Recently, I had a wonderful trip to Pulau Redang, Terengganu, accompanied by my wife, son, siblings, their spouses, nieces, nephews, and their kids. It was a big family trip, thirty-three of us, and needless to say, we had to charter a big bus for this trip. The trip was from March 1st to March 3rd, at the tail end of the monsoon season, when seaside resorts in East Coast Malaysia reopen their doors to tourists
Pulau Redang, and other islands on the East Coast of Malaysia are normally off-limits to tourists from around November to February each year, due to the monsoon season and the ensuing choppy seas. Our approximate one hour forty five minute boat ride from the jetty in Kuala Terengganu, was still through choppy seas despite the monsoon season coming to a close. Quite a few of us experienced seasickness during the choppy journey.
PULAU REDANG
One of the largest islands off the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Pulau Redang, located approximately 45 kilometres off the coast of Terengganu state, is regarded as one of the most beautiful islands in the world, famous for its clear turquoise waters, white sandy beaches, stunning coral reefs, and gazetted marine parks. The island is a haven for scuba diving, snorkelling and swimming. It is also a turtle nesting site which further boosts ecotourism on the island.
With Peter, the GM and Michael, the AGM
OUR STAY IN THE LAGUNA REDANG ISLAND RESORT
The resort that we stayed in, Laguna Redang Island Resort, is a wonderful seafront 4-star resort that has been around for the past 22 years. It is a low-rise resort with 276 spacious rooms and suites designed with traditional Malay architecture and style, blending harmoniously with the environment. It belongs to one of our RSGC members, Mr. Toh Seng Tat. It’s a very popular resort, set in picturesque surroundings, boasting of many facilities and wholesome family recreational activities. Among others, it has a beautiful seafront buffet restaurant, a new buffet airconditioned Steamboat restaurant, a beachside bar, a massage centre, a Batik centre, and a big free-form swimming pool with Jacuzzi, nestled amidst a lush landscape garden.
For recreational activities, the resort offers snorkelling equipment for rental and organises archery recreational activities, amongst others. Temporary airbrush tattoos, pool tables and a variety of indoor board games are also available. There is also a KTV lounge and nightly performances by resident singers on the beachfront. Daily excursions to marine park and turtle sanctuaries, subject to weather and sea conditions, are part of the packages being offered. The resort also has a well-equipped dive centre with all the diving necessities, and provides a range of courses and various specialised courses for the more adventurous and scuba enthusiasts.
A WARM WELCOME
We met and were warmly welcomed at the resort by Peter Cheng, the General Manager and his Assistant General Manager, Michael Chong, both of whom ensured we had a delightful stay at the resort, as has been their wonderful hospitality for all visitors.
MORE MORE TEA INN
Pulau Redang was also the setting for the 1999 Hong Kong movie “Summer Holiday” which starred our local artist Ah Niu, and Hong Kong’s artists Richie Jen and Sammi Cheng. A replica of the tea house used in the movie still stands and now serves as a gift shop.
A FULFILLING AND MEANINGFUL FAMILY TRIP
As my brother, sisters, and I, together with our spouses, age into our fifties, sixties and seventies, and as we watch the children grow up, family bonding trips such as this multi-generational family trip was indeed a very fulfilling and delightful family bonding experience.
