Top Cherating Hotels

The location allows not to walk to town, but taxi is with 10 RM not too high (ask for Sani as taxi driver). Nearby is a turtle station (20 min. walk at the lovely beach) but beware of the next resort (Club Med) as the let you not enter the resort. We aked to have some water for the children but the guards forced us back in a very unpleasent way. We recommend to watch rather the turtles than the frogs.

Do try the "keropok lekor" a malay traditional delicacy that can be found along the road leading to cherating.

Nature''s Batik Village and PasarPayang in Terengannu are interesting places for shopping. I like the good attitude of Batik Village staff which allows apparels purchased be returned in exchange of size etc.

Cherating is a nice place to unwind and get away from it all. However, be prepared for a bit of a long ride after you exit the highway at Kuantan - the rest of the road is a trunk road and not as smooth. Try the Shadow of the Moon located at Pantai Cherating for a backpackers haven of food and drinks.

Some of the good choice of visits is the River Cruise on Sungai Cherating ($15 per person @ 2 hours). You''ll see snakes, lizards, mud skippers on the swampy banks - the water is black (soil) and very still, beautiful reflection. Twice daily in the morning 8am or evening 4pm. There is pasar malam in Kemaman (about 20 mins drive) every Thursday evening. Lots of good local food and souvenir. Stuffed crab is a popular dish ($5-6/crab), you should try it.

Cherating is not an unfamiliar destination to us. We had made several trips before. Getting there was no problem if you are driving. It took about 7-8 hours drive from Singapore (of course with a stopover for lunch). We enjoyed the scenery and able to see the locals way of life. We visited the turtle sanctuary, the Limbong Art shop for souvenirs, drove around visiting nearby hotels and resorts and had our meals at the small restaurants owned by the locals. But be exta careful driving where there are lots of cows grazing by the roadside.

We ate in the restaurant but the Thursday night market in the neighbouring fishing village is well worth a vist to try some of the local dishes. The Taxi drivers are very helpful ad will take you on a tour of the area and stop at road side vendors and help you buy local fish snack dishes and fruit. Chendor beach and the Turtle sanctaury is excellent.

Driving to Impiana from Kuantan wasn''t easy as there were no clear directions as to the location of Cherating. Drivers need to head toward Chukai/Kemaman/Kuala Terengganu (ignore the Pelabuhan Kuantan turnoff!). We found 2 interesting restaurants about 6-7km south of Impiana (near The Legend turn off): Restoran Peninsula (offers a variety of Chinese & western cooking) and the Golden Beach Restaurant (speciality: steamboat & sea food).

Cherating beach area was definitely a better choice then the Kuantan stretch. It was more quiet and cleaner and less commercial. If you are looking the bustle of life stay away from Cherating. Don''t let the travel books fool you, watching buffaloes carry fish from fishing boats at work in BESERAH just out of Kuantan is a seasonal thing. We drove all the way to find that out. The Charas Caves is a must but be prepared for a hard and treacherous climb if you have young kids, but they loved the 500m walk into the dark cave and listening to all the bats screeching.<br> <br> Don''t forget to check out the waterfalls around the Kuantan area. Kids had a great time swimming there as they were rather small falls and fairly safe. All in all, you really need to have all your amenities when travelling to the the Malaysian East coast as conveniences are not easy to come by.

If you are staying in Impiana Resort, you can have your meal at the small town call Cukai. It is located at the north of Impiana Resort and only 10 mins drive. You also can take your meal at Cherating Village, it is located at the south of Impiana Resort and after Club Med. If you are going to see sunrise early in the morning at the beach, remember to spray mosquito repeller. The itch of mosquito bite can last for a week.