Johor Bahru Hotels

The looming presence of prosperous Singapore has come to define Johor Bahru. The bustling, ever-striving city-state provides a facile contrast, vividly illustrating all the things JB is and, indeed, all the things it isn’t. Yet even as the express buses and cars bounce furiously between the awkward neighbours and mark JB as a practically unrivalled transit point in Southeast Asia, there is hope.

Johor Bahru, for one, is not all borderland depravity, retail piracy or a mere one-dimensional accessory to shiny Singapore. Metro JB closes in on 2 million people, not all of whom are so eager to dismiss their city with the cavalier indifference of a seasoned guidebook hack. Telltale harbingers of boomtown times abound, from the resuscitation of urban infrastructure projects to rocketing real estate prices. Some cities require a little artifice to pierce to the marrow of their charms. Johor Bahru, for the time being, is one such destination.

Johor Bahru’s Top 10

Johor Bahru Local

Johor Bahru is a dense metropolis that covers a comapct 185 m². This area is not all city, however, but Straits of Johor coastal enclaves as well, in addition to labyrinthine river systems and fecund swamp lands. For the time being, much of this ecologically-rich wilderness remains free of development.

Johor Bahru Distrtict correlates with the very heart of the city: Central JB. The indefatigable action centre serves as financial hub and seedy playground for scores of Causeway hoppers on the make. Central provides ample opportunity to induge in a wide variety of bad habits, to be sure, but amid the sometimes lewd squalor the odd diamond in the rough shines through. Be it a dim, treasure trove of a shophouse or a boisterous expat bar, Sultanate commission or modish hotel, Central JB seldom inspires indifference.

Pontian District is approximately one hour’s drive from Johor Bahru proper, in the southwest corner of the state of Johor. The district’s allure is apparent in a necklace of fishing villages cum towns that prove inherently popular with tourists from Singapore. Kukup, most notably, is a village famous for a prodigious array of stilted, over-water al fresco seafood restaurants. Further, Pontian’s parks are a welcome break from JB’s urban blanket.

Kota Tinggi District is some 40 km northeast of Central JB and a ferry terminal stop from Changi, Singapore. Fishing port charm is a factor here, too, though as the historic wellspring of the state’s Sultanate, Kota Tinggi offers more than just the catch of the day. The Makam Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang, a tomb complex pregnant with historical and political intrigue, is the most famous attraction in the district. A more frivolous one is Kota Tinggi Waterfalls, where locals and visitors alike converge to cool off in the tropocal heat. Other points of interest to consider in the district include the fishing village of Teluk Sengat and ancient capital of Johor Lama. The fact that both lie well off the mainstream tourist path is a definite bonus.

Johor Bahru Eat & Drink

Tucked within Johor Bahru’s barber shop brothels, fortune tellers, soothsayers and shady merchants of vice, visitors starved for real sustenance can find it in affordable abundance. That the city is mired in the spasms of economic sea change, as an indispensable cornerstone of the Singapore-Johor-Riau growth triangle, is a plus. A bump in affluence and injection of new money can only benefit the food scene in the years to come.

Johor Bahru Events

The Tamil Harvest festival of Pongal is observed in mid-January at points of interest throughout Johor Bahru, most notably the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

The Pasir Gudang International Kites Festival brings its high-flying act to the city every February, with more than two dozen countries represented.

Chingay Festival and Parade is JB’s unique take on Chinese New Year and revolves, naturally, around Roufo Old Chinese Temple.

The Nusantara Culture Festival takes over Danga Bay leisure park in May, with myriad performances and events that highlight specific aspects of Southeast Asian culture.

Johor Arts Festival is a singular and relatively new event on the JB calendar and features a colourful medley of spectacles from late June to mid-July.

Bon Odori is a Japanese Buddhist holiday in late October that takes on new twists in Johor Bahru and, indeed, throughout Malaysia.

Everyday feels like a celebration of street food in a city like JB but, come late October, Central takes it up a notch with a dedicated, charmingly informal Street Food Festival.

When To Go

Stifling heat and monsoon rains, the two telltale nuisances of a tropical rainforest climate, figure prominently in the state of Johor. The humidex cranks up considerably in Central JB’s smoggy urban nooks, requiring regular runs for icy durian slushies and demands for AC-equipped accommodations.

The rains come with predictable insistence from the South China Sea in November and let up in February. While not necessarily unpleasant to visit during the wet season (Mother Nature telegraphs her daily precipitation patterns in this part of the world), drier conditions make for easier touring the rest of the year. Temperatures run from 72°F (23°C) to 88°F (31°C) but be forewarned; in the city it can feel much hotter than the mercury read-out.

What To Miss

The seamier side of Johor Bahru is not all that fun and, frankly, can be a little dangerous. Skip the darker nightclubs and dive bars in favour of more luminous haunts and withold contributions to the underground (or underworld, as it were) economy if you can.

With that, exercise the usual precautions when out and about in Central JB. A slate of incidents led Singaporeans to practically revolt en masse from the city years ago. Lee Kuan Yew, the city-state’s foremost elder statesman, famously characterized Johor Bahru as crime-infested, which, naturally, made the papers and stoked the bad PR flames. The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. Be vigilant but above all else, travel with an open heart and mind.

Conversely, some of Johor Bahru’s new, look-at-me urban projects, while a welcome sign of economic success, are entirely too safe and decidedly humdrum. The harsh reality is that hyper-modern malls and mixed-use waterside developments do not memorable tourism make.

Getting Around

Half of all arrivals to Malaysia come through Johor Bahru and while the statistic is somewhat skewed due to the sheer amount of vehicles crossing the Causeway from Singapore on a daily basis, it is telling stuff.

Senai International Airport is 35 km northwest of the city but, despite the name, a domestic hub for the most part. For now at least, Singapore Changi remains the international airport of record in the area. Visitors from KL and other parts of Malaysia, of course, do frequently fly in to Senai and take the shuttle over the Causeway to the Lion City.

Bus service to Singapore and the rest of Malaysia is plentiful, logistically easy and rather cost-effective as well.

Johor Bahru’s ZON Ferry Terminal provides service to both Bantam and Bintan in Indonesia’s Riau Islands.

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