Looking for a nearby getaway that's just under two hours from Singapore? Sea Horizon Resort in Kota Tinggi, near JB, has scenic glamping tents with all the creature comforts you need.
Unpopular opinion: when traveling with kids, I’d rather sit in a car for 1.5h than a plane. Don’t get me wrong, taking a flight has its upsides – the kids love it and you get to go to further destinations with more to see… But can you blame me for opting for getaways just across the border when we have such beautiful spots a hop, skip and a jump away? While on the hunt for an affordable, nearby mid-week getaway before the end-of-year work madness, I came across Sea Horizon Resort in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia. With a glamping tent still available for the nights we were looking at, we proceeded to book just two weeks ahead and that was that!
Getting to Sea Horizon Resort, Malaysia
Sea Horizon Resort is located in Sedili Besar, a coastal town part of the Kota Tinggi district, above Johor Bahru. It takes just under two hours to get to from Singapore.
The hardest part about the drive was getting through customs – during the year-end season, the causeway jam can be unpredictable! We started our drive at about 10am on a Tuesday in early December and luckily, we cleared customs in about an hour. From the Johor CIQ Checkpoint, the drive to Sea Horizon Resort took us about 1.5h with a rest stop for lunch in between.
Sea Horizon Resort glamping tent review
Sea Horizon Resort is one of just a handful of resorts in the quaint kampung of Sedili Besar.
It didn’t look like much when we drove in, but its prime location by the coast was enough to impress the whole family! After checking in, we were taken straight to our glamping tent and we were wowed by the wooden deck and 180º sea views.
Inside the Coastal Glamping Suite (RM800/night), the amenities were simple yet everything we needed – a king-sized bed for the grownups and a mattress for the kids to share, a TV with local and regional channels, a wonderful aircon unit that kept us cool all day whenever we needed a respite from the heat, a hanging rack, coffee table (with a kettle and instant teh tarik and coffee sachets), and a large bathroom with a supersized shower and toilet bowl with bidet. I would have preferred the hot water to be even warmer (I like showering with water temperature just below boiling, sue me…) but the rest of the family found it just fine.
We did spot some ants and other little critters like lizards and crickets, but they stayed outside the tent for the most part and we figured it’s just part of living amidst coastal nature!
My favourite part of the stay? The beautiful sunrises. The east-facing domes made it perfect for catching the sunrise each morning, and lucky for us the weather was on our side.
Sea Horizon Resort facilities: Pools & restaurant area
There are two ‘infinity’ pools in Sea Horizon Resort – a 1.2m pool and a smaller 0.6m pool (the latter of which we took a dip in three days in a row!). We saw them being cleaned daily and had no issues with the water quality. Combined with the stunning sea views and plenty of lounge chairs and little sheltered huts surrounding the pools, it made for the perfect spot for Mommy to read and relax while Dad minded the kids and their floats.
There’s also a simple open-air dining area at the resort where you can have your meals (we did lunch here once as it was just easier to get the kids to nap afterwards), but breakfast can also be served in-room. Do note that lunch and dinner orders from the restaurant will have to be pre-ordered a few hours before meal time. Check with reception when you’re there to be sure!
Breakfast & meals at Sea Horizon Resort
Every glamping tent booking at Sea Horizon Resort includes free breakfast for two adults, with a small top up for the kids. We were surprised each morning with a mixture of local and continental breakfast: on the first morning, we were served two plates of fried mee siam, cucumber slices, a fried egg and nuggets, with toast, a hashbrown, epok-epok (curry puffs), slices of banana bread and rock melon.
The next day, we enjoyed breakfast platters of scrambled eggs, sausages, toast, salads and dragon fruit. All served with a comforting pot of hot tea and a carafe of orange juice – yum!
Other room types at Sea Horizon Resort
Besides the glamping suites, Sea Horizon Resort also has cottages and chalets that are great for big groups. We hear it’s a popular option for schools organising camping trips for their students!
What’s near Sea Horizon Resort?
Food options in Sedili Besar
Sea Horizon Resort sits on the edge of a kampung, so the restaurants in the area serve the locals and offer truly local Malaysian cuisine. I had two missions on this trip: to relax, and eat my weight in seafood. And luckily, that’s what we got! The resort staff recommended Celop Celop 5A to us just a short drive away from the accommodation. This floating restaurant overlooking the Sungai Sedili Besar river offers fresh seafood ready for your choosing, with prices transparently displayed for each item. We had a blast choosing fresh squid, prawns, seabass, and crabs of various sizes to add to our basket, all of which were then cleaned and fried in their special batter (complete with crispy crumbs). Paired with white rice and their own spicy sambal kicap, it was heaven!
The rest of the menu is pretty slim, with tom yum and instant noodles of various flavours being pretty much it. We would have liked the option of a veggie side dish if they had it.
During our time there, the other restaurants in the same stretch were closed (according to the locals, many of the owners and staff were on holiday) so we didn’t have a lot of options to choose from. We didn’t mind it as we loved the food at Celop Celop 5A and also ate in the resort.
Pasar Malam Tanjung Sedili & minimarts
We missed out on this when we were there, but we did pass by the Pasar Malam Tanjung Sedili night market located at Tapak Pasar Lambak, a few minutes drive from the resort. Think local night market eats like Ramly burger, finger food, drinks, desserts and more!
There are also a few minimarts dotted all along the kampung if you need to stock up on snacks or little necessities. Our best buy from one of the shops here was a mosquito repellant lotion that the local fishermen apparently swear by for keeping mozzies at bay, and we swear it worked better than the spray we had brought with us.
Pantai Temalah
While Sea Horizon Resort overlooks the ocean, the ‘beach’ it has direct access to isn’t recommended for swimming as it’s very rocky. We did explore the area in an attempt to do some intertidal walking but be warned, the mosquitoes here were brutal – hubby and our eldest were bitten endlessly (this was before we discovered the miracle mozzie repellant lotion). The resort staff suggested we drive down to Pantai Temalah beach (pictured below) instead.
Pantai Temalah is a long stretch of beach just a few minutes drive away from the resort – we even drove our car right onto the beach so it would be in our line of sight at all times. There were some trees offering shade, so we rolled out a picnic mat and had some sand play here which our five-year-old loved. The sand and water were relatively clean, but we definitely don’t recommend swimming as the waves were huge and there was no telling how deep it would be once you got into the water.
Things to do in Kota Tinggi
Kota Tinggi Firefly Park
We drove about an hour from the resort to check out Kota Tinggi Firefly Park with the kids. Walk-ins are welcome, but we booked our tickets via Klook just in case. This 45-minute boat ride experience was really magical with the many fireflies the tour guide pointed out to us! The boat even came up really close to the mangrove trees so we’d be able to take a closer look at the fireflies – some of them managed to fly right above us in the boat. As it’s in the evening, it does get very dark while you’re on the boat ride so plan ahead for some sleepy kids.
Our five-year-old definitely enjoyed it more than our two-year-old, so make your own judgement on whether your kids would be able to sit through an experience like this.
Desaru Mini Zoo
After checking out of the resort on the last day, we decided to head to Desaru Mini Zoo. The kids loved seeing farm animals like cows, donkeys, goats, chickens, ducks and geese, and there were even pony rides! The petting zoo areas for the chicks, quail chicks, baby ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs were a hit too. However, I’d say exercise some caution with the more exotic animals that they have on display here – we couldn’t decide whether they were acquired ethically or taken care of properly as we did spot some animals that looked like they shouldn’t be in cages. If this is something that may be a problem for you, feel free to skip it.
If you do decide to visit, there’s also a cafe on-site to grab some lunch, bubble tea and yummy popsicles, and even an indoor playground for the kids to cool off in after a day at the mini zoo!
Kota Tinggi Waterfall (closed)
We were really looking forward to visiting the Kota Tinggi Waterfall as we remembered it being quite popular, but recent TripAdvisor reviews say they’re currently closed and apparently have been for years since the pandemic! Fingers crossed it reopens again with better management.
Overall, we really enjoyed our little getaway to Sea Horizon Resort and can’t wait to come back with the kids!
Sea Horizon Resort, Lot 901, Kuala Sedili Besar, 81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor Darul Ta’zim, Malaysia
From RM800/night (~S$250) for a Coastal Glamping Suite
