A weekend in Desaru with old friends

We used to organise an annual getaway with friends who were once my colleagues. In August 2022, we went to Desaru, on the coast of Johor.

We drove into Malaysia on Friday, 26 August. Along the way, we made a detour to a roadside bak kut teh place around Johor Bahru. It was a place some of my Malaysian friends knew.

A row of shophouses with a “Pasaraya Jiason” supermarket sign, Malaysian and Johor flags, fruit stalls, parked cars and a motorcycle, under a grey sky. — Bandar Penawar, the town near Desaru, on Friday afternoon.

Lotus Desaru

We stayed at Lotus Desaru Beach Resort.

Pink and cream resort blocks with red roofs and white turrets topped by red spires, behind coconut palms and a swimming pool, under a grey sky. — The resort on Friday afternoon.

On the beach

We took a banana boat ride and spent time playing around on the beach.

A grey sea under a cloudy sky, with a concrete ramp running down to the sand, a small group in red life jackets at the water’s edge and jet skis far out on the water. — Life jackets on at the water's edge, with jet skis out at sea.

Four men in swimming shorts striking playful poses on a sandy beach by the waves, with a long concrete jetty with yellow railings behind them. — Playing around on the beach.

Seafood in Pengerang

On Friday evening, we were in Pengerang, further down the coast, at a place with tanks full of live seafood.

Stacked glass tanks of live lobsters, crabs, geoducks and oysters, with handwritten price signs in English and Chinese. — Live seafood tanks in Pengerang.

Drinks, pool and time together

The rest of the weekend was mostly about being together. There were drinks, games of pool, and plenty of time simply relaxing.

Resort blocks at night with strings of blue hanging lights over a lane of parked cars, and a white clock tower lit up at the far end. — The resort on Friday night.

We headed home on Sunday, 28 August.

A long covered dining area with red chairs and wooden tables, people eating further along, and a beach with loungers in the sunshine beyond. — The covered dining area by the beach on Sunday morning.

A wide, calm sea under a sky full of small white clouds, with a sandy beach in front and a parasail far out on the water. — The covered dining area by the beach on Sunday morning.

Desaru was never really about sightseeing. It was a weekend for enjoying time with old friends.