Hotels in Setiu

Setiu is one of the seven districts situated in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. To the north, this district is bordered by Besut; to the west, Hulu Terengganu; on the south, Kuala Nerus. It is established as a full-fledged district back in 1985 as a part of the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) declaration. At the centre of Setiu is Bandar Permaisuri which functions as the administrative seat and commercial centre of the district.

The district gets its name after a Bugis warrior with the same name. History-wise, back in the 1870s, the Bugis people was involved in a fight with the Dutch. Consequently, a lot of Bugis people fled their homeland to find a better place and also due to their refusal to live under the rule of the Dutch. Setiu or Tok Setiu is one of the said people. After travelling out of home for a few days, Tok Setiu and his followers arrived in Terengganu which was being ruled of Sultan Ahmad II at that time. With the Sultan’s consent, he established a village which was named after him, Kampung Bukit Tok Setiu (lit. Tok Setiu Hill Vollage).

How to Get There

From Kuala Lumpur International Airport, you can take flights such as Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia to Sultan Mahmud Airport in Kuala Terengganu. From there, you can take a taxi or bus to the district which will take around an hour.

Another option is to go by bus. From the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), you can board the Mutiara Express line directly to the Setiu terminal located within the Bandar Permaisuri.

Tourist Attractions

Penarik and Rhu Sepuluh Beach

Both Penarik and Rhu Sepuluh beaches are well-known due to their location which is alongside the road that connects both Kelantan and Terengganu. Both beaches are hardly affected by the aggressive development work hence most parts are still preserved, hence the beauty is maintained. The people here are still intent on being fisherman, and fishing is the main economy driver of the place. Usually the fisherman will begin their activity around ten in the morning till 1 P.M., hence the period is the best to come here to experience the fishermen’s life. Special about Rhu Sepuluh beach is you can find a special delicacy called “ikan celup tepung” which is really fish fried deep with flour.

Terrapuri Heritage Village

The heritage village is a collection of all traditional Terengganu Malay houses situated in Penarik. It started off from a keen interest of a local entrepreneur Alex Lee Yun Ping who has started collecting such antiquities for the past twenty years as part of the restoration project of these classical houses before deciding to arrange them all beautifully as a heritage-themed boutique resort. The name “Terrapuri” brings the meaning of “Land of Palaces”. There are about twenty-nine such houses in this heritage village with each of them being applied a contemporary touch with all the modern facilities equipped. Each of these houses is named after the village in which they were originally located. Due to the old condition, the wood has been treated to achieve a silver sheen which applies across all houses in the area. Most of them contain “pasak” element, an ancient architectural form which enables the construction to happen sans any single nail. Instead, in order to achieve secure locking of the pieces, they were sawed and shaped to very precise measurements.

Hotels

Sutra Beach Resort

This three and half-star accommodation is within Kampung Rhu Tapai of Setiu itself. The room offerings have good comfort with modern feeling, coupled with wide range of amenities such as refrigerator, coffee maker, television, safety box, minibar and private bathrooms with shower with beautiful view facing the sea. Breakfast and laundry services are provided, so does WiFi. There is a garden, outdoor pool and picnic area as well as restaurants nearby.

Merang Suria Resort

This one-star accommodation similarly is situated at Kampung Rhu Tapai in Setiu. This resort offers affordable rates for rooms meant for budget travellers. Most rooms are of terrace type with seafront view, so visitors can expect a nice view of the sea. They are equipped with a TV, minibar, ironing facility, coffee maker and private bathroom with shower. A bunch of sport facilities are nearby including beach volleyball, table tennis and swimming pool.