Besides chilling out by the beach at Tanjong Jara Resort, there are many other activities you can participate in as a guest of Tanjong Jara Resort.  Right at the resort lobby, you will find a board listing all the activities available for the day; it is conveniently located near Di Atas Sungei restaurant so on your way to breakfast at the restaurant, you will see it.  Or just call the front desk to find out. 🙂

These activities range from Batik Painting to more adventurous tours like taking a hike amongst dense rainforest with Tanjong Jara Resort’s in house naturalist Captain Mokt or going for a day trip to dive or snorkel at Tenggol Island during dive season (March to October each year). There are also activities like “Cinema under the stars” where you can browse the movie collection available at Tanjong Jara Resort and request for the resort staff to set up a projector and screen at an outdoor garden and watch your movie!

Dungun Night Market Tour

On our first day of arrival at the resort, we took the Dungun night market tour.  Dungun is a small town in the state of Terengganu and every Thursday evening, there is a bustling night market with lots of local wares and clothings being sold along a long street which leads to a busy food market where you can get various snacks e.g. murtabak, roti canai and other dried foodstuff.  It is a typical pasar malam – the ones we typically see here in Singapore.  You won’t find touristy stuff e.g. magnets, souvenirs as this market caters mainly to locals.  The weekend in the state of Terengganu starts on Friday so Thursday is like the Friday here in Singapore where locals will typically stay out longer the night before the weekend.  Thus, this Dungun night market is quite busy.

Tanjong Jara Resort Kampung Life

Tanjong Jara Resort’s tagline ‘Unmistakably Malay’ is brought out even more by its planned activities around the resort i.e. Kampung Life.  Kampung Life (also known as Kampong Sucimurni) is held every Saturday at the beachfront of Anjung Garden and it is free for all resort guests to participate in.  Here you will find activities that are popular with inhabitants of local villages including games like congkak and sepak takraw (a form of volleyball using the feet only).  You also get to interact with the locals when you learn from them how to play a game of congkak or create some music with the kompang.  Fitness enthusiasts will revel in attempting to master Silat, a traditional martial art, practiced and taught by local masters.

The centre of attraction during Kampung Life had to be Jara – the macaque who can scale coconut trees and identify and pluck ripe coconuts to be enjoyed by guests.  As seen in the picture below, Jara himself seemed to be enjoying some of the coconuts too. 🙂

Besides fresh coconut juice, guests are also treated to all of Terengganu’s famous culinary delights.  Tanjong Jara Resort guests can enjoy local delights such as Keropok Lekor (fish ground to a paste and deep fried sausage style), Satar (fish smoked in banana leaf), Lemang (glutinous rice baked in bamboo), Kopi Kampong and Otak-Otak (chargrillled fish satay in coconut milk and spices).  And yes all these for free and as much as you need!

Tanjong Jara Resort Spa Village

Tanjong Jara Resort’s state of the art award-winning Spa Village abides by the philosophy of Sucimurni; which emphasises purity of spirit, health, and well-being. This beautiful complex of structures, gardens and pools, houses a therapy centre featuring programmes for relaxation, reinvigoration and stress relief based on traditional healing methods. Once you have completed your treatment at Spa Village Tanjong Jara you will receive a beautiful Batik Sarong, providing you with a memento of your own personal Sucimurni experience.

The spa at Tanjong Jara Resort is unlike any other spa I have experienced.  The uniqueness of the spa experience starts from the loud kompang procession that starts from the resort and walks through the Di Atas Sungei restaurant to the Spa Village every morning at 9.30am. This procession will collect seven different sources of water from seven different pots along the way to the Spa Village.  These symbolise the seven sources of fresh water: rain, well, river, spring, waterfall, lake and water from the stream.  These waters are blessed during this morning procession and ready for Mandi Bunga.  In Malaysia, Mandi Bunga is practised by the Malay healer to rid the body of negative energies.

At the Spa Village, all treatments begin with a Mandi Bunga. For each spa treatment at the Tanjong Jara Resort Spa Village, guests are bathed from head to toe seven times, with the blessings of purity, sincerity, health, beauty, happiness, prosperity and longevity.  Usually, the masseur (who will also be bathing you during the Mandi Bunga) will say the first six blessings and allow you to say your own blessing at the seventh bath so think of something before you begin your spa treatment experience at Spa Village. 🙂

Tanjong Jara Resort Spa Village had collaborated with local traditional healers and studied the traditional healing customs of the Malay culture. With this, the resort was able to provide guests the rare opportunity to sample authentic Malay healing rituals in a serene and sophisticated setting through the use of traditional plants, herbs, oils and massage techniques.  Each Tanjong Jara Resort masseur is very professional and well-trained.  I experienced the Panglima – Warrior Massage which incorporates Silat – the Malay martial art techniques.  It was a truly unique experience as the masseur used the outside edges of her palms to press deep into my muscles and some interesting thumb-rolling techniques.  And finally, her elbows grind into my pressure points, concentrating on my inner thighs and back.  It was quite unlike any massage I experienced but still it was very relaxing and refreshing.

Getting to Tanjong Jara Resort

By Air
• Nearest airport is the Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Terengganu. Car transfer from the airport to the Resort would take approximately 75 minutes.

• AirAsia flies direct from Singapore to Kuala Terengganu (Sultan Mahmud Airport) in Malaysia from April 22 to Oct 25, 2014 only
Frequency : Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Singapore to Kuala Terengganu : ETD 0910hrs, ETA 1035hrs
Kuala Terengganu to Singapore : ETD 1135hrs, ETA 1300 hrs

• Malaysia Airlines and Firefly flies direct from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu in Malaysia.

At the Kuala Terengganu airport, you can hire a taxi to go to Tanjong Jara Resort; buy a taxi coupon from the fixed price taxi counter (it will cost about RM 120 (per taxi) to get to Tanjong Jara Resort).

• Firefly flies direct from Singapore to Kuantan (Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport) in Malaysia all year round

Car transfer from the Kuantan Sultan Ahmad Shah airport to the Resort would take approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.

By Land
• Guests can choose to drive directly to the Resort located in Dungun. Distances and travel time estimates from major locations:
• Kuala Lumpur: 385km, 4 hours 30 minutes
• Penang (Butterworth): 675 km, 8 hours 15 minutes
• Kuala Terengganu: 75 km, 1 hour 15 minutes
• Singapore: 718 km, 9 hours

Tanjong Jara Resort Residents’ Package

Exclusively for residents of Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei, including its expatriates – residents can enjoy an all-inclusive package price which includes accommodation and dining at Tanjong Jara Resort.

Check http://www.tanjongjararesort.com/packages/residents_package.htm for more info and the exact package price.

Your Tanjong Jara Resort Residents’ Package experience includes: From two nights’ accommodation. Maximum of two adults and one child below 12 years old in one room Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner with complimentary coffee, tea and water served during meals, for every night of stay. Daily meals included for every night of stay consist of: – A breakfast at Di Atas Sungei – A two-course set lunch at Nelayan – A dinner with a choice of steamboat or order off the menu at Di Atas Sungei

* Proof of resident identification must be presented upon check-in. Failing which, the daily prevailing rate at check-in will be strictly enforced. Rates quoted are in Ringgit Malaysia (MYR) and subject to prevailing service charge and government taxes. A minimum stay of two nights is required