Tioman

1. What I liked most about Tioman was the island’s almost untouched natural beauty
2. The honest friendliness and helpfulness of the locals
3. A lot of mopeds and motorbikes on narrow roads, though they’re generally careful and courteous – even the young guys
4. We spent twelve days on the eastern side of the island, in a little place called Juara, where we experienced crystal clear waters, palm trees, sandy beaches and calm. Our accommodation was a well-constructed bungalow, where three of us lived for a rate in ringgits equivalent to about $15 a day. Then we travelled across to the western side of the island, which is ringed by coral reefs. This means that swimming isn’t really possible on that side, but there are some great walks
5. Because of the geography of the island (95% steep, impassable mountains covered in rainforest) there’s no public transport, so you can only get anywhere on foot, by taxi, by hire car or by motorboat. The only way to get between the island and the mainland is by ferry
6. There are no ‘hotels’ in the European sense (thank God!) just tastefully designed bungalows at varying prices
7. The tranquil nature of the environment means that noisy, drunken, libidinous parties are (fortunately) a complete no-no. What you can do is relax, swim, walk in the rainforest, and explore the rich variety of flora and fauna in as much detail as you like
8. Most eating establishments on the island are informal little places where you can get very tasty, healthy meals, but there are also little grocery stores where you can buy some supplies. There are no big supermarkets anywhere on the island, and only the ‘capital’, Tekek, has a few medium-sized supermarkets. Prices in shops are about the same as in Central Europe, but if you’re looking for something more specific (technical items, clothes etc.) then you might struggle. (A.P. 2015)

Shopping

“But what's in the store? Well, there are plenty of stores. In fact, there’s one every 25 meters or so, but they all sell the same things: Chinese noodle soup, canned food, biscuits, and chips. That’s about it.
A few have ice cream, too. That means it's a luxury store. From the very long list above, you can use complicated mathematical formulas to work out that if you’re vegan, you will starve to death here. There are no fruit or vegetables here, and we saw bread (toast bread) in only one shop. Not the slightest sign of regular bread.” (2018)