It’s hard to describe the peace you feel the minute you step into one of the YTL Resorts. Our experience at their renowned Pangkor Laut Resort was so amazing and relaxing that we did not think a single place could equal or beat it – until we visited Tanjong Jara Resort.

Here you will find everything about this amazing resort and our honest review!

Tanjong Jara Resort

Location

Located on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the resort is just one hour’s drive away from Kuala Terengganu Airport. The Terengganu state, where the resort is located, is often overlooked by tourists that end up visiting only its famous Perhentian and Redang Islands, missing the rich natural heritage the state has to offer. Tanjong Jara Resort reflects and praises this heritage.

The resort faces a beautiful palm-fringed golden sand beach and it’s located just a 15-minute drive from Desa Golf Club, Dungun.

The Rooms

Tanjong Jara Resort offers a variety of rooms, with designs inspired by the majestic 17th-century Malay palaces. Bumbung Rooms and Serambi Rooms are positioned in double-story units, with the Serambi Rooms featuring a partially covered verandah, with either sea or garden views. The Anjung Rooms are semi-detached single-story rooms set on the seafront, with their own private courtyard for an outdoor bath and their own canopied verandahs.

We stayed in a Serambi Sea View Room so this is the one we will focus on in this review.

The architecture of the resort is really authentic and it was no surprise when we learned they won the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and the interior of the rooms is no different. Our room was on the second floor of its unit, right in front of the resort’s tropical gardens and the beach.

The bed is really comfortable, and there is an additional sofa bed and two writing desks. A large bathroom with a separate shower, two vanity units, a bathtub, and a vanity desk complete the room. There is also an outdoor verandah which is partially covered, with a reading nook that is set to be your perfect end-of-afternoon place to be.

All the rooms are air-conditioned and amenities include a flat-screen TV, a powered safe, a minibar with a few drinks and snacks you can purchase, and an electric kettle with complimentary tea and coffee. An ironing set, a hair dryer, and bathrobes are also available as well as a straw bag for use during the stay. We still think the straw bag is a genius detail.

Unfiltered Room Photos

The Space

Tanjong Jara Resort counts with two large outdoor pools, a fully equipped gym, two tennis courts, three dining options, and an award-winning spa.

The southern portion of the resort is where most of the attractions are located, with a bigger pool that offers both adult and kids areas acting as the central spot. Next to it, you will find the spa and the Nelayan Restaurant, overlooking the South China Sea.

The gym is located very close to the Spa and you can get tennis gear here to enjoy their courts. We love that the tennis courts are located in the middle of nature!

It is also on this portion of the beach that you will find the Lang Tengah Turtle Hatchery which does an amazing conservation project in the area. The project is backed up by the resort and guests can subscribe to a nest adoption program where you donate and get email updates with photographic progress reports and an invitation to witness the hatching of your nest. How cool is that?! The money from the donations goes to saving a nest from being sold as food in the marketplace.

You can visit the project during the day to learn more and if you’re lucky, between May and September, you might also get to experience the turtles hatching and being released into the sea!

On the northern part of the resort, you will find an adult pool surrounded by a beautiful garden. The peace here is unmatched! Right next to it is the Teratai Terrace, the reception, and the Di Atas Sungei Restaurant.

Activities

Tanjong Jara Resort offers a number of activities including the Jara Hill Walk & Malay Herbal Garden Visit guided by their resident naturalist (a must-do!) and the Sucimurni Exercise: a combo of signature stretching exercises inspired by the seven main animal chakras and held by Captian Mohk, the head of the Village. Captain Mohk himself is a living Jungle Google and any chat with him is enlightening and fantastic!

Other than the above, the resort also offers PADI Snorkelling and Dive programs (subject to season) and private boat charters.

The Food

Tanjong Jara Resort offers three dining options:

Di Atas Sungei Restaurant

Breakfast 7:00 AM to 10:30 AM and Dinner 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM

Di Atas Sungei, where breakfast is served, is also open for dinner in a very special setting: no menu! Here, Chef Ann will guide you through the local cuisine, providing a unique dining experience. We tried her recommendations which were Butter Prawns and Roselle Chicken with Rice and the prawns were to die for. One of the best dishes we had in Malaysia so far!

Breakfast is served here daily in a buffet setting, and it’s very complete. The restaurant setting is also very pleasant, located right above the river.

Nelayan Restaurant

Lunch 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM and Dinner 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Nelayan was inspired by Pangkor Laut’s acclaimed signature restaurant, Fisherman’s Cove. During lunch, the menu offers both Asian and Western selections, although we wouldn’t recommend the Western options. The fish curry, on the other hand, is amazing!

At dinner, the menu features seafood-themed dishes crafted by Chef Wai, the pioneer of Fisherman’s Cove. The menu here is amazing, and you will have a hard time choosing only one dish. Nelayan Restaurant is set right in front of the beach and we had the chance to experience one of their special events – a barbecue on the beach, during our last night there. We believe the barbecues happen every Friday, and there’s also a special dinner on the weekends where they serve traditional Terengganu dishes.

Teratai Terrace

Lunch 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM and Beverages 12:00 PM to 11:30 PM

Teratai Terrace serves healthy salads and local desserts for lunch, and a selection of wines and cocktails in the evenings. It is located right next to the adults’ pool where movie screenings take place every night from 9 PM.

Private Dining Experiences

Tanjong Jara Resort also organizes private dining experiences, which are five-course set dinners crafted by the resort’s chef and served either on a bungalow by the sea or on the rocks next to the sea.

General Rating

Note: we base our ratings on same-level accommodations in similar locations, therefore we’ll never compare a Hostel in Asia with a Hostel in Europe or a guesthouse with a 5-star resort.

Conclusion

Again, we don’t think 5 stars is good enough a rating, it is a 6 or more. Just like in Pangkor Laut, we were really surprised by the staff and top-notch service we experienced at Tanjong Jara Resort. As mentioned at the beginning of this review, we think YTL has mastered the skill of creating unique environments, places where you can escape your busy reality and relax in the most peaceful of settings.

Prices are unbelievable for what you get. Bumbung Rooms start at around 165 euros a night, Serambi Rooms at 185, and Anjung Rooms start at around 330 euros a night. The restaurants range from 15-20 euros per dish, with a complete dinner for two costing around 90-110 euros. Oh, the insane price we would pay for those Chef Ann’s butter prawns in Europe!!

We knew we were in for a great stay but it was much more than that. We checked out of this resort again, feeling so happy and relaxed and ready to go back to the real world. Tanjong Jara Resort is a must when traveling the East Coast!

This was a sponsored stay.

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