There’s Lots More To Kuantan Than Just Cherating

By Karissa Lund  •  03 Nov 2017 in Features

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December is coming up and it’s time to take a short break from all the work you’ve been up to. Living in KL, all we want to do is just leave this hectic city and find a nice beach to plop our behinds on.

If you’re thinking about PD, stop it. That’s a spot for desperate KL people who just want a taste of being at the beach. Tbh, it’s hella dirty and we all know everyone and their mothers will be there in December. Instead of wasting time driving up there for an hour, why not spend a couple more on the Karak and get the full beach experience in Kuantan?

In case you’re not familiar with Kuantan, just imagine it’s KL but way less hectic with a chiller vibe and also surrounded by beaches. The city centre is quite lively but not to the extend that it gets annoying. It’s just the perfect balance for a KL person to enjoy while whining down.

JUICE came up with a list of beaches to visit, places to lepak, stuff to eat and activities for you to do.

Beaches To Visit

It’s crazy how Kuantan has like a small KL-like city centre, but then only a few kilometres away, beautiful beaches are just waiting for you to stumble up on. Of course, you can be a basic bitch and just hit up Teluk Chempedak or Cherating (yawn). But seasoned beach-lovers and locals know that you can enjoy a peaceful scenery at these two other beaches that aren’t so crowded. Take a dip here and get your tan on.

Pantai Sepat

With trees hugging the shore, Pantai Sepat offers you the perfect camping or picnic spot.

Batu Hitam

Batu Hitam is exactly like its name suggests – there’s a pathway of black rock-formations along this otherwise white-sandy beach. Apart from offering a unique backdrop for your Instagram, the strong winds here also makes it easy to fly kites.

 

Surf’s Up!

For more beach activities, hop on a surfboard and get to surfing. There’s a few surfing centres that you can stop by and learn for fun, nothing serious.

OMBOK

Besides being a cool hipster-ish place to hang out and have coffee, the shop features a curated mix of established international and local brands selling surf and skate gear. The baristas there are usually surfers who are happy to give you a few tips before you hit the waves.

Cherating Point

Get down to surfing with this surf school. Cheratingpoint provides surf packages, accommodation bookings, surfboard rental, surf lessons and guided trips to other spots in the region for every level from beginners to pro. Even though they’re a surf school, they also include activities like downhill, freerides, longboarding, bodyboarding and even skateboarding. Find out more here.

 

Places To Hang Out

Of course you can find a mamak anywhere, but when you’re on vacation, wouldn’t it be nicer for you to hit up the local café scene?

Coastal Store & Café

A record store-cum-café, this is the place for music-lovers who like their local and underground acts loud and on display – they have a wall full of CDs and vinyl. Enjoy your late night or early noon coffee while browsing through obscure local, Thai and Indonesian band albums and letting your inner music nerd geek out. And if you’re lucky, you get to see intimate live performances.

Kula Cakes

What do you think about when you see all that sand on the beach? That’s right, sugar. Kula Cakes can help you with your sweet-tooth. This cute, side-of-the-road store is perfect for your Instagram feed. Not to mention, the desserts that they served are delicious. Trust us on this. Just pick anything and we promise that you’ll be thinking about these sweets a week after. If you’re too overwhelmed by the sweet sand, err, sugar, then just pick up the mango cheese-cake and get ready to cry out of happiness.

90’s Degrees Café & Art

It’s warm and chill atmosphere really welcomes you in with an array of drinks and light food selection. It’s the perfect place to just chill out and start a conversation. Let your art-hoe-ness shine through in this café as the upper floor is specifically for art. Every month a new local or international art showcase will pop up.

Loteng

Located at the recently improved Teluk Chempedak, this hang out place is on the rooftop! They serve up teas – including bubble tea – as customers enjoy the beautiful beach view. With bean bags as chairs, this place is a town favourite and we can see why. So if you don’t like cafés with tonnes of people, then this one is not for you. But just note that sometimes on the weekends, performances by buskers will add more liveliness to the atmosphere here.

 

Stuff to eat

Kuantan being beach town is known for its seafood. But there are a lot more dishes here that have a uniquely local taste.

Nasi Dagang and Nasi Minyak @ Tanjung Api

For breakfast, hit up Tanjung Api and find some delicious Nasi Dagang or Nasi Minyak.

Mee Kari @ Hoi Yin Kopitiam

For lunch, enjoy some Mee Kari at Hoi Yin kopitiam. This is the best mee kari in town and is a must to try.

Tanjung Lumpur

Lastly for dinner, spoil yourself with some seafood, sata and fried food at Tanjung Lumpur. You’re welcome.

If you’re looking for the best spot for a meal, or specifically sata, Warong Paksu & Maksu at Kg. Peramu beside the Tanjung Lumpur main road usually has a queue – a testament to their good food.

Get your planning game on and pamper yourself this December.

Don’t feel like leaving KL? Then find events you can go to here.