Stays & Relax

Ruby's Resort - A Home Away From Home

RUBY'S RESORT-ALWAYS THE PLACE FOR YOU

Ruby took over “The PL Ace Beach Resort” in 2007, the resort has undergone a tremendous amount of changes and upgrades since – making Ruby’s Resort one of the most highly recommended resorts in Cherating.

For Ruby, it all started when her friends from Italy were visiting with their camper on their Asian tour that year. While they were in Thailand that was it.

Ruby has not looked back since. Her little dream became a reality and her passion in continually improving while upgrading the resort to what it is now.

Have you ever thought of taking your fur kids along for a beach holiday? If so, we found the perfect place for you: Ruby’s Resort in Cherating! This place is just three hour's drive from KL and it is famous for its fine sandy beaches with clear seawater.

We brought our three dogs along – Lola the Rottweiler, Bonzo the mutt, and Bella the Border Collie. Auntie Ruby runs the resort since 2007. The place is also home to her 76 cats and seven dogs. Quite a crowd!

Ruby’s Resort shares the same entrance as Club Med Cherating. Upon entering Ruby’s, there is a huge field where you can park your car and let your fur kids run loose. Ruby’s is a no-frills no-nonsense kind of resort. There are a few strict rules:

Make sure you clean up after your pet.
If your dog chases cats, it is not allowed in the compound where the cats roam.
The front gate must be closed at all times.

Kapas Turtle Valley Resort

Kapas Turtle Valley Resort on Kapas Island is the perfect place if you’re looking for a simple beach getaway.

I wrote earlier about Kapas Island, a tiny spot of land just off the East Coast of Malaysia. As with its more famous neighbors, Perhentian and Redang Islands, Pulau Kapas is also your typical tropical paradise island. The selection for accommodation on the island is pretty basic and those looking for five-star luxuries should stay clear. However, if you are after some simple seaside fun, snorkeling, and delicious home-cooked food, keep on reading.

We stayed at Kapas Turtle Valley Resort, tucked away behind a steep hill at the end of the main beach. The small resort is run by a lovely Dutch couple who have made the island their home.

Rooms at Kapas Turtle Valley Resort
We stayed in the Hornbill bungalow with two adjoining rooms. The other room had a bunk bed as well as two singles, so could have fitted a larger group too. The simple rooms and bathrooms were clean and there is a spacious balcony outside facing the sea. Although the room is on top of the restaurant, we had no issues with noise. The rooms have no air conditioning.

The thing that makes Kapas Turtle Valley stand out is the food. Sylvia whips up dishes in her kitchen that are better than in many city restaurants and light-years beyond your typical island food. The lunch menu is easy-going beach fare, dinner options are more ambitious and every main course we had was lovely. You choose your dinner in advance, and it is served roughly at the same time every night. While waiting for it, people linger having appetizers and sun downers on the bean bags on the deck with the hosts making everyone comfortable.

There was always something for the kids (all homemade and yummy) and the homemade ice cream was a treat for all ages. Sylvia had a few other aces in her sleeve for the kids too, like the traditional Dutch way of eating your breakfast bread with chocolate sprinkles.

The beach is quite rocky so reef shoes come in handy – there are some available for the guests to use, as is snorkelling gear. The snorkeling just off the beach is decent, and some fellow guests had spotted sharks. Turtles are also apparently often seen, as the name suggests. We spotted quite a few giant pink jellyfish that somewhat dampened our snorkeling mood.

We rented Peter’s catamaran and took a few spins out to sea. Kids were not too impressed with our sailing skills but we all had a good laugh. We also took advantage of the double kayaks for rent and paddled over to Gem Island and a few beautiful sandy beaches along the way.

The resort is closed for the monsoon season every year, but will open soon for a new season! We had a lovely long weekend and are looking forward to returning for another quick island getaway.

The Shorea Retreat in Seremban

There are four Duplex Pool Suites and four Villas in the retreat. We booked the Cassia Pool Suite, which comes with two bedrooms and a private plunge pool. Upon arrival, we were told that there was only one other couple on-site, so social distancing was not an issue. We had to inform the staff about our preferred breakfast and dinner times, as they would bring the meals to our rooms.

There is a shared infinity pool at The Shorea, but we had the pool all by ourselves during our stay there, as well as our private plunge pool. We choose to have our dinner by the poolside, as it was so quiet and it had a bigger space than our room deck. The dinner is Asian style and comes with ABC soup, ginger and black sauce chicken, egg and vegetables with rice, and orange juice. If you prefer any other food, you can check out their restaurant menu.

Breakfast in the pool

For an additional RM50, you can have your breakfast in the pool. Yes, you heard me right, in the pool! They prepare your breakfast in a floating basket. We did try this, but the water is very cold in the mornings, so us adults decided to have our breakfast on the pool deck instead. They serve a simple breakfast of nasi lemak with fried chicken and fruits.

Things to do

The retreat offers activities like jungle hiking to the waterfall and a treasure hunt (which is suitable for bigger groups). We did not join any of the activities during our stay, but we did a nature walk around the retreat in the early evening. Tip: bring your own snacks and drinks, as you may get hungry after the swim or hike!

The Shorea Retreat is located in Seremban and it takes you just about 1.30 hours to get there by car from KL. More info on this special forest retreat here.