Rawa Island Resort

The buffet choice is too limited, hope can have international style of meal which will make the trip perfect. For room condition a bit old and shall have more maintenance job to maintain the resort. If the package include the snorkling activity will be great The easy and go style is the most I like

We love Rawa. It had a beautiful and very safe house reef. The coral and the sea life is comparable to the Maldives. My kids are divers and tell me there is more to see in Rawa than the Great Barrier Reef in terms of sea life. We live in Singapore and it’s an easy drive to Mersing where we catch the boat to the island. We know what to expect and go with the expectation that the beach and the reef is amazing, but the food and service could do a lot better, you will love it. My kids eat almost everything, but at Rawa they will only eat pasta and the adults in the family will settle for salad and soup. They have the makings of a great restaurant as all the ingredients are up to a high standard, but unfortunately it isn’t being utilised in a successful way. The accomodation is comfortable and aircon etc works really well. But the rooms aren’t very tastefully decorated. Our sofa had bits of paint coming off the leather and the chairs have no springs left. The bathroom taps are wobbly and fragile but work. Also the beach chairs are incredibly uncomfortable, most are broken and there are no beach umbrellas for shade. But if you come knowing all this, and you don’t expect luxury and amazing service, you will have a wonderful time. I will be back!!

Reservation Office/Jetty The office is easy to find in Mersing. For those who drive, there is on-site parking, RM 15/day. You’ll need to go to the harbour centre across the road to pay RM 30/pax marine conservation fee. Waterfront Villa We stayed in waterfront villa 63, the nearest one to the reception. There is unblocked sea view from the patio. There are beach villas between our villa and the reception area. The villa is showing its age, but nothing was faulty in the villa. There is no TV, fridge, kettle and hairdryer in the room. Meals We generally enjoyed our meals here, there are 6-7 dishes, 2 types of pasta, 3-4 types of fried food and 2 types of fruits per meal. There are also salad and desserts. There is a water dispenser at the cafe. I brought my own bottle to refill after every meal. Activities The tide is too low for snorkeling and use of slides in the afternoon, so we usually spend our afternoons relaxing at the patio or on the beach. There are many fishes and reef sharks under the jetty. Reception is good ( we use my maxis) and we bought enough data for watching videos at night.

If you're looking for a beautiful beach, accessible snorkelling and a place to relax with a book, it's the ideal spot. The water is stunning - very clear with lots of nice fish and juvenile black tip reef sharks to see in the shallows. Views from most rooms are stunning over the water. The beds are comfy and bedding clean, but overall the rooms could do with some improvements. This isn't your fancy 5* villa (although some rooms do look like they've been upgraded). The bathroom didn't drain very well, wasn't cleaned thoroughly daily etc. There's no tea, coffee or fridge in the rooms. The doors to the balcony and some windows don't all lock and so won't suit those who are a bit nervous or bothered by having the odd lizard or bug around. The included meals were fresh with a fair variety of western & asian dishes. The staff were very kind with catering to vegetarian diets and provided extra dishes in addition to the buffet which were great. It is an 'island buffet' and you accept you're in quite a remote spot Vs city hotel standards. It's not for those who are seeking a foodie experience as the main reason for coming. Cocktails & drinks weren't exactly cheap (by Malaysian standards) but very nice - the bar tenders were super friendly and happily took requests. Coffee from the bar was also good with the variety of options you'd expect. Common areas of the hotel, bathrooms and walkways throughout the resort are very much tropical. It's an inside-outside place and therefore very difficult to keep to the cleanliness standards many have become accustomed to. We did see a couple of rats as we walked back to our villa later in the evenings which was a bit off-putting and should be looked into. The service was fairly attentive and friendly but does reflect it's a 3* resort, just for the price you can be led into thinking this will all be more luxurious than it is. Overall the amount you enjoy this place is probably down to what your expectations are, what you're coming for, and for how long (2-3 nights is great unless you're really looking to lie on a beach).

Firstly, the good part: its a beautiful place with naturally preserved marine park and clean beach. Hotel Food is acceptable. As far has the hotel standard is concerned, it should really be called a "diver's lodge" rather than a "hotel resort" so do manage your expectations! Facilities and maintenance wise is quite poor with minimal upkeep (not to say none), eg Sliding doors are from yesteryear where they're heavy and clunky. I suppose u could call it rustic. At least cleanliness is respectable. We even experienced electricity blackouts TWICE during our 2N stay over an 1 to 2 hours each time in the middle of the night. Apparently its "not a frequent occurance". There's a diving school located there, so do expect diving groups crowding your stay. Hotel staff although does their job decently but generally lacks the hospitality touch. U will notice this once you check in...

The place is about a 3 star resort level in terms of luxury but, wow, the island is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, and the staff are amazing. It's full of birds, including peacocks, both normal and white, and other benign wildlife. All meals are included and are buffet style. There are always western dishes and malaysian dishes and the veggie options are amazing. Snorkeling is great, and most days my friend and did jungle and hilltop trekking. You can easily do a 5k walk if you loop the island and follow all the trails. Lots to see in the water including turtles, small rays and docile sharks. Water was a touch murky due to waves stirring up sand, but you can easily snorkel the entire 1 km length of the island. It's just so darn beautiful. We stayed in a 2 bedroom hillside bungalow and my only complaint is that we are two business colleagues, and one bedroom is really nice while the other is clearly for the kids while mom and dad stay in the nice one.