One of the worst hotel and tourist experiences we have ever had.
We stayed for a week from May 10 to 17 at Tuna Bay Island Resort, and honestly, we completely regret this choice. Between questionable safety, misleading advertising, and catastrophic service quality, this stay was a huge disappointment.
Firstly, the boat transfer from Kuala Besut was extremely dangerous. There was wind that day, and we boarded a small vessel that was absolutely unsuitable for the conditions. We arrived soaked from the seawater, dirty, with a huge backache due to the boat's impacts on the waves.
I personally hold a marine license, and I can say that the maritime organization here is very concerning. In 2025, 3 people lost their lives in the Perhentian due to unsuitable boats, including a baby, and several tourists fell into the sea. This has absolutely nothing to do with European safety standards. Be extremely careful.
Next, we were clearly scammed by the marketing and photos of the resort.
We paid nearly 5000 MYR for a so-called 'Deluxe Beach Front Chalet', and we found ourselves in a tiny room of about 194 square feet.
The resort calls this a 'chalet', but it is actually just a simple room attached to another room. The 46 'chalets' are all built back to back, with no privacy whatsoever.
We could hear the neighbors coughing, talking... and even having intimate relations at night. The soundproofing is non-existent.
The worst part: there was a locked interior door directly connecting our room to the one behind us. One day, simply wanting to check that this door was locked, I accidentally opened it... and I walked directly into the neighbors in the middle of an intimate encounter. An extremely embarrassing situation and indicative of the total lack of privacy in this establishment.
Upon our arrival and the discovery of this situation, we requested the cancellation of our stay or a room change. Impossible.
The staff is fully aware of this problem, and the cancellation clauses are designed to protect only the resort, never the guests.
No modern comforts worthy of a resort:
- No television, which becomes a real problem during stormy evenings when it is impossible to go outside.
- No iron available.
- The mini-fridge smelled extremely bad and hardly worked.
The breakfast is shameful for the price charged (47 MYR per person per day). Very few choices, almost no restocking, and ants crawling around the jams.
The evening restaurant is also far too expensive for very average quality.
The resort has about 50 rooms/chalets but only about twenty lounge chairs. One almost has to fight for a spot.
The island around the resort is dirty and poorly maintained.
Another shocking point: about 80% of the staff hardly understands English. For a resort that hosts international tourists and charges these rates, it is incredible. Moreover, the staff is neither warm nor welcoming.
The white towels smelled bad.
The green beach towels must be exchanged by the guests themselves at an exchange point, like in a low-end campground.
And to top off this disastrous experience: during the return transfer, our suitcase was broken by the staff/handling.
We travel a lot and honestly, this resort absolutely does not deserve its rates or its reputation.
We strongly advise against this establishment.