Malaysian Paradise

A consistent problem with great destinations is that people cannot wait to share their stories and convince others to visit the same place. Increasing numbers of people visit these places and their reputations continue to spread until, over time, the places are no longer the same. This is not to say that they necessarily deteriorate in quality. However, some vacations are so unforgettable that you want to return to exactly the same place and have exactly the same experience. While this is impossible for any number of reasons, that doesn't make the dream any less real.

So, although I know this is futile, I'm going to write about a recent trip to a wonderful destination, but I'm not going to name the place. Let's call it Turtle Island, Malaysia.

We made this travel plan quite spontaneously, less than a week before leaving. It all came down to accommodations. We had difficulty finding a hotel with room availability. After asking half a dozen hotels, we finally found one that is in the most remote spot on the island. I had heard about this hotel from a friend, but I imagined it to be primarily for divers and not up to H's usual standards - A/C, good food, comfy bed, hot water. Thankfully, it was satisfactory on all accounts - nothing spectacular, but satisfactory.

We needed two flights and a taxi ride to reach our boat to the island, one on a Friday night, the next on a Saturday morning. The worst of the trip, though, was the one-hour boat ride to the island. The waves were just choppy enough to make the ride uncomfortable. I was sitting in the front, and I was slammed up and down the entire hour. 

Our view of the beach as the boat arrives.

Our hotel room - on the right. Clean and simple.

But the trip was worth it. Our boat finally reached the hotel on Turtle Island, showing us a long empty beach and a handful of hotel employees waiting for us to help with our luggage.

Stepping off the boat, we found ourselves with nothing to do. This is exactly what we were hoping for. For three days we sat in hammocks, walked on the beach, read books, and snorkeled. The snorkeling was great - good visibility and warm water. We saw loads (50+ species) of fish and one sea turtle. The number of fish is a wild guess, but they were everywhere and colorful.

The beach.

Beach in the afternoon.

H with her feet in the sand.

Our favorite meal - noodles, salad, fries.

On the way back to the airport, we rode with a woman who had traveled from Cambodia for the diving. She suggested we give the hotel a good review on Trip Advisor, since some people recently gave them some bad marks. I enjoyed my stay, but I enjoyed it too much. I'm afraid if I give it top marks and a terrific review, more people will want to visit, and I'll be unable to visit next time. How selfish of me. The flip side is that if I don't write a review, the hotel may go out of business and not be there for me next time. What is an internet-connected consumer to do?