Do you have a few days off and want to get out of Singapore, but you've been to Bintan, seen Sibu and done Desaru? If you want to go somewhere to wind down and relax, but don't want to fly or spend too much money, you can go to Pangkor Island on the Malaysian westcoast.

My husband and I found a perfect-looking package to Pangkor Island a few months ago. Three full days and two nights at the Pan Pacific Resort, to be reached by VIP bus travelling through the night. The price more than fit our budget - only S$188 per person, which included the bus and ferry trips and two nights in a seaview room with breakfast.

View of the pool and beach from our hotel room at the Pangkor Pan Pacific Resort

We left Singapore by bus at 8.30 pm on a Monday night and arrived fully rested in Lumut at 6 am the following morning. The first ferry to the Pan Pacific resort left at 7.15 am and by 8 am, we were checked in and admiring the view from our balcony over the swimming pool to the beautiful beach and ocean behind it.

Sit on your balcony and watch for hornbills, which can be seen all around the resort, especially early mornings. But it is wise to close your balcony door behind you to keep out unwanted visitors, we learnt on our first day.

As I was coming out of the pantry area into our bedroom with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in each hand, on my way to the balcony where my husband was reading the paper, I let out a loud scream and nearly dropped the cups when I discovered quite a big monkey in our room, pilfering through a stash of Malaysian ringgit lying next to the television set.

Luckily, the monkey was as startled to see me as I was to see it, and, perhaps realising the money was inedible, dropped the banknotes and made a quick exit through the door onto the balcony, where my husband was at that point shocked to see a monkey coming out of the room instead of his wife with two cups of coffee.

Overnight bus rides to Malaysia: What you need to know

There are a few things you need to know to be able to get comfortably through a night on a bus. My first experience some time ago taught me that the most important thing is to keep warm.

Not unlike our local buses in Singapore, long-distance buses to Malaysia tend to blast their aircons like crazy. This can get extremely uncomfortable and stiffening if you have to sit underneath a vent, which cannot be turned off, for 10 hours or more.

Even though some bus companies provide thin blankets, make sure you have several layers of clothing, warm socks and maybe a towel or sarong to wrap around your head and neck.

Most bus companies provide a small bottle of water to passengers, but it's best to bring some drinks of your own as well. Don't drink too much, though, as you may have to wait several hours before you can hop off the bus and make a dash to the restroom.

Most overnight buses make two stops or three stops, one for a meal and the others just to allow passengers to relieve themselves.

Seats on VIP night buses to Malaysia are very luxurious, especially if you compare them with economy class seats on airplanes.

The seats have so much space between them that you can almost fully extend your legs. They are up to 50 per cent wider and can recline several times further than those cramp-inducing airline seats. No need to worry about getting deep-vein thrombosis (a.k.a. economy-class syndrome) on these buses!

To make your overnight bus trip a success, I suggest you get up early on the morning of your departure and work very hard that day, so that you are tired and have little problem falling asleep that night.

For added comfort, bring inflatable neck pillows, an eye mask like those given to you on flights, and ear plugs - especially important if there happen to be families with noisy kids on your bus.

Some motion sickness tablets, which have drowsiness as a side effect, seem to work very well too. After taking one of those, you can be out like a light for hours on end, and not get car sick either. -- BY MICKY STUIVENBERG

The resort has a private one-kilometre stretch of beach where guests can take part in all sorts of watersports and activities like snorkelling, canoeing, waterskiing, parasailing, banana boat riding and, of course, swimming in the warm ocean water.

We were a bit disappointed with the fish and coral, which were not nearly as big, colourful and abundant as on Malaysia's eastcoast, and the water was not as clear. But snorkelling can still be pleasant enough if you make sure you go to the right places, such as nearby Giam Island.

Unlike in Bintan, Desaru and Tioman, where you are quite isolated at your resort, from Pan Pacific you can easily hop onto one of the many shocking-pink minibuses serving as taxis on Pangkor, or hire bicycles to make your way around the island or to any of the interesting villages.

Other ways to spend your day at the resort are taking a boat trip, going fishing, playing tennis or table tennis, taking archery lessons, going for a jungle walk or, if all that sounds too strenuous, enjoying a traditional 45-minute massage for RM 70.

Food-lovers will be glad to know that the Pan Pacific Resort has several restaurants and bars where good quality food can be had. The breakfast buffet was one of the most impressive we have ever seen. A dinner buffet, with different themes every day, is available at RM 55 per person, although you can spend less money ordering some a la carte dishes.

If you are on a budget, you can take a taxi to Teluk Nipah, 3 km to the south, and dine at one of the seafood restaurants there. A very satisfying meal that we had at Fisherman Village Restaurant, consisting of four dishes and beer, together with the taxi charge there and back from the resort, set us back no more than RM 60 in all.

I would recommend visiting during the week rather than the weekend, which tends to get very busy with Malaysians and Singaporeans. Most guests during our quiet weekday stay seemed to be Europeans on a longer package holiday, contentedly lazing in the sun day in day out on the beach and by the pool, while their own continent was cold, grey and wet.

Unlike many other 3-day packages where you have to leave the resort early in the day, the ferry back to Lumut only leaves at 4.30 pm and if you request late check-out, you may be able to keep your room until 3 pm. The bus arrives back in Singapore around 4.00-4.30 am, so if you have to work that day, you can try to cram in a few more hours of sleep in your own bed.

And because of the optimal use of time, coupled with the great experience of a real tropical island getaway, you'll feel like you've been away for a week rather than just three days.

· Call Fascinating Holidays at 6735 5511 for information and bookings

April 2002