Johan's Place

Johan's Place is certainly an odd one. There is no obvious address or phone number. It is however the only place with dormitories on the island. The staff are not especially friendly and are possibly the most useless for general information or assistance we have ever encountered. We arrived on Chinese New Year and instead of filling the place up as they could have done, they had closed it so as to avoid dealing with the extra work of more guests than usual.

The Location

The location is convenient enough. Get off the ferry at Ayer Batang and then turn left until you find it. Ayer Batang however is quite a small place, roughly two kilometers long, so it is always less than a fifteen-minute walk to any given restaurant. Internet is a ten-minute walk away and the only ATM on the island is roughly a forty-minute walk south to Tekek. The beach is right in front and continues for many kilometers in both directions and a few beach bars are sporadically located along it.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The dormitories are quite decent and involve four bunk beds with possibly the thickest mattresses we have seen in Southeast Asia. Nice and soft is a pretty nice change. They are also very clean, have en-suite washrooms, and involve lockers (provide your own lock). There is also quite a decent view from the dormitory balconies. The rooms available are decent enough, though cheaper can be found in the village. They are reasonably clean though the washrooms can be a little moldy.

Common Spaces

There is no real common space as even the dormitories are actually bungalows. There is however a small restaurant overlooking the beach, which is run by Johan's and serves decent-tasting and -priced food.

Summary

All in all it is the cheapest place to stay if you are on your own. With diving being the main reason people come to Tioman Island, there is a great dive shop offering fun dives and open water courses for a reasonable price just next door. In the morning you are greeted by monkeys and massive, five-foot monitor lizards hanging out below your balcony. We enjoyed it enough despite the service.

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