As much as I adore colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers, I am very much into nature as well! My parents totally love it too. We’re just into the chill and relaxing vibe, you know?
In fact, this next property that we’re gonna review is discovered by them! My parents enjoy watching travel and fishing videos and they stumbled upon some on YouTube. After several videos, here we are at one of the most unique stays I’ve ever done in my life – Kong Kong Chalet Terapung.
Chalet Terapung basically means a floating chalet. There wasn’t a lot of reviews of this property when I was doing my research, so everything was somewhat a first-hand experience for me and my family during the trip. I’ll try to sum up all the important and fascinating details for you, besties.
Journey from Singapore to the floating chalet roughly took us about 2 hours. There was a slight human jam at the checkpoint when we came in, it took an hour for us to get our passports chopped. After that, another hour of drive into the Pasir Gudang area of Johor.
A disclaimer! The trip to the chalet is only convenient if you have your own vehicle or transport. Initially, we booked our stay without even checking the location of the chalet. We then realised that the area is too secluded inside the kampung area that no GrabCars will ever be available. On some maps, it doesn’t even exist at all!
Thanks to a friend on Instagram, I managed to get a driver at a short notice to pick us up, and to fetch us during our return trip. It was really a miracle getting a driver overnight. And so, our trip began!
The driver stopped us near the jetty. The whole place looks dilapidated but the view? Stunning. Really stunning.
Check-in was really efficient. It was done at a little stall on the mainland. Once everything is done, you just have to wait for the ferry to pick you up!
The journey on the ferry only takes less than 5 minutes to the floating chalet. The ride was so calming, I wished it lasted longer than my ex a couple of minutes.
When we reached the floating chalet, it felt really surreal. I was more than excited! I usually don’t have high expectations when it comes to reviewing a property so I guess that helps? I knew I had to step out of my comfort zone for this particular stay but when I reached, my worries literally floated away. Why?
The chalet looks incredible. Clean, stable and just beautifully quaint. The staff that greeted us was phenomenal. He was smiling from the start till the end, he was really helpful.
What I found interesting was right after we arrived, there was a safety briefing. It was really assuring. The staff, Affandi, explained about the property. The rules and regulations, the safety aspects.
The room we booked is the VIP category, the biggest room they have on the floating chalet.
It’s also the only room that has glass doors on it’s side which is really cool! When you open it, it feels like you have your very own private balcony where you can actually just fish right from the doorstep. It costed only RM300 at the time of our booking.
Come on in!
The room is gigantic enough for 4 persons. It is furnished with 2 king beds! But fret not, if you have more than 4 persons joining you, you can just add another RM70 for an extra mattress.
The bed was too hard and firm for my liking though. But with the air-conditioning blasting off, I can literally sleep within seconds. For the light sleepers, there will be constant sounds of creaking literally all morning, all night due to the slight waves against the floating chalet.
A fridge is also provided in the room and some sejadahs if you need to do your muslim prayers, which is great for my parents.
The glass doors are really safe. It was initially locked but with the same key used for the front door, you can open it up and enjoy the sea breeze. I really love it, you can just lay on the bed and watch the sunset. Heaven.
The bathroom? Of course it wasn’t as grand and beautiful like a normal, traditional hotel. We’re on a floating chalet! But to me, as long as we have a bidet, we’re good!
The water pressure for the shower was surprisingly great! And the water heater works perfectly. There wasn’t any discolouration to the water as well.
Let’s explore the rest of the floating chalet!
If you bring kids during the trip, they’ll be glad to know that there’s a swimming pool for them to waddle in. It honestly looks skeptical to me but really, the water was really clean when I took a closer look. I don’t consider myself a germ-freak but dirty stagnant water scares me, I can assure you here the pool is clean and good.
Jet-skis are also available for rental. I didn’t go for a ride on it because honestly, I’m a scaredy cat. I foresee drowning as my cause of death so count me out on water activities! And also, the rates for the rental is rather expensive. RM85 for a 15-minutes ride? I mean of course, it’s considered cheap if you convert it to the Singaporean currency. But that’s not the point, besties.
There is also a seafood restaurant on the floating chalet which serves seafood, fresh from the waters surrounding us.
The food was delicious. Can I say cheap? Yes! It was affordable. It costed less than RM300 for 6 persons. I was really full, with food and happiness. I really love seafood! Crabs? Yes! Steamed fish? Yes!
There was a downside though. The restaurant onboard only opens from 4pm onwards. So! I suggest having food outside first before checking in. The way of ordering dinner is so interesting though. We ordered in advance, gave them the timing and the food was served right outside the door! I’m obsessed with sunset dinners so of course we asked them to get the food served after 6pm. And it came perfectly on time, I love punctuality.
Again, the view was gorgeous! The sunset.. the clouds, the calm seas. I almost can’t describe with words, but thanks to Thesaurus, I can.
The view looked breathtaking, spectacular, astonishing.
When the night came, the amount of mosquitoes were unbelievable. They were hungry for blood! So always have an insect repellent prepared.
Breakfast! My favorite meal of the day. A good breakfast, a good start of the day. But was it good though? I have to be brutally honest. It wasn’t. It wasn’t at all.
The breakfast spread was pathetic. When we woke up, few packets of nasi lemak and mee goreng were placed outside the room. Along with some kueh which tasted of nothing but just flour and sugar.
The nasi lemak was super small.
The mee goreng was just tasteless and bland.
We were given the impression that breakfast was to be served buffet-style but apparently not? This is why I take pride on doing reviews. Sometimes, what is advertised online can be vastly different to the real deal.
I did appreciate the teh tarik and coffee in the jugs? That was the only good thing I had for breakfast.
I find it quite dishonest, a false advertisement. But you know, we’re all honest people here.. so there you go.
Despite all that, I do think everyone should experience a stay here. The vibe here is just different and unique. The rates are considered affordable too! I would recommend bringing a large group of family here as it can get dull in the evening when everything is closed.
If you want to book a room, sadly the property isn’t listed on Agoda or any third-party hotel apps. No worries though! They are fully active on Facebook and Whatsapp. Booking goes directly through them and deposits are made through bank transfers. You only pay the full amount in cash when you arrive to the village. It’s really safe, trust me.
Get your insect repellent and fishing rods ready!
Aliff Daniel 