Things to do in Kuantan

No seriously. He ain't kidding. 

Kuantan is a pretty small despite being the capital of Pahang so there aren't many attractions in town besides outdoor recreational activities and shopping. To be honest, you would need less than 3 days to go through all the attractions in Kuantan. Notice the emphasis on 'in' because if you're willing to go about half an hour or so out of town then there'll be a lot more things to do. If you include out of town activities, you have a week's worth of activities! Anyway without any further ado, here are my top picks of things do in Kuantan!


1. Teluk Cempedak (TC)

Wanna sea me shell out of ocean puns? 

Known by the locals simply as TC, it is a popular spot for just relaxing and taking in some fresh breeze. There are two parts to the beach, the main part being the most crowded part as all the fast food restaurants and stalls are there and the second part which is just across a bridge. Both are equally beautiful and picturesque so you can take your pick. 

TC has a lot of restaurants and stalls for food and other miscellaneous items(picnic mats, floats, toys, etc). For food, I'd recommend eating at the fast food places there(McD, KFC) or the restaurants on the way down to the beach. For breakfast and early lunch, you can try Hoi Yin, Katong for dinner and if you're looking for a bar; Ranch Pub(cheapest beer in town). Avoid going on weekends(esp. at night) because you'll get stuck in a jam beacuse as previously stated, it's one of the few things to do in town.

A word of caution though; monkeys are commonplace in TC but they are especially concentrated near the bridge where you'll often see visitors posing for photos and feeding them. I would advise against this as they will try to snatch food and shiny things if you don't secure them properly in your bag. If you aren't carrying any food or shiny stuff, it should be fine but still be careful.

P.S: The Taman Teruntum Mini Zoo is nearby but it's pretty crappy imo; not many animals, the animals look ill & enclosures are kinda small. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but it's free so no harm in going if you're curious.

GPS Coordinates

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal)		Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)
Latitude	3.812215	Latitude	N 3°48'44.1"
Longitude	103.371949	Longitude	E 103°22'20.8"

2. East Coast Mall (ECM)

Self proclaimed as and truthfully is "The Most Happening Place in Kuantan". Fittingly, this shopping mall, the biggest in town, is just opposite one of the biggest hotels in town, Zenith Hotel. It is even more popular than the beach(for locals at least) as strolling through malls is something of a national pastime here in Malaysia. It's the biggest mall in town and people from nearby towns like Kemaman often come here during the weekends. They have local & international clothing brands, a cinema, a karaoke place, a supermarket, and numerous restaurants. It's a pretty good place to just kill time if you've got nothing else to do. It's already titanic as it is but I hear there are plans to add another block in 2017. 

GPS Coordinates

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal)		Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)
Latitude	3.818870	Latitude	N 3°48'44.1"
Longitude	103.326346	Longitude	E 103°22'20.8"

3. Royal Pahang Golf Club

I come from a family of golfing nuts and I'm a golf player myself so naturally I felt the need to include my home course here. It's located opposite the Taman Teruntum Mini Zoo. Among the facilities are a TV room, swimming pool, gym and games room(a drinking spot really). The course itself is a fairly straight forward 18 hole golf course situated beside a beach. If you're only planning to play 9 holes, go for the second nine as it's more scenic. On hole 10, you'll be playing beside the ocean on hole 9 and 18 you'll be able to see a view of  the clubhouse with a backdrop of lush green hills. Sometimes, dogs from the beach run into the golf course but their harmless. In fact, monitor lizards are much more common(no, seriously). If you're lucky, you might even be able to catch a glimpse of a hornbill, kingfisher or woodpecker!

GPS Coordinates

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal)		Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)
Latitude	3.807629	Latitude	N 3°48'27.5"
Longitude	103.365908	Longitude	E 103°21'57.3"

4. Bukit Pelindung

If you enjoy hiking or just love nature, look no further than Bukit Pelindung!  This where most people in town go to have a leisurely walk or exercise. Even the local school sports teams and competitive marathoners and cyclists come here. There are two pathways; a tarred road for the casual walks and a jungle trek which leads to TC. It's pretty cool for most of the day thanks to the tall trees along the pathway. You can even drive up the hill with a car too but that would take away from the whole walk through nature thing. Ya' know? Anyway, when you reach the peak of the hill you'll be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the whole town. I would include a photo but that would kill the surprise so yeah, go check it out!

GPS Coordinates

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal)		Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)
Latitude	3.830465	Latitude	N 3°49'49.4"
Longitude	103.363042	Longitude	E 103.3608643

5. Bukit Gambang Waterpark

I've only been here once and overall, it was pretty fun but nothing spectacular as far as water parks go. It wasn't very big when I went there but since they have opened up a zoo and night safari which I have a feeling should be nicer than the Mini Zoo in Kuantan. From Kuantan, the drive to Gambang should take you about half an hour.

GPS Coordinates

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal)		Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)
Latitude	3.710448	Latitude	N 3°42'37.6"
Longitude	103.051586	Longitude	E 103°03'05.7"

(It's like 3.30 am right now and my eyes hurt =_=||| so I'll add more later.)

Kuantan Breakfast Places 2

1. Alliance Bank Nasi Lemak(Halal)

Open: about 7.30 a.m- 2 p.m

Address: Jalan Beserah, Kuantan, Pahang 

This stall is located behind Alliance Bank and Ten Ten. There are two stalls there, make sure you go to the one on the right side. They sell really nice nasi lemak, meehoon goreng, nasi dagang and fried chicken. Their nasi lemak and nasi dagang and meehoon and basically everything is a lot better than most. They also get their sambal (chilli sauce) just right. They're usually very packed and sell out early so make sure to go as early as possible.

2. Nasi Dagang Tanjung Api(Halal)

Address: 45, Jalan Tanjung Api, 25050 Kuantan, Pahang

Tel: 

Operating hours: 7.30 a.m- sometime in the afternoon

GPS Coordinates: 

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal) | Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)

Latitude: 3.810294                         |  Latitude: N  3°   48′   37.0″

Longitude: 103.343860                  |  Longitude: E  103°   20′   37.9″

Google Maps: 

Located at the intersection between Jalan Selamat and Jalan Tanjung Api. his unnamed stall has one of the best nasi dagang in Kuantan. Their nasi dagang, fish, and gravy is great.  Their serving is average and their prices are quite reasonable. A packet of nasi dagang with a piece of fish is about RM2.50. Usually they will be sold out by 11 am so if you want to eat here, I suggest getting there early in the morning.

3. Restoran Bombay

Address: 71, Jalan Mahkota, Kuantan 25000, Malaysia

Tel: 09-514 4081

Operating hours: 

GPS Coordinates: 

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal) | Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)

Latitude: 3.8045317                       |  Latitude: N  3°   48′   16.31″

Longitude: 103.3259629      |  Longitude: E  103°   19′   33.47″

This restaurant is yet another favourite of my parents. It is owned by Hamid Bros, one of the more well known millionaires in Kuantan. The nasi briyani here is excellent. They also have a morning set menu which is good value for money. The atmosphere is great cause it's clean air and conditioned unlike most of my other recommendations.

4. Restoran XYZ

Address: 1-27, Jalan Seri Setali 2, Taman Tunas, 25300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Tel: N/A

Operating hours: Afternoon

GPS Coordinates: 

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal) | Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)

Latitude:             3.8444371           |  Latitude: N 3° 50′ 39.97″

Longitude:          103.3361729       |  Longitude:  E 103° 20′ 10.22″

My personal favourite porridge shop. You can choose from a variety of dishes like fried/

steamed fish,salted egg, pork belly, etc etc to eat with your plain porridge. It's basically like 

Nasi Campur(Mixed Rice) but with porridge instead of rice.

5. Restoran Taj Makmur

Photo sourced from cocoeriley.blogspot.com

Address: Lorong Tun Ismail 6, Sri Dagangan, 25000 Kuantan, Pahang

Tel: 09-515 9482

Operating hours: 7 am to 10 pm

GPS Coordinates: 

Latitude and Longitude (Decimal) | Latitude and Longitude (ddd.mm.ss)

Latitude: 3.8131627                       |  Latitude: N 3° 48′ 47.39″

Longitude: 103.3276107                |  Longitude: E 103° 19′ 39.4″

Part of a chain of the many many Taj restaurants in Kuantan. Their roti canai is okay but their 

fish curry is positively heavenly. I've also heard many people praise their nasi briyani with 

curry but I've never personally tried it.