Bubbles Dive Resort — Hotel in Greater Perhentian Island

We found Bubbles via a search engine as we were looking for somewhere to join a turtle conservation program. It not only fulfilled all our wishes for turtle conservation but was also a first class dive resort and fantastically chilled holiday resort.||We arrived at the Kuala Besut jetty and easily found the Bubbles shop. We were found an earlier boat and 30 minutes later were pulling up to a pier jutting out from the beach (which was basically empty). It looked beautiful. Staff came running out and helped us with our bags and moments later we were checked in and shown to our room.||The room is basic but clean with two large double beds and a toilet to one side at the back with outdoor shower the other. Don’t expect views of the beach because the hotel has left the beachfront to the turtles so that they can nest on the top of the beach as they have been for centuries. You get the view by walking to the uncrowded beach!||We arrived before a Malaysian national holiday and departed after, even during the busy holiday period the beach area was not especially busy, outside of the holiday period you were lucky if there were ten people! There are some rustic sun-beds and hammocks at one end of the beach and the other end is left to the turtles and other wildlife. There are a couple of SUP’s and you can rent mask and snorkel. All very relaxing!||We had come to join an experimental turtle conservation program with a group of longer term workers / volunteers. Sarah, Holly, Molly, Emma and Nada were amazing and their knowledge of turtle hatchery outstanding. We joined them for night patrols (all night, every hour rain or no rain), educational workshops, beach cleans, egg laying management, hatching releases. This team has a very responsible job to do and execute it perfectly. Guests should remember that the team has to protect the turtles and therefore people have to follow the rules they set, the usual balance between tourism and conservation. They balance this well.||The resort has a house reef which is excellent for those who do not want to dive. The water is shallow for some distance with coral areas and at the edges of the bay the fish are exceptional. While snorkeling we saw black tipped reef sharks, bump head parrot fish, titan trigger fish, and all the other reef fish that you can list. The water was clear and calm and even with some days of wind no problem for hours of snorkeling. ||Another cornerstone of the resort is the excellent dive centre run by Grace. I was so impressed and encouraged by the operation I ended up doing my Padi Rescue Diver course as well as Nitrox certification. I was lucky to be instructed by the boss, Ronnie who gave me a very detailed tuition both in and out the water. I followed this with 9 recreational dives with Ryan who is one of the most enthusiastic divers I have had the pleasure of diving with.||As is usual with diving life can become dive, eat, sleep, repeat. The food is plentiful and buffet style. The menu rotates and is mostly Asian offerings. We found the food to be above average but perhaps could have been slightly more varied. Rice is of course the mainstay! ||In summary, if you want a beach holiday in rustic bungalows that are a blast from the past with good food, incredible people with perhaps some diving and / or turtle conservation then I suggest to give it a go. If you want identical bungalows that could be built on any resort with a pool in the middle and staff trying not to see that you want something then look for a chain hotel instead. Bubbles is not 5 star, it does not pretend to be, but for relaxation, diving, turtle conservation, beach and friendliness of staff...

At first I was kinda uncertain about my choice as the booking system's kinda confusing: I booked for two rooms with different extras, different deposit rate, then the staff mixed up some info and sent the booking details with wrong amount...but it's okay since everything could be settled in the end. (and yes, it is still confusing till the moment I paid for the bill, as they included the tax in the price, and then there's another 'service tax' stated at the total sum). However, I think their cashless billing system for the whole resort is still good overall because it is pretty convenient. You can grab your drink and food at the counter, join in any activities by telling them your room number, and they will add them into your final bill, just pay them all on your last day of stay with credit card (you just need to check the list is correct). My friends and I stayed at interconnecting rooms. The rooms are spacious and clean (still a bit sandy but expected since it's a 'beach-cation'). We had a mixed review about the open air shower room, but I like it. But I think the shower room condition may need some improvement: scrub the floor frequently perhaps? or change everything to tile? or prepare a pair of slippers ... as we dont prefer to step on floor with moss). We didnt encounter surprise attack from bugs / mosquito throughout our stay! We were able to have some quality sleep and felt energized for activities on the next day. The food, we ordered the package. I love their dessert, for the main it's okay. They serve Halal food. Wifi at the common area 's pretty strong for instant messaging. Commenting on service, excellent! The staffs are friendly and extremely patient (I appreciated it a lottt! the receptionist dealt with all my questions queries etc etc with great manner from day 1 of pre-booking via whatsapp till the moment we left the place by speed boat). Thanks a lot for everything! Recently, we read a review about the foul smell, and yes, we encountered it. But to me, it's bearable as it only appeared in the evening for less than an hour. Just two cents, the staff may inform the guest about it and its cause during check in so that the guest expects it without a question raised in mind. Activities: Firstly, for the turtle conservative talk, we enjoyed it..we,too like the idea that the staff would notify us whenever there's surprise appearance of mother turtle/ baby turtle (You just need to flip the sign as 'YES' on the door). Secondly, we did kayaking. Nice one since no strong current. Lastly, we had great diving experience! Thank you Fariq and Derrick for all the guidance! They are nice by giving us the diving tips, giving us a de-briefing, showing us the type of creatures we saw with reference books after dive, drawing our logbook...(LOL) . The equipment's good. They have their own house reef to do discovery shore dive. The dive site D'lagoon is good. Twas a good 3D2N stay and would definitely recommend it to...

Bubbles is perfect for us! We go there every year and preferably stay more than 2 weeks. We love the island life there, the laid back atmosphere, beautiful beach with crystal clear waters. The bungalows are good and spacious, nice open air shower and the biggest beds ever. Last year was our first time as a family with our 5 month old baby. It was just perfect. This year we booked already our 3 weeks stay and then with our 2nd baby as well!! Diving with Bubbles is awesome, they show you all nice things and explain you everything. The equipment is very well maintained and the boats have rooftops. Bubbles will take you to the best dive sites of Perhentian no matter the distance and number of divers. (compared to other diveshops who only go to certain sites if they have a certain number of divers attending) The instructors and divemasters are always very friendly and helpful. I recommend everyone to go diving with Bubbles, especially if you want to do your Open Water course or any other course. Safety goes first, and they explain everything very well. The restaurant is a very nice and lively area. Yes, breakfast lunch and dinner are at certain times, but these times fit perfectly in your daily island routine. Food is good, also for me as vegetarian. If you are lucky they will have a BBQ, that looks really nice and cosy at the beach. We always have a la carte so that we can choose our own meals. But there is also a package available. Did I mention already the beach? The beach is probably the nicest of the island, it's deserted, from time to time you will be the only one there. You can walk the long stretch and take a dip on the other side. Go for some snorkeling and see all the corals and fishes just in front. And I love the fact that you don't see anything of the resort and diveshop if you arrive, its just a green treeline. Secluded, pristine, green background, crystal clear waters, white sand........ What do you need more? I never want...