Japa Mala Eco Resort provides nature lovers with eco-themed simple luxury. The emphasis on relaxation and easy-going pleasures.
The Japa Mala Eco Resort is located on the beautiful island of Tioman, off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The resort has an interesting blend of influences, with Malaysian – Italian owners displaying their love for all things natural. It is wonderfully simple and totally romantic. A real hide and chic boutique retreat.
Japa Mala ( it means a string of meditation beads in Bahasa Malay ) was one of the forerunners in eco-focused luxury tourism in the region. The whole style shows a genuine concern for the surroundings without compromising your comfort.
Getting here is a real adventure and should be seen as part of the total experience. The most fun way, and also the most reliable, is to have a transfer from Kuala Lumpur to the ferry port of Mersing. This will take about 5 hours, travelling in part on the motorway and then through rural Malaysian countryside. From there you continue by speedboat for 45 minutes to arrive directly at the resort jetty. Note – the speedboat service generally operates in the calmer sea months of April to October, in the higher sea months of November to March the journey is made by local ferry taking 2 hours and would be against our advice. From time to time there are seasonal flights to Tioman from KL but these have proved to be unreliable on so many different levels!
The spring and summer months are generally the best time to visit – during the late autumn and winter months, you have high seas and monsoon rains.
Japa Mala Eco Resort has 15 chalet-style rooms dotted around the extensive hillside overlooking the secluded bay. Most are elevated and on stilts.
Simple totally authentic style, perfectly in keeping with the setting, with reassuring contemporary concessions to add to your comfort. You have a choice of Treetop rooms, Sea Cliff rooms, Luxe Treetop Sarangs ( It means nest in the Malay language), Jungle Luxe Sarang, Hillside Sarang, Sea View Sarang. And finally the two-bedroom Penghulu House.
Facilities include swimming pool.
Non-motorised water sports (weather permitting). There are usually scuba diving facilities on the island, but this needs to be reconfirmed at time of enquiry.
Restaurant and bar.
A selection of island trekking tours can be arranged by the resort.
Fitness & Spa.
You need to be comfortable with nature and enjoy the total seclusion of a small island. Given Japa Mala Eco Resort’s hillside location, with numerous steps linking the rooms and public areas, it would not be suitable for those with mobility problems.
The style is comfortable yet eco-themed simple luxury with the emphasis on relaxation and easy-going pleasures.
Compatible company, or a really good selection of books, can be important! If you want nightlife, think again, this is not for you and any shopping can be done in KL, either before or after your stay.
Depending on your attitude the journey to and from the resort can be seen as part of the attraction, its what makes it unique and exclusive. Others might just see it as tedious.
April to October tends to be the best time weather-wise, November to February, in particular, can be monsoon wet with high sea swells. see the note above on speedboat schedule.
Under the same ownership, the Villa Samadhi in KL offers a tropical resort-style within the city. A delightful combination.
Children under sixteen years are not accepted.
Japa Mala Eco Resort, Tioman Island, Malaysia
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