Call me fanciful but nothing ever thrills me like a nice legend or myth…. and I am always enthralled as if under a spell, when listening to such…

And so let me share the fascinating legend of Tioman…

Once upon a time, a Chinese dragon princess decided to go to visit her Singaporean prince…

The powerful dragon princess spread her large wings and flew over the country, observing the people below her. After few hours she started passing above the sea when suddenly a storm started… since she was exhausted, she spotted a beautiful area in the crystal clear water of the South China Sea and decided to take a rest. She gently lay down in the water, enjoying the freshness and the beauty of the sky, warming her body by the sun and fell asleep, completely relaxed by the beautiful atmosphere….

When she woke up she realised there were animals who were taking shelter on her flank; as well as monkeys climbing on her body; colourful fishes hiding among her legs and even human travellers relaxing on her belly…

Fascinated and charmed by this atmosphere she created, she suddenly decided she shouldn’t be enclosed within a palace, but instead become a princess of the sea offering protection to everyone who needed it…

So, using her power, she dug her legs deep in the bottom of the ocean and they became rocks and corals…  She deployed her wings around her and transformed them into trees which covered her body with lush vegetation and jungle…

Finally, she gave a last look to the life growing around and on her, to the sea she loved so much and to the sky she would never cross again and transformed herself entirely into rocks….

And thus Pulau Tioman was born from the sacrifice of the Chinese Dragon Princess, offering a warm shelter in the middle of the South China Sea…

Today the twin peaks, the emblematic mount of the island, (which are usually surrounded by mist) are the last remnants of her horns to remind us of the sacrifice she made and some people say you can feel her soul living here, protecting everything and everyone living and traveling on the island…

My destination in Tioman? The Berjaya Tioman Resort…

…And my best friends traveling with me was none other then Zol, Dayat and Joshua (who also holds the Mr Tourism Malaysia title )

After a 5 hour plus road trip, we boarded the ferry at Mersing which was another 2 hour journey to Tekek Village…

It is hard to miss the Berjaya Tioman Resort as it is the largest hotel on Pulau Tioman, situated on a vast 200-acre ground with spacious beachfront and lush jungle surroundings at the western edge of Tekek Village…

We checked in at the very big reception and were attended to after they attended to the guests in front of us

A modern four star resort consisting of rustic traditional kampung style chalets and duplexes around the garden area…

We had the 33 sqm Garden View chalets that was surrounded with trees, plants in a lovely landscaped garden courtyard…

Our chalet came with twin beds and flat-screen TVs, minibars, and tea and coffee making facilities….

The Berjaya Tioman Resort offers amenities and facilities such as a ballroom, function halls, dive center, spa, 18-hole golf course, outdoor team building circuit, 2 x swimming pools and 3 restaurants and a bar….

Breakfast is complimentary at the Seri Nelayan Restaurant with a pretty generous and good spread…

Seri Nelayan Restaurant is designed and decorated with traditional Malaysian styled architecture and wooden furnishings embellished with intricate wooden carvings.. it is an all day dining restaurant that serves pretty delicious local and Western cuisine as well…

We had a sumptous meal there consisting of mushroom soup, Indonesian Black Bass, some tender loin and shanks when we arrived and were starving…

Xuan Restaurant is the new addition to the Berjaya Tioman Resort.. It is located at the left side from lobby and serves up pretty good Chinese cuisine.. we had a set dinner consisting of Deep Fried Fish Fillet with Salted Egg Yolk; Steamed Eggplant with Vermicelli and Garlic Sauce; Stirfried Lettuce with Oyster Sauce; Sweet and Sour Chicken; Egg Fu Yong and Black Pepper Beef with white rice… and Chinese Tea…

It was a sumptuous and yummy dinner and we enjoyed chit chatting and indulging our tastebuds here with the charming oriental atmosphere.. though some of us were like pretty under dressed as well.. what do you expect.. we are on an island and a resort!!!

For our next day dinner, we headed to Matahari Restaurant where they whipped up a storm of delicious Thai cuisine accented with fresh herbs like mint, cilantro and basil further infused with lemon grass for tangy and delightful sensations…

We ordered some Pla Kha Sam Rod or rather Crispy Grouper Fish with Thai Chilli Herb Sauce (RM75); Kaeng Kiew Wan Niew or Green Curry Beef (RM50); Tom Kha Kai or Spicy Chicken Soup (RM29) and Tom Yam Thale Nam Sai or Clear Spicy spup with Seafood (RM32) ; Kung Phat Nor Mai Farang or Stir Fried Asparagus with Prawns (RM30); Som Tam or Papaya Salad (RM20) ; Miang Kham (RM20); Crispy Spring Rolls (RM18) and Kai Ho Bai Toei or Pandan leaf Chicken (RM24)…

The food was really delicious and nice but I can’t help feeling it was a bit on the pricey side considering the portion which was pretty small compared to the food at the Seri Nelayan Restaurant… perhaps its more of a fine dining kind of thing with the by the ambience and all…

After dinner, be sure to head to the beach bar and order up some cocktails or fruit juice and enjoy the live band performance… and watch the waves wash up on the sea shore…

It’s never a dull moment at the Berjaya Tioman Resort… since there are so many facilities and amenities to make use of!!!

There’s a gym, a spa and an 18-hole golf course… There’s also an activity centre where you can sign up for a mini ATV adventure, bicycle tours, snorkeling and a kids’ playground….

We decided to go on the mini ATV adventure which took us to a practise course behind the resort and then towards to golf course and beyond.. up rocky challenging paths, into the woods and out onto the beach where we raced the ATV on the beach in sheer exhilaration…

You can swim in one of the two pools.. one which is located near the reception area on the way to the golf course area or dive centre, or the lagoon-style pool in front of the Seri Nelayan Restaurant thst comes with a jacuzzi area(though the water is rather cold rather then hot) and even a slide…

If you are tired of swimming in the pool, try snorkeling in the deep blue sea… it cost only about RM40 per person but believe me… it is just so worth it!!!

The price includes rental of life jacket, scuba gear and fins as well as a short 4-5 minutes boat ride to Renggis Island, one of the most popular dive sites around Tioman, which also makes for great snorkelling… if you are lucky.. you can see turtles and also some black tip reef sharks which are common near Renggis Island…

On a beautiful sun shiny day, the sunset is just sublime and super breaktaking….

Overall, we had an amazing time at Berjaya Tioman Resort and really hope to be back there again… the stay was amazing and so was the food… loving it so much and the experience is of course amplified when you have great friends or family members together with you…

Address – Berjaya Tioman Resort, Box 4, 86807 Mersing

Website – https://www.berjayahotel.com/tioman