Rawa Island Resort

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!!

I’ve been to a number of Malaysia island resorts. This resort is one of my new preferred resorts. The water around the resort was clean, I saw little trash in the water, which was very refreshing in Malaysia. Water is also quite clear, perfect for snorkeling. And so much coral! To be sure, a lot of the coral is bleaching. But there are still beautiful pockets of coral around the island, which make for interesting snorkeling, and observing tropical fish and sea life. The sand on the beaches is that fantastic fine white sand for lounging or building sand castles with the kids. On our last day, I had a bit of a misunderstanding with some of the food package, and the manager, Carlos, was terrific in helping to resolve my misunderstanding in a reasonable and professional way. Overall, I found the staff, very friendly, helpful, and kind. It is an older resort so don’t expect glamour. They are clearly trying to improve parts of the island, such as the transfer boats from Mersing were new. Although some sections of the island are under repair and improvement, there is still quite a rugged feeling at the island. Even so, our room was clean and comfortable. There is no Internet or TV in our room, which was fine, because we wanted to spend the day outside anyway. But, if you intend to come and work on your computer, you’ll need to bring your own mifi device if you want to work in your room. Bear in mind that on some days, the boat ride from Mersing to Rawa Island can be quite bumpy, as our trip out to the island had very high waves. We understand that this is because it’s February, and that things calm down March through October. Overall, however, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We saw lots of families with kids. It was fun with the beach, the waterslides, and the food was better than when I’ve had other Malaysia resorts. We would go back..

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.

I have been a regular guest at Rawa Island Resort for the past 20 years and I have always enjoyed their food and services. However, I was shocked to find out that the resort management has started accepting school camp bookings during weekends. The school children were very noisy all over the place and during meal times, we had to eat outside the restaurant to avoid the noisy crowd. They were running all around and talking loudly which made it difficult for us to enjoy our meals. They also occupied the facilities and beach area which made it difficult for us to fully enjoy our beach time. The resort management should consider separating school camp bookings from regular guests to avoid any inconvenience. The school children should be given a separate area where they can play and talk without disturbing other guests. This will ensure that everyone can enjoy their stay at the resort. I barely post hotel reviews on the web but I have to do this to warn the management about this marketing strategy as it may cause the resort to lose many new and regular guests like us. Despite this, I still recommend this resort to others as it has always been one of my favorite places to stay in Malaysia. The staff is friendly and helpful, the food is delicious, and the beach is beautiful. I hope that the management will take my feedback into consideration and make some changes to improve the experience for all guests.

Good place for holidays Love n enjoyable Really love it with family Best view Please visit with family during holidays season place will be full of crowd n full of festive Good service and really good

The Maldives of Malaysia – the ocean so clear and the sand is so white and both the snorkelling and diving are amazing. The water slides are super fun, as is the kayaking. Definitely make the walk around the island, which includes a paved hike to see black chickens and a beautiful look out point The food's decent, and the rooms are generally clean and well-maintained (although we were put in a room on the day of check out that was very dated, especially the bathroom). Other parts of the island are more run-down than they used to be, especially the dive center. Hope they renovate this soon and rework the landscaping as it used to be so beautiful. Overall it was a great trip and all of us had a great time. Can't wait to come again :)

Celebrated my golden year in this island in Malaysia gifted by my best friend! An amazing experience! Full of sea creatures, baby sharks, sting rays etc. Full board amenities worth it. Enjoyed the daily served buffet food! Staff are courteous, welcoming and kind! We enjoyed and loved the massages in their own Rawa Spa!

La spiaggia e il mare bellissimo sono rovinati dalla presenza di un enorme scivolo per bambini proprio sulla riva, vicino al pontile dove arrivano le barche. Mi assegnano una camera HillSide molto vecchia, con porta scrostata in legno, buia, lenzuola macchiate in entrambi i letti e soprattutto formiche in bagno dentro al lavandino e nel bicchiere degli spazzolini e sapone. Armadio inesistente e poggia valigia con moquette sporca. Formiche anche sul tavolo. Mi cambiano camera e la waterfront è bella. Pasti al buffet troppo caotico.