Beaches and islands of Melaka

Even though Melaka is a coastal province, its beaches and islands are nothing to write home about. If you're after a Malaysian beach holiday, you're better off travelling to the east coast or Langkawi.

A massive land reclamation project is underway along the coastline just outside the city. The ultimate goal is to create Pulau Melaka (Melaka Island), a beachfront housing development, and the effects are an absolute blight on the landscape. Still, the construction hasn't stopped the locals or the tourists from travelling to just outside the city limits to the seaside grilled fish restaurants -- look for the Ikan Bakar signs.

Tanjung Kling
If you're looking for a beach, Tanjung Kling is the nearest one, about 15 km from Melaka town. It's home to a couple of resort hotels and some open-air seafood restaurants, such as the popular Bert's Seafood Garden (T: (06) 315 2213. Open daily 17:00 - 24:00).

Tanjung Bidara
About 35 km north of Melaka is Tanjung Bidara, probably the nicest beach in Melaka state, with a long stretch of sand, palm trees, food stalls, and picnic areas. This beach however seems to have fallen out of favour with tourists, possibly due to the rise of the Port Dickson resort further north, and the small range of accommodation is looking worse for wear. That said, Tanjung Bidara is better as a scenic day trip than an overnight stay. If you do want to spend the night, inquire at Samudera Backpackers in Melaka about a reservation and possible weekday discount at the Samudera Bidara Resort -- they have the same owners.

Pulau Besar
Meaning "The Great Island", Pulau Besar is both beautiful and mysterious. The island is the subject of many local legends and home to several historic sites -- a well used by Japanese occupiers during WWII, the grave of seven Indian princesses and the tomb of a revered Muslim holy man. Many people consider the island sacred and make pilgrimages to its tombs and shrines, but most visitors come for its white sand beaches, clear blue water and jungle treks.

Pulau Besar was once a popular weekend retreat complete with a golf course, yacht club and resort hotels, but it has been strangely abandoned. The resorts are now closed, their swimming pools drained and their restaurants boarded up. The paths connecting the island's sights are being overgrown by the jungle and huge monitor lizards scurry about. The effect is eerie and kind of surreal, but means you'll definitely have the gorgeous beach all to yourself. There remains one place to stay, the Chandek Kura Hotel, and a small restaurant and food stall nearby will keep you fuelled.

Pulau Upeh
This island is even more abandoned than Besar and now you can't even go there. All operations have been halted due to the land reclamation project in progress. Apparently they've used a lot of the island's sand and its status as a turtle nesting site is threatened.