A week on Pulau Perhentian Kecil

After a bumpy speedboat ride (one of our fellow passengers kindly held down my bag the whole way to stop it falling out the boat), we arrived in paradise. Well ... kind of. Pulau Perhentian Kecil looks like an idyllic desert island on the surface, but when you look closer there is actually a lot of rubbish everywhere (we had to walk over a swamp to get to our accommodation). Still, it's a nice place to relax and there's plenty to see underwater.

We were pretty content to park ourselves under beach umbrellas for a few days and read, dip into the sea when we got too hot and enjoy what must be the world's best watermelon milkshakes (it doesn't sound like a thing, but they are so good!).

One advantage of this island over our last beach stop (Koh Phangnan, is that the water is ridiculously clear. You can snorkel right off the north end of Long Beach past the pier or you can take a day trip to see turtles and sharks at different spots around the island (Ombak Resort on Coral Bay do a great one for 40 RM, around £8).

The early evenings were always my favourite time on the beach, catching the last bit of sun while all the restaurants get their bbqs going. We stayed on Long Beach and there's plenty going on in the evenings, lots of restaurants and fire shows, and even a big screen to watch the world cup (if you happened to be up at 4 am).

By the end of the week, we were ready to get back to the mainland and finally wash the sand away. Good job we had rested up because it took us a boat, three buses, an overnight train and a taxi to get to our next stop (Melaka)!