Where to Stay on Perhentian Kecil: Coral Bay vs Long Beach

Coral Bay is the first place you see when you arrive at the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia. It’s where the boat from Kuala Besut on the mainland docks at Pulau Perhentian Kecil – the smaller and more backpacker-friendly of the two islands. I stayed on Coral Bay while I did my PADI diving certification as part of my 3 week Malaysia itinerary. Most evenings, I walked across the island to Long Beach. The two beaches are nothing like each other: one is for diving and sunsets, while the other is better for swimming and socialising. This guide covers what each beach is like and how to pick between them when choosing where to stay on Pulau Perhentian Kecil.

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Quick overview of Coral Bay vs Long Beach

• Coral Bay and Long Beach are located on Perhentian Kecil, the smaller of the two Perhentian Islands in Malaysia
• Coral Bay faces west, so it gets the sunset and it has several scuba diving schools. Long Beach faces east and is better for swimming and socialising
• Coral Bay is where the boats from Kuala Besut dock, and where most of the island’s dive centres are
• Long Beach is livelier, with fire shows in the evening
• The walk between them is 10 minutes on a well-marked 600-metre jungle path, so it’s easy to move between them
• Coral Bay mostly has basic, budget accommodation with mixed reviews, but there are now two new, well-reviewed hotel and chalet openings nearby

What Coral Bay is like

Coral Bay, or Teluk Aur, is on the west coast of Perhentian Kecil. It’s the smaller of the island’s two main beaches and it feels more like a working village than a resort strip. There’s a concrete pier, a scatter of dive shops, a handful of chalets and a few restaurants.

This bay is the main dropping-off point for Perhentian Kecil, meaning boats moor off the beach all day. This hurts the water clarity and makes it poor for swimming. Otherwise, the beaches are fine sand and the sea is a pretty turquoise hue.

As it faces west, Coral Bay is the island’s designated sunset spot. Every evening people drift down to the rocks near the pier to watch it. Afterwards, the bay stays pretty quiet for the rest of the evening.

What Long Beach is like

Long Beach, or Pasir Panjang, is on the east coast, over the ridge from Coral Bay. The beach is wider, longer and considerably prettier. The sand is soft and pale, the water is clear and calm, and there’s no boat traffic in the swimming area. It’s the postcard image of the Perhentians Islands.

It’s also more fun. Long Beach is the backpacker centre of Kecil, with more guesthouses, restaurants and beach bars, as well as fire shows after dark.

How far is Coral Bay from Long Beach?

The path between the two beaches is about 600 metres over the island’s central ridge. This takes around ten minutes at a gentle pace, with one short steep section in the middle.

The path runs from the northern end of Coral Bay, by Ombak, and comes out at the southern end of Long Beach. It’s a clear, well-used trail, part concrete and part packed earth, and fine in flip flops unless it has been raining.

Take a torch if you’re walking back after dark — there’s no lighting and the jungle is properly black at night. Water taxis also run between the beaches if you’d rather not walk, and they’re cheap.

Where to stay on Perhentian Kecil: Coral Bay or Long Beach?

If you’re staying on Perhentian Kecil you can find accommodation close to where you arrive on Coral Bay. Alternatively, you can walk 10 minutes across the easy jungle path to the other side of the island, where you will find the busier Long Beach.

Accommodation on Coral Bay

Most of Coral Bay’s accommodation options are pretty basic and receive mixed reviews. Ombak Dive Resort, where I did my PADI certification, offers simple accommodation – some people prefer to stay at their diving school for convenience.

The best-known option on Coral Bay is Senja Bay Resort, where some of my friends stayed. They liked it and it has a nice restaurant where I would often sit and work on my laptop, but the online reviews are mixed.

I stayed in Fatimah Chalet in a small chalet with a fan. This is typically what you’ll find on Coral Bay and it’s fine if you’re on a backpacker’s budget and don’t have high expectations. It’s next to Fatimah’s shop and cafe, which was helpful.

If I visited Coral Bay today and wanted to stay in a chalet, I would choose the OceanBoys Chalet Coral Bay. This collection of huts set back from the beach opened in 2025. Early reviews are good, rating the place highly as it’s clean and comfortable. It’s about three minutes’ walk from Coral Bay and five minutes from Long Beach.

For more luxury, there is now the Perhentian Marriott Resort & Spa which opened in 2024 on its own private beach a 5-minute walk north of Coral Bay.

Browse the latest Coral Bay accommodation deals for your dates by exploring the map below:

Accommodation on Long Beach

In general, the Long Beach options are better reviewed. BuBu Villa has spacious, stylish villas and the World Cafe, an outdoor restaurant serving good food and cocktails.

At the other end of the beach, Bubu Resort is a popular mid-range choice with welcoming staff and a lovely outlook over the bay.

Scuba diving from Coral Bay

If you’re into scuba diving, then Coral Bay is the place to be. I scouted all the dive centres on bay and spoke with the staff to get a sense of their prices and their teaching style. Well-regarded PADI centres on Coral Bay include Quiver Dive Team and Sea Voice Divers.

In the end, I chose Ombak Dive Resort, as they were friendly and professional. I was nervous, but it was such a privilege to explore the ocean and share it with hawksbill turtles, green turtles, clown fish playing in anemones, huge schools of tiny fish, colourful coral reefs and much more. We were even lucky enough to see a black tip shark swim by at close range – though I think it was more scared than we were

Where to eat on Coral Bay

Coral Bay’s food scene is small and mostly excellent. In the evenings, little shacks along the beach set out the day’s catch on ice and barbecue it to order – pick your fish, they weigh it, it arrives twenty minutes later with rice and salad.

My favourite spot to eat and sit was the sea-view restaurant at Senja Bay Resort. You don’t need to be staying there to use it, which is worth knowing given what I said above. Order the iced Milo. If you like chocolate, it will ruin all other cold drinks for you.

Evenings on Long Beach

Most evenings, I would walk along the easy jungle path from Coral Bay to Long Beach. Close to wear the path arrives, you’ll often find a fire show after dark.

The performers show off their skills in a fun and engaging show that starts at around 10pm and lasts for 1.5 hours. There is a seating charge of around RM30 for the best view of this spectacular performance.

This is me looking a little worse for wear at a beach bar on Long Beach, with a friend I met while travelling solo in Malaysia.

Is Coral Bay or Long Beach better?

Long Beach has the better beach for visitors: it’s wider, the sand is softer and paler. There’s much less boat traffic, so it’s better for swimming and the water is clearer. It also has better reviewed accommodation options and the evening fire shows are spectacular.

Coral Bay is more of a small working harbour with its busy pier. Otherwise there’s a scatter of dive shops, chalets and restaurants. From here you can enjoy the sunset as the bay is west-facing.

In conclusion, if you’re doing a dive course, stay on Coral Bay and walk over to Long Beach in the evenings, like I did. Otherwise, Long Beach is a more pleasant place to stay.

When is the best time go to the Perhentian Islands?

You can only visit the Perhentian Islands from March to October, as between November and February they are closed to tourists for monsoon season. 

The best time to visit is between May and September when you’ll have the most reliable weather and calmest seas. June to August is peak season with higher accommodation prices.

In March and April, the weather can still be unpredictable with occasional rough seas from the tail end of monsoon season. That said, I went in April, and the weather was lovely and the diving conditions were perfect.

How to get to the Perhentian Islands

If you are arriving from Kuala Lumpur like me, the cheapest and most convenient way to get to the Perhentian Islands is to catch an overnight bus. Perdana Express and Mahligai Express operate daily buses on this route, which costs only $12 and takes 7-8 hours. It’s best to buy a ticket in advance. The bus departs from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan in KL and arrives at the Kuala Besut bus terminal.

Alternatively you can find cheap flights to Kota Bharu airport, which is the airport closest to the Perhentian Islands. You can fly directly to Kota Bharu from Kuala Lumpur and Penang with Malaysia Airlines and other carriers. From this airport, it’s a one-hour taxi or bus ride to the Kuala Besut bus terminal.

The staff at the bus terminal will then guide you the short walk to Kuala Besut jetty to board a boat to the islands. Arriving on Pulau Perhentian Kecil, the boat will dock at the small jetty on the beautiful Coral Bay.

While flying to Kota Bharu is the quickest option, many budget travellers prefer the overnight bus from Kuala Lumpur as it’s much cheaper and you save on a night’s accommodation. The choice depends on your budget and how much time you have available for your Malaysia trip.

Frequently asked questions about the Perhentian Islands

Are the Perhentian Islands worth it?

I would definitely say yes, as long as you’re there at the best time to go to the Perhentian islands. The island setting was beautiful, the food and hospitality was great and the scuba diving was out of this world. I did my PADI here and saw hawksbill turtles, reef sharks and coral reefs that rival anywhere in Southeast Asia.

Which airport is closest to Perhentian Islands?

Kota Bharu Airport (Sultan Ismail Petra Airport) is the closest airport to the Perhentian Islands, located about 60km or one hour’s drive from Kuala Besut jetty where you catch boats to the islands.

How do I get from Kuala Lumpur to Perhentian Islands?

The cheapest way to get from KL to the Perhentian Islands is the overnight bus, which takes 7-8 hours. Alternatively, you can fly from KL to Kota Bharu airport, which is a one hour flight, then take the one-hour taxi journey to Kuala Besut jetty.

How many days should I spend on the Perhentian Islands?

Most travellers on a Malaysia itinerary find that 3-4 days is the sweet spot for the Perhentian Islands. You’ll need closer to a week if your aim is to complete a diving course or if you want more time to relax.

Can I island hop between Perhentian Kecil and Perhentian Besar?

Yes, water taxis run regularly between Perhentian Kecil and Perhentian Besar throughout the day. The journey takes about 10-15 minutes. This makes it easy to stay on one island but explore both during your visit. Many travelers stay on Perhentian Kecil for the budget accommodation and social atmosphere, then take a day trip to Perhentian Besar for its quieter beaches.

Final thoughts on the Perhentian Islands

Coral Bay is the practical side of Perhentian Kecil. It has the pier, most of the dive centres and the best sunsets, but the beach and the accommodation are both superior on Long Beach. If you’re not diving, Long Beach is the better place to be.

I stayed on Coral Bay because I was learning to dive, and I’m glad I did. Being able to walk to the dive centre in the morning made a difference, and I liked that the bay was quiet by ten when I had an early start the next day. Not to mention, the diving itself was out of this world!