We've been 8 days in the Juara Mutiara Resort and we liked it very much !
Our chalet was a budget one, it was a little old and need refreshments but was okay to sleep. The beach is at 15 meters, very quiet with few people, the view was just fantastic.
For the restaurant, the dishes were good but we had to wait quite a long time to receive them ( but it is frequent in asia).
The hotel propose trips to corail island, it was very nice!!
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I spent one nite in the resort. pickup was arranged from ferry. For me as I was alone it charged 50rm . In group you will pay half . sea view room and it was amazing indeed. The room clean and big enough, clean and nice bathroom with hot water to enjoy. I found some ants on the bed! But in walking distance to beach rooms it's normal to find some insects always! The AC is very cold and fast to chill the room. The view from room was really amazing ... the beach is peaceful and quite ... the resutant is walking distance with tasty food indeed and quite cheap. Try seafood tomyam and fried rice there it's yummy!. I was fasting time that I went there but they still provide you food till 2:30 pm.
Being insect repellent with you and enjoy the stay in this resort .
Juara Mutiara resort is located close to the beach, you just have to cross one (low traffic) road to get there. The manager was kind, and the restaurant associated with the hotel offers a wide variety of good food.
The state of cleanliness of the room exceeded our worst expectations. All tiles in the bathroom had black fungus spores on them. When we arrived, a layer of mud covered the bathroom floor (normal after rainfall, according to the staff...). The bedsheets didn't appear fresh either and there was sand everywhere on the floor.
The manager was helpful when we asked for transportation to the ferry (about an hour of driving), which was a good thing, because the supposed WIFI-connection wasn't working at all (for excellent wifi, go left on the beach to the nearest chinese restaurant, that also sells the cheapest beer we encountered during our trip in Malaysia).
After a very long 23 hours journey here, and 50 ringgits for the taxi ride we arrive to a less than friendly reception. Minimal verbal communication just pointing to a book to fill in and being ushered away.
A member of staff showed us to our room, and whilst it has only just turned 3pm, we were told the restaurant was closed till 6.30.
The garden view basic twin room was very basic with tiny and dirty twin beds. The head board was black with mold and very uncomfortable mattress.
We tried our luck at the restaurant for breakfast - after being sat there for 10 minutes without any acknowledgement we walked out. We also tried later that day for dinner, took 10 mins to get a menu and order and a full 35 minutes to get the meal. It was very quiet, so no reason for this delay. The staff were uncommunicative, rude and plain ignorant. Food wasn't good either for the price. If you do stay here try the other restaurants or food huts as you are not appreciated here. Also lots of cars around - I like cats but when they jump onto your table whilst you're eating it kinda puts you off.
Whilst the beach and water is like a little paradise I wouldn't recommend staying at Juara Mutiara. Very average and awful service.
How to get there- Drive or take a bus to Mersing Ferry Terminal. The depart/ arrival times to the islands and back depends on the tide so check before going to avoid a long wait!. You can book your ferry online too. It took 2 hours to reach Kampong Tekek (the centre of eastern Pulau Tioman ) where the airport is located. Juara Mutiara Resort can arrange transfer to the resort which is located in the western side of the island. It's quieter and more remote here with less bustle. There's a beach front road that spans 2 km along the Juara coast serving various resorts and local dwellings. You can rent a motorbike by the hour or day to explore this stretch. I don't recommend that you attempt riding across to Tekek from Juara beach...the road is very steep with sharp hairpins. I'm sure there are many accidents due foolhardy traversing the hilly cut across the island. The nearest full fledged hospital is back in mainland Mersing!
Accommodation - The accommodation is simple, rustic but functional. Don't expect 4 star quality. However the aircon is sufficiently cool and the room is decent. We noticed that the vent holes in the toilet were all plugged up with tissue paper and discovered why! Insects tend to fly in attracted by the toilet light and some were pests.Bring along a can of insecticide and fumigate the room upon arrival to get rid of mosquitoes etc. We stayed in a beachfront chalet which is worth the extra rate. There are garden chalets tucked on the other side of the little road opposite the beach.
Food- The resort's cafe sees very little patronage so we decided not to dine there. It is also pricier with low turn-over food catering to tourists. We found a row of Malay food eateries at a yellow building. Our fav was the last shop on the right from the beach. You'll recognize the cook who always wears a bandanna for hygiene. The Malay food served is simple, flavorful and affordably priced compared to the resort cafes. They don't serve alcoholic drinks and you should not BYO because they are halal muslim food establishments. Please respect their religion and culture! If you crave for some western food then go a small burger shops along the roads. Cheap and tasty. The small eateries also serve western breakfast with bread, eggs in the mornings....you won't get bacon and sausages. Don't miss out on the roti-canai with curry sauce....yummy!
The Beach- The water is reasonably clear and very clean, however we were bitten by sand-flies. It a crying shame that we couldn't spend the entire day enjoying the sun and sea because of the sand-flies. Use liberal sun block/ oil to mitigate sand-fly from biting, it does help but prepare for some inevitable itching. Such a same..it seems this sand-fly phenomenon has spread around Sibu, Besar, Tinggi Islands and now Tioman. It wasn't a nuisance before
What u get @ USD35/nite stay? An air-conditioned 2-double bedded room w attached bath+ hot shower, crystal clear sea right at your doorstep w plenty of colorful corals, serenity in the evening, and i can go on n on....
