There is a particular sound I associate with Hari Raya: the takbir drifting from the surau at dawn, mixed with the low roll of waves a few hundred metres away. For my family, balik kampung has always meant going back to the coast. Our elders grew up where the day began with the boats coming in, and where every festive table carried something from the sea alongside the rendang and ketupat.
As the family has grown, so has the challenge. What was once a gathering of a dozen people in a wooden house now runs to forty or fifty on the first day of Raya, with cousins, in-laws and a new generation of children. The old kampung house simply cannot hold everyone, and the same few aunties end up cooking and cleaning for three days straight. So a few years ago we began renting a beach villa for the festive week instead, and it changed the way we celebrate. Below are the beach villas around Malaysia that I would recommend to any family planning a seaside open house for Aidilfitri or Aidiladha, followed by the traditions and food that make a coastal Raya feel like one.
What to Look for in a Raya Beach Villa
Not every holiday rental suits a festive gathering. From our own search, a few things matter most. The property should sleep your core family overnight and still have room for relatives who drop in during the day. It should be private, so the salam session and the duit raya queue do not happen in front of strangers. A proper kitchen, or at least a place to reheat and serve the dishes you bring from home, makes a real difference, as does outdoor space for a canopy, a barbecue or a row of mats. Finally, direct beach access means the children can run to the sand while the adults stay close.
Katsetiu Villas, Setiu, Terengganu
Our family’s own choice, and the one I return to first, is Katsetiu Villas on the Setiu coast of Terengganu. It is a group of modern beachfront villas along a quiet stretch near Pantai Penarik and Pantai Bari, with Redang and Perhentian visible on the horizon. The whole estate can be booked exclusively for one group and comfortably sleeps a family of around twenty, with space for more relatives to join during the day. There is a swimming pool and a garden, and the beach is right in front of the villas, so the children move between pool and sand while the adults keep them in sight.
What made the difference for us was having a place that felt like our own. We brought the family’s dishes from home, set out the kuih raya on our own tables and held the salam session in the living area without anyone passing through. For the evening we used the villas’ private barbecue dinner service, which meant the aunties could finally sit down and eat with everyone, and the staff on site helped with setting up and clearing. Merang jetty is only about ten minutes’ drive away, so some of the younger cousins made a day trip to Redang on the third day of Raya. For Aidiladha, families who carry out their korban at the village surau in the morning can gather at the villa in the afternoon to grill the meat or cook a large pot of gulai.
Terrapuri Heritage Village, Setiu, Terengganu
A short drive along the same coast at Kampung Mangkuk, Terrapuri offers a very different kind of stay. Its villas are restored Terengganu Malay houses, many of them well over a century old, assembled with traditional timber joinery and carved panels. It sits between the South China Sea and the Setiu Wetlands, with an infinity pool, a beachfront hut and a restaurant serving local seafood. For families who want their children to experience something close to the kampung houses of their great-grandparents, it is hard to match. It suits a smaller gathering or a family that wants to split its time between two Setiu properties, and it works well for relatives who prefer quiet evenings after the busier days of Raya.
Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, Johor
For families in the south or in Singapore, the Desaru coast is the most convenient seaside option. Anantara’s Beach Residences have three or four bedrooms, a private infinity pool and direct access to the shoreline, which gives a large family its own self-contained space within the resort. Booking two neighbouring residences is a practical way to house several households together. The resort setting means you give up some of the kampung informality, but the trade-off is that restaurants, catering and housekeeping are close at hand.
Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Kedah
If the family is marking a special occasion, perhaps a grandparent’s milestone birthday falling over Raya, Langkawi offers one of the most generous beachfront residences in the country. The Imperial Five-Bedroom Beach Villa at Four Seasons combines a two-bedroom and a three-bedroom villa, has two private pools and sits directly on the beach facing the Andaman Sea. It sleeps eight adults with room for children, and a personal attendant looks after the household. It is a premium choice, but for a once-in-a-while gathering it removes nearly every logistical worry.
Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan
For families based in the Klang Valley, Port Dickson is close enough for a day trip, which makes it easy for relatives who can only join for the open house itself. Lexis Hibiscus is known for its villas built out over the water in the shape of a hibiscus flower, and every unit comes with its own private pool. The larger suites have up to four bedrooms, and families often book a cluster of pool villas side by side. It is less of a kampung experience and more of a resort one, but the short drive from Kuala Lumpur is a strong advantage during the festive traffic.
Keeping Coastal Kampung Traditions Alive
Whichever villa you choose, the setting matters less than the traditions you carry with you. The morning begins with Aidilfitri prayers at the nearest mosque or surau, followed by ziarah kubur at the family graves. The salam session, where the younger members of the family seek forgiveness from their elders, is still the emotional heart of the day, and it feels especially fitting with the sea breeze coming through open doors. Duit raya follows, with the children lining up in their new baju raya.
Many families wear matching colours on the first day, and on the East Coast songket and Terengganu batik are natural choices. A group photograph on the beach has become a tradition of its own in our family. In the afternoon we bring out the games our parents played: congkak on the veranda, galah panjang on the sand, and kites flown from the shore. The wau has a long history in Kelantan and Terengganu, and flying one over the beach connects the children to something much older than they realise. In the evening, if the family is large enough, we hold a short gathering for doa selamat and tahlil, remembering those who are no longer with us.
The Festive Table: Coastal Flavours for Raya
Ketupat and lemang are essential wherever you are, served with beef rendang, serunding and kuah kacang. The rest of the table can reflect the coast you have chosen. In Terengganu, many households prepare nasi dagang for the morning of Raya, the rice cooked with coconut milk and fenugreek and served with gulai ikan tongkol. Ketupat sotong, squid stuffed with glutinous rice and simmered in a sweet coconut sauce, is a coastal speciality, while satar and keropok lekor from local sellers are ideal for snacking through the afternoon. Akok and kuih tahi itik are the East Coast kuih worth adding to the jars alongside kuih bangkit and tart nenas.
In Johor, laksa Johor and mee rebus are festive favourites, and in Negeri Sembilan no Raya is complete without something masak lemak cili api. In Kedah, laksa Kedah makes a welcome change from the heavier dishes by the second day. Wherever you are, ikan bakar with air asam, grilled in the evening, is a natural fit for a beach gathering, and a small bowl of sambal belacan with fresh ulam will please the older relatives in particular.
For Aidiladha, the menu centres on the korban meat. Gulai kawah, cooked in a large wok over a wood fire, is the traditional way to feed a crowd, while sup tulang or daging bakar works well for the evening. Check in advance whether your villa allows outdoor cooking on this scale.
Practical Notes for Planning
Book early, because beachfront properties that can take a large family are limited and the festive weeks are the first to be reserved. Choose your coast with the season in mind. In the coming years Aidilfitri falls in the early months of the year, towards the end of the northeast monsoon, so seas on the East Coast can still be rough and it is wise to check conditions before planning island trips or swimming. The west coast, including Langkawi and Port Dickson, is usually calmer at that time of year. Aidiladha falls in a quieter period on both coasts, which makes it well suited to beach activities.
Plan the food so that no single household carries the load. Assign dishes in advance, buy seafood and local kuih near the villa, and consider a catered or barbecue service for at least one meal. Finally, leave space in the programme. The best moments of our beach Raya were never planned: an uncle telling stories under the casuarinas, and the whole family watching the sky darken over the sea.
Coming Home to the Coast
Balik kampung is about returning to where we come from, and for many Malaysian families that place is the coast. Whether you gather in a restored heritage house in Setiu, a resort residence in Desaru or Langkawi, a water villa in Port Dickson, or a private beachfront estate such as KatSetiu, what matters is that the family is together, the traditions are kept, and the table carries the flavours of the sea. Selamat Hari Raya, and maaf zahir dan batin.