So you’re heading to Tioman Island (great choice!) and now need to decide where to stay? We can help!
We faced this same question when we went to Tioman.
We knew we wanted something comfortable and modern with a range of facilities (especially a pool!) by a great beach in a handy location – as we wanted to get out and about and explore the island and not feel stuck.
The perfect answer seemed to be Berjaya Tioman Resort Malaysia, so we booked it.
Did this turn out to be a good choice? Find out below in our full Berjaya Tioman Resort review below!
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Berjaya Tioman Resort Review
Below, I walk through our experience of the rooms, restaurants, facilities, how to get to Berjaya Hotel Pulau Tioman and buying a package deal before giving my final thoughts in this Berjaya Tioman Resort blog.
I stayed at this resort with my 7 year-old son, and it was not long after there was a fire in the resort which did affect what was available during our stay.
Spoiler alert: I do whine at times below. This is because I want to give you a full Bejaya Resort Tioman review – both the good and the bad.
But I do want to make it clear that I found my complaints minor in regards to how much overall I loved our stay here. So keep that in mind as you are reading through! As it’s easier to highlight bad points than rave about the good.
Berjaya Tioman Resort Rooms
There are a range of room types from a Berjaya Tioman Resort superior room to beach chalets to junior suites. I had read reviews about old and tired rooms, and it doesn’t cost much to get a better room type so I avoided the cheaper room types.
I then decided it was worth the small amount extra for a beach chalet. We were coming here to enjoy nature and great beaches and, especially with a kid that goes to bed early, I wanted to make sure I had no problems enjoying it!
Then, problems struck when we checked in. They gave me the key and showed me on a map where our room was – and it wasn’t on the beach. I asked them why we didn’t have a beach chalet and it turned out that because of the recent fire at the resort, that whole section was shut down so they had upgraded us to a junior suite instead.
We had been looking forward to a beach view and instead had a view of the double storey games room building. As much as I am understanding that this is an unforeseen problem, I had been communicating with the resort since the fire and they could have told me. They could have even told us on check-in without me asking.
It was disappointing especially because they didn’t even think it was worth communicating. I think people only pay extra to be on the beach because they want to be on a beach!
Anyway, we got over it quick because our room was spacious and nice. It had twin beds like we requested, a sitting area with television and a desk and then a second room with cupboards and a desk which entered into a large bathroom with both a deep bath and large shower.
While our location wasn’t on a beach, it was good being just a room away from the main lobby and the resort’s main facilities.
The room was quiet and comfortable. The air conditioning was good and already running before we arrived which was nice. There was a minifridge, tea and coffee making facilities, and a good range of toiletries.
Something we really appreciated about the room was big wooden “curtains”. We could slide them across at night and the room stayed completely dark in the morning. It was so good, especially with our jet lag.
Click here to see other room options and price differences.
Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort Restaurant Options
There were two restaurants operating when we visited in late September – the Matahari Restaurant which is meant to serve Thai cuisine (but in reality has a big range of cuisines on offer) and Xuan Restaurant for Chinese food. There is also the Sri Nelayan Restaurant which wasn’t open when we visited.
We ate all breakfasts and dinners at the Matahari Restaurant as part of our room rate (more about our Tioman Resort package deal below – not that we recommend it!).
I read many reviews for the Berjaya Resort Pulau Tioman before we visited and quite a few condemned the food. I can’t say we were that impressed either. Some things were great, many not and I definitely don’t recommend buying a package with dinner included.
The breakfast buffet was quite small – just a few hot things on offer depending on whether you prefer Indian, Malay or western breakfast plus a couple of cereal options, yoghurt, fresh fruit, bread and an egg station. There is no juice, just some orange concentrate. I made the mistake of having some museli which was disgusting.
At dinner, we had a buffet included – supposedly. It turned out they weren’t running a buffet dinner on our first night so we had a “semi-buffet” which was a couple of entree options, a couple of dessert options, soup, bread and fresh fruit. There was an amazing spoon sized shrimp salad, the soup was nice and the dessert ok.
In addition to this, we had a choice of six dishes from the western and Malay menu to pick one from. I made the mistake of beef rendang which was foul. I basically ended up with rice for dinner.
It was really not good enough given what I paid for my package. I don’t understand why they didn’t allow a wider range of dishes on the menu for buffet people as there were many other options at the restaurant for the same price. It was also disappointing because my son loves a buffet, and it makes life a lot easier with fussy eaters.
At least, that’s what I thought after the first night. Then they had the buffet the next night and it was even worse. We did not like it at all.
On the upside, they came around with water so we didn’t have to buy a drink to go with it.
Luckily, there are restaurants just outside the gate at the resort. These are much more budget friendly and, more importantly, have some great tasting food.
Berjaya Resort Tioman Island Facilities
Where Berjaya Tioman really wins is the facilities – there are many! Even though some were shut when we visited because of the fire, there were still so many that we didn’t feel this was a problem.
There are two pools – only one was operational on our visit but it was great.
There is a Berjaya Tioman dive center as well as many water sport options. There is a games centre with pool, fusball and more.
There is a full golf course, playground, soccer ground, day spa, gym and more. There are tennis courts but these weren’t in a good condition. Really, the only thing I felt was missing is a kids club. You can get a babysitter though.
There is a gift shop where you can buy swim suits, clothing, souvenirs, beach and pool toys and snacks and drinks.
One of my favourite facilities was definitely the beach bar. This is the place to go at sunset for not just a great atmosphere and views but also great happy hour prices.
The internet is surprisingly good.
There are many outdoor seating areas near the beach and the restaurant. I liked how there were lots of undercover tables and chairs spread out so you could have privacy, enjoy the views and have something to eat and drink if you wished.
Outside of the reception and our check-in experiences, I did find the service at the resort to be very good. I was especially impressed when my son knocked over his mocktail at the beach bar and they had a fresh one for him within minutes without us saying anything.
I also liked that prices at the resort weren’t a total tip off like they are at many of these types of places. In fact, I had my cheapest glass of wine that I have had anywhere in the country.
Berjaya Tioman Packages
I did something I never do when booking this stay and booked a package deal.
The price looked good, breakfast and dinner would be sorted and we’d get our ferry transfers too, hooray!
However, it didn’t turn out this way and I feel that every problem I had with this resort was because of booking this package. I really wish I hadn’t. None of it seemed to be what was advertised and it was frustrating.
First of all, booking the ferry beforehand was not straightforward. It took too many emails and me not really knowing what was going on until I got to Mersing Harbour Centre. Thankfully, it did all turn out smoothly and they were great in Mersing (the resort has a desk there where you can get your ticket), but I would have saved myself a lot of time by easily booking the ferry tickets myself here.
Then on arrival, I didn’t get the room I booked, there wasn’t a dinner buffet on our first night (and it was disgusting the second night so I would have been better off without it!) and no one ever mentioned our included snorkelling excursion. I’m not sure they were running.
So much of this frustration could have been fixed with some communication – like if you no longer have beach chalets available let people know! Tell people there’s no buffet.
I wish I hadn’t booked it, but then I did enjoy my stay so I can overlook this. I just don’t recommend you make the same mistake. The room only rates are a much better deal.
How To Get To Berjaya Tioman Resort
For our needs, Berjaya Tioman was in the ideal location. You just need to get a ferry to Tekek on Tioman Island. There is no actual Berjaya Tioman ferry, but any public ferry goes to Tekek (exact instructions here). Tekek is the main village on the island and it’s a huge plus that there is a road between Berjaya Tioman and here as most resorts are more isolated.
The above resort shuttle meets the ferry and will take you to the resort which is a short drive. Or you can take one of the taxis that meet the ferry. There is no longer a Berjaya Tioman flight.
You can walk to Tekek from the resort quite easily and we enjoyed this, but it is up and over a hill and I wouldn’t want to do it with luggage.
Final Words
We very much enjoyed our stay here. While I do have some complaints, they relate to how the resort can be run from a booking point of view. The staff at the resort were friendly and great – they just need to work on their management of the booking process and delivering to expectations. They do also need to work on their food quality.
I think the location is great. It’s a lovely beach and surrounds while still being on one of the few roads on the island so it’s easy to get around and explore. We really appreciated that we could get out and about by car and also enjoyed walking from the resort to further afield.
The pool was nice to cool down in, the beach bar excellent and the amount of facilities is somewhat overwhelming!
Our room was a great standard and we were very happy here. I think the price, overall, was great value too. When you remember you are on an island and everything is being shipped in and it would be hard to deliver quality surrounds and everything, it’s amazingly good here at the Berjaya Tioman.
Would I come back? 100% yes. I have no interest in staying elsewhere. And Tioman Island is gorgeous! I just wouldn’t buy a package deal again.
I recommend getting a cheap room rate here, buying your ferry yourself and then worrying about food when you get here. Much easier, cheaper and better tasting!
Click here for latest prices now.
Ask any questions below! You can also find our full guide to where to stay in Tioman Island here and all our travel guides to Tioman here.
Planning a trip to Malaysia? Have any questions? Join our Malaysia Travel Planning Facebook group here now! It’s the perfect place to ask any questions and to be inspired!
