You don’t have to fly all the way to Greece to experience Santorini. There is a luxury mansion at Kukup Johor which adopts the Santorini theme, the blue and white color building called Sweet Home Holiday Resort.
Where is Kukup?
Kukup is a fishing village in South Malaysia’s Johor State at Pontian district, about 2 hours drive from Singapore. This place is famous for its seafood, mangrove forest, temples and chalets. One of the characteristics are houses here are built on stilts.
Last weekends, we had a big party with over 50 relatives, (coming from all over – America, Australia, Singapore & Malaysia) all gather together& spent a night at one of the newest mansion in Kukup – Sweet Home Holiday Resort.
Where to park?
Parking can be a serious nightmare at Kukup Jetty! Choose to park at the private carpark 3 mins before reaching Kukup Jetty/town. The Sweet Home will arrange their van to come to pick you up at the private carpark.
The van will make few trips up and down to arrange guests to the jetty. Those who were not able to board on the small van will have to wait at the waiting area. The car park is sheltered. Overnight charge : RM 10.00
Family Picture at the Kukup Ferry Terminal
Boarding
You will board on the fishing boat not from the Ferry Terminal but from High King Restaurant private jetty.
The distance is less than 10 mins boat ride to the Sweet Home Holiday Resort.
2 Days 1 Night Package @ Sweet Home Holiday Mansion
Sweet Home Mansion is the newest and also the biggest in Kukup as of now, Feb 2018. If you want to experience some Santorini’s vibe, this is the place.
Total of 5 Meals for 2 Days 1 Night – RM 208 Adult Child: RM158
Day 1
- 2:00 pm – Check In
- 3:00 pm – Tea Break
- 6:00 pm – BBQ Dinner (satay, squid, prawn, fish, otak-otak, fruit, beverages)
- 8:00 pm – Program Begins, Mahjong Session, Dacing and KTV, Enjoy fireworks, Karaoke & etc
- 10:00 pm – Supper
Day 2
- 7:30 am – Breakfast, after breakfast free at own leisure
- 9:00 am – Kukup – Visit Kukup Kelong (Fish Farms)
- 12:00 pm – Check Out & Lunch At Chalet/Restaurant.
The fishing boat brings you to the front of the Sweet Home Mansion. Happy guests make their grand entrance to the Sweet Home Mansion.
Briefing Time
Our CEO in Army tee-shirt was giving everyone briefing and assigning rooms.
Check Out The Stairs
One of the iconic features of the Sweet Home Mansion is the elegant grand staircase.
Great Spot for Photo
Sweet Home Mansion is divided into two part, sea view facing and village facing. Each part having 6 rooms and a touch-screen karaoke room that can sit up to 30 pax.
The exterior of the Mansion
You can watch the firework on the top floor balcony at night, just go up the spiral staircase!
Mahjong Time
There are few tables of majong available.
Bonding time
Many sitting areas with tables & chair for chit-chatting.
Phone time
Dart Game & Snooker Pool
Two dart machines and a snooker tables are available at the dining area.
Day 1 Tea Break at 3 pm
Sweet Home Kitchen
I have a peep at their kitchen – spacious, clean and tidy.
Sweet Home staffs were busy preparing BBQ dinner for us – more than 50 pax!
Fugu Fish/ Puffer Fish
There is a small aquarium near the kitchen.
Japanese would love to risk their lives to eat fugu fish but we don’t. We just greet this little fellow “hello” and snap some cute pictures of him.
Horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crabs normally swim upside down, they are not dead.
Aroana
Mudskipper
Dinner at Sweet Home
One thing good about staying in Mansion here is you don’t have to worry about food. There are up to 5 meals for the 2 days 1 day. I don’t think you have a chance of getting hungry.
Everyone in our family was having a great time dining at the dining area which offers a sea view. A romantic sunset is all we needed.
The Sweet Home staff is attentive and friendly, serving one of my auntie’s need.
Enjoying Sea View while having our BBQ dinner
Firework at Night
Candid Camera Contest: Vote for the best picture!
1. Titanic 2018 – By Camera Lady: Sok Yee
2. Spot the Choir Master – By Cameraman: Ricky
3. Birthday Boys – Cameraman Datuk Fong
4. Beauty Pageant – By Cameraman: Datuk Fong
Nearby attraction at Kukup
I had a morning stroll at around 7 am with my uncle and cousin in the fishing villages nearby. There are many beautiful houses turned into chalets for tourists in the village. Many of the residents are still fisherman. Some of the houses were rebuilt with brick & tall poles were used, which look grand at the entrance. However some houses still continue using the old wooden material, very much remain the authenticity & personality of the fishing village.
We discovered 3 primary schools & 3 temples in this small neighborhood. The temples are small but well maintained and painted with bright colors. Praying plays an important ritual in fisherman life for their safety & abundant harvest from the sea.
Pinewood theme homestay
We also found this special pinewood chalet at Air Masim, Kukup. Space is great for a small family.
Rental of bikes & motorbikes are available at the village.
Fishing Farm Tour – included in a package
There are many fishing farms near Kukup. The one we went to is about 5 mins boat ride from our Mansion. We checked out and move to a fish farm. The wooden path built above water is unstable so be extra careful, especially with young children and elderly. There is a small shop selling all kind of dried seafood owned by a Vietnamese wife married to local. Price is reasonable.
Final thoughts:
There are many chalets or homestay in Kukup offering a similar package for a short getaway but Sweet Home is one of the newest and best in town. It is great for colleges/friend or family gathering & celebrations of birthday parties! What I like about Sweet Home Mansion are: the Santorini vibes, the cleanliness of the mansion, frequent meals are provided, sea view, karaoke room and most importantly I have a great time catching up with my relatives.
Photo credit: Lee Hong Seng – the real photographer!!
Nearby attractions :
- Lexis Hibiscus at Port Dickson
- Club Med Cherating Kuantan
- Cameron Highlands
- A mini version of Jumeirah Dubai at Avani Sepang Selangor
- Malacca Historical Trail
42 comments
I guess Malaysia should be on our family’s bucket list too. Looks like you guys had so much fun. Great place, great food, and great company!
Dear Journa,
We certainly has so much fun gather together and catch up in this small fishing village but the mansion is new, spacious and luxurious. Plenty of space for us – pax of 50-60!
What a lovely spot to take your family. My children would absolutely love the fireworks at night!
I’m a travel writer and I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never heard of Kukup! Now I’ve seen your post, it’s definitely on my travel bucket list!
Dear Nicole,
Kukup is such a small fishing village at the southern part of Malaysia, in Johor State, it is popular getaway for locals and neighboring country – Singapore.
A family Mediterranean-style holiday would be way cool – especially the way you’ve shared about it! We’ve used vacation sites successfully for years!
Wow lucky you, my house and yard are covered in snow. 🙂
It is time to getaway to Asia for some sun:)
Right off the water?! How crazy cool does that look, what a fun and interesting place to getaway at.
Many of the housing including resort or chalets in the fishing village are built on stilts so it is very interesting. You also get to see some sea animals eg clams living at the mud area when the water recede.
That is a really beautiful place and a really nice place to stay in.
That’s a lively super detailed post. I have never heard of this place before. Haven’t explored malaysia much. But this looks like a place I’d enjoy with my family!
Kukup is popular among local Malaysian and Singaporean. I don’t think many other foreigner ever heard about this small fishing village. You will enjoy it, plenty of sunshine and get to see the fisherman daily life.
It looks like you had a fabulous time in this little part of Malaysia. This is a really informative post for anyone looking to visit.
I never really thought about going to Malaysia before, it looks beautiful though. May need to add it to my want to do list.
Dear Geraline,
You have so many reason to visit Malaysia, the diverse culture, Modern Architecture -Twin Tower (used to be the world tallest building before Burj Khalifa in Dubai was built) & Colonial Architecture from Dutch & Portuguese and wildlife are the top things to do! Not forgetting the food and the warm weather!
Santorini is actually closer to me than Malaysia, as I live in the UK! But I’d love to go to either destination to be honest hehe! x
Santorini is in my bucket list too. Hope to visit it one day!
What an awesome trip. It looks like you guys had an absolute blast. Such fun!!
Wow… what a neat place! Luxury, exploration, and culture all rolled in one!
Wow! Malaysia looks like a very cool place to be. I’d love to go here someday.
That is a gorgeous place, and it looks like you had such a fun and memorable time. 🙂
How terrific to have this sacred experience with the entire family! I bet your memories will last a life time. Beautiful vacation! xo Evelyn, PathofPresence
Dear Evelyn,
It is really not an easy task to have so many relatives gather all & spent a night and sleep together in a big mansion/resorts house. Everyone is busy with work and life these day. You are right, it is such a memorable experience!
The mansion looks like a nice place for family time. your photos of the fireworks are great!
Such an awesome place to stay with the family and celebrate a reunion or any other occasion! I love how spacious it is and that the food is included as well. There are fun activities too!
Dear Alison,
The mansion is so spacious that it can stay up to 60 pax! The karaoke is also one of my favorite, can sit up to 30 pax with disco lights.
This hotel looks so colorful, elegant and accommodating! I wouldn’t mind staying there one bit! Looks like you guys had a great time!
Never heard of Kukup before as a tourist destination. I’d love to visit there. That Sweet Home Mansion looks absolutely beautiful and love its decor! Looks like you all had an amazing family getaway there!
Dear Ana,
Not just you, many people has not heard of Kukup before, it is only popular among the local Malaysian and Singaporean tourists, a short getaway from the city life.
Jane, I must add one item for any visitor here although we all missed out ie you can visit Tanjung Piai, which is the southern most point of continental Asia
Dear Uncle Fong Kim
You are so right about it. Tanjung Piai is also a nearby attraction, tourists can catch a ferry from Kukup terminal to Tanjung Piai.
Thank you for pointing out and commenting here. Very much appreciated 🙂
What a beautiful family you have! Malaysia is definitely on our list and Sweet Home looks like a great place from which to discover it!
This mansion does give santorini vibes. This looks like a great place to visit with anyone. I will definitely have to look into this.
This looks like so much fun and great bonding time with family. All the pictures look amazing. Malaysia is so beautiful place, this is a really informative post for anyone looking to visit.
What an amazing family vacation! It must not be easy to organize a vacation for such a large group, but it looks like you had such a great time together!
Dear Nati,
You are so right, it is so much effort to gather such a big group, not an easy task. But glad many make it to attend this gathering and became a memorable day for everyone!
Wow! You got a big family! I love spending time with my whole family too. Actually, I missed having this kind of family bonding. Havent done this for 2 years because someone of us has died. Others went abroad for work.
Dear Nathan,
The gathering certainly need a lot of effort but overall a great experience and memorable one. I really enjoy it!
This looks like an amazing time spent with family, lots of fun and excitement. The place looks so beautiful, would love to visit. A family Mediterranean-style holiday sounds so perfect with all your pictures.
looks like this was a fun adventure by all. So amazing that you can entertain children and adults at the same time .
Malasia is on my bucket list. Family vacation are so amazing regardless of where you go and a beautiful place like this is even better