Travel : Shhh…. Secret Beaches of Semenanjung (Peninsular) Malaysia

I have always felt blessed to be living in a country located near the equator, where we have sunshine and blue skies almost all year round except for some occasional torrential thunderstorms. But what I love the most is the fact that there is so many beaches that are easily accessible. Most of these gorgeous beaches are just a drive away or sometimes, a short ferry ride.

When I bring up beautiful beaches, I’m sure many would think of the pristine, white sandy beaches of Sabah. There is no denying that some of the most gorgeous beaches are from Sabah. But would you believe if I told you about some of the lesser known secret beaches of the Penisular Malaysia. These beaches are those lesser known, almost private beautiful beaches.

Let me manage expectations here as it is not a long list of beaches, in fact there is actually only three beaches on my list but I’m adding in an additional fourth famous beach because it’s such an interesting beach and I had a swell time there, despite the rainy weather which resulted in having to cut my trip to the beach shorter.

Desaru Beach, Johor

I’m sure this doesn’t come as a surprise and you may have heard about it before. In comparison to many other beaches around the coastline of Johor, I felt that the Desaru beach have left such an impression on me that I have always felt compelled to return there. My favourite part of this beach is how soothing it really is to be able to take a long walk and enjoy hearing the waves crashing on the rocks.

This beach also has sandy part for those who prefer a sandier landscape versus a rocky one. But photographers would prefer the rocky ones as shooting in slow shutter would make the pictures look absolutely amazing. Besides that, it makes for a perfect backdrop for that perfect Instagram shot.

If rocky stones are not enough to convince you, there is even a swing which you can swing up high in the air while enjoying just the most amazing view of the coastline. There is also a hammock nearby where you can fall asleep to the sounds of crashing waves.

Pantai Kok, Langkawi

Those who have visited Langkawi would have also heard about this beach, in fact the part of the beach I love the most is where the famous Hafiz Rojak is located at. I discovered this private part of Pantai Kok by accident when we stumbled upon this parking space with a rojak and cendol stall. 

The beach is just a stone’s throw away and there is nothing but the beach. The most interesting part of the beach is just an old fallen tree which once again, makes a very interesting prop for your pictures to be taken at. As this beach is pretty much empty, you can always have the beach to yourself. I would strongly recommend bringing your own mat and a comfortable pillow to lay down on.

Pantai Batu Hitam, Kuantan

Whilst this is not the common beach most of us envisioned of, I found it to be such an interesting adventure hopping from one stone to another stone. It really is a sight to behold and as I have mentioned above, it’s definitely one of the lesser known beaches in Kuantan. If stones are not your kind of beach scenery, you’ll be truly amazed to find that the beaches leading to the Pantai Batu Hitam has one of the softest beaches I ever laid my feet on.

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As I mentioned earlier, this is a simple, short but not exhaustive list of beaches that  I have fell in love with. If I had a choice, I would love to explore more and that would realistically be made possible with cheap air ticket which are aplenty these days. Just need to look out for them in advance! I’m looking for flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu now because Kota Kinabalu is entry point in Sabah to some of the most gorgeous beaches in that state.

This is one of my favourite shot of a more famous beach in Kuantan, but still gorgeous the Pantai Teluk Cempedak.