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Xi M

Decent affordable local retreat

5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 19 Jun 2017via mobile
Hi, it was a random search...We were looking at many options. Many are fully booked for the weekend. And we wanted to catch the sunset at the west side. One morning, just happened to find Swiss cottage. And we believe we have picked the right one.
First of all, we are no way related to Swiss cottage. Didnt know there is such a decent affordable place in tekek. Well hidden from main road. We felt welcome throughout our 3 nights especially by Jenny. It is pretty sad to read a bad review about Jenny. She is the most helpful girl throughout our trip, attending at the reception counter. We remember 2 instances that she deserves a credit. After our first night we approached for bugs issues. We were quite bitten but she told us calmly, reassuring us what we can do. We accepted that its quite common to get sandflies / bed bugs and we appreciate most how she replies. Being a malaysian, she flaunts her politeness gracefully. Another instances we appreciated she tries to accommodate our requests. We have asked for a massage on our last evening unfortunately the masseur is not available. She was honest that she wasnt sure who to recommend besides the regular masseur. This matters because we know she doesnt just want to make profit without knowing the other masseur well. M sure nobody wants a lousy massage...

Breakfast was simple and decent. Nothing fancy but why would u need fancy breakfast. I m a vegetarian and i dont take eggs, and Thanks to Jenny, i get my toasts when they are serving french toast. Maybe having two breakfast options instead of one would give a taste of variety. Just like having coffee or tea. One point to note though, our curry for roti canai was cold.

We are divers so it was a plus point for us to have the dive centre next to our beachfront cottage. They were very busy throughout our stay and the dive instructors did try to accommodate to our last min booking. Maybe next time we will book early so that we can have a better diving experience with Tioman Dive centre. Our first was just fine. Plus point for those who wish to get a freediving license, u can get one here. The owner herself is a teacher. Oh did I mention, we get to stargaze. The night sky was clear for us. My partner was thrilled every night with the galaxy.

This is quite a private accomodation at a almost private beach. We stayed in a beachfront cottage, walk a few steps from your door and you find your feet soaked in warm sands. The beach is open for the public who is not occupant in swiss cottage as well. We did not experience nuisance beach patrons. Privacy was respected. We get to sun-bath without feeling watched. Most you find here are foreigners.
The beach is clean and can get very quite. We appreciate there are many dustbins and recycle bins too. Except for sandflies/ red ants. But its the beach right. There will be other beach inhabitants. The cats doesnt disturb us, we dont hear cats screaming at night. Perhaps anything excessive or too many is never good.

Well if u are looking to work while enjoying this beautiful beach, the 4G/3g signal isnt that impressive in the room. I have seen people utilising the wifi at the common area. We gave up our social media/ news addiction throughout our stay and we realised we have endless conversation. Admiring the nature/ sunsets/ sea breezes/ sound of the waves soaked in the hot sun. Getting sun tanned is the most important agenda.

U know, Ours was a beachfront cottage. Last in the row next to the freediving booth. We have our own balcony. Room is spacious. Just not sound proof. Decors are classic. The toilet is clean and simple. With a queen size bed and a living hall area inside the room its very cottagy. Many pillows. Just like how we have imagined for a beach vacation with an affordable price. Most of our trips are beach themed. I love the beach and the sun very much. We have stayed in quite a few, but Swiss cottage fit us ideally. Just few things in the room which we hope for an upgrade. Our bathroom door doesnt slide well. The mattress&pillows, hammocks need some Sun-bathing, dont u think? The mosquito net need a change. May we suggest natural methods like aroma candles for mosquitoes instead of electric? Add a taste of romance in the room? Too many red ants in and out of the room though there are harmless.

Outside the cottage, u can find nice chinese restaurant and at night if u fancy grill seafood varities u can walk over to Warong next door.
It is a very quiet town, was told many more happenings along salang beach.
There are other accomodation like cabana along the same road. More food options if u craving for westerns. Beers/somersby are cheap option besides water. Its not a duty-free town but still affordable.

Well folks, everyone has their own experience/ opinions when it comes to a vacation. We felt welcome and worth it for the price we have paid for. It is affordable and decent accomodation in this small town of Tekek. We enjoyed the serene surrounding, the privacy that we craved for and most of all the companionship of each other. We would definitely come back for another stay. And sea view would be our choice again.
I hope you will have the same pleasant stay as we do. Good luck and have a good stay in Swiss cottage!

Cheers!

Date of stay: June 2017
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Reviewed 31 May 2017

Well, we were stuck in a room right next to the restaurant, thats OK lets give it a try we decided. So here are some of our observations of this flawed decision gleaned over 4 nights.

1. If you expect peace and quiet in this room forget it. We were unlucky enough to have a loud pontificating German expound on his woes to wheover would listen, morning, noon and night - this included well past 10.30pm one evening. There are no notices to respect the privacy of others by reducing noise levels in the restaurant after a certain time.

2. We stayed here 4 nights and the room wasn't cleaned once. Unusual in the extreme.

3. Mangy cats everywhere, OK I love animals but there is a limit. God knows what these creatures do to the native fauna in and around the cottages as well as their discharges. To have so many is irresponsible for the conservation of the local fauna. Frankly scary!

4. If you fancy a cigarette smoke-free breakfast/lunch and you have the misfortune of being in the company of a bunch of antisocial smokers then enjoy the delicious aroma of cigarette smoke wafting through the restaurant as you are eating. This was particularly disgusting - nowhere were there signs to respect other eaters and not smoke during meal times.

5. And yes the smell of smoke could be detected in our room - highly abnoxious. Even the staff found the policy of the owner bizarre in this respect - but apparently she is a smoker too, so take it or leave it obviously.

6. The mattress had obviously seen better days, one doesn't expect much maybe just a mattress with a bit of give!

7. The breakfast was simple but the lunch menu was excellent and Jenny the manager helpful.

8. It is a useful location if you are diving with Tioman Dive Centre which we used and is to be recommended.

All in all this experience could have been so much more pleasurable with a few tweaks to take account of everybody and not just the selfish few who smoke and make unnecessary loud noises.

Room tip: Do not even consider the room next to the restaurant
Date of stay: May 2017
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
    • Value
    • Sleep Quality
    • Service
4  Thank hkxpat1975
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.
SwissCottageTioman, Owner at Swiss Cottage Tioman, responded to this reviewResponded 4 June 2017

Hi hkxpat1962,

Thank you for your review and sorry that your stay was affected by the actions of one or two others.

We would have preferred you contact us directly, however, you have highlighted a couple of key issues and we will make changes to make our small cottage resort even better for future guests.

Occasionally some people are not too aware of their effect on others,we have shied away from displaying too many "rules" rather hoping that guests will self regulate, which they usually do.

We have been thinking about making the reception/restaurant a no smoking area for sometime now and your review has prompted us to make it official. We agree with you that it would be better for everyone if the communal area was non smoking.

We will also display a gentle reminder to respect the stay of other customers and keep noise to a minimum in the evenings.

Re the matteress they are all relatively new, firmness is often a matter of taste,however, we will investigate and take action if needed.

As for the cats ,they adopted us and we feel we are taking responsibility for them. The oldest cat is 12 years old and the youngest is 5 and they have been sterilised for many years now. We keep the cats well fed and as far as we can see they are not impacting too much on the dense jungle ecosystem of the island.

We will implement the changes immediately and hope that any future customers reading this will also acknowledge how their actions affect their fellow guests and act accordingly.

Hopefully with these few tweaks , if you do return , your experience will be much better.

With Regards
Swiss Cottage Team

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Reviewed 15 March 2017

Having been to Tioman for many years, am pleasantly surprised to find a property that is well maintained, toilets that do not have fungus and broken tiles. Swiss Cottage was one of the recommended accommodation during my recent Eco Diver training with Reef Check. Am happy to find that this property has water re-filling option so we do not have to keep purchasing plastic water bottles. The simple breakfast was healthy and prompt so we are able to get to our morning classes in time. I stayed in the terrace fan rooms. Was worried that mosquitoes will be a problem but had no such problem. I guess the mosquito repellent worked. The garden is well maintained and beach is clean.

Date of stay: March 2017
  • Trip type: Travelled with friends
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
1  Thank Si Peng W
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.
Reviewed 1 February 2017

This was my second time at the Swiss Cottage. We stayed for two days in the sea view chalet during CNY and enjoyed our time there tremendously. The room was fantastic, the staff were so so hospitable, the brekki was very tasty; the Swiss Cottage is just perfect all together. Thank you so much and hopefully we can return very soon.

Date of stay: January 2017
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Rooms
    • Service
1  Thank Kashi1983
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.
SwissCottageTioman, Manager at Swiss Cottage Tioman, responded to this reviewResponded 10 February 2017

Dear Kashi1983,
Thank you for writing this truly amazing review and coming to visit us again.We love to think that people feel like they have found a second home with us where the can unwind and enjoy island life.
All the best and see you soon.

Kind regards
Swiss cottage team.

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Reviewed 8 January 2017

We were a family of 3 living in Singapore and Decided to have a Christmas holiday in Tioman island. Even it was considered monsoon season it was just as sunny and beautiful just rained at night but the daytime was perfect. We just walk in to swiss cottage with no booking and was greeted with smile by Hafiq the person in charged. He showed us the Rooms that was available and we checkin to the Terrace Ac room.The terrace was amazing ,beds was clean and comfortable and it also comes with breakfast every morning. We did some snorkeling in front of the beach and it was amazing and Hafiq also taught us how to use the paddle boards ( he was a good teacher with a lot of patience :) ).Overall it was an amazing experience staying in swiss cottage time just fly so fast with great hospitality. We will definitely come back to swiss cottage again in near future. And thank you very much to Hafiq for everything.we wish you all the best in the future :)

Date of stay: December 2016
Trip type: Travelled with family
Thank John H
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.
SwissCottageTioman, Owner at Swiss Cottage Tioman, responded to this reviewResponded 17 January 2017

Dear John H,

Thank you very much for writing this review. It just made our day!
Great that you took the chance to come and visit us during monsoon.The weather can be rainy and grey on some days yet on others it feels as if you have paradise all to yourselves. I am glad you got to experience the latter.
Pleased that you enjoyed Hafiq’s company. His great teaching skills come from his background in outdoor education but more importantly, he is simply good natured and enjoys sharing and helping people wherever he can.
We look forward to welcome you again to more happy days in Tioman.

Kind Greetings,
Swiss Cottage Team

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Reviewed 14 December 2016

The place is just off the beach, with only a dive school (TDC, where we did the open water course) in between. Being almost on one end of Tekek, the place is also quiet (but then, Tekek isn't really noisy).
We stayed in a non-AC room and it was pretty good. Clean sheets and bathroom, and a handy broom to wipe away the sand you will drag in with you. Hot water in the shower for those who want it.
Basic breakfast included in the rent. Free drinking water (which is bizarrely unusual in most of the country), as well as tea/coffee at the reception lounge. There are also tons of books if you feel like reading but didn't carry your own.
Everyone behind the counter is friendly and helpful, though the counter itself officially closes in the evening (6 pm or 8 pm, don't remember).
All in all, well recommended if you are on Tekek and don't mind spending a bit.

Date of stay: October 2016
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Value
    • Sleep Quality
    • Service
1  Thank ComplacentlyInsane
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.
SwissCottageTioman, Owner at Swiss Cottage Tioman, responded to this reviewResponded 17 January 2017

Dear ComplacentlyInsane,

Thank you for taking the time to write this review, we appreciate it very much. We do our best to cover the basic
comforts required for people to have a pleasant stay. Glad you enjoyed the benefits of being able to get free water as and when.
We are quite proud of our growing library and always welcome new additions from guests
The reception officially closes at 6pm,however, we live onsite and are available for emergencies or urgent requests at anytime.
We wish you all the best for your further travels and hope you find you way back to Tioman someday.

Kind Greetings,
Swiss Cottage Team

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