BuBu Villa

BuBu Villa is a beachfront resort on Pulau Perhentian Kecil, built around spacious villas with high ceilings, wooden furnishings and private terraces. The thatched roofs and local architectural touches give the place a clear island identity without turning the stay into a lesson in rustic living.

You are also well placed for an easy post-dive routine: shower, air conditioning, something cold to drink, then the beach. The hotel team speaks English, so you can sort out the useful details without resorting to underwater hand signals on dry land. Families have their own villa options, while couples can keep things simpler with a Garden Villa and its super-king-size bed.

The address is Long Beach, Perhentian Island, Malaysia, directly on the beach. Long Beach is only a few steps away, with white sand, sun loungers and parasols ready for the part of the day when you are happy to do absolutely nothing more energetic than turn a page.

Coral Bay Beach is about 0.6 miles away on foot, while Pantai Cendrawasih Beach is around 0.5 miles away. Romantic Beach is roughly 0.7 miles from the resort and Isabelle Beach about 1.2 miles away, giving you a few alternatives when a change of shoreline is more appealing than another round of poolside logistics.

The resort is reached by a ferry journey of around 30 minutes from Kuala Besut Jetty. Airport access is part of the transfer plan rather than a simple drive to a mainland hotel: the airport is about 34 miles away, and the hotel can arrange airport and land transfers before the boat connection.

The villas are designed for space rather than corridor efficiency. Private terraces give you somewhere to sit outside, while wooden furniture, high ceilings and thatched roofs keep the island character running through the accommodation. Air conditioning matters here, particularly when salt, sun and humidity have all had their say, and every villa has a hairdryer and luxury bath amenities.

For two people, the Garden Villa is the straightforward choice: one super-king-size bed, a generous layout and the sort of private outdoor space that works well for a quiet drink before dinner. Some villas have outdoor bathrooms, which adds an open-air element to the routine; it is a feature to choose for deliberately, rather than discover by surprise when packing your toothbrush.

The two-bedroom villas make more sense for a family or two pairs travelling together. The larger Family Villa has two bathrooms, which is the sort of detail that becomes considerably more valuable when four people are trying to get ready at the same time. Daily housekeeping is available on request, and the villas are non-smoking.

Breakfast is included and served as a buffet, with continental, vegetarian, Asian and American choices. The World Cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on an open-air terrace overlooking the white beach, with Italian and Asian dishes on the menu. It also has the useful advantage of operating throughout the day, so you are not forced into a military timetable simply because the boat came back late.

Santai Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a beach setting with views over Long Beach. Both restaurants are known for beachside barbecues, giving the evening meal a more island-specific character than a standard indoor dining room. The Terrace is another named dining space within the resort.

There is a bar for the evening, with cocktail hour, island cocktails, freshly pressed juices, gourmet coffee, wine and champagne available. Special-diet menus can be arranged, and packed lunches are available when the day is taking you away from the table. Several other dining establishments are also close by, so you can vary the menu without turning dinner into an expedition.

Long Beach is the main answer when your legs have had enough of carrying you. Sun loungers and parasols are provided on the beach, while the resort also has a garden, terraces and a sun terrace for changing the scenery without committing to an excursion. The sea is right in front of you, and on-site water sports, canoeing and snorkelling keep the non-diving options firmly aquatic.

For a slower recovery, Grape Tree Spa offers massages and facials, along with spa facilities and wellness packages. This is the part of the stay where you can hand responsibility for your muscles to somebody else for a while. A massage after several days in fins is hardly a controversial decision.

When you want to leave the shoreline, the resort offers hiking, fishing and boat excursions, including island, waterfall, market and snorkelling trips. Local-culture tours and themed dinner nights add something more organised for an evening, while happy hour provides the less strenuous alternative. The island has plenty to do, but the arrangement also works if your grand plan is beach, shower, food and an early night.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to 22:00, with check-out from 07:00 to 11:00. Children of any age are welcome, and cots or extra beds can be requested. There is no age requirement for check-in. Pets are not allowed, and payment is accepted in cash, Visa and Mastercard.

The journey needs a little planning. Boat transfers from Kuala Besut Jetty to BuBu Villa run at 11:30 and 14:00, with return boats from the villa at 10:30 and 12:30. Land transfers between Kota Bharu Airport and Kuala Besut Jetty have their own scheduled departures: 09:30 and 12:30 towards the jetty, then 11:30 and 14:00 back to the airport. Airport and shuttle transfers can be arranged through the hotel.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, with public-area access also available. Luggage storage, currency exchange, daily housekeeping and packed lunches are available, which covers the practical jobs that tend to appear between the last dive and dinner. There is no parking, a detail that is largely academic once the island transfer has begun but useful to know before leaving the car on the mainland.