For the beach crawlers in Penang, one of the best places to hang around in is Monkey Beach. Of course, there are other attractive beaches on the island, but if you're looking for privacy, this beach will be your best bet.

Protected by the Muka Head cape, it is an ideal bay with flat and sandy beaches.

The beach is about 20 minutes ride by boat from Batu Ferringhi and 2 hour’s vigorous trek from Telok Bahang.

It offers tranquility, privacy and quiet moments away from the hustle and bustle of Georgetown. If you do decide to walk, there will be sign leading you to the beach after you do registration (Free) at the Penang National Park. My advice is that you start your journey, early in the morning so you can have plenty of time to plan your activities there later in the day.

It's amazing that the secluded and quiet beach can have so much sand. Not only you can swim, you can even snooze on them. There's nothing like being lulled to sleep by the endless ocean waves.

And there are miles of sun-bleached sand, clear green waters, camp sites, numerous fishing spots and picturesque places for romantic moments. It's a perfect place for couples to enjoy their private moments.

There is no stall, no hotels and no crowd in Monkey Beach. However, there is a barbeque pits prepared by some hotels workers to cater for the tourists. You can just sit on the white sandy beaches to relax and admired by the huge Indian Ocean that is overlooking the teeny speck of Penang Island.

While many of the resident guests enjoy spending a day or two at the beach, there are a number of non-residents who come for a couple of hours to swim, fish or even to enjoy a picnic catered by the hotel - Golden Sands Resort.

If you got some spare time, you can walk uphill towards the lighthouse (1180 meter), which was built in 1883.

Many exotic trees are planted by the previous inhabitant of this isolated beach. Matured timber trees are found along the trail between Monkey Beach and Teluk Ketapang. Some rare herbs can also be found. Bats are abundant here as the sea almond attracts fruit bats. The long tailed macaques are pretty common. Monitor lizards and sea otters are often seen around the beach rocky bay.

Other than this beach, there are two islands nearby, Pulau Song Song and Pulau Coral to which to which you can go on day trips for snorkeling and swimming.

Such a wonderful place in the secluded gems of Penang. Monkey Beach is indeed a top choice for beach lovers.