Ella's Place — Hotel in Tioman

I randomly stumbled upon Tioman Island while looking for a diving getaway from Jakarta. I found Ella’s in my search for accommodation, and they were also recommended by the dive shop. Our stay at Ella’s was wonderful! Rooms and amenities are very basic like most SE Asia homestays, but the AC works, there’s hot water, and breakfast is yummy. The 3-person seaside AC room even had a fridge to keep our drinks cool. The best part was the location, nestled in a grove of coconut palms at the quiet end of Salang bay. Even during low season when town isn’t crowded, it was nice to make the 5-10 minute walk to Ella’s where it was even quieter. The photos from old reviews, even those from before Covid, are accurate. Basic room photos, cozy space of hammocks strung between trees, with roosters wandering around, and a perfect view of the sunset. The staff as well was wonderful, so friendly and helpful. It’s a family-run business, and you definitely feel the family atmosphere.

The afternoons at Ella’s were quite toasty, with direct afternoon sun, very little breeze, and a lot of little gnats and flies (I had read about sand flies at Tioman, but thankfully didn’t have too many of those). We were also a bit surprised that it was low tide the whole day (high tide was in the middle of the night). This meant there wasn’t sandy beach heading into the water, but you had to venture across the rocks and old reef to get out to the water. So not ideal for kids who are interested in going in and out of the water. But none of that can really be changed anyways.

I definitely recommend Kampung Salang and Ella’s for any travelers looking for a quiet, budged-friendly, escape...

This resort has potential to be a really good place to stay.||The attitude of the family running the place is that you're something they have to endure until they take your cash and you leave.||They provide a basic brekky but forget about ordering food after 11.00.||Forget about any friendly greeting or smiles from the managers. ||The fan rooms are basic and hot - more like a prison cell. Bathrooms with tap water spilling over the floor and a pool of water not draining growing bacteria all day.||Example of the staffs attitude was when taking snorkelling day trip me and my elderly mother were told to wait on hot beach while boat driver scrubbed the hull of his boat. And I dared to complain.. that made me no. 1 public enemy..||Th beach is covered with chunks of solidified oil from boating that smears all over your skin.||The poor attitude of the managers to providing service or any welcome to their guests make this a lousy choice to...

Breakfast at Ella’s cafe is a la cart, just how I like it. I can order French toast, a side of fruit, a hot coffee, crepe (they call it pancake) or roti canai with honey, omelette. Everything was cooked fresh to order. The room was clean and quiet (with the adorable sound of Kampong chickens sometimes). We had a surprise visit from a spider. But this is normal given the nature of staying in a kampong style cabin. The bathroom is very clean as well, and aircon is strong. A fridge and mirror with small dressing table was provided. The balcony had 2 lawn chairs and a table to lounge around on. The view of the sunset was amazing. The staff were very friendly, Ella’s dad picked up our bags from the jetty so we can walk leisurely to Ella’s place. The beach immediately in front of Ella’s place is a bit rocky, but if you walk 10 minutes to the Salang jetty, the beach there is perfect for swimming...