The renovated Tanjung Inn, Cherating

You may remember that some of us already visited Cherating this year and eyed the new chalets Tanjung Inn, being built on the beach. One of my close friends here in KL hired those six chalets on the beach front all brand new and all, as the last long weekend also saw her birthday.

It unfortunately took us 6 1/2 hours to reach the Inn, but we might have left KL a little late in the morning and were literally bumper to bumper until Genting for half of that. After that, it was a breeze.

Beach chalets at Tanjung Inn

If you stay at the beach chalets, after you register at the front desk, you will need to drive your car back to where the chalets are. It’s not that far at all, but, if like us, you arrived – even for just two nights – armed with baby travel cot, a bag full of kettles, tea bags, sugar, coffee, snacks, nappies and all the “tralalala”, better to park closer. You can then leave your car right behind the chalets. Easy.

The chalets themselves are modern and big enough for a family of two big plus two little humans. They are cosy, nicely decorated and have a porch complete with heavy wooden chairs and a little table, which are perfect to stop a mini human from going up and down the porch stairs.

Just in front of the chalets is a large garden, and a lawn that is being sprinkled literally the whole day. It is obvious that it is being well looked after and that the resort is taking pride in making sure it looks neat and healthy. Down the small sand dune is the wide beach and shallow (very hot) water, that goes on for quite a while. This is perfect for small children! If you go in the sea with the hopes of cooling down, forget it, but it’s a lot of fun for all sorts of water games.

We had a BBQ right in front of our chalets for the first night and ate a delicious feast at the Chinese restaurant just next door. Lunch was taken at a little place, right next door to where the chalets were. There is a great choice of fried rice (I recommend the Cambodian fried rice), noodles and yummy pancakes. Coconut water is in abundance – ideal to rehydrate during sunny hot days. Speaking of which, if you go with children, be sure to have some indoor games ready: it was really, really hot and there isn’t a lot of shade at all for the hot hours between 12 and 4pm. You’ll need to keep the children entertained with some indoor activities.

We loved the relaxed and laid-back style of the place and the friendly staff. Simple breakfast is included: eggs (scrambled, poached, fried, you name it), tea or coffee and toasts.

If you have been to Cherating already you may or may not have had the experience of sand flies. My girls came back with LOADS of bites so pack the sprays, perhaps mosquito nets for the night for the kids if you have any. Be generous when applying any anti-bug cream. Calamine and antihistamine might be something you want to pack too…

We would go back again to Tanjung Inn, especially as they are still in the process of completing their renovations. I think that once all done, it will be a “havre de paix”!