A Desaru weekend – Of palm trees, fruit farms and fireflies

Looking for a short break during the Vesak day long weekend we decided to go to Desaru.  We were contemplating whether we should take the road or take a ferry from Changi jetty.  This being our  first trip to Desaru, we settled for the safer ferry trip from Changi ferry terminal.  Our ferry was supposed to leave at 10.30am.  However, bus 2 from Tanah Merah which we took for the first time took a long winding path and we reached late by 5 mins  at Changi Point ferry terminal which to add to our disappointment was not the correct ferry terminal.  We hurriedly took a taxi to Changi ferry terminal which is near the cargo complex but we were not allowed to board the ferry.  So we spent the morning at Changi beach and took the next ferry trip at 3.30pm.

The ferry ride which is owned by Indo Falcon was a very pleasant ride as we were the only passengers on the ferry.  It takes 30mins from Changi  ferry terminal to Tg. Belungkor.  After reaching Tg. Belungkor the shuttle bus from Pulai Desaru resort was waiting to pick us up at the terminal.  Along the road to the resort we saw the endless rows of palm trees on both sides of the road.  In another 20mins we were at the Pulai Desaru resort.  This resort in the heart of Desaru has one of the most beautiful stretch of 22km of uninterrupted beach in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

The Pulai Desaru resort is a very beautiful resort with rooms facing the garden and the pool.  It has a lot of amenities like indoor restaurants Palm Brasserie and Teppan Japanese restaurant, Lounge, table-tennis, kids play room, internet, pool tables, swimming pool etc.  The only drawback was there wasn’t a gymnasium.  However, Desaru is a very peaceful and laid back  place.

We didn’t go for too many activities, except for the fruit farm tour and the fireflies cruise.  The fruit farm tour was an eye-opener.  At 10mins by land transfer from the resort the 90 acre tropical fruit farm is a showcase of fruits from Asia. Our guide gave us a very nice account of the various fruits like passion fruit, dragon fruit, bread fruit, guava, durian, jackfruit, jambu, mangosteen, mango etc.  We also visited the mini-zoo within the farm.  We also got a talk on the preparation of honey, its importance and how to check the quality of  honey that we buy at markets.

We also took a long walk on the beach.  The beach is very clean and there are lot of tables for sitting and enjoying the view.  There are also many hammocks and we saw many people relax in the shade.

At 8pm we took a fireflies cruise.   The fireflies are a dying breed with urbanization and destruction of our natural flora and fauna.  A wetland reserve of Desaru’s berembang trees is home to millions of fireflies that light up the lebam river. At the cruise terminal there are a lot of seafood stalls.  We were given life-jackets to wear on the cruise.  This river cruise on a moonlit night went through  a dense jungle route and we could see a lot of fireflies glowing in the night.  This cruise was very unique and memorable.

We enjoyed relaxing in the room, taking a swim in the swimming pool and playing table-tennis when we were free.

All in all, it was a truly relaxing getaway!