On the east side of the Peninsula Malaysia lies the popular tourist resort Cherating. Cherating’s beaches are beautiful, and tourists come there to enjoy the fine local atmosphere. Directly on the beach you find many types of accommodations, from luxurious resorts to small scale hostels. One of the most luxurious places you will find in Cherating is Eastern Pavilion; a small scale resort with 12 luxurious villas, each with its own private swimming pool.
12 villas
Each villa carries the name of one of the Malaysian states. Some villas have one bedroom and a living room; some have two bedrooms and a living room. The private pool (more like a big jacuzzi) makes the villa that little extra special. The swimming pool is 2 by 3 yards and at the entrance you walk right into the water through some steps. The swimming pool lies rather hidden, so privacy is guaranteed.
Each villa has a terrace with some chairs and a table. Inside there is a refrigerator, an A/C, a TV, a safe, a work table, a shower (and an additional small guest shower) and a spectacular bed with high-quality mattress. The villas are beautifully decorated, with gorgeous wooden furniture. Wi-Fi is available in the villas, a fine asset for the modern traveler with smartphone and tablet.
From the villa, the beach is just a minute’s walk away. The 12 villas are situated in a rectangle, with a beautiful garden in between. At the end, the garden turns into a lawn, which itself runs over into the beach. The ocean is very beautiful and excellent for swimming. The water is a bit murky though, and not crystal clear like around the surrounding islands (for instance Kapas, Redang, Perhentian and Tioman).
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the restaurant at Holiday Villa, that lies on the beach between Holiday Villa and Eastern Pavilion. Breakfast was fine, but mabe a bit limited compared to other luxurious 5-star resorts we visited. It contained all the well-known western breakfast dishes, for instance, an ‘egg station’ for a fried egg. The quality of the coffee leaves room for improvement though. At night, you can eat a delicious meal in the same restaurant. From the tables, you have a spectacular view of the ocean and the beach. The chef was very friendly; he even gave us a tip where to find the best Ikan Bakkar restaurant of Cherating to visit the next night :).
Amoaras Spa
Easter Pavilion has its own spa; Amoaras. Here you can book several massages. The spa is decorated in Balinese style, and the masseuses are from Bali too. Prices are reasonable, and it’s a nice way to recharge the battery. Best time to visit the spa is on a rainy day, when there isn’t much else to do.
Part of Holiday Villa
The resort is part of Holiday Villa, a fairly big resort. Both resorts lie next to each other, you can check in at the entrance of Eastern Pavilion, but also at the lobby at Holiday Villa. Both resorts are connected to each other, so you can use the resort’s enormous swimming pool if you like (there are actually two big swimming pools; one square and one free form) and also all of the other facilities of Holiday Villa.
Great the whole year round
The staff at the resort were very friendly and accommodating. If you go there outside of season though (peak season is from April to September), it can be fairly quiet in the resort. In low season, you can have a pleasant stay at reasonable prices at the resort. It may rain some more during the rainy seaons (October to March), but there will be enough dry moments to do some fun activities or to relax at the beach.
Nearby attractions
Several neat attractions can be found nearby; like the firefly tour (an absolute must-do!), the mangrove tour (finding snakes and other bird and animal species from a boat), the turtle sanctuary and more.
Our final verdict
Eastern Pavilion is a nice, small-scale resort. The villas are very beautiful and especially the swimming pool makes your stay unforgettable. Sharing the same grounds as the less luxurious resort Holiday Villa is perhaps not the best choice. The big advantage of Easters Pavilion is the possibility to stay there at sharp rates, as prices for a night can be quite affordable outside the peak season. At the only other 5-star resort along Cherating – Club Med Cherating – nightly rates are a multitude of Cherating’s. We thought it was a nice 4-star resort (Eastern Pavilion’s facilities are a little bit below par to be a full 5-star resort). To get the best quality/price ratio, it is best to wait for a good offer at hotel booking websites like Agoda.com or Booking.com. Eastern Pavilion is certainly something to consider if you want to spend a few days in luxury. Cherating is a fun area, and only 3,5 hours by car from Kuala Lumpur.
