Bakau Hijau Riverlodge & Floating Villa — Hotel in Kedah

Recommended. Another hidden gem of Sungai Petani. Probably the only few places in Kedah where you can taste the local breed oysters.

Briefly, this place is a makeshift floating oyster farm. It is a joint project between Universiti Sains Malaysia and the owner. Apart from the farm, the owner has built a small restaurant, a chalet and jetty on the floating platform.

The restaurant serves limited selection of seafood and other menus. We tried the steamed oyster, squid fritters and fried rice. The oyster was really tasty. It had that fresh sea taste and sweetness. It is served with lemon, sweet chili sauce and fried shallots. A really good combination that suits the Asian taste.

The squid fritters was also good. The batter was crunchy and flavourful. The fried rice was tasty too. Overall the food was good. The price falls within the lower and mid range. The oyster comes in a set of 10 pieces and costs RM 50 (USD 11). Mostly mid-sized oysters.

This restaurant also offers river cruise service, kayak rental (RM15 per person for 30 minutes) and chalet rental (RM 120). Please check the actual rates.

Also a good place to see the mangroves and, depending on luck, to watch the macaques, water lizards and tilapia nesting in shallow water.

To go to this place can be a bit challenging. Waze will take you through the 1.5 km of gravel road, which is the shortest and easiest. The other access roads, though blacktop, are mostly long, narrow and winding. Parking is also limited in the vicinity of this restaurant and floating platform.

As mentioned, this is a makeshift floating platform. Safety perhaps is an issue. There is no proper handrail to prevent guests from falling into the water. So please be careful if you bring small children. It is also unfriendly for those with special needs. The platform will move along with the...

For the simplicity and it's minimal impact on its environment, I have to give the place a 5 star. It's not the most comfortable accommodation as those hotels, but you won't come to this place for comfort anyways. The toilet is communal and there is no air-conditioning. But the time we stayed, it was quite airy and comfortable. The mangrove kayaking is phenomenal, and for first timers it's a very memorable one indeed. The staffs are very friendly and always around, always trying their best to accommodate. The place is erected using recycled wood and it's not an eye candy. But for ppl who appreciate it as it is, it's a wonderful idea put to work. Good place to bring your adventurous family....

I spend a lot of time in this project and all what I can say is that we need more projects like this one! Education, protection of the environment, awareness, sharing culture, empowerment of local culture and also a wonderful site where to come and enjoy the nature around. River, mangroves, oysters, fishes, very nice people, everything is there for an unforgettable experience. They worked hard to make this possible and I hope they will be able to continue the same way. The buildings are beautiful and the sunrise awesome. You can enjoy different activities as fishing, kayaking, learning,... Awesome project to support! I give a 5 stars with no...