Thursday, October 25, 2012

Desaru beach weekend getaway from Singapore


Singapore may be a tropical island but its beaches have given way to land reclamation long time ago and there is no natural beaches and crystal clear waters to swim on the ultra urbanized main island. Southern islands offer some but for real beaches you need to either take ferry to Batam and Bintam or head to Malaysia.

One Malaysian resort is Desaru which is a very popular weekend escape destination for residents of Singapore (as well as Johor Bahru). The place is quite near to Singapore and unlike Batam and Bintan you can drive there. The beach, which is on the South China Sea, is located just 88 kilometers east of Johor Bahru/Malaysia. Thanks to newly opened Senai–Desaru Expressway (Highway E22) and cable-span bridge across Sungai Johor, it is only 1:30 hours drive away from Johor Bahru and around 2:15 hours away from Singapore! You can also take a public bus to Desaru and a boat service is available from Changi Point, Singapore to Tanjong Belungkor, Malaysia.

Desaru's main attraction is its clean, sandy beaches spanning almost 22 km and shallow and clear water. The place is not well developed which is makes it an ideal weekend escape for many. Desaru was very popular in 80s and early 90s and most aging Desaru resorts are from this period. But thanks to renewed interest for the place from Singapore and Johor, the hotels went into a quite heavy renovation in the past few years and they provide good facilities and service for the tourists.

If you plan to go there you should also check coupon deal sites where Desaru vouchers are advertised frequently. For example there is a 1-Day Desaru Lobster & Fireflies Tour deal which is only for $65 per pax and includes visit to Ostrich Farm & Desaru Fruit Farm Centre, lunch & dinner, shopping and travel in air-conditioned coach.

1-Day Desaru Lobster & Fireflies Tour deal
Other than swimming, snorkeling (do not expect a magical underwater life like Tioman Island - not even close) and surfing are several other attractions in Desaru. For example, Desaru Ostrich Farm where you can ride one of these big birds, Desaru Fruit Farm where you can enjoy tropical fruits, fireflies watching and Tanjung Balau (Fishermen Village) for fresh and tasty seafood.

if skuba diving is in your mind, Desaru itself is not the destination for you, but you can take a skuba diving tour from here to southern islands of Malaysia.

Other popular weekend getaway destinations from Singapore
Batam Island Bintan Island  Kuala Lumpur

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