Where to Stay in Pahang

Here are the best areas or districts to stay while visiting Pahang. For a look at the various types of accommodation Pahang has to offer, look at the types of accommodation in Pahang.

Kuantan and its surrounding areas

Kuantan

Image source: Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi

Kuantan is the state capital of Pahang. It is located at the end of the Kuantan River and faces the South China Sea. It is also the largest city in Pahang. One of its major economic activities is tourism. Kuantan is famous for its production of handicrafts, batik, keropok and salted fish.

The urban areas of Kuantan are mostly located in the mukims of Kuala Kuantan and Beserah. There are three 5-star hotels and six 4-stars hotel located in Kuantan. The city also has many 3-star hotels, boutique hotels and budget hotels. There are several shopping malls around the area too.

Kuantan has lots of waterfalls like Sungai Pandan Waterfall, Sungai Berkelah Waterfall and the Jerangkang Waterfall. It also has lots of beaches such as Teluk Cempedak, Batu Hitam, Balok, Chenor, Pantai Sepat, Beserah, and Cherating.

Gambang

Image source: Bukit Gambang Resort City, Kuantan (BGRC)

Gambang is a town in Kuantan District. It has been developed to be an Education City starting with the building of Universiti Malaysia Pahang. After Universiti Malaysia Pahang was built, the Federal Government under the Ministry of Education had built Kolej Matrikulasi Pahang here.The permanent pre-university campus of International Islamic University Malaysia is located here too. Soon, there will be a Universiti Teknologi MARA’s branch in Gambang.

The main attraction in Gambang is the Bukit Gambang Resort City. The resort city houses apartments building, hotels and a water-recreational centre. Other than the resort, Pusat Rekreasi Sungai Pancing is also located here. It’s a waterfall outside of the jungle in Gambang and a popular spot for the locals to spend their weekends.

Cherating

Image source: Bryan nys

Cherating is a popular beach resort area in Pahang. It is located about 30 km north of Kuantan. The village looks like a typical East Coast fishing village. The backpacker-tourism is now the major income earner here.

The village is dotted with beach houses. Asia’s first Club Med is also can be found here. The place is extremely laid-back and the beach is nice and wide. The main attraction besides its white sandy beach are water activities such as yachting, surfing kayaking and swimming. Island hopping and river cruise are also available. There is a turtle sanctuary nearby. Batik painting classes are also offered offered by some handicraft shops on the main street.

North Pahang

Taman Negara

Image source: Peter Gronemann

Taman Negara  is the first and the oldest official Protected Area in Malaysia. It was gazetted to preserve the land’s indigenous nature in perpetuity. The park is estimated at 130 million years old, making it one of the oldest rain forests in the world.

The most popular activities at Taman Negara are river cruises and jungle trekking. There are other activities such as canopy walk that offers a fantastic close up view of the rain forest or observation huts which built above ground where the guest can spend the night to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. Cave exploration is also available, either by boat or by foot.

The park host the world’s most complex and rich ecosystems. There are abundance of nature and biodiversity can be found in the park.

Janda Baik

Image source: Long Echu Yala

Janda Baik is a small village in Bentong, Pahang. The peaceful village is surrounded with untouched natural tropical rain forest, making it an ideal retreat from the hectic city life. The village also has a cool highland climate and clean, fresh air.

Janda Baik has plenty of home stays and chalet operators. Some built several huts alongside the river with a small fee for the visitors to come and play with the cool, refreshing river water.

The accommodation’s cost in Janda Baik is affordable.Food is cheap too. Many local residents are able to communicate in English. Both cellular phone and internet lines have a good coverage. Janda Baik is also popular among the bird watchers, joggers and cyclists.

Bukit Tinggi

Image source: Elviz Low

Bukit Tinggi is a highland located in Bentong, Pahang. It is located 800 meters above sea level. Its temperature is between 22 and 26° Celsius.

Bukit Tinggi has lots of breathtaking scenery. It hosts a small village that was inspired by a French Village called Colmar in France. The area is filled with rows of colourful shophouses and brick towers. Besides the French village, there is also a Japanese village where you can sip the tea and wear kimono, adventure park, botanical garden, rabbit farm and many more.

There are a number of hotels and restaurants can be found in Bukit Tinggi. Prices vary according to the type of accommodation. Food on the other hand is a bit pricey but still affordable considering it is a highland.

Cameron Highland

Image source: rusticus80

The Cameron Highlands is the mpst famous highland in Pahang. Its highest peak is 1603 meters above sea level. It occupies an area of 712.18 square kilometres. It shares its border with Kelantan at the north and Perak at the west.

Cameron Highland’s climate range between 9°C to 18°C. It is a home to hundreds of floral species that are rare to the tropics.There are more than 700 species of plants that are grown here.

Visitors that come to Cameron Highland usually stay in Ringlet, Tanah Rata, Brinchang, the Bertam Valley, Kea Farm, Tringkap, Kuala Terla, Kampung Raja and Blue Valley. Apart from the tea plantations, the highland is also noted for its cool weather, orchards, nurseries, farmlands, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, wildlife, mossy forest, golf course, hotels, museum and its aborigine villages.

Fraser’s Hill

Image source: Ully Hartati

Fraser’s Hill is named after Louis James Fraser, whom was a Scotsman tin miner in the 1890s. It is located at 1524 meters above sea level. The place hosts several English Tudor bungalows, English cottage and one of Malaya’s first golf courses.

The entrance to the hill lies at the southwest corner of the valley where the intersection of Jalan Genting and Jalan Lady Guillemard are located. Most restaurants and shops are clustered around the area.

The hill is famous as a bird watching destination. Besides that, other attractions include the much photographed clock tower, golf courses, jungle trails, nursery, a lake and waterfalls.

There are several cottages, resorts, apartments and bungalows for rent here. If the visitors come on week days, there will be until 50% discount on the accommodation rate. Food is also cheap and tasty. However night life is non existence.

Genting Highlands

Image source: Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi

Genting Highlands is an integrated hill resort development comprising hotels, shopping malls, indoor and outdoor theme parks and casino. It is located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali at 1,800 meters altitude. Its climate is between 14°C to 25 °C.

The integrated hill resort is a popular weekend getaway from the city heat. The visitors can either use the private vehicles or cable cars to reach the peak. There are two cable cars services provided from Gohtong Jaya, those are the world’s fastest and South East Asia’s longest gondola lift and the newer Awana Skyway.

Genting has six hotels and one resort, the most famous hotel is the First World Hotel, which is also the largest hotel in the world. There are also other accommodations such as Theme Park Hotel, Maxims, Genting Grand and Resort World Awana. Genting also has four shopping malls and an outlet.

South Pahang

Bera

Image source: Son K Lee

Bera is a district located in southwest Pahang. It is known for its freshwater lake called Tasik Bera. Tasik Bera is the largest lake in Peninsular Malaysia. Its size is 35 km long and 20 km wide.

Tasik Bera is a unique and remote wetland wilderness. Its environment includes islands of peat swamp forests. It is rich in wildlife and vegetation.It has been protected under the Ramsar Convention since November 1994.

There is aborigine village from the Semelai tribe residing there. There are boat houses, resorts and several home stays around the area. Yearly it receives lots of fishing and nature enthusiasts from all over the world.

Chini

Image source: Airianah Othman

Chini Lake is a lake located in Pekan District, Pahang. The shores are inhabited by the Jakun tribe. The lake is the second largest fresh water lake in Peninsular Malaysia. It is made up of a series of 12 mini lakes.

Tasik Chini received the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status sites. It is a home to 138 species of flora, 300 species of non-aquatic live and 144 species of fresh water fish.

There are boat houses, resorts and several home stays around the lake. Yearly it receives lots of fishing and nature enthusiasts from all over the world. People also visits especially between August to September to watch thousands of white and pink lotus flowers covering the surface.

Tioman Island

Image source: Katja Hasselkus

Tioman Island is an island in Rompin District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is located at the east coast of the state. It has seven villages, the largest and most populous village is Kampung Tekek. The island is a popular spot for scuba diving, snorkeling and surfing activities. There are many resorts and chalets for tourists around the island. It also has a duty-free status.

The marine area around Tioman Island and eight other nearby islands have been declared as marine parks and marine reserves. There’s also a protected inland rain forest area called Pulau Tioman Wildlife Reserve that hosts protected species of mammals including the binturong, long-tailed macaque, slow loris, black giant squirrel, red giant flying squirrel, mouse deer, brush-tailed porcupine, and common palm civet.