Malaysia road trip - Day 10 (Desaru

Our stay at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort came with breakfast for two on both mornings, thanks to a special Club Marriott Malaysia promotion at just RM 108. One thing we really like is the long breakfast hours, served from 6.30am to 11am. Unlike many hotels where breakfast ends early, the extended timing allows us to sleep in, ease into the day at our own pace, and enjoy a truly relaxing getaway without having to set an alarm just to catch breakfast. It made the stay feel much more restful, giving us the freedom to head out whenever we were ready to explore or simply enjoy the surroundings.

I went down for breakfast at around 9am and had to queue briefly for a table, as the indoor seating was already full. I ended up sitting outside, which felt a bit warm due to the still air and lack of wind at the time. Despite the crowd, the buffet offered a wide variety of dishes. Some dishes stood out, particularly the roasted chicken with rosemary sauce, which was tender and paired with a rich, flavourful sauce. The curry lamb was also well executed, being both tender and nicely seasoned. The hash browns were crispy, although slightly oily. I also enjoyed the refreshing fresh fruit juices and the fried eggs, which had crisp edges and perfectly cooked yolks. There was a good selection of cereals and flavoured yogurts, including blueberry, mango and raspberry.

However, a few items were less impressive. The scrambled eggs were quite bland, while the nasi kandar was slightly hard and the sambal sotong was extremely spicy. The fried chicken felt dry, and the roti telur was just average. The nasi lemak bungkus was underwhelming, with non-crispy anchovies and a sambal that leaned slightly sour. Some items like the seared fish with dill sauce did not seem fresh and had a slightly fishy taste. Apart from that, the soy milk was on the sweeter side.

I also found the chee cheong fun (steamed rice noodle rolls) disappointing, as both the texture and sauce were off. Even the longan dessert was unusual, mixed with cloves, which changed the flavour in an unexpected way. The pineapple tasted like it had been stored for too long, and the almond nuts were no longer fresh. On the brighter side, there were also interesting items like steamed pandan and coconut buns, Chinese tea eggs, and chic kut teh.

One unfortunate moment was finding a hair in the congee, which affected my appetite for the rest of the meal. Outside the dining area, quite a number of birds were picking at leftover food, making the atmosphere slightly less pleasant at times. Overall, the breakfast spread offered plenty of variety and a few standout dishes, while the extended serving hours added to the relaxed holiday experience. However, inconsistencies in food quality and a couple of hygiene-related issues meant the experience fell short of being truly memorable.

Seasonal Tastes

Restaurant ambience (outdoor seating)

Fresh fruit juices

Bread station

Cakes, muffins and pastries

Honeycomb

Donuts and chocolate fountain

Kids pancake, tarts and smiley fries

Homemade hummus, egg sandwich and tortilla banana peanut wrap

Egg sandwich

Muffins

Gluten free cereals

Cereal station

Congee station

Tamago, kimchi and japchae

Assorted nuts and dried fruits

Salad station

Fruits station

Noodles station

Assorted Malay kuih

Baked beans

Seared fish with dill sauce

Hash brown

Pasta with tomato sauce

Sweet potatoes

Chicken mushroom sausages

Roasted chicken with rosemary sauce

Baked tomatoes

Scrambled eggs

Egg benedict

Fried rice

Fried noodles

Chinese tea eggs

Chic kut teh

Chee cheong fun (steamed rice noodle rolls)

Steamed dumplings

Steamed pandan buns

Steamed coconut buns

Dairy station and Indian station

Indian station

Vadai

Vegetarian station

Coffee and tea station

Egg station

Nasi lemak bungkus

Condiments for nasi lemak

Teh tarik and kopi kluang

Soft serve ice cream station

Ayam goreng mamak

Nasi kandar

Sambal

Condiments for nasi kandar

My breakfast

Fried egg

My breakfast

Teh tarik

Breakfast ruined by a stray hair

My breakfast

Nasi lemak bungkus

Yogurt, fruits and nuts

Seared fish with dill sauce

Croissant with peanut butter and chocolate spread

My breakfast

Longan with cloves

After breakfast, we returned to our room and were pleased to find that housekeeping had done an excellent job. We then headed out at noon to Desaru Fruit Farm, one of the more popular attractions in the area. The entrance fee was RM 40 per person. Once payment was made, we each received a sticker to wear on our clothes for identification before joining the tour. ATV rides were also available, with a 20-minute ride priced at RM 65 or RM 100 for a normal ATV and RM 130 or RM 200 for a Power Sterling ATV, depending on the package.

Unfortunately, heavy rain started shortly after we arrived. We waited behind the trucks before the 12.30pm tour began. It was a small group, just the two of us and a family of three. We first boarded a modified truck fitted with seating at the back, which brought us to the front entrance of the farm. From there, we continued the tour on foot, walking through the plantation in the rain with umbrellas provided by the staff. The guide moved at quite a brisk pace throughout the journey, so there was limited time to stop and take a closer look at some of the plants and fruit trees. As a result, the tour felt somewhat rushed, although it still covered the main highlights and concluded at around 1.25pm.

During the tour, we learned about the many tropical fruits grown on the farm, which is home to more than 100 varieties. The guide shared interesting facts, including that papaya is regarded as Malaysia's national fruit. Durian is famously known as the King of Fruits, while mangosteen is the Queen. Rambutan is often referred to as the Prince, and pulasan the Princess. Besides the fruit trees, the tour also passed through sections featuring herbs and medicinal plants, while the guide explained some of their uses. The final stop was the mini zoo, where visitors could see and interact with various animals, including goats, tortoises, an albino snake, bearded dragons, oxen, camels, ducks, cassowaries, ostriches, peacocks, and chickens.

When we returned from the tour, the guide pointed out an area that had been damaged by a herd of wild elephants the previous night. According to him, the elephants had ventured onto the farm and trampled part of the plantation, leaving behind broken vegetation and other visible signs of their visit. After the tour, we stopped by the shop, where a staff member introduced the different types of honey produced on the farm. We sampled four varieties and were told that pure honey does not have an expiry date if stored properly. One of the more unusual varieties was Tongkat Ali honey, which had a distinctly bitter aftertaste.

At the end of the tour, each visitor received a complimentary fruit box containing watermelon, guava, honeydew, jackfruit, pineapple and ambarella. Unfortunately, the fruits were rather disappointing. None of them were particularly sweet, the guava was already overripe and soft, and the jackfruit was still unripe. Considering that we were visiting a fruit farm, I had expected fresher and better-quality fruits. Overall, the visit was enjoyable and informative, especially for first-time visitors interested in tropical fruits and local agriculture. However, the rainy weather and the underwhelming fruit tasting meant the experience fell slightly short of expectations.

Desaru Fruit Farm

Desaru Fruit Farm sticker

Desaru Fruit Farm

Indian jujube bidara

Roselle and cat's whiskers

Desaru Fruit Farm

Desaru Fruit Farm Mini Petting Farm

Complimentary fruit box

Honey testing

Address:

Desaru Fruit Farm

92, 82200 Kota Tinggi,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Tel: +6010 - 760 8686

Opening hours: 9am to 6pm

We went to Desaru 899 Good Restaurant around 2.10pm for a late lunch and ordered curry noodles, along with Chinese iced tea and barley lemon drinks. We shared one bowl of curry noodles, but couldn’t finish it. The curry noodles were quite a mixed experience. While the curry itself was rather bland in flavour, it was extremely spicy, which made the overall taste a bit unbalanced. The noodles were also on the harder side, affecting the texture. However, the fish balls and fish cake stood out as the better components of the dish, being fresh and enjoyable. For drinks, the Chinese iced tea was refreshing, while the barley lemon was noticeably very sour, making it quite strong and less easy to drink than expected.

(Total bill - RM 13.50)

Desaru 899 Good Restaurant

Curry noodles (small) - RM 8

Barley lemon and Chinese iced tea

Spotted a white kitty outside the shop

Address:

Desaru 899 Good Restaurant

Jalan Kempas 1,

Taman Desaru Utama,

82200 Bandar Penawar,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Tel: +6010 - 712 7737

Opening hours: 7.15am to 4pm

After that, we headed to Family Mart and bought a classic tuna sandwich, just in case we got hungry later in the evening. This has always been one of our favourites. It came with soft, fluffy white bread filled with creamy tuna mayo and thin slices of cucumber, which added a refreshing crunch and helped balance out the richness of the filling. The tuna mixture was smooth, lightly seasoned, and not overly heavy, making it an easy and satisfying snack. Simple yet dependable, it was something we always enjoyed whenever we stopped by Family Mart.

Classic tuna sandwich - RM 5.90

Address:
Family Mart
155, Jln Jelutong 1,

Taman Desaru Utama,

81930 Bandar Penawar,

Johor Darul Ta'zim

Opening hours: 6am to 2am

We went for a short drive around the area and passed by a ferry terminal that operates to Tanah Merah, Singapore, which only runs on weekends. We returned to the hotel at around 3.30pm and I spent some time relaxing in the bathtub, enjoying a quiet break in the afternoon. Later in the evening, we headed to the beach. The sunset was mostly hidden behind thick clouds, so there wasn’t much of a view. My partner had just finished a swim when I arrived, and he went back into the sea again to soak and enjoy the water a bit more. The atmosphere was calm and breezy, and we stayed for a while before heading back up around 7pm.

We left for dinner around 7.30pm and drove to Super Lobster Restaurant, which was about a 30-minute drive from The Westin Desaru Coast Resort. The roads were quiet with very little traffic, and several stretches had no street lights, making parts of the journey quite dark despite being a two-way road. The drive felt long and a little isolated, but it added to the experience of going further out for seafood.

We ordered lobster braised yee mee, steamed grouper Hong Kong-style, and fried bean curd with special recipe, along with coconuts and rice. The coconut was served chilled, sweet, and very refreshing. The fried bean curd was quite good, topped with minced chicken and well-seasoned, giving it a nice savoury balance. The lobster was fresh and firm, with a naturally sweet taste. It went well with the braised yee mee, which was flavourful and comforting, though the portion was quite large and we couldn’t finish it. The dish also came with broccoli on the side, which was soft and soaked up the sauce nicely. The steamed grouper was fresh as well, flaky and tender, although the Hong Kong-style sauce leaned slightly towards the sweeter side. We were also given complimentary mango pudding at the end, which was smooth, chilled, and sweet, making for a refreshing finish to the meal.

On the way back, we stopped at Shell to refuel before returning to the hotel. The return journey took about 32 minutes via a different route, which again was mostly dark due to the lack of streetlights despite having two lanes. Overall, it was a long but satisfying day filled with a mix of activities from a relaxed morning at the hotel, to our visit to Desaru Fruit Farm, a cloudy beach stop, and a seafood dinner by the coast. It was a nice balance of rest, exploration, and good food, ending the day on a calm note before heading back to unwind.

(Total bill - RM 354.30, including 5% service charge and 6% tax)