The two Perhentian Islands are Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil rated as some of the most beautiful islands in the world. A virtual paradise for snorkelling and diving in crystal-clear water or just for lazing on one of the white sandy beaches waiting for the coconuts to drop.

Both Islands are surrounded by beautiful palm-fringed sandy beaches and crystal-clear turquoise-blue sea.

Perhentian Besar is the bigger one of the two islands (Besar means big in Malay, kecil means small). The accommodation is distributed over three very nice beaches. The Teluk Pauh in the north in front of the Perhentian Island Resort, the main beach with most of the resorts at the west coast and Teluk Dalam on the island's south-east coast.

The best beach on the islands is Teluk Pauh, a beautiful half-moon bay with white powdery sand and water as clear as in a swimming pool. There are good coral around the points on either side. Here you can snorkel with some turtles, black tip reef sharks and hundreds of reef fish.

At the western end of the bay a wooden footbridge leads over a few rocks to Coral View Island Resort's small beach, which consists almost only out of broken up coral pieces. The main beach of the island starts at the resort's western side and stretches over 1 km to Abdul's Chalet only interrupted by some rocky headlands. The beach is fine sandy with scattered coral pieces and fringed by many coconut palms.

Teluk Dalam in the south of the island is a beautiful wide curved bay with a white fine sandy beach. The water is quite shallow here, the corals mostly destroyed. You can laze away in hammocks under shady casuarinas. Here it is in contrast to the other beaches still quite peaceful.