3 restaurants, breakfast, lunch, dinner served; Asian cuisine

Reviews of Japamala Resort by Samadhi – Adults Only

4.5 out of 5
Japamala Resort by Samadhi – Adults Only
Kampung Lanting, Pulau, Tioman Island, Pahang

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 63 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 15 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 84 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 84 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Amir Teymour

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A very beautiful place, a very wonderful place-- so thank you very much. Living as we do on the other side of the world, we looked carefully for somewhere where we could be quiet after a busy week of work in Singapore, longing to walk into the water and see its wonders. Bali was possible, but at a friend's suggestion, we chose Tioman Island. The Japamala Resort satisfied every hope, known and unknown. The sea and sand was all we imagined and needed, our room was creatively curated in a Polynesian style, the food was different and unique (and tasty!), and the staff were exemplary. Mike stands out in his role overseeing the hospitality, characteristically eager and kind, able and willing to do anything needed to make our time a pleasurable one. Everything from the restaurants to the masseuse to the watermen who helped with the snorkeling, we were grateful for each one. Do we recommend? Yes, and yes again! Washington DC
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Monica

Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kate

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful peaceful stay with friendly helpful staff. Loved diving 4 days and relaxing in the afternoon.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Björn

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Chun Chiang

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice beside lovely beach
We stayed at Penghulu House. Very nice house next to private beach. Unfortunately no place to hang our clothes. And no fan in the room downstairs.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
beautifully understated. wonderfully private and unpretentious. the staff were all brilliant. would love to return. snorkeling marvellous
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
honeymoon
The stay was very special and felt like we were on a movie set. The resort is extremely difficult to get to though and annoyed us that you have to pay for the hotels ten minute speedboat even though there is no other way of getting there. I’d give the stay 8/10
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Japamala Resort is a wonderfully place to enjoy sport, relaxation while renewing and regain vigor with the remarkable beauty of the living place. The resort is on an island but the comfort it offers is superb. The amazing staff is always attentive and willing to accommodating a reasonable request. I was particularly pleased by their positive disposition and beautiful smile. I certainly recommend this special place to the ones who appreciate the Planet we are a part of.
Stayed 12 nights in Jan 2020

6/10 Okay

Roland

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 8 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Quiet peaceful natural surroundings Warm welcome and staff friendly and very helpful Little luxury touches such as turn down service Food fabulous Cocktails at sundown No plastic bottles or straws Snorkelling from the beach is great Only thing negative was that guests have to use ferry as japamala own boat to mersing not available so far this season They pick you up from genting ferry terminal on tioman Not clear on japamala website that this is the case . Blue water ferry from mersing to genting was an awful experience and I didn’t feel safe ..all resorts on tioman depend on the ferry for guests so in their interest to put pressure on ferry company to up their game .. everything from getting ticket to chaotic boarding to the boat itself being tatty and well below par ...and I didn’t feel safe I would gladly come back to japamala but not until the transfer from mersing is better The japamala resort used to have their own speedboat and so I was expecting that when I booked ... the website should make it clearer that you have to arrange your own transfer from mersing to genting on tioman. There is a new boat for japamala coming soon apparently .. the sooner the better
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mitch

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Can not say enough Good Things!! Beautiful location, our Seaview Sarang room was incredible as to its size, view, we even had a private waterfall pool! Food menu was a culinary experience, whoever made up the menu(s) for food and drinks...Top Shelf! Staff is so, so AWESOME, very attentive, yet allow you to keep your privacy. I wish we had a negative to say...but we can't think of one! Hope to return to PARADISE soon!!
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Cristina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Superb experience
My partner and I had an absolutely perfect stay at Japamala. Words can't describe the quality of the service that the wonderful staff there offers. They made us feel very special without being intrusive at all. We loved our private dinners, enjoyed long days on the beach, walked in the jungle and the villages around the resort. Our room was stylish, large and equipped with anything that one could wish for. Food was delightful and we probably had some of the nicest cocktails ever. We would like to say a big thank you to the wonderful staff at Japamala and look forward to return.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

kshitij, singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel service and the food was par excellence.
The free cocktail hrs that they provide is just awesome. Service is exceptional. Location is mindblowing with unlimited snorkling and kayaking.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Sally, london

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful, peaceful - - place to really relax
If you are looking to get away from it all then this is the place for you. Five star but not so slick you feel you don't belong... Staff friendly and food good (not too expensive). We had the sea cabin in all the photos - simply wonderful view across sparkling South China Sea. Hard to beat
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome stay
The service and sea view chalet was perfect. A bit of a climb but worth it for the view. They have a kayak and snorkeling gear that is complimentary on a first come first serve basis. The only thing to complain are the stained towels. But everything else including the food was awesome.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Kim Lee

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Postcard beauty
Gem finds thrill me. This is one good one. A long drive and speed boat away, the emerald blue greets you with open waves. Japamala's tag line is Rustic-Luxe. And it truly epitomises that. Rustic tree house huts with the smallest beautiful details. A personal jacuzzi and sun deck all make you feel like a Sultan. The heart of the show is the bar and restaurant built out into the sea with cabanas looking out into the azure sea. Cocktails are complimentary from 6-7 pm as the sun departs leaving wisps of orange, amber and pink. Monitor lizards slither away and monkeys watch you from afar in your shower that opens into the forest. You think you're here to watch but you're being watched. By the forest.

10/10 Excellent

Phil, Houston and KL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Totally away from it all
Excellent location, facilities, ambience, staff and food. Takes time to get there and back but totally worth it. Really relaxing with every wish catered to.

10/10 Excellent

Ali, Sydney, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Paradise
We had the most amazing time at Japamala during our honeymoon! Peaceful, warm, incredibly nice staff, delicious food. Every detail makes of this place a superb and romantic get away. Caber wait to go back there :)

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice island retreat
Great escape from the busy city life.

10/10 Excellent

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Brandon, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relax relax relax
Tree top chalet 13 is perfect for an able bodied couple. It had an incredible view and is relatively private but be prepared to walk up a fair amount of stairs. The balcony area over looks the crystal clear waters of tioman. Perfect for an afternoon of lounging around.

8/10 Good

Hiew, Negeri Sembilan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing holiday
Overall, our stay was great. Great view, design of the hotel, good food & great services.

8/10 Good

A, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing in a comfortable and peaceful surrounding with the most magnificent view. staffs were very friendly and caring. We were there mid Jan during the quite season and had the entire place shared with only 3 to 4 other couples. That is exactly what we wanted.There were small things structurally that could improve but given the fact that it is a jungle retreat and it is in a small island, some how it did not mattered that much. Perhaps it was the result of getting so chilled out that nothing of that sort mattered. It is not often that we consider going back to the same place but we are thinking of booking just because we could compliantly relax with having many people around.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would not recommend booking during monsoon season
Limited ferry services during monsoon season. Tried to get my money back when I saw the lack of ferries but told it was not possible. Called their reservations office but was bumped around.

10/10 Excellent

joe, england

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel idiotic beach resort
My wife and I enjoyed our 6 days of honeymoon at Japamala the staff are very polite helpful and simply cannot do enough we were very impressed with the personal level of service and attention to detail. Beautiful location for a relaxing get away
Pier at night

10/10 Excellent

Torgeir, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful getaway!
Amazing resort, great and friendly staff! The Penghulu house is stunning!! Food high quality, really no complaints about anything! Just be aware of the monkeys, don't leave your door open - they had a feast in our minibar;)

10/10 Excellent

Gavin, london

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
heaven
Perfect in every way and great value for money. Staff and manager where the best I have encountered in any hotel. They couldn't do enough to help and add to the magical experience. 6 days felt too short.

10/10 Excellent

Judy, Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A peaceful beach health retreat
Japamala is a beautiful resort that relaxes your soul. It is where the tropical jungle meets the beach. The weather is hot but you can cool off in the sea or one of the lovely pools. The food is suprisingly good for such an isolated location. The best thing about Japamala are the people who work there who are so happy, kind and accomodating. We felt totally recharged after five days there and intend on returning.
Tropical paradise

10/10 Excellent

Pradhyum, Bangalore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Exotic Getaway...
Great place, very scenic amazing Italian food.

10/10 Excellent

Steven, Australia - QLD - Sunshine Coast

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Value: Acceptable price, watch out for $transfers; take the walk to Genting and even further Tekek. A magic island.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Secluded relaxing beach vacation
Very friendly staff, great snorkeling, wonderful (Penghulu) house Monkeys, lizards and squirrels could be watched right outside the house, much to the childrens pleasure. The hotel is very private and secluded, so we could get a break from hectical Singapore city life. Food and drinks were good as well. Sipping cocktails and mocktails out on the pier was wonderful, and the water is so turquoise and clear that you can watch all kinds of fish right from the pier. We even saw a sea turte and some reef shark! Swimming and snorkeling right at the hotel is possible and nice, we would definitely recommend water shoes though, since there is a lot of dead coral pieces and rocks in the water (with shoes we had no problems) Definitely a place we would recommend and come back to.

10/10 Excellent

GV, Hong Kong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Just perfect
No place can be better for a quite couple' s weekend or for spending time with family.

4/10 Poor

Mad_Doug, Marlow, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great staff poor maintenance
The resort is located on a private beach not far from the ist landing point of the ferry. The hotel pick you up for a small fee. The staff are great , the food is great however our room was very poorly maintained. The toilet wouldn't flush and the water ran out on our third day. It took them most of the day to fix it and we had to stay out of the room till then. The next morning water ran out again. I would go back only because of the staff and location but in all poor show for such a high end resort

8/10 Good

Mel, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful location, relaxing and private
This resort is in a lovely spot and with such a small number of guests feels very private. Plenty of space for everyone to have their own beach cabana or the pool to themselves. Snorkelling from the jetty is terrific, but is also nice from the beach at high tide. Not much to do other than relax by the beach and snorkel. (we also arranged a dive trip, but be aware that this can be tricky due to the resort isolation, and the fact it does not currently have its own dive gear). The resort boat transfer (to and from the ferry) was ridiculously expensive. Our two storey cabin was spacious and in a pretty location high in the rainforest. It was just missing a couple of obvious items that we would have expected for the price. The small tea and coffee making area had no bin, no teaspoons and only powdered creamer, despite there being a fridge. There was no hair conditioner in the bathroom. No flyscreens on any doors or windows, meaning you have to leave your cabin completely closed up - it got hot and stuffy on the ground floor. The up side was the excellent service - very friendly and personal.

10/10 Excellent

lex, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Complete Bliss!
Nothing bad to say about Japamala. It was more than amazing. The room was perfect when we got there, air con turned on to full blast to welcome you after your boat ride. (Which was horrible). Japamala is such a relaxing place, no one disturbs your peace and you come and go as you want. Only a handful of staff around, but that's really all they need. At times, we had to wait till someone showed up. But we're in paradise and waiting was so enjoyable. Snorkels and fishing gear were all provided if you wanted to use them. Japamala is now my favourite place to be!

10/10 Excellent

Lawrence, Doha

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Japamazing
We loved Japamala. Arriving by plane from Subang was great and the hotel staff meet you at the cute airport in Tioman. They took our bags which we didn't need to carry at all. The boat transfer seems expensive but the whole process both ways was seemless and stressfree. The hotel is on a private beach and with only 13 rooms it was a peaceful and relaxing place. The italian restaurant, Mandi Mandi, is a lovely place to eat but it's better for lunch as portions are about half the size per ringgit than the Tamarind restaurant. It is definitely worth going to Mandi Mandi at 6pm on the dot for the happy hour cocktails as it's a wonderful place to watch the sunset, however if you aren't timely you may find yourself without a seat [as there are only 6 booths]. The highlight of this resort has to be the staff, they made our stay as good as it was.

8/10 Good

Jen, Singapore

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
3 night break from Singapore
Lovely couple of days, beautiful beach, excellent service and good. Loved dining each night out on the jetty.

10/10 Excellent

Sarbi Virk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Isolated luxury
Far away from everything. The resort takes personal care of your needs. Excellent food. Great service. Would go again.

10/10 Excellent

Magnus, Stockholm, Sweden

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful retreat
JapaMala is close to nature. In fact, it is embedded in beautiful rain forest with a nice beach and great snorkeling, with beautiful corals (some unfortunately subjected to coral bleaching) and an abundance of small fish. The staff is fantastically helpful and the manager, Mike, will do everything to ensure that you have a great stay. The staff, the location, the scenery, and the eco/nature feel of the place is fantastic. Some great food at the restaurant. Only ways to the place is by boat and by jungle trek 30 min from a nearby village. We had a great time. Special thanks to Belle and to Mike.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Olaf

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing
I really enjoyed my stay at Japamala. Perfect location/food/staff/accommodation. I can definitely recommend it to everyone!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Sehr ruhiges Hotel mit wenigen Gästen. Das Personal ist sehr nett und die Umgebung ist einzigartig. Ich kann das Japamal Hotel definitiv weiterempfehlen.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Japamala resort heeft een ontzettend mooie ligging, direct aan het strand en de jungle. De accommodatie was ruim, luxe en heel erg schoon. Het personeel is ontzettend vriendelijk en behulpzaam en het eten ter plekke erg lekker. Er is een Italiaans en Aziatisch restaurant op het resort, met erg goede chefs. Gelukkig maar, want het is door de ligging niet gemakkelijk buiten het resort te gaan eten. We hebben al op heel veel plekken in de wereld gereisd, maar nergens zo’n geweldige service en vriendelijke mensen getroffen. Je kon gratis snorkelspullen lenen en vanuit het strand en het paviljoen zo de zee in met redelijk mooi koraal. Op 10 minuten varen ligt Renggis Island waar het koraal erg mooi is. Daar hebben ze schildpadden, haaien en clownfish (Nemo) gezien. Ook op het resort zat veel wildlife: varanen, apen, (vliegende) eekhoorns.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2019