Relaxation at Rawa

Megan and I recently traveled to Rawa for the weekend with our friend Jesse McGannon.  We had been contemplating a Rawa trip but to officially book it, it finally took a friend coming to town.  Rawa is a pretty undeveloped island in the South China Sea off the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia.  The island is quite unknown due to this lack of development.  For the weekend it was a perfect spot to relax.

Rawa the beautiful

Getting to Rawa requires a 3 hour cab ride to Mersing and a 30 minute boat ride through the South China Sea.  There's definitely something adventurous and romantic about having to take a boat to get somewhere.  We passed a number of small jungle islands and ragged rocks as we traveled across the sea.  Upon reaching Rawa we were treated to beautiful sights.  The beaches of Rawa were white sand and they mixed perfectly with the light blue water.  We saw corals and schools of fishes as the boat pulled up to the small wooden dock.  The resort shelters were separate bungalows that tastefully blended in with the cliffs and vegetation on the island.  The environment made us forget the outside world and made us excited to explore.  It was similar to the feeling one gets as a kid when they arrive at the first day of camp.  

Resort bungalows built right on the shoreline

Fun in the sun

Right away we wanted to explore, play with all the cool stuff and meet new friends.  After checking in, we changed in to beach attire and made a bee-line to the one of the sweetest water slides.  It was around 3.5 stories tall and had vicious turns that would invariably almost throw us out of the slide.  A number of times kids would go down it, get owned by the aggressive speed of the slide, start crying, and then immediately run to get back in line again.  

The destroyer - kids beware!

After about 3 (or more like 10) times down the slide, we rented kayaks and snorkel equipment.  The kayaks were great for seeing the undeveloped jagged coastline on the other sides of the island.  The caves, waterfalls, and cliffs were quite interesting.  Since Rawa is right on coral, there is great snorkeling and diving within swimming/walking distance.  At low tide I was able to get a great view of the coral reefs.  I even found Nemo!

Nemo and Dad in the Sea Anemones 

And of course no beach vacation would be complete with out some sports on the beach.  We recruited from the young/fun resort and coaxed some folks into the playing.  The diversity of visitors was quite impressive.  We meet people from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and England.  We all had a blast playing despite the net being so low that even Tom Cruise could spike on it.

Playing with the boys

Sunset and Night time activities

At night we enjoyed a BBQ buffet filled with eastern and western delights.  There was cocktails, beer, and soccer on the big screen for all to enjoy.  After dinner we ventured back over to the young/fun resort and hung out with our international friends.  It was a bit like a house party combined with the Hangge Uppe.  Good times.

Relaxing by the beach before sunset

Jesse likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain, but mostly sunsets

Conclusion

Sunday afternoon had us traveling back to the real world and modern civilization.  We all had a little sun and were ready to regroup before the next week.  Rawa was an awesome hidden gem in Malaysia.  The environment is glorious without being overdeveloped like many of the popular tourist getaway spots.  The activities were numerous and the people were interesting without being to numerous.  I would highly recommend Rawa to both young travelers and families alike.