A weekend by the sea at Port Dickson
by prudence on 29-Apr-2012
We've just come back from a very pleasant long weekend at The Thistle Port Dickson.
Highlights:
Getting there was fun, if long-winded. We took the KTM train into KL, crossed the platform to the other KTM line, and trundled out, way past Kajang, to Seremban, watching the scenery getting less urban all the time. It was nice to recall Seremban's cute little railway station from our previous visit almost two years ago. We had a lunch stop in the nearby mall, which we didn't patronize last time, and then headed for the bus station, to catch a bus to Port Dickson. A nice journey, this, through pretty countryside. Port Dickson is confusingly long (eg, the Central Market seemed to be an inordinately long way from where we eventually stopped). From the bus station, a taxi took us the rest of the way. Great to get views of the sea -- the sea!! -- as well as nice resorts (and resorts that have never quite made it past the skeletal stage). The total cost for this odyssey was 7 ringgit each for the train, 4 ringgit each for the bus, and 16 ringgit for the taxi. (Contrast that with our journey back -- taxis at normal prices being unavailable, we opted for the hotel's service. This would have cost 40 ringgit as far as Port Dickson, but he offered to take us directly to Seremban for 70 ringgit, so we reckoned we might as well do that, for the sake of convenience. Not nearly so scenic, though, as we zipped along the highway through the palm oil plantations.)
A trip to Cape Rachado was the highlight of Saturday. Up through the forest to the lighthouse, and then down via an "adventurous" track to a cute little cove. Out there the occasional ship passes by in this busiest of waterways. Around you the birds sing, and the cicadas zing. The heat zings too -- this was the sweatiest walk ever. But very much worth it. On the way back we popped down to the Blue Lagoon -- another nice little cove where local families were quietly having fun on the beach.
The hotel swimming-pool was the highlight of the premises. Just awesome. Beautifully landscaped, with palm trees and lawns and fountains and pillars. Squeakily clean. And well designed -- lots of little nooks and crannies for comatose pool-dwellers, yet still lots of big, blue space for those of us who actually like to swim. Loved it.
A pretty close second, however, was the Cumulus bar. This is right down on the beach, so of course you want to land there about sunset to enjoy your Margarita and tapas. Before or after, you can do the compulsory amble along the beach. It depends whether you want golden light or starlight. Both are good. On the Friday night, the beach was quiet. Maybe people were still struggling their way out of KL (or hanging on to take part in Bersih-3). On Saturday night, there was lots to watch -- capsizing banana boats, collapsing human pyramids, team-building games, and a veritable procession of young women posing for photographs on the rope swing.
As we're in Malaysia, food was also quite a highlight. I've already mentioned the tapas. Not cheap, but very tasty, and the ambiance can legitimately demand a premium. We shunned the expensive hotel breakfast (44 ringgit each -- what are they thinking?) in favour of a little place across the main road. Rice, perfectly fried chicken, cucumber, tasty sambal, and teh tarik -- 9 ringgit for the two of us, and very, very good. And the nasi lemak we bought at the bottom of the hill after our lighthouse walk tasted as good as only that food can taste that's been consumed after effort. For Sunday breakfast, we opted for post-walk, post-swim, post-shower room service pancakes -- small, American-style pancakes with syrup and fruit. Big, sticky tick.
I have so much enjoyed this weekend. Many people don't rate Port Dickson, but this was a fabulous spot. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that I can see refineries and oil platforms on the skyline, and huge ships gliding by in the distance. These bits of real life just made my little coastal cocoon all the cosier.
Can't wait to organize another beach weekend now...
Highlights:
Getting there was fun, if long-winded. We took the KTM train into KL, crossed the platform to the other KTM line, and trundled out, way past Kajang, to Seremban, watching the scenery getting less urban all the time. It was nice to recall Seremban's cute little railway station from our previous visit almost two years ago. We had a lunch stop in the nearby mall, which we didn't patronize last time, and then headed for the bus station, to catch a bus to Port Dickson. A nice journey, this, through pretty countryside. Port Dickson is confusingly long (eg, the Central Market seemed to be an inordinately long way from where we eventually stopped). From the bus station, a taxi took us the rest of the way. Great to get views of the sea -- the sea!! -- as well as nice resorts (and resorts that have never quite made it past the skeletal stage). The total cost for this odyssey was 7 ringgit each for the train, 4 ringgit each for the bus, and 16 ringgit for the taxi. (Contrast that with our journey back -- taxis at normal prices being unavailable, we opted for the hotel's service. This would have cost 40 ringgit as far as Port Dickson, but he offered to take us directly to Seremban for 70 ringgit, so we reckoned we might as well do that, for the sake of convenience. Not nearly so scenic, though, as we zipped along the highway through the palm oil plantations.)
A trip to Cape Rachado was the highlight of Saturday. Up through the forest to the lighthouse, and then down via an "adventurous" track to a cute little cove. Out there the occasional ship passes by in this busiest of waterways. Around you the birds sing, and the cicadas zing. The heat zings too -- this was the sweatiest walk ever. But very much worth it. On the way back we popped down to the Blue Lagoon -- another nice little cove where local families were quietly having fun on the beach.
The hotel swimming-pool was the highlight of the premises. Just awesome. Beautifully landscaped, with palm trees and lawns and fountains and pillars. Squeakily clean. And well designed -- lots of little nooks and crannies for comatose pool-dwellers, yet still lots of big, blue space for those of us who actually like to swim. Loved it.
A pretty close second, however, was the Cumulus bar. This is right down on the beach, so of course you want to land there about sunset to enjoy your Margarita and tapas. Before or after, you can do the compulsory amble along the beach. It depends whether you want golden light or starlight. Both are good. On the Friday night, the beach was quiet. Maybe people were still struggling their way out of KL (or hanging on to take part in Bersih-3). On Saturday night, there was lots to watch -- capsizing banana boats, collapsing human pyramids, team-building games, and a veritable procession of young women posing for photographs on the rope swing.
As we're in Malaysia, food was also quite a highlight. I've already mentioned the tapas. Not cheap, but very tasty, and the ambiance can legitimately demand a premium. We shunned the expensive hotel breakfast (44 ringgit each -- what are they thinking?) in favour of a little place across the main road. Rice, perfectly fried chicken, cucumber, tasty sambal, and teh tarik -- 9 ringgit for the two of us, and very, very good. And the nasi lemak we bought at the bottom of the hill after our lighthouse walk tasted as good as only that food can taste that's been consumed after effort. For Sunday breakfast, we opted for post-walk, post-swim, post-shower room service pancakes -- small, American-style pancakes with syrup and fruit. Big, sticky tick.
I have so much enjoyed this weekend. Many people don't rate Port Dickson, but this was a fabulous spot. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that I can see refineries and oil platforms on the skyline, and huge ships gliding by in the distance. These bits of real life just made my little coastal cocoon all the cosier.
Can't wait to organize another beach weekend now...