Best Beach in Peninsular Malaysia: Cherating Beach! (Our Favourite)
Source: JetLag Warriors on YouTube · embedded, not re-hosted
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Watch this if you want the laid-back, island-vibe side of Cherating — empty beach, batik craft, beach cafés and a quieter alternative to the Perhentian islands.
What’s in it
- An expat couple who rate Cherating as their favourite beach in Peninsular Malaysia — “an island vibe even though it’s on the mainland,” wide, sandy and near-empty on a Saturday morning.
- Their honest comparison: quieter, cheaper and with better food than the Perhentian islands — no boats or crowds, just a relaxed beach town.
- A beach-café breakfast for around RM 20 — generous, good value and with proper healthy options.
- Cherating is known for batik and tie-dye — there are craft shops and a batik school in the village where you can buy or learn.
- Kite-surfing and wind-surfing happen here, but operators only appear when it’s windy — and locals told them the monsoon is the busy season, when the waves (and surfers from all over) arrive.
- A useful caution: when they visited, the turtle sanctuary was closed — check the season and opening hours before you count on it. The Beach Garden bar sits right on the sand for a sunset drink.
More from this video
The pitch is “island life in a non-island place” — an expat couple rate Cherating their favourite beach in Peninsular Malaysia: wide, near-empty at 9am on a Saturday, with a town they find “groovy and funky.”
Their honest comparison is the Perhentians — a bit pricier than the rest of Malaysia, but cheaper, quieter and with better food than the islands, no boats or crowds. The evidence: a generous beach-café breakfast for ~RM 20.
Their plan had been the turtle sanctuary — but it was closed (an MCO/COVID-era closure); a reminder to check season and opening. Consolation: a metre-long turtle they saw on the beach the day before.
Cherating is a tie-dye and batik town (craft shops + a batik school). Kite/wind-surfing happen only when it’s windy; locals told them the monsoon is the busy season, when the surf arrives. They wind down at the Beach Garden café on the sand.
Facts from this trip
- 2:47CostA bit pricier than the rest of Malaysiaapproximate
still good value
“things are a little bit more expensive than the rest of malaysia”
- 2:59Cost~RM 20 beach-café breakfast (per plate)approximate
generous and good value
“that food right there was like 20 ringgit for a plate”
- 3:57Heads-upTurtle sanctuary was closed when they visitedmentioned
check season/opening before counting on it
“our idea when we came to Cherating was the turtle sanctuary, unfortunately closed”
- 7:04SeasonMonsoon is the busy (surf) seasonmentioned
locals told them surfers come from all over for the monsoon waves
“the monsoon season is actually their busiest season because people come here from all over the world just to surf”
Each fact is pulled from a real moment in the video — tap a timestamp to watch it. Quotes are the traveler’s own words, lightly cleaned. How we verify this.
Our take: The best feel for Cherating’s laid-back, island-like vibe — and a useful, honest case for why it can beat the busier island resorts.
Where this lines up with our guides
Embedded from YouTube and the property of its creator — we don’t re-host or re-edit. The summary is our own, cross-checked against primary sources and last reviewed 2026-06-01. Creators are also credited on our attributions page.
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