Tropical Paradise - East Coast Islands of Malaysia

[leo]

Sandy white powder fine sand and crystal clear azure waters were what this trip was about...


Picture of Lang Tengah Island

A trip filled with lots of sun, boat rides, drinks and of course, beach...

Coming up in the next few days

[s7r0ng3r]

Gorgeous! Simply gorgeous!

[leo]

My second weekend away after the Phuket trip started here - Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport (or rather, Subang Airport, SZB) about 30km south west of Kuala Lumpur city.

The remnants of what used to be the domestic terminal in the hey days prior to KLIA has been transformed into a spanking new, bright, modern private jet and commercial turboprop terminal.



Commercial airlines utilising the airport include Firefly (FY) and Berjaya Air (J8).



This time around, the flight was on Berjaya Air's Dash-7, an excellent STOL aircraft. Sadly, it cost them a bomb to maintain due to the limited availability of spares and fuel (in)efficiency.





I have a soft spot for turbo props, and the Dash is definitely one of my favourites! It's similar to the 77W when taking off - huge burst of G forces and very shortly after you're in the air!



The flight to RDG (Redang Island) was a full one, and cabin service was simple with wet tissue and a bottle of mineral water being handed out. Nope, no warm peanuts in bone china bowls.



It was a real bumpy flight, turbulence was rather bad and at times, it really felt as though it was going to be THE flight to paradise - literally.



An hour later, we arrived at the spanking new RDG airstrip terminal. The runway has been extended to accommodate the new ATR-72 aircraft of Berjaya Air but sadly the ATR's did not arrive as scheduled due to financing issues (insider information).

The renovations terminal building itself was funded by Berjaya (apparently).

More on the next post...

[hsf]

Looking forward to more.....

[leo]

The Resident Manager of Berjaya Redang Beach Resort was on hand to personally greet us, and he drove us in his Land Cruiser to the resort. Our baggage was taken care of at the air strip and sent up to the room.

My first impression of the newly renovated resort was a big WOW.

Having been there last year, it was a major turnaround from the gloomy hole it was before.

We were housed in a Premier Room and Premier Suite each, with a connecting door between the two rooms which essentially converted it into a two bedroom suite with 4 toilets!

Following are a few shots of the room and amenities.















Next - resort grounds

[B727]

Nice bathtub

[concept|infinit]

That first picture of the beach is gorgeous!

I'm contemplating a beach-themed holiday for my birthday next month, in Malaysia most likely. Thought of Langkawi. Never been there, only been to Malacca in Malaysia, but the pictures sure look promising.

Any idea about the beaches in Penang though?

[Toffees]

That first picture of the beach is gorgeous!

I'm contemplating a beach-themed holiday for my birthday next month, in Malaysia most likely. Thought of Langkawi. Never been there, only been to Malacca in Malaysia, but the pictures sure look promising.

Any idea about the beaches in Penang though?

I stay in Pen...the beaches here are hopeless......Hard Rock Hotel Penang (by the beach) is opening in Sept though.....if u want a good time...try Pangkor Laut Resort on Pangkor Island....i have a TR written somewhere here.

[concept|infinit]

I stay in Pen...the beaches here are hopeless......Hard Rock Hotel Penang (by the beach) is opening in Sept though.....if u want a good time...try Pangkor Laut Resort on Pangkor Island....i have a TR written somewhere here.

Noted. I'll check it out. Thanks

[KeithMEL]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

[leo]

Resort grounds...

In my opinion, this resort is one of the best beach holiday resorts in entire Malaysia (considering accommodation, location, beach and sea quality, accesibility).

Located on a huge area by a bay (Teluk Dalam I think), the resort is flanked by two hills and features a private 500m + powder white beach and azure crystal clear waters.

The beach is one with a gentle slope, hence the warm waters in the afternoon which is fantastic!!

The grounds are reasonably manicured (those who are familiar with Berjaya resorts will know what I mean), with the odd coconut tree here and there.

Situated on an island like this, the resort employs mainly locals from nearby villages for their operational manpower and management team are all from Kuala Lumpur.

Nevertheless, there was an good aura surrounding the resort due to their recent renovation - service standards have improved tremendously due to the lift in morale and training. Bravo!

The staff don't comprehend English that well, but their gentleness and obvious effort put in trying to understand and communicate with you is quite touching.

Being in a naturistic environment means only one thing - wildlife.

Fruit bats


Monitor Lizards


View from the Ocean Front Suite


Sundecks by the beach


Garden


View from the suite on the hill, overlooking the bay


Fine(r) dining Indian and Japanese restaurant






Next up: Boat trips!!

[leo]

Nice bathtub

It would have been nicer if it were made of China, but this one's plastic..

I'm contemplating a beach-themed holiday for my birthday next month, in Malaysia most likely. Thought of Langkawi. Never been there, only been to Malacca in Malaysia, but the pictures sure look promising.

Any idea about the beaches in Penang though?

My folks are from Penang, and I concur with Toffees re state of affairs of Penang beaches. Berjaya Redang is a good bet.

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks KeithMEL

Looking forward to more.....

Coming right up!

[B727]

It would have been nicer if it were made of China, but this one's plastic..

What the?...that's too bad, guess I'll have to put this property in the El Cheapo category

[SQflyergirl]

Looks great. Never been too Redang, but I'm considering now. How would you rate this island in comparison to Tioman, Perhentian or Pangkor?

[leo]

What the?...that's too bad, guess I'll have to put this property in the El Cheapo category

It ain't that bad - didn't have the chance to use the tub as I was down at the beach most of the time. Sea water is fantastic when it's warm!

Looks great. Never been too Redang, but I'm considering now. How would you rate this island in comparison to Tioman, Perhentian or Pangkor?

The island itself is similar to Perhentian, except there is no thrash on the beach. Accesibility is good via J8 from SZB (10 minutes from the house). Tioman is a step down and Pangkor, two steps further. I'm planning another go after my Europe trip, probably end Sept/early Oct (best time to go, less people and wonderful weather). For Tioman I'd probably only want to stay in Japamala...