Coral Redang Island Resort, Pulau Redang

Coral Redang Island Resort

Pasir Panjang Beach,

Pulau Redang,

Terengganu Darul Iman

reservation@coralredang.com.my

(+60)17 981 6200

(+60)9 630 7110

Sometimes, the best trips are the ones you don't really plan for. Our trip to Redang Island in Terengganu was a result of a moreh session one Ramadhan. Birthdays were coming up and we decided that the least we should do is a fun trip. Two weeks after raya, 8 adults and 2 kids headed to the East Coast and hopped on boats to meet on Redang Island.

  Once you're in Terengganu, you should head to either the Merang Jetty or the Shahbandar Jetty. The speedboat trip from Merang Jetty takes about an hour while the ferry from Shahbandar Jetty may take about an hour and a half to two hours to reach the island. The return boat transfer is included in the full board package offered by the resort so they will ask your preferences; preferred arrival and departure time and jetty. You will only have to pay the Marine Park Conservation Fee and in my case, the Setiu Jetty Access Charge because I took a speedboat from Merang Jetty.

  Also included in the full board package by Coral Redang Island Resort: 

• 2 nights accommodation
• 2 buffet breakfast+lunch+dinner
• 2 boat trips/day for snorkelling (equipments can be rented from the dive shop, less than RM30/day)

Booking

I sent an enquiry via their website www.coralredang.com.my and after they replied, I submitted my bookings. Did two separate bookings because one family has a toddler and they chose the ferry while the rest of us took speedboat. Paid 50% deposit instead of giving my credit card details via email. 

  So, yeah. Booking for full board package could have been made easier.

Location

Pasir Panjang Beach or the Long Beach is the popular stretch of beach with many resorts. If you want somewhat private beach, consider The Taaras or Wisana Village. Personally, I like this location because there are other souvenir shops and restaurants and warung to hang out at.

Rate

Value for money. We stayed in Standard Room and paid RM1160/room for 3D2N. That's like RM290/night per adult including meals and snorkelling. And boat trips from and back to mainland.

Dining

Love the buffet. Different menu every day. We had nasi lemak, pancakes, omelette, sausages and cereal and toast and yoghurt for breakfast. Lunch and dinner were rice with selections of chicken, beef, fish and other seafood. We even had lamb. Then there were fresh fruits all the time. Omg we gained more weight than we did for raya.

Service

The reception team weren't the friendliest but they were helpful (even when it's not their duty like taking photos) and professional. Love the F&B team, they went out of their ways to help us prepare for the triple birthday celebration. They let us borrow their kitchen so my friend could carve a watermelon cake. Yay! The F&B staff were also the ones who suggested places to visit and offered to show us around.

  I must also mention the dive centre staff. The team really took care of us and were knowledgable. The morning session went a little scary after the sea turned rough so suddenly but the staff kept their cool and got everybody back safely.

  The evening session was thankfully sunny and the guide told us spots to go to at the Marine Park. I only wish that we get longer than an hour per session to snorkel.

Overall 4.5 <3<3<3<3< of 5

   Oh, try the massage centre near the lobby. D'Manja has proper outlets in Redang Bay and Laguna Redang but I recommend the open platform right in front of Coral Redang. Love the massage with beach view. The masseurs were good too.

 Our party was awesome! And the resort was the perfect background. We love our rooms even though they are basic. The meals were local dishes and delicious. Pool wasn't huge but still, we love it. The view right in front of the resort, LOVE. 

  Omg, just go already. I wish I am back there.

Penang National Park, Teluk Bahang

Taman Negara Pulau Pinang

Jalan Hassan Abbas

Balik Pulau

Hours

0730 - 1800 daily

The Penang National Park is located in Teluk Bahang, about an hour drive from Penang International Airport. Public transport is available although if you're planning to trek, driving is the better option. Or at least a change of fresh clothes. 

  Entrance is free although visitors must register themselves at the office. Boat rides can be booked from kiosks around the park's entrance. I didn't book a boat because I had no idea if I'll even reach the beach I was heading to. So I had to wait for an available boat. Luckily, a group of 3 tourists had extra seats in the boat they booked. The ride I got from Kerachut Beach to main jetty was RM20 per person.

Camping is probably allowed if you inform the park office in advance. Visitors usually come to visit the Kerachut Beach (Pantai Kerachut) or Monkey Beach (Teluk Duyung - this should translate as Mermaid Bay). On my first visit, I went to Kerachut Beach but I plan to return and visit the other spots. So this post will be updated if I ever get to visit the rest of the park.

This is probably Pasir Pandak. No trekking required

It wasn't too muddy when I visited but my shoes did get dirty. Do wear proper shoes if you're planning to trek because the path can be quite challenging in flip flops or sandals. Bring water and snack but please take home your trash.

Kerachut Beach

  On the map, getting to Kerachut Beach should take about 1 hour and 20 minutes. For me, it took over 2 hours. I haven't been exercising and I took so many breaks along the way. In the beginning, I even considered turning back but... I felt lazy. So I went on :-p 

Bukit Belah

There are plenty of gazebos like this along the way. So come early, take your time, and explore at your own pace.

Before reaching the beach, you'll cross a bridge over the meromictic lake. A meromictic lake is the kind of lake that has layers of water that do not intermix. In this case, the salt water from the sea and the water from rivers and rain.

  This is a huge deal because apparently there are less than 20 meromictic lakes in the world. Although ours is the seasonal kind of meromictic lake, as it only happens during the change of monsoon, it is precious because a slight change could mean losing this unique natural feature.  

  One may be forgiven to think that this is a plain nothing. I mean, where is the lake? Like I said, it is seasonal. This is what I understand. Sea current and wind will push sand to the river mouth forming a dike. There are also boulders there which help to form a natural dam.

  This dike/dam will eventually break naturally when the season is over. The lake water will then flow into the open sea, leaving the slightly muddy or savannah-like "plain nothingness" we see for the rest of the year.

Interesting kan?!

The Turtle Conservation & Information Centre is located at the other end of the beach. Go past the office, public washroom and camping ground. The route was pretty sandy so I changed into flip-flops. Sand can get quite hot so going barefoot may not be a good idea.

Hours

1000 - 1630

Free entrance

If you're already familiar with turtle conservation efforts, the centre can't offer much for you. But it is a good start for young kids. During my visit, there were a couple of adult (injured) turtles and some hatchlings in the containers.

White sandy beach

I spent some time reading my book right on the beach, under the shade. It was windy and I was feeling sleepy. We ate the bread we brought, checked out the turtle centre and when it got too hot, headed to the jetty to wait for a boat. No swimming because there were jellyfish as big as a dinner plate.

Look out for updates in this post :)

Mangrove Walk at Pran Buri National Forest Park

Pranburi National Forest Park

Moo 1, Tambon Paknam
Amphoe Pran Buri
Chang Wat Prachuap Khiri Khan
77220, Thailand

This national park is about 25km South of Hua Hin. The mangrove walk is marked on Google Map so you should have no trouble finding the place. It's best to have your own transport instead of taking the public transportation as the forest park is quite a distance from the main road.

  Sebenarnya, sebelum pergi I dah tanya semua ahli rombongan GangMakanGoJalan samada kita nak pergi mangrove walk di sini atau Phraya Nakhon Cave di Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park yang memerlukan lebih satu jam perjalanan menaiki van dari Hua Hin. Masing-masing memilih mangrove walk yang jauh lebih santai sebab kami tak mahu habiskan masa sehari suntuk untuk aktiviti outdoor. Walaupun Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park nampak lebih menarik, trip kami lebih kepada leisure trip. Makan dan cuci mata.

  So, we went to the forest park on a Friday morning. There was no one else other than my group.  The van driver parked and waited for us in the empty parking lot. The area looked deserted. Well, there were a couple of other tourists and a family but we had the place pretty much to ourselves. The day was sunny but we were spared from the sun as the walkway is shaded by the trees. The mangrove walk was quiet other than sounds of insects.

  Sebelum berjalan, kami ambil gambar sikit-sikit. Tak ada orang, jadi memang tak ada siapa kacau. Kemudian, setelah pastikan ada bawa air dan pakai insect repellant, kami pilih jalan di sebelah kiri. Masing-masing jalan ikut kelajuan suka hati. 

  Following the board walkway, we stayed under the shades and saw some mangrove creatures. I don't remember what I saw but the authority provided some information board so you can identify the animals and water creatures you encounter along the way. Eventually, we arrived at a jetty. It was deserted as the tide was low. There were creatures on the wet sand, like a busy beach.

  Kalau ikut research, kita boleh ambil boat rides. Tapi bergantung kepada pasang surut air. Di sebelah kawasan letak kereta tadi ada visitor centre. Boleh tanya mereka kalau perlukan maklumat atau bantuan. 

  Then we continued walking until we found the observation tower. I climbed up and took some pictures. Mesmerising how we were surrounded by trees and above us, white clouds in the sky.

  Menara tinjau ni adalah spot untuk ambil gambar yang menarik macam kat bawah ni. Mujurlah masa kami pergi tu, cuma ada dua orang pelancong lain. Jadi puaslah kami turun naik ambil gambar dan berposing.

Heaven knows how many pictures I have at this one spot

  There were seven of us. One prefers taking photos instead of posing for photos so we didn't have to take turn. Lucky eh?

  Dah puas ambil gambar di celah-celah pokok paya yang merimbun, kami berjalan lagi.

  It wasn't a very long walk. Perhaps because we were in a group so time felt short. After we emerged on the other side, we went across the road to the pine park by the beach.

  Pokok pine jenis casuarina atau rhu yang biasa ditemui di tepi pantai menanti kami. Ada kemudahan tandas awam dan restoran di kawasan ni tapi kami tak pergi tengok pun. Lengang semuanya mungkin sebab bukan hujung minggu.

  Some of us bought ice creams from a vendor there. Then we sat facing the beach, eating ice cream before heading back to town. We made a detour to Khao Takiab but it was noon and we were tired. After a quick photoshoot at the beach, we went searching for air-conditioned mall :)

  The place is free, no entrance or parking fee. Expect to spend a couple hours here if you enjoy nature walk. Try to avoid weekend as according to some reviews, it can get busy. Be sure to keep this place clean when you visit!

Akar Beach Resort, Port Dickson

Akar Beach Resort Port Dickson

Batu 9 Jalan Pantai Teluk Kemang

71050 Port Dickson 

Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus

I stayed here in early February with my family. We booked 2 rooms, both with balcony facing the swimming pool.

 Booking

My aunt helped to book directly with the hotel because she was staying there the previous week but you guys can book online

Location

Good, walking distance to beach. Horrible, cramped parking space though

Rate

Affordable

Dining

Breakfast included in room rates. Decent selection.

We also had dinner here (different charge), decent taste even if we had to wait quite long.

Service

Good. Dinner at coffee house was a bit slow though. Owner said because they cook fresh.

Overall 3 <3<3<3 of 5 

Super Deluxe Triple Room

Large Balcony

Seaview

BBQ Area

Akar Beach Resort is suitable for family with young children. Great place for extended family reunion or company family day. Therefore, it is a nightmare for couples and family with grown kids. If you're looking for a quiet place to relax, lounging by the pool, or suntanning on the beach, avoid this place on weekend and school holiday.

  My mom had headache throughout our stay because there was a family gathering or something when we were staying. The pool was full of vigorous and joyful kids and the room wasn't sound proofed :)

  Parking was another nightmare. We had to park in the alley beside the building and some other guests were just sucky driver who have no respect for other people's car. 

  The beach nearby is a public beach. There is a public carpark between the hotel and beach. A stern security guard will stop non-guests from entering the hotel ground. There are vendors selling burger and drinks near the hotel gate so you can tarpao something to have on the beach.

Public Carpark

Public Beach

Short rant:

The beach was littered with rubbish. You can see in below pic. Seriously people, TAKE HOME YOUR TRASH!

Public Beach

Coffee House

So that's what the coffee house look like. A bit cramped la for breakfast especially if there are inconsiderate guests taking up space. I don't know, maybe it was just my luck that some real selfish/inconsiderate people were staying while I was there. Anyway, below are what we had for dinner so don't expect to see them at breakfast :D