Situated up north right on the border to Sungai Golok in Thailand, Rantau Panjang has been a shopping haven for visitors local or foreign especially for its duty free status. Believe it or not it's been 20 long years since I have last been here. It's not that I don't want to, it's just I don't feel the urge to come here before. Obviously, many things has changed since I last visited like there are many more shops and parking space are even harder to come by here.
However the one thing that didn't change much is the eateries here. The food is still cheap here and if you are not very particular with the hygiene here then this is the place to fill your tummy before doing some serious shopping.
The main attraction here are clothes and dresses of all shape, types and budget although most of them are still relatively cheap compared to say, KL or other major cities. Apart from that you can also find all kinds of household items on sale here including crockery, kitchenware, home furnishings, shoes and so much more.
If you're looking for cheap replica football jerseys then this is the right place to go. You'll be in jersey heaven looking at those jerseys of many of the top football clubs in the world like Liverpool F.C and Liverpool F.C reserves team. The price are basically fixed from RM28.00 onwards no matter how much you try to haggle.
I came looking for this particular track top. The original merchandise from Nike would cost me a cool 250 ringgit or more. This one starts from RM35.00. A bargain would be an understatement. Even in KL they would easily cost 10 ringgit more.
Being only the 3rd day from Raya, many of the shops here are still closed. Else the streets here would be packed with tourists and you'd had plenty more places to choose from and the price would be even cheaper during non-peak season.
Getting out of the duty free zone requires you to pass through this customs checkpoint. If you didn't buy a car-load of goods or merchandise then going home should be a breeze. Else you need to declare all your purchases and pay 15% tax on everything you bought. Getting a receipt for everything you bought would be a great help for you and the customs officer. Then again if you just bought a few things just for you yourself and your family then it should not be a problem.
Rantau Panjang is situated about 21 kilometers from Pasir Mas or about 40 kilometers from the state capital, Kota Bharu. Your visit to Kelantan will not be complete if you don't visit this place. Click on the Foursquare link below for exact location.
