LOCATION: This is the private beach fronting Pangkor Island Beach Resort (formerly Pan Pacific Pangkor Resort). Outsiders may not be permitted access to this beach by the resort’s security guard, although I feel that such act is illegal by Malaysian Law.
The beach is also known as Pantai Puteri Dewi.
DESCRIPTION: The beach is a 3-kilometer long stretch of white sands. It is cleaned regularly by the resort personnel. Plenty of space to call you own - resting, relaxing, watching the hornbills which call this area home, or just sunbathing.
I did some snorkeling at the far-right side of the beach. There was some marine life, not plenty though. The water visibility was not too great and generally coral ecosystem does not thrive in the surrounding area.
The beach is also frequented by the exquisite hornbills, so if you are here, just look out for them. They might be hanging on tree branches around the beach. The resort also has a special feeding plate by the beach where the hornbills may come down for a quick bite.
PULAU GIAM LOCATION: Giam Island is one of the 2 smaller islands fronting Nipah Bay (Teluk Nipah). The other neighboring island is Pulau Mentagor. Nipah Bay is about 10 minutes by taxi van ride from Pangkor Island Beach Resort.
DESCRIPTION: Giam Island is a fairly popular place to visit by kayaking from Nipah Bay. Rental of kayak is about RM10/hour and easily found along the beach at Nipah Bay.
Renting a kayak for 1-2 hours is good enough to have some fun in the sun, get to the nice beach on Giam Island, and head back to Nipah Bay. The water surrounding the small island is quite crystal clear. Occasionally you may also see visitors having picnic on the island.
There are one or two snorkeling spots on Giam Island, but I found the visibility is very poor.
TELUK NIPAH LOCATION: This beautiful beach is located some 20 minutes from Pangkor main jetty. Taxi van ride will cost your about RM10-RM15 per van. From Pangkor Island Beach Resort, the journey takes about 10 minutes.
DESCRIPTION: I find that Nipah Bay to be the cleanest beach in Pangkor. Pasir Bogak might be the most famous stretch of beach but it is crowded and can be murky.
The waters around Nipah Bay are fairly clear. Although I do feel that Golden Sands Beach offers more privacy due its more secluded location.
Some 20 minutes of kayaking shall bring you to the smaller islands of Giam and Mentagor fronting the beach. Giam Island also has a decent beach for picnicking and relaxing. There are plenty of food stalls by the beach in Nipah Bay, hence finding something to eat should not be a problem.
There are plenty lodging choices here as the beach is quite popular among tourists.
The information on Malaysian Islands is provided by:
ISLANDS OF MALAYSIA The Independent Travel Guides to Malaysian Islands