7th Nov marked our 13th Year Anniversary this year and we were supposed to go on this trip the weekend before it. But apparently, Children's Day celebration in school seemed more important to the boys. And it would be Daniel's last Children's Day in primary school and he said he was going to receive some prize on that day. The Children's Day celebration was announced one day AFTER I booked and paid for the package in full. The dilemma!! So I quickly requested for a postponement and luckily the room was still available for the following weekend.
And then for a week before the big trip, guess what I was obsessed with? The weather! Due to the pre-monsoon season, I would check the weather forecast every hour and get stressed! I'm such a big worrier. Everyday, I saw the little grey cloud and thunderstorm icon and my heart sank deeper and deeper. Thankfully, it was bright and sunny at the island. Phew! It only rained on Saturday around 4pm.
So without further ado, picture bombs!
Journey to Mersing Jetty
We started our drive at about 6.30am from home.
A bit of fog in a couple of areas.
Then this sight warmed my heart.
Yay, blue skies!
The Rawa Island Resort Office at Mersing was very easy to find. Upon arrival, we parked our car at the private bay for RM18 per night.
The Rawa Island Resort Office.
Lounge area while waiting for the boat. Guests were informed to arrive here 30min before boat departure which is scheduled at 9am, 10.30 am and 12 noon. We chose the 9am boat.
Boarding the speedboat.
Slightly bumpy for a while but it was quite fun. The boat ride took 25min.
And we arrived at the Rawa Island jetty. Bright and sunny as I prayed for! I was so so thankful!
My boy said "I can't believe we're here!"
My boy said "I can't believe we're here!"
Upon arrival, we were welcomed with a cool refreshing Welcome Drink. That was the start of the tropical island holiday mood!
Before I blast all the beach photos, here are the room and amenities of the resort first.
Our Hillside Deluxe room with two comfy double beds. Very simple and basic setup with aircon, water heater and daily change of towels and drinking water. No TV, no wifi. These will be at the resort main area. Arrgh, forgotten to take a picture of our cute little patio of the chalet. It was so cozy.
Aww...
Brotherly love and excitement... AWWW...
Snooker and foosball tables on the second floor of the resort clubhouse.
Sea sport rental centre and Gift Shop.
Scooters for free use around the island.
The one and only restaurant. Meals are included in the package. Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here buffet style. And it was good every time! It is even catered perfectly for kids because pasta, nuggets and fries are available everyday.
The buffet area.
On Saturday nights, BBQ beef steaks, lamp chops, grilled prawns and chicken satay are served.
The chefs BBQ-ing.
One of my dinner.
The TV area.
Reading corner.
Kid's Room if you need a little quiet space.
And one of our favourite hangout place after meals. We'd sit here and enjoy our drinks and the view.
OK, here goes awesomeness!
One of the first view when we arrive. It just makes you want to jump in right away! Which is what we did after checking into our room.
The super slide.
Now, the beach. It's not a very long stretch as you can easily stroll from one end to the other within 10-15 minutes. But it is a beautiful stretch.
Cute chalets of Alang Rawa at the other end.
Probably worth mentioning is the debris from the sea washing out towards the beach and settling on the shore. But I was impressed how fast the workers swept the shoreline and got rid of the debris within an hour or so. And the beach was back to pristine. There was also small pebbles and dead coral pieces along the shoreline. It was kinda like walking on Legos..hahaha. I think this is common during pre-monsoon season. I remember it was spotless the last time we went.
Action! The fun begins.
You could easily snorkel and see fishes near the shore itself, mostly under the jetty. And that dark area marks the corals, so you could also easily swim over from the shore too.
The other end where Alang Rawa is.
One of the reasons this trip is memorable. It was Darren's first snorkelling experience!
Initially, he just used his goggles and a mouthpiece to try near the shore. After he got the hang of it, he asked for a life vest like Daniel's. After setting him up, off he went! So all four of us snorkelled together at the coral area. And he actually kept going further and deeper until I called him back. Haha! One of our sweetest memory.
The coral area view from the jetty. So clear.
This was also our first time taking the Island Walk. We started the trail from the Frangipani Villas and just followed the path.
And soon came to this new bar overlooking the sea. Those tropical island music was playing, so you can imagine the 'feel'... really gives you the holiday mood!
This paktor platform is next to that bar where you can walk over and enjoy the view.
One of the most picturesque sight along the way. Really felt like I was in some Scandinavian coastal path!
One of the many peacocks inhabiting the island. They roam freely and fly to rooftops.
The albino peacock still around!
A lot of slopes to walk!
The stairs to the peak that we almost missed.
And the view!!
The boys complained about the climb which was admittedly quite perilous and exhausting. We were bitten by a lot of mosquitoes too. But the view was breathtaking.
The following day after a tip from the resort staff, we ventured behind the Orca Scuba centre that we passed by during our Island Walk.
Another platform to view the sunrise and sunset.
Looking at crabs.
That's about it for our little island adventure!
Till we meet again!
Darren said "Let's come to Rawa Island every year from now on"
I'll drink to that!
