bin and it is tidy
2- Teluk Nipah and Pasir Bogak, to name two are really clean beaches with clear waters and reasonable depth which makes for wonderful places to swim and play
3- Fresh seafood is still much cheaper than the mainland and it can be something to bring back for visitors
4- People are warm and will not hesitate to give you a ride, help you, bring you around the island. Just watching or talking to the village people can be a good experience
5- It is NOT touristy. Which is a massively good thing
6- In general, food other than seafood is not cheap
As others have said, if you're looking for vibrant nightlife and after hours activities, Pangkor will sorely disappoint. But if you're looking for a peaceful life and immersion of culture and local people it is the PERFECT place.
1- It is so much cleaner than before and I even get to see the local trash company doing their rounds. Every village house has their own big trash bin and it is tidy
2- Teluk Nipah and Pasir Bogak, to name two are really clean beaches with clear waters and reasonable depth which makes for wonderful places to swim and play
3- Fresh seafood is still much cheaper than the mainland and it can be something to bring back for visitors
4- People are warm and will not hesitate to give you a ride, help you, bring you around the island. Just watching or talking to the village people can be a good experience
5- It is NOT touristy. Which is a massively good thing
6- In general, food other than seafood is not cheap
As others have said, if you're looking for vibrant nightlife and after hours activities, Pangkor will sorely disappoint. But if you're looking for a peaceful life and immersion of culture and local people it is the PERFECT place.
Written 17 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have a transfer from Marina island to Pangkor Laut. Can you purchase Soft drink and beer at ferry terminal
Written 1 June 2019
Nothing sold in the ferry. Anyhow only 18 minutes ferry transfer from marina island/ pangkor island
kioskis available at both side
Written 7 August 2019
Pangkor is nice, but why is it not located a trashcan on every beach? We were picking up trash by some of the beaches, but had to walk all the way back to the place we stayed by another beach to throw it.
Written 20 February 2019
During all the year, what are the best months when to go to pulau pangkor ?
Thanks
Written 21 July 2018
There in the last few days. A little rain but good sunny days and was not overbusy.
Written 23 July 2018
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