Cherating Beach

Cherating Beach is located 45km north of Kuantan and is one of the most sought after coastal beaches in Peninsular Malaysia. It used to be one of the favourite spots for backpackers before tourism industry pick up in the nearby islands of Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Lang Tengah and Pulau Redang. Although it cannot compared with the crystal clear and white sandy beaches on the islands of Redang and Perhentian, this beach is a popular tourist destination due to the ease of accessibility and the many budget, mid range and high end hotels that abound along this beach.

During the North-Easterly monsoon season from November to March, many surfers come to surf and take advantage of the high waves brought about by the north easterly wind from the South China Sea. The best time to surf is from the month of November to December where the monsoon season will be at the peak. Many tourists stay over at the hotels nearby for a couple of weeks just to catch the waves of the sea, experience the village and carefree living at the coast or simply taking a break from the routine of working life.

The stretch of beach in Cherating

Club Med

Club Med here is the first Club Med that was built in Asia. This resort is exclusive in that all the facilities at the hotel are only allowed to be used by the in-house guests though one can still use the beach facing the resort. The resort undergone an extensive refurbishment programme in the year 2005 and is now opened for booking. This resort is one of the high end hotel in this region. The room charges are in the range of RM 665 or USD 205 per person/night. This price is inclusive of all meals and accommodation. Sea sports facilities that are available include catamaran sailing, kayaking and windsurfing.

The Club Med Beach Holiday Villages fronting the beach

If you would like to drop by for a visit to the resort, there are day passes that allow you to go in and use the facilities. The Day Pass is RM230/person from 11am to 6pm. Lunch is priced at RM180/person and dinner at RM280/person. Call up at +6 09 5819 133 for enquiry if you plan to go for day trip as the resort may not allow you to go in during the peak season.

Other Resorts

Other mid range and budget resorts that are located here include:

Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa Cherating is a 3-Star hotel with internet booking price starting from RM170/room per night.

Ranting Beach Resort with chalets starting from RM50/night.
Cherating Bay Resort with apartments starting from RM150/night.
Tanjung Inn chalet starting from RM50/night.
Payung Guesthouse with chalets starting from RM30/night.
Riverside with chalets starting from RM35/night.
Maznah's Guest House with chalets/A-frames starting from RM20/night.

Food and Beverages

There are many stalls that provide food and beverages by the beach. Duyong Restaurant serves a wide selection of steaks, poultry, seafood, vegetables and is located at the end of the beach. Deadly Nightshade is opened until late at night with Western food being offered. Seaside Seafood Restaurant has a selection of Chinese and Malay dishes.

Pantai Cherating beach where most other resorts are located with a different entrance from Club Med.

Getting Here

If you are coming from Kuantan, drive towards Kuala Terengganu/Kemaman using Highway route No. 3. This is a scenic route which will enable you to see the coastal villages in Pahang and Terengganu. You will be able to see a signboard Pantai Cherating. If you are going to Club Med, go further up and you will see the signage to Club Med and the Turtle Sanctuary. The Turtle Sanctuary Centre is located just beside the Club Med resort.

Other attraction in the vicinity include the Cherating Turtle Sanctuary Centre.

source: http://www.malaysiavacationguide.com/

Beserah Fishing Village

Head for Beserah in Pahang if you have yet to see the typical day of a fishermen in the east coast. This fishing village is located near Pantai Batu Hitam beach and is located about 10km away north of Kuantan. The fishermen usually go out to the sea in groups and come back with their daily catch in the afternoon.

As the boat come back with the catch of the day, you will see the spirit of co-operation there when the people from the village will go towards the boat and help the fishermen pull their boats up to the shore. Buffaloes are then used to transport the fish to the market nearby for distribution to the fishmongers.

The fishermen boats that were parked at the beach

Pulling the boat and catch of the day to the shore.

While here, try to mingle around with the local people and the fishermen. They are usually friendly and warm even though they may look rugged and tough. Most of them are dark due to the effect of the sun while going out to the sea. If you are fortunate, you may even get to buy some sea shells directly from the fishermen. Some may even give you an item or two for free.

The fish that were caught are placed in a container with ice to ensure their freshness before reaching the consumers at the market nearby

Shells that can be used for decoration in your house after cleaning them.

Beserah Beach

If you would like to take a swim at the beach, do so only when the sea is not too rough and not during the month from November to March. These months are the time when the North Easterly wind blows from the South China Sea and it is dangerous to swim at this time of the year. Pantai Batu Hitam is a popular beach that the locals go to during their free time. There are stalls that sell finger food such as fried sausages, keropok lekor and drinks on this beach. The word "Hitam" means black and the beach is rightly named so as the sand here is black in colour.

The black sandy beach at Pantai Batu Hitam

Other Attractions

Other attraction in the vicinity include the Kuantan River Cruise at the city of Kuantan.

Drive further north and visit Cherating Turtle Sanctuary, a place where turtles are being hatched and cared for before being released into the sea.