"Kuantan, Pahang" Kuantan by ishi01

Kuantan is a small town located in the biggest state on the peninsular, Pahang. It is only 5 km across and would take only half an hour to walk across. There is no hustle and bustle that one usually gets from big cities- infact I would say, life is pretty laid back in Kuantan.
For me, Kuantan is not really a major destination. If not for the Kuantan airport, I would practically bypass this town.
However, when driving from KL through the Karak highway and state road, this is the first major town one would come to and I would say is a pleasant welcome after some 2 hours of tedious driving.

Tanjung Sepat

Teluk Cempedak, located some 5 km from town centre has always been a major attraction for me whenever I find myself in Kuantan. Its just a short 10 minutes drive and all you need is to follow the signboard. Along the way you would see old government quarters and the most outstanding of these are the Official residence of the Menteri Besar and the State Secretary. Not 1 minute drive away you will see the Teluk Cempedak golf club. Driving on, you will see a row of shops, and by the looks of it, is THE happening place in Kuantan at night. Just a little more beyond the hillock, is the beach and the ocean.
Just catching the wind is enough to relax even the most tired of drivers after a long drive.The Teluk Cempedak beach is a combination of flat sandy beach and the rocky parts. The sandy and flat part is suitable for swimming though the waves looks pretty rough to me. However, look out for the red flags as they are indicators if its OK to go into the waters.
There is a plank walkway erected on the rocky parts which enables one to walk beside the jungle which almost spills into the ocean. There are little huts along the walkway where you can relax and enjoy the breeze from the ocean and the greens from the jungle.

Pantai Beserah

There are of course other local attractions in Kuantan such as the Beserah fishing village which is about 15 km from town centre. The other beach destinations are Pantai Balok, Tanjung Sepat, Pantai Batu Hitam, Pantai Cherating and many more which I myslef have not explored. Many locals would know of Cherating, I was told is the place for wind surfing and apparently there is an annual Wind Surfing competition held at Le Village in January called Monsoon Madness. With the raging wind and everything, yes, one would be mad to venture out to sea in the name of fun.

• Pros:Close Proximity to beach destinations
• Cons:Not much attraction but the beach destinations
• In a nutshell:A small town with some nice beaches