Gingerly holding the sodden bread, I stretched out my hand. An angel-fish peck at my fingers, followed by countless other fish of all shapes and sizes. A shiver ran down my spine.

I let out a muffled shriek and was almost knocked off balance in my excitement. I was in Perhentian Island, experiencing my first feed-the-fish session. It was memorable.

Perhentian, off the Terengganu shores of Peninsular Malaysia, is made up of Perhentian Besar (Big Island) and Perhentian Kecil (Small Island). The isles are under the protection of the Marine Park of Malaysia.

Apparently, the islands get their name from being a place where fishermen from Kelantan and Terengganu henti (stop at) to shelter during a major storm. Recently, my son Adrian, chanced upon the idyllic islands on the Internet and booked a four-day holiday on Perhentian Kecil for four.

We took an early morning flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Baru, a taxi-ride to Kuala Besut and finally a thrilling boat-ride, before arriving on the island at noon.

The crystal clear waters and unpolluted beach captured my heart immediately. After lunch and a short rest at the air-conditioned Bubu Long Beach Resort, Ismail, our guide, gave us a crash-course on snorkelling.

Then, decked in red life jacket, mask and snorkel, we all paddled to a sheltered cove near our resort for a snorkelling adventure.

Seeing so many colourful fish was overwhelming. The luminous beauties were in blue, yellow, off-white, striated, spotted and even pink hues. Adrian, with his waterproof camera, snapped many shots of us having fun with the fish.

The next day, we were taken to other locations for another enthralling experience. In the clean, clear waters, we sighted many colourful hard and soft corals from great depths. The fish here seemed to be performing synchronised swimming around the corals. We saw clownfish frolicking among sea anemones too.

On the third day, Adrian and his wife Angie went to nearby Pulau Rawa for more marine adventure. They came back with stories of more discoveries. My hubby and I stayed behind to relax and made friends with the other guests.

Pulau Perhentian attracts all types of nature lovers, many of whom are foreigners. Jennifer and Janet, from England, read about Perhentian from the Lonely Planet travel guide. They first toured Kuala Lumpur and then took a train to Kuala Krai, a taxi to Kuala Besut and finally a boat to the island.

"The beaches here are incredibly lovely and the magnificent marine life take my breath away," exclaimed the well-tanned Jennifer, who was excited to see her first sea turtle.

The white sandy beaches and tropical fish captivated one German couple so much that they vowed, "We will definitely come back next year."

Tammy from Thailand found the beach and marine life much better than in her country - "They are less commercialised and cleaner," she opined.

In the evening, my husband and I took a leisurely walk along the beach. I enjoyed sinking my feet into the soft sand and feeling the tangy sea breeze caress my skin. Adrian and Angie were content to just lie on the beach and watch the fishermen bring in their catch.

Fish and coral seem to exist without a care in the world here, off the Perhentian islands.

Other guests read or sunbathed on deck chairs, played beach volleyball or relaxed with a foot or body massage. Adventurous trekkers went jungle trekking (many have sighted monkeys, monitor lizards or butterflies) or hiked to selected spots to watch the sunset.

The shoppers browsed in the souvenir shops on the beach. I was surprised to find a shop selling English, German, Russian and Japanese novels. It gave me an idea of the cosmopolitan nature of the tourists here.

There are many restaurants on the beach offering fresh seafood. You can enjoy music and drinks at many of the cafés, which open until late at night. Pulau Perhentian has many attractions to offer: calm, clear waters, rich marine life, white sandy beaches, virgin jungle and much more.

This year is "Visit Malaysia Year 2007", so if you are looking for a local holiday destination, pristine Perhentian is a good bet.

Getting there

Take a plane/bus/taxi to Kota Baru or Kuala Terengganu. From there, take a taxi (Kota Baru, 45 minutes) or (Kuala Terengganu, 1 ½ hr) to Kuala Besut Jetty, which is the main gateway to Pulau Perhentian. From the jetty, a speedboat (RM30) takes half an hour to the island (Perhentian Besar or Perhentian Kecil). All travellers have to pay a marine park conservation charge of RM5 per person.

Activities

Scuba diving, snorkelling, jungle trekking, beach volleyball or sunset watching. Rental for snorkelling gear is RM30. Resorts can arrange snorkelling tours around the islands.

Accommodation

Air-conditioned chalets are RM100-RM200. A bed in a long-house costs RM10 and above. Or book your holiday with a travel agency (usually 3D/2N) - they will take care of travel, accommodation, food and beach activities.

Environmental issues

Do not touch or destroy the living coral. Do not throw plastic bags into the sea. Do not leave rubbish on the beach.

Facts

Perhentian Island is located in the South China Sea,25 km from Kuala Besut. It consists of two islands, Big Island (Pulau Perhentian Besar) and Small Island (Pulau Perhentian Kecil).

The two Perhentian Islands are rated as some of the most beautiful islands in the world.

All types of aquatic life are found here

Turtles, corals and thousands of tropical fish. The jungle has many tropical plants and a wide variety of animals like monitor lizards, monkeys, geckos and flying squirrels.

Perhentian Besar

Accommodation is distributed over three lovely beaches, Teluk Pauh (best beach), the main beach Tanjung Genting and Pasir Raja.

Perhentian Kecil

Most popular beach is Pasir Panjang (Long Beach) with white sands and crystal clear water. There are many chalets, restaurants and cafés. A good place for backpackers too.