The Dreamiest Vacation Island Ever - The Malaysian Island of Rawa

Reporter Lukas Winkler has just come from Rawa and tells us about this dreamy holiday island.
My heart was beating so fast I was afraid it was going to outrun me. I checked everything again, put the breathing tube in my mouth and fell backwards. I didn't fall far before the water opened up and swallowed me. I surfaced again, took a deep breath and dived back into a beautiful underwater world. Rawa Island is located on the east coast of Malaysia, near the well-known Tioman Island, about 30 minutes by speedboat
minutes boat ride from the city of Mersing. You can leave your car in a secure car park and then leave your bags at check-in. From there they are put on a small speedboat to be shipped to Rawa. You get into another speedboat and drive off. After about half an hour you arrive on the island. There are two hotels on the island, one is the bigger and better with larger rooms, beautiful views, great service, a beach volleyball court, a super cool slide, several table tennis tables, two pool tables and air conditioning. So this one costs a bit more than the other. The second hotel is a lot smaller, on the not-so-great side of the beach, has air-conditioning, and also has a lot less activities, but it's a bit cheaper.

I arrived at Rawa Beach and was warmly greeted by the welcoming committee. They handed me a very good and refreshing drink and pointed me in the direction of the reception. So far everything has been beautiful. The boat trip was good too, the boat was pleasant and the captain wasn't too bad either. I checked in and was given the key to my room. My room number was 62. I walked along the path to my room, climbed the steps and put the key in the keyhole. I noticed that the only entrance to the house was through the balcony door and it was made of glass. I didn't have much of a problem with that, but what bothered me a bit was that the bedroom was right behind it. So everyone could see through the balcony door into the bedroom unless I drew the curtain. But the view from my room was wonderful. I could see the whole beach, I could see the slide and the reception including the restaurant. I sat down on my bed and started unpacking my suitcases, which had arrived ahead of me.
The hotel I am currently staying at is called "Island Resort" and is a very good hotel. There are 77 rooms and each is very nicely designed with modern furniture and comfortable beds. The shower is heated by solar energy, as are most of the other heaters. Only in this hotel is there a buffet for every meal and also a choice of Asian, European and of course Malaysian food every time. Everything is served fresh and if something runs out, it is usually refilled within 5-10 minutes. There is also a place where you can have something cooked for you, like a fried egg for breakfast. There is also a bar where you can order drinks, but they cost extra. One floor up there is something like a lounge where you can play billiards or table football. You can get billiard balls downstairs at the reception. There is a movie room behind the reception where you can sometimes watch movies in the evening. Next to the restaurant there is also a volleyball court and several table tennis tables. There are also two trampolines, one of which is not in the best of shape. There are beautiful hiking trails around the island and many great viewpoints. The beach is beautiful and you can build imaginative sand sculptures. The water is crystal clear. A few meters from the beach there is a coral reef. You can also snorkel under the jetty and see many marine life such as black tip reef sharks, blue spotted stingrays and many more species of fish. One can go scuba diving along the Rawa coast and try many other water sports. You can rent kayaks or paddle boards. So there is something for everyone to do.
I've tried quite a few of these activities myself. On the morning of the first day I went to breakfast. There was fried rice, fried noodles, bacon, eggs, potato pancakes and bread with ham, jam and butter. I put a lot of it on my plate and ate it greedily. I drank a glass of orange juice and finally enjoyed a few pieces of chocolate cake. After that I went back to my room and changed. After I had changed, I made my way to the jetty. Today I wanted to try the slide and go snorkeling under the jetty. As I stood on the jetty, I looked up at the beginning of the slides and was amazed. The slide descended from about 10 meters high into the water and was about 20 meters long. I walked up the stairs, one by one, until I finally got to the top. From there you had a spectacular view of the whole island and the other surrounding islands. I sat down on the slide and off I went. The slide was very fast and you kept crashing into the wall at the sharp turns. Luckily I didn't hurt myself that bad. Sliding was great fun and I slid several times. After that I got my snorkeling stuff and went under the jetty. There I was greeted by thousands of fish. I put on my snorkel goggles and put the snorkel in my mouth. I knelt down and dived into the underwater world of Rawa. I kicked my legs off the sand and started drifting through the water. Suddenly, a wall of fish that I had gotten too close to parted, only to close again immediately behind me. I kept swimming and saw something whizzing past me. I turned and spotted a shark leisurely swimming through the water. I continued to drift and saw many other fish of every type and colour. I also admired anemones and corals of all shapes and colors. I also saw a lot of sea urchins. After an hour of snorkeling, I felt like I saw all the sea creatures off the Rawa coast. At noon I ate a lunch that once again tasted great. Then I showered and changed. I went for a little hike and noticed that you could go scuba diving on the island. So I booked an appointment for the next day and made my way back to the room. I stayed there for a while until dinner and then finally went to dinner. As expected, the food tasted delicious and I ate a lot. After dinner I felt like playing pool, so I played with a friend. After winning and losing a few times, I went back into the room and took a shower. Tired, I got into bed and fell asleep immediately.
The next morning I woke up and was able to wash away all the sleep with a refreshing shower. Then I made my way to the buffet and once again ate plenty. Excited, I ran to the meeting point for diving. I was already wearing my bathing suit and was able to slip into my wetsuit right away. Then we participants put on the diving equipment including the diving tanks and got into a boat. We only sailed a few yards from the island as the reef and marine life were closer to shore on Rawa than usual. Pretty soon the boat was anchored and everyone was ready. We sat down on the ship's side and tilted backwards. The feeling was wonderful just splashing out of the heat and exertion of the world into a stress free cool environment and exploring the wonders of water. We surfaced again, checked our gear and then dove down behind the guide. It was wonderful. I thought I'd seen it all, but no. I saw rays, sharks, turtles, fish, corals and admired the variety of sea creatures.

After an hour we resurfaced and took the boat back to the beach. There I got myself a refreshing lemonade at the beach bar. I lay down on a lounger on the beach and thought of nothing. I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again, it was midday. I quickly ran to my room, changed my clothes and ran back to the restaurant. I fortified myself with a good meal. After that I played some volleyball with a friend who had played pool with me the previous day and his family. After half an hour we were all exhausted. We rested for a while. I was soon on my feet again. I had discovered an island near Rawa and that's where I wanted to go now. It was about a kilometer from Rawa and was uninhabited. There was no hotel or house there either. With a rented kayak I wanted to paddle to the island. But before that, I wanted to paddle around Rawa to check for good snorkeling spots. So I set off. I'm only now noticing that the current around Rawa Island was very strong. So I struggled, paddling and paddling against the current. It was very strenuous and I had barely any strength left when I reached a bay and put my snorkel over my face. I dropped off the kayak and enjoyed the cool water. After a few minutes I kept paddling, but luckily with the current this time. I didn't want to push myself too hard because I had to paddle back from the island I wanted to go to. That's why I just let myself drift on the way there and only occasionally, if necessary, steered back on the right course. When I finally arrived, I was greeted by a white sandy beach surrounded on three sides by clear, turquoise water. A large boulder protruded from the ground behind the beach. This made up the second part of the island. It was about 20 meters wide and 10 meters long. The boulder was mostly overgrown with bushes and mosses. But there were also a tree or two sticking out here and there from small crevices in the rock. A two meter long sandbar led to another island. This was a bit smaller and a bit less overgrown, but just as beautiful. A small tunnel led under the island, large enough for an adult to crawl through. But since it was filled with water, I didn't dare to crawl through the tunnel. Instead, I climbed up onto the island and looked back the way I had come. Suddenly I realized that the way back was one further than I had thought. So I climbed back down from the rock and lay down on the sand. I lay there for a while and recharged my batteries for the way back. When I found I had enough strength to fight the currents, I got into the kayak and set off. I was right. The currents were very strong and I paddled harder than ever. It was the hardest 15 minutes of my entire life! When I arrived at Rawa Beach I was so exhausted that I retired to my room and did nothing for the rest of the day but lie in my bed and sleep. In the evening I woke up and went to the buffet. This dinner would be the last for the entire trip before leaving the island. I took advantage of this and ate as much as I could. After that I felt like watching a movie. At the reception I was informed that, to my delight, the film “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 1” would be played. I immediately made my way to the film room and sat down in the best seat that was still available. Apparently several people had heard about the film because a number of seats were already taken. Still, I didn't let that bother me and enjoyed the film. After two hours the film was over. As I was about to make my way into the room, I noticed that my legs had fallen asleep and I was having a hard time getting up. Tired, I went back into the room and went to bed.
On the last half day of my visit to Rawa Island I woke up very late. I got dressed in a hurry and half asleep and sprinted across the beach to the restaurant. I ate my breakfast under time pressure and got the last glass of orange juice. After that, I went back to my room and stuffed everything into my suitcase. Soon a man with a buggy came to pick up my bags and put them on a boat going back to Malaysia. I myself had to hurry to get on another boat for the return trip.
When I finally sat on the back of the boat and looked back at the island, I thought about the most amazing two days I've ever had. The diving in particular had been wonderful. I felt a bit sad that I had to leave the island so soon.

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