This trip started after we returned from Siem Reap and still in a holiday mood. Over our chats online one day, we chanced upon Japamala Tioman and my travel mate said it would be great if we could spend some time at this nice quiet resort one day. And that "one day" happened in a fortnight later.
In order to save time of travel, we chose to fly to Pulau Tioman instead. The only flights to Pulau Tioman from Singapore was Berjaya Airlines from Seletar Airport. The plane was a little one, with seating capacity no more than 40. The flight was delayed for more than an hour but before long, we found ourselves jetting about to the Island.
Tioman airport was a small single level air terminal with minimal facilities, yet it is very well run for an island airport. Our immigration papers were efficiently processed before long, a staff from the hotel picked us up, put us on a splendid speedboat and sped off to the resort. On board, we were given towels and a nice lemongrass drink together with a short introduction of the place we were heading. It was a very pleasant trip with excellent views of the coastline of Pulau Tioman.
Upon arrival, it was already late evening. We were not required to do the check-ins at the reception but brought straight to our room which was a tree top room. We lost no time heading to the beach with crystal clear waters for a swim and snorkel. The house reef was so beautiful, amazing marine life and we even saw rays and eels by just snorkeling.
After a couple of hours of beaching, we decided it was dinner time and we had a nice thai dinner then retired back to the hotel room for some TV. The resort is very secluded and there was minimal night activities - which was excellent for us because we really did appreciate the tranquility.
Breakfast next day was interesting - we had an array of food and instant order of any kinds of fruit juice prepared by a staff who was incidentally our transfer porter. After breakfast, it was more snorkeling and swimming. We spent some time lazing on the beach, tossing pebbles at the waves (and the swallows in the air) and after which returned to our abode for a quick nap (and watching the cartoon - My Neighbour Totoro).
We returned to the beach in the late afternoon and spent a couple of hours building sand fortress and canals, reviving our childhood days when our parents brought us to the beach and we would the same.
Dinner was another experience. We had dinner at the Mandi-Mandi restaurant beneath a galaxy of stars. It was a long wait for dinner - but every moment of it was exceptional - the ambiance, the mood and the delight. It was truly an exceptional dinner at Japamala. 
The next day we changed our room in a bigger one, with a huge private jacuzzi and an overhead sleeping deck. After the shift, we headed to Pulau Ringgis and Site Kekek for diving. The underwater world in these sites were spectacular. Unfortunately, we did not have any underwater photography gear, but the enthralling sights were unforgettable. We saw all kinds of fish, huge ones, huge schools, turtles, cuttlefish and even a shipwreck. We truly enjoyed the dives.
Back to the resort for the afternoon, after a lazy nap, we spent more time on the beach digging, swimming and tossing stones at the waves. Then we had our dinner back at the Thai restaurant, followed by a round of dessert at Mandi-Mandi, attempting to count the number of stars sprawled all over the sky.
Too soon, the final check out day. We spend a wee bit more time at the beach, after which, packed our bags and caught a lunch time flight back to Singapore.
This was one of my favourite trips albeit being just a short few days, not to mention, one of the most beautiful ones.
Read: Stars , Off To The Dive Site , Of Diving II
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