Perhentian Chomel Chalet — Hotel in Lesser Perhentian Island

My wife and I spent two nights at Chomel after three nights in another hotel on Perhentian Besar. Chomel looks amazing from the outside, but unfortunately our stay was a little disappointing. The staff were pleasant and friendly but the standards of the hotel could have been higher.

Our room was in desperate need of some TLC as it was quite run down and the bathroom was not cleaned thoroughly. Before we'd had a chance to unpack, we noticed a lot of ants in the room (see photos) so contacted reception to have a look. They came and sprayed with insecticide but just left the dead ants everywhere. The ants were back the next day, and the same thing happened. We live in Malaysia so know ants can come if you leave food out, but they were there before we'd even entered the room.

The next issue was that our toilet kept breaking so we couldn't flush it and the bowl wouldn't fill with water. Not the most romantic start to the day! This happened twice before we asked to be moved to a new room, having had enough of the ants and the toilet troubles. Fortunately, a room had just been vacated so we could spend our second night with a working toilet and without the corpses of dead ants for company.

We were also disappointed that the hotel could not provide us with a vegan breakfast. We had contacted them months in advance about our dietary requirements but they had made no preparation for our arrival. They initially told us the roti was vegan but then on double checking, found it contained egg. (Which is why I only give service 3 stars, even though the staff were nice.)

Having already been on the snorkelling trips organised by our previous hotel, we did a bit of snorkelling on the beach at Chomel but there wasn't much to see. If you only stay at Chomel you'll definitely need to go on the snorkelling excursions to see more.

The best thing about Chomel is that there is a path that you can follow across the island to Long Beach. We walked across twice, having food at the Chillout Cafe. Five minutes from Chomel, on the same path, there is a nice cafe/restaurant called Crocodile Rock Bistro which, although a bit pricey, has some nice vegan options including oat milk for coffee and scrumptious crepes for breakfast. Without these places we would have been very hungry!

Overall I'd say the staff were friendly and kind but the standards of the hotel and attention to detail need improving. Thanks...

The workers were very kind, ( especially Shohga) helped you in everything, they were attentive, close, we felt like family. the hotel is new, the rooms are clean, the views from the terrace are beautiful, the location great, it is a very beautiful beach and has a beautiful sunset. They have taxi service and are always willing to take you where you want to even pick you up. They also offer many excursions at the same price as in the rest of the island and with the convenience of leaving from the hotel. everything you can pay with a card, but it is better to carry cash, the sign on the island is not very good and sometimes it does not work. the hotel restaurant great, the food is very good and the prices are reasonable. Thanks to our stay at this hotel it has been a perfect vacation, if I go back to the island I will definitely go.

Los trabajadores fueron muy amables, te ayudaban en todo, eran atentos, cercanos, nos sentimos en familia. el hotel es nuevo, las habitaciones están limpias, las vistas desde la terraza son preciosas, la ubicación genial, es una playa muy bonita y tiene un atardecer precioso. ellos tienen servicio de taxi y siempre están dispuestos a llevarte donde quieras incluso a recogerte. también ofrecen muchas excursiones al mismo precio que en el resto de la isla y con la comodidad de que salen desde el hotel. todo lo puedes pagar con tarjeta, pero es mejor llevar efectivo, la señal en ls isla no es muy buena y a veces no funciona. el restaurante del hotel genial, la comida estay muy buena y los precios son razonables. gracias a nuestra estancia en este hotel han sido unas vacaciones perfectas, si vuelvo a la isla sin...

The staff were very friendly and attentive. The location is very secluded, which I wanted, and the beach is very clean. You need to get a boat here really, it is quite a walk from the other parts of the island, but this for me was a bonus. It's a private beach almost for the resort and it was a nice place to relax and the sea was super clear to swim in. Lots of baby sharks swimming around, which was a treat! The resort itself has a lot of potential if managed better.

The room, however, was a big disappointment, for 500 RM per night, I expected more. The bed was 100% the worst bed I have ever slept in, almost like the mattress had given up or only had four springs in the whole thing. There was always a bit of a smell in the room too, like blocked drains, which was also present outside, so I think there are some plumbing issues. Room service was also poor, often towels that had been on the floor were just folded up and put back on the bed. The food wasn't great in the restaurant, breakfast was cold, the Asian dishes for dinner were just badly prepared, the Western food was okay, but it was all microwave food. The drinks were good though. The WiFi is terrible. I went for lunch at a number of different places on the island where the WiFi was 100% better, so it's not just an 'island' issue.

If you want great food while staying in Chomel, go to Crocodile Rock Bistro, a 2 minute walk. It's the best food on the island...