During our stay in Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, we planned for a one day family outing to the nearby Desaru Fruit Farm.
Desaru Fruit Farm is a 15-minute drive from Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast. Its location can be easily found on Waze and Google Maps. It comprises 180 acres of tropical fruit farm, as well as a mini petting zoo, fish pond, herb garden, souvenir shop and restaurant. Desaru Fruit Farm was awarded the “Best Agro- Tourism site” in Malaysia 2006 and Innovative Tourism Attraction – Agro Tourism Conservation by Malaysia Tourism Awards 2010.
As we arrived there just around 11am, we decided to take up their Fruit Farm Tour + ATV + Lunch package. First is the Fruit Farm Tour as another group was already on the ATV. We waited for our turn to board their truck which brought us right into the orchard. The tour guide even provided us with umbrellas as it was a really, really hot day during our visit.
We started the tour by walking along a slightly shady path, thanks to all the passion fruit plants which had grown on the trellises over us, forming a pleasant shaded canopy to shield us from the scorching sun. Passion fruits were plenty, but not yet ripe enough to harvest.
Along this path, the guide showed us the various fruit trees that were being planted in this area. There were mangosteen, jambu air, cempedak, nangka, papaya, banana, rambutans and even durians. There were also herbs such as basil and mint being planted all around. Some of the plants have a signage placed in front so visitors could know more about it.
Fruits that were in season during our visit include jambu air, mango, nangka and dragon fruit.
What caught my eye was how the japanese rose and bok choy 小白菜 were being planted in plastic bottles. Very innovative method, and good for those who have difficulty bending down to do their gardening.
Mid-way through the fruit farm walk, we stopped by a decorated fish pond and stingless bee hive area. The children could purchase fish food and feed the fishes. The hives were located within the mango orchard area, which is ideal as the bees themselves are pollinators. The mango trees were full of mangoes, some so heavy it drooped down and the children could reach out for it.
The last part of the fruit farm tour was the mini petting zoo. We get to see rabbits, kids (baby goats), chickens and ducks. Again, children can buy some carrots to feed the animals. The rabbits were probably a little traumatised with too many children wanting to pet them, but the kids were excited upon seeing the carrots, resulting in the children running helter skelter to avoid the kids eating up all the food! The place was properly maintained. It looked clean and doesn't smell THAT bad (I have been to a goat farm which smells really BAD)
We took the same truck back to the entrance of the fruit farm, and proceeded straight to the ATV ride. There was also an educational talk on honey but we gave it a miss. First we selected the helmets as it was a safety requirement. There were helmets for both adults and children. After we put on the helmets, one of the staff members gave us a short tutorial on how to drive the ATV. We did a trial run before heading to the ATV trail.
For me, it was quite scary to drive the ATV at first because I can't really control it. Subsequently I got used to it and was able to navigate it without me panicking 😁😁. The trail took around 30-40 minutes but I cut short mine because little J (whom I was babywearing) was screaming his lungs out through the journey, he clearly didn't enjoyed it at all 😓. On the other hand, my children and husband enjoyed it the most, with my eldest asking the staff why we cant' go faster 😅.
By the time we were done with the ATV, we were all famished! Thankfully we chose to have lunch in Desaru Fruit Farm itself, else we wouldn't know where else that serves food which is suitable for the children. The restaurant area itself as an open air restaurant with a roof (of course). They have huge fans which provides relief from the hot weather. We opted for the non-spicy 7-course meal with hot soup. The food came pretty quickly and I could say it was tasty (or maybe I was too hungry??). There were stir fried prawns, deep fried squid, chicken, egg omelette, fried fish, two types of vegetables and soup. some of the dishes came with a fruity dipping sauce and it was delicious! My favourite dish had to be the fried squid with dragon fruit sauce.
We were also entited to their fruits buffet table - there were plates and plates of seasonal fruits from their farm. We ate plenty of mangoes, nangka and dragonfruit. They even served kedongdong (both fresh and pickled version). How it would be ideal if we came during mangosteen season, then I can eat all the mangosteen I wanted! 😁
Overall we enjoyed our visit. Could have been better if it wasn't so hot but we can't control the weather, can we? In fact, we were so glad weather was hot and sunny on that day as a few days before our trip it was raining non-stop. If you have not seen different type of fruit trees in person before, this is a good place to start. At least you won't get confused between a mango tree and papaya tree (happened to my kid, true story). Desaru Fruit Farm have different packages according to one's needs so best to check out their website, or you can speak to the boss Steve while at the farm itself.
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