Port Dickson

Port Dickson as Malaysians and Singaporeans know, it famous for her beaches. The sandy white beaches of Port Dickson has been documented even by top international tourist magazines as one of the best and most beautiful in the country. Thus it is no wonder that holiday seekers and sun worshipers flock to this coastal town come every weekend or during prolonged holidays.

When the name Port Dickson is mentioned the first thing that comes to mind will be the sea and the beaches. For those who has not visited the place, the infamous beaches are in fact located away from Port Dickson town. Though Port Dickson town is indeed sitting smack facing the Straits Of Melaka, it is not the proper place for recreation. You can sit and watch the sunset, but when it comes to taking a dip or enjoying the sand, you will have to leave town to where the action is.

Cape Racardo Lighthouse located 12 miles from Port Dickson Town

Port Dickson Beaches

Holiday beaches in Port Dickson starts about 4 kilometers from town. Beach locations are named in a very unique way, used and understood by local folks only. It is named according to the distance from PD town in miles. So if you are looking for some beaches that you have heard off and the locals tells you that it is in the 5th mile, then it means, it is located 5 miles from Port Dickson town along the Coast Road or officially known as Jalan Pantai. The most well known and most popular is simply known as 8th. mile. So if you ask for directions using Malay, ask for “Batu Lapan”. If you ask in Mandarin, say, “Ba In Li”

Like said, from the 4th kilometer onwards or roughly the 2nd Mile as we local calls it, white sandy beaches can be seen on the right from the road you are traveling. As the name suggest, this is the Coast Road, so the road meanders along the coast line of the Straits Of Melaka.

From 2nd Mile onwards, there are places to enjoy yourself right up to the 12th. Mile if you know or care to ask for the way.

Port Dickson Hotels.

Naturally, being a holiday destination, there are many Hotels in Port Dickson ranging from 2 stars to 5 star hotels. Some of the most sought after hotels during holidays are the Glory Beach Hotel, The Corus Paradise Hotel, The Regency Hotel, The Bayu Beach Resorts, Tiara Beach Resort Hotel, Avillion and many more.

Rates and services differ and most of the hotels have their own websites so if you want to book, all you have to do is to search for these hotels by name using Google and you should easily find them.

Port Dickson Budget Hotels

Budget Hotels have been sprouting up in Port Dickson in the recent 2 years or so. It is a trend that is catching up as many budget travelers do not fancy staying in classy hotels that makes a dent to their budget.

At the last count, there are at least 8 budget hotels in and around Port Dickson Town. That is not inclusive of those that re located along the coast where most holiday seeker go.

Rates are of course very affordable, starting from as low as less than 60nringgit plus plus to over hindered ringgit for bigger rooms.

Port Dickson Beach Resorts.

Besides the many hotels, there are also many Beach Resorts in Port Dickson. Most of these resorts are condo styled for small families and when they were built, the developers opened these condos for sale to the public. many who has the money invested in one or two units and they make good returns by renting out their units on weekends.

Port Dickson Water Chalets

The oldest and most famous water chalets in Port Dickson is the Avillion Water Chalets. They are called water chalets because the single storey chalets sits in the middle of the sea on stilts. Staying in such a chalet has a thrill of it’s own and thus it has become a very popular concept.

The latest addition to this kind of living is the Legend Water Chalet. Owned and developed by an international hotel group, the Legend Water Chalets offers some totally different feature. Apart from standing in the middle of the sea, the chalets has a see-through floor that lest you see right through so you can watch the fishes in the sea below you.

Port Dickson Sea Food Restaurants

When in Port Dickson, do not have the impression that since this is a coastal town, the sea food is bound to be fresh. As there are many so many restaurants and catches by local fisherman are limited, many restaurants in Port Dickson have no choice but to import their sea food from other states.

That is however not to say that these sea food are not fresh, but it will be almost the same with what you get in other places and not exceptionally fresh as in just out of the sea.

As in many other holiday destinations, be wary of some Restaurants when you make your order. There are some unscrupulous restaurateurs that has no business ethics and out to make a quick buck, especially when Port Dickson is jammed packed with hungry holiday seekers during holidays.

Do not be shy to ask for the price of each item you order if the restaurants do not have a menu. When settling, insist for a itemized bill. Double check to make sure you have not been taken for a ride.

There have been many reports of restaurants cheating on their customers in Port Dickson and thatis not good publicity at all.

Port Dickson Municipal Council President Abdul Wahab’s Interview

Port Dickson’s Municipal Council President Abdul Wahab talked to Free Malaysia Today about the problems he faces and the developments being planned for Port Dickson. Here are some excerpts from the Interview.

Is there any truth to the talk that Port Dickson will soon have a water theme park?

A water theme park will be built by the private golf resort operator of Palm Springs near Tiara Beach Resort.
We approved the project. We were informed by the operator that the park will be for the exclusive use of clients at the resort.

Are there enough hotels rooms in Port Dickson to cater to tourists?

Definitely the room availability is sufficient and sometimes exceeds the actual demand

Is there is any mega project coming up in Port Dickson very soon?

A commercial hub costing RM1.8 billion will be completed in 2014.It will have a hypermarket, office spaces, shop lots, a convention centre, a medical centre, hotels, a private college, an international school, a theme park, factory outlets and apartments facing the beach.
And there will be a landmark project called Hibiscus Chalet, in which Menteri Besar Incorporated will be involved. It will become an icon for Port Dickson. The complex will be built at Mile 15 of Jalan Teluk Kemang. The chalet units will be arranged to look like hibiscus flowers.

Read the full interview here

Port Dickson Legend Water Chalet Now Known As Lexis.

Lexis-Port-Dickson

Unknown to many, the Port Dickson Legend Water Chalet Resort changed it’s brand name to Lexis. It is now referred to as Lexis, Port Dickson. There was no official announcements or publicity that I was aware of despite me being a resident of Port Dickson. Name changes however are not an uncommon practice with Hotels and Resorts in Port Dickson.

Many Hotels changes their name after a few years and I never know the reasons why. Some says those hotels have run into financial difficulties so they register a new name and operate under another management. With these changes creditors will have no way of gong after them. However, according to my friends who has dealings with these Hotels, the new management will usually honour the previous management’s debts. Only it will take a long time for them to settle fully.

Lexis Port Dickson

Back to Lexis Port Dickson. Except the name and management, nothing seems to have changed. All the facilities and staffs have been retained and even improved. Lexis Port Dickson like the previous Legend Port Dickson consists of 283 unique seafront resort rooms facing the Straits of Malacca. It is now managed by the Lexis Group Of Hotels & Resorts, an established hotel operator in Malaysia since 1994.

It is easily accessible via the North-South Expressway and is about an hour’s drive (100 KM) from Kuala Lumpur.

The newly completed chalets adjacent to the main building seems to be ready for occupation. Rumours has it that all the units have been sold out. Most of them are investors from overseas like Singapore and the Middle East. Security seems to be tight and the whole area has been walled up with 24 hour security cameras looking over every corner.

Hop in to the Lexis Port Dickson for a look see the next time you are in Port Dickson.

When Is The Best Time To Visit Port Dickson Beach

Almost all who comes to Port Dickson comes for one reason. The sea and the beach. However, many go away disappointed, not because the beaches are not beautiful or the people are unfriendly. They are disappointed because they came on a day when the tide is low and they not get to enjoy the sea fully. The best time to visit Port Dickson is when the tide is at it’s highest. Then only will you get to see the full potential and enjoy the most of Port Dickson beaches.

Collecting Sea Shells When The Tide Is Low In Port Dickson Is Lots Of Fun.

Those who have never stayed by the sea or those who has no interest will not know the day and time when the tide is at the highest. The surprising thing is most people do not even know when the sea rises and fall according to tides. When the sea is mentioned, the impression they get a a vast ocean of water when they can just jump in and enjoy themselves.

Things To Do When The Tide Is Low In Port Dickson

When the tide is low in Port Dickson, visitors have to walk at least half a mile to reach the water. Even then, the water quality will not be at it’s best. So swimming in low tide is not enjoyable.

There are however, things that you can enjoy yourself by the beach while waiting for the tide to come in. There are thousands of sea shells to be collected. There are millions of tiny sand crabs that you can chase after. There are sand castles to be built.

Believe me, it is plenty of fun to be in Port Dickson even when the tide is low.

When Is The Best Time To Visit Port Dickson

In school you would have learned that the tides rises and fall in tandem with the moon. When you can see the moon is full or when you cannot see the moon at all, that will be the time when the tide is the highest.

The best way that I know of without having to check Internet for the tides in Port Dickson is by checking the Lunar Calender. The first day of each lunar month is the time when we cannot see the moon and the 15th is the day when the moon is at the fullest. The tide starts rising 2 days prior to these days and starts going down 2 days after.

So in all you have 10 good days in any given month which the Tide is at the high. Two days before and after the first of the Lunar month and two days before and after the Fifteenth.

These days will be the best time to visit Port Dickson.