Bayu Dive Lodge

The place was nicer than I expected, but it badly needs maintenance and better customer service. The bathroom was dirty on arrival. Someone came with a towel and wiped some of it, then sprayed cleaner on the toilet and floor before leaving without mopping. I was exhausted, so I cleaned the toilet myself and rinsed the floor. After dinner, nobody was at reception. The air conditioning wasn't working, water was leaking badly in the bathroom, and I barely slept. There was also a huge cockroach waiting for me. When I told them the next day, they didn't apologize or offer a fix. They just said I could take my things and check out. They did refund me, but finding somewhere last minute on Perhentian island was hard, and I ended up spending twice what I planned. I've traveled for years and never had such a bad experience. The bathroom, air conditioning and AC outlet were broken.

The place itself is nice and sits in one of the most beautiful parts of the Perhentian islands, but the room had some serious shortcomings. We saw a couple of cockroaches, and a giant spider stayed in the bathroom throughout our vacation. The wall was made of horizontal wooden pieces with gaps of about 1 cm between them. WiFi only worked by reception, far from our room, which was really annoying. The owner seemed kind at first, then became rude for no reason. He wasn't helpful, especially when we needed to call the boat service to return to Kuala besut. We hadn't expected much since the accommodation was cheap compared with other places on the islands, but these were still big problems.

The grounds were lovely, full of plants and trees, and the free breakfast was really good. Try the waffle! Our room was clean and well built, unlike some bungalows around here, with a comfortable bed, a big clean bathroom and a hot shower. The owner was kind and helpful too. We had such a nice stay.

At RM 170++ a night, I didn't think this was worth the price. The room was small and sandy, the toilet smelled, and you could hear the neighbours clearly, including when they flushed. When I asked for another pillow, none was provided. There were just two towels, no toiletries, no room service and no internet. Checkout was at 11am. I saw a TikTok about someone booking a 70RM room on the same island with similar quality, more space and a perfect balcony beach view. I wish I'd considered that one.