Review: Redang Beach Resort

After visiting Boracay in January, I needed to get another island fix and decided to return to Redang Island in the state of Terengganu in Malaysia in April. It was my third time on the island.

This time we stayed at Redang Beach Resort simply because the facilities are good and the rates were pretty reasonable. I paid RM693.24 for a 3 night / 4 day weekday snorkelling package. The cost includes the following:

- Return ferry from Shahbandar Jetty (in Kuala Terengganu) to Redang Island

- 3 nights in a Standard Room (twin sharing) at Redang Beach Resort

- 4 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, tea & dinner)

- Marine park fee

- 2 snorkelling trips a day

I thought since we went on a weekday, there would be less people and we would have the whole resort to ourselves. Unfortunately I was wrong and there were large groups of travellers (mainly Malaysians) whilst we were there.

CHECK-IN

When you arrive on the island, you will be ushered to the registration counter here:

All guests will be briefed by the staff too.

Guests may go to their rooms after check-in provided the rooms are ready. Otherwise, have to wait.

My bed had a broken wheel. I got the staff to repair it but it broked again when I sat on the bed. So I lived with the broken wheel throughout my 3 nights at the resort. It was not so bad after all.

LANDSCAPING

One of the features of Redang Beach Resort that I like is its landscaping.

There're manicured paths leading to the rooms:

This is the common area fronting the beach:

Another view of the common area fronting the beach:

Sorry this photo is dark. Either I need to improve my photography skills or editing skills.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Now let's talk about the most important thing for most travellers - meals!

All meals are served in either Home Town:

... or New Town:

The menu is the same in both locations.

In respect for its Muslim staff, the resort does not allow guests to consume alcohol in Home Town or New Town. However guests may do so at Summer Point (more on this place later).

We were assigned to Home Town and this is the buffet counter there:

The soup, dessert and drinks counter:

The resort does not provide mineral water bottles in the room. Instead, guests may get an unlimited supply of drinking water from the huge silver container that you can see on the right of this photo. I must say that this is a proactive effort to minimise the usage of plastic bottles on the island.

The salad and dessert counter:

It was barbecue night on our first night there:

Unlike most hotels in KL where the kitchen staff will barbecue the food for guests, in Redang Island Resort you'll have to barbecue the food yourself. In the end I didn't eat anything from the barbecue counter because I ain't got no patience to stand near the burning charcoal.

Another plus point for Redang Beach Resort is its wide variety of delicious food. To give you an example, here's the barbecue menu on the Sunday when we were there:

- Asparagus soup
- Salad bar
- Spaghetti
- Fried rice
- Cheesy mussel
- Creme corn
- Chicken wings
- Pandan chicken
- Chocolate cake
- Peach tart
- Watermelon
- Oranges
- Cendol
- BBQ stuff - satay, sausages, fishball, etc.

I was impressed with the quality of food (especially for that price) that I went up to the chef and commended his cooking.

If you still need to stuff your face with food, you may proceed to the Kopitiam which sells Malaysian food and cafe food:

Here's the menu in Kopitiam:

Note that you'll need to pay for anything that you order at Kopitiam as its not part of the snorkelling or diving package. Kopitiam also sells birthday cakes to groups who come to the resort to celebrate birthdays. 

DAY TIME ACTIVITIES

Now let's move on to activities at the resort.

Snorkelling and diving are the most popular activities on Redang Island due to its rich marine life.

Redang Beach Resort offers diving or snorkelling packages which includes 2 snorkelling trips a day or 3 - 4 dives a day.

This is the Dive Centre where divers get ready for their dives:

If you just want to laze by the beach, there are beach chairs for you to lie on:

My favourite is the hammock:

Lying in the hammock with the cool sea breeze blowing is one of the best feelings in the world. I slept in the hammock for a couple of hours each day that I didn't go for a single snorkelling session :-)

Benches are also available if you need to do work or even chat with friends:

There are two small pools for guests who prefer to swim in chlorinated water:

The waters in the pools were cloudy due to the many idiotic guests who swam with their clothes on.

Redang Beach Resort also has a mini mart, souvenir shop and batik painting centre for guests who wish to express their creativity on a piece of batik:

If you've got nothing else better to do, then perhaps you may want to look for squirrels that run around freely on the island:

Photo credit to Celia.

NIGHT TIME ACTIVITIES

When the sun has gone down and you've had your dinner, you have the option to go to Summer Point for a couple of drinks as you enjoy the live music:

The live band was getting ready when I snapped this photo.
Summer Point is the only location in Redang Beach Resort where you can drink alcohol.

On alternate nights, the DJ comes on and he spins from this place which is located right on the beach:

See the benches in front of the stage? Guests sit there with their friends, drink as much as they want and dance their hearts out to the tunes played by the DJ.

After reading my review and seeing all the photos, what do you think of Redang Beach Resort?

As for me I had a peaceful time there and will certainly come back again.

Review: Pleasant Stay at Railay Bay Resort & Spa

There's only one word to describe Railay: AWESOME!

One of the reason the holiday was awesome was because of Railay Bay Resort & Spa.

I chose the resort simply because Groupon had an offer. Costs only RM798 for a 4D/3N stay for 2 in the Privacy Cottage with daily breakfast.

My first encounters with Railay Bay Resort & Spa were not great. First of all, our reservation was not in the system despite me making the reservation 3 months in advance via email. A few days before our trip, I called up the resort just to be sure, and that was when I found out they screwed up our reservation. Thankfully it was the low season and we were travelling on a weekday, so the Privacy Cottages were still available.

Secondly, I read many negative comments about the resort and the Privacy Cottage on Tripadvisor - that it's dirty and not well maintained, etc. So I discussed with TC and said that we would inspect the cottage first upon checking in. If it's not up to our expectation, we would ask to change cottage. Thankfully, our cottage was fine, although it's a bit rundown and could do with a refurbishment.

The Privacy Cottage certainly lives up to its name. There's a high wall surrounding each cottage that you could run around naked and no one would know :-)

Each cottage has its own jacuzzi, which is on the right of this pic. When I got home I realised I didn't take any pic of it :-(

The interior of the Privacy Cottage is spacious and woody:

I love the king sized bed!

The bathroom is big ...

 ... the shower cubicle looks rundown (which could have contributed to the negative comments on Tripadvisor):

Can sit and let the water fall on your head. Pity it was not a rainshower, or else I would have sat there for hours. And what a waste of water that would have been :-)

 This is the lane that leads to the Privacy Cottage:

Reminded me of Bali.

And this is the doorway to our Privacy Cottage:

Housekeeping would ring the doorbell every morning at around 9.30am to clean the room. We would tell them to come back later because we're on holiday and we want to sleep in, but not late enough to miss breakfast lah.

On our second night there, we couldn't get into the Privacy Cottage after dinner because the latch had accidentally fallen and bolted the door from the inside.

So me being the heroine climbed over the high walls to save the day :-)

Thank heavens my parents allowed me to climb trees when I was growing up in Port Klang. Never knew it would come in handy later on in life, hahaha.

TC pointed out that Railay Bay Resort & Spa needs to be commended for their attention to detail.

Ready in the room are a plastic mat for lazing on the beach and a torchlight which came in handy since we lazed on the beach till late and needed light to make our way back to the cottage. A rattan beach bag was also provided to carry our stuff like beach towel, camera and our other companions - Gin & Vodka, hahaha.

Who would think of bringing such stuff on a beach holiday? Moreover it would take up luggage space. But Railay Bay Resort & Spa certainly remembered to provide for their guests.

Just outside the row of Privacy Cottage is a lovely pool where we spent our afternoons lazing and reading before heading to the beach towards the evening to indulge in nude sunbathing :-)

This is the other pool at the entrance of the resort:

This pool is perpetually crowded probably because it's facing the beach.

Breakfast is served in the coffee house. The spread is good with a mixture of Asian and Western food to cater to their guests from both sides of the world.

It was nice having sea breeze in my hair while I enjoyed my breakfast.

Tables are also placed on the beach for those who want to feel the sand in their feet as they have their breakfast.

Despite the negative experiences before the trip, Railay Bay Resort & Spa turned out better than expected, which was a pleasant surprise.

We had originally planned to head back to Krabi and spend our last day (4th night) there before flying back to KL. But since we were so cosy at the resort, we decided to extend our stay. We had to pay normal prices for that extra night since the Groupon voucher was only valid for 3 nights.

Railay Bay Resort & Spa will always hold fond memories for me :-)

Review: Redang Reef Resort

We stayed at Redang Reef Resort simply because it had the most economical 3D/2N package.

For RM358 per person (twin sharing), we got 2 nights accommodation, return transfers from the bus station to Shahbandar Jetty, return ferry from Shahbandar Jetty to the island, 3 snorkeling trips and all meals (2 B, 2L, 2 D and 2 tea breaks). There's also free flow of coffee, tea and hot water.

A plank walkway leads to Redang Reef. I love the crystal blue waters!

At the entrance of Redang Reef, there's a nice little lagoon that leads into the great blue ocean:

Divers who are studying for their PADI certificate train in this area. 

Compared to the other resorts on the island, Redang Reef is one of the simpler ones. So for RM358 per person, don't expect luxurious facilities. You get what you pay for.

The resort consists of 2 blocks of wooden buildings like this:

When we checked into our room, we found a pile of debris under the air con. After alerting the workers, they quickly came to clear the mess and to clean up our room. From the looks of it, the rooms were not ready when we checked-in. 

This is the reception area where guests are advised to leave their room keys in case they lose it while snorkeling:

The Reception is perpetually unattended.

Redang Reef also has a simple souvenir shop ...

... which didn't have a wide selection of souvenirs. So I went to More More Tea Inn which is a short walk from Redang Reef to buy these fridge magnets.

More More Tea Inn was made famous by Sammi Cheng and Richie Ren in the movie, Summer Holiday. There's a wide selection of souvenirs and beach wear sold here.

At the back of Redang Reef is a secluded, private beach complete with hammocks and lounge chairs. And when I say 'secluded', I mean it's really secluded.

This private beach at the back of Redang Reef is so secluded you can even go skinny dipping at night and no one would notice :-)

This is the dining area where all meals (except dinner) is served:

Dinner is NOT served here :-) Instead is it's served in another part of the resort that overlooks the sea.

Meals are simple and filing:

This was breakfast on one of the days.

I like this signage in the dining hall reminding us not to waste ...

Remember the bloated stomachs of babies in Africa (that the media drives into your head) and you won't need a sign like this.

After your meal, remember to place all plates and cups into these basins:

Reminded me of church camps where we had to wash our own plates. But then again, there are some eateries who have started this self service thingy to cut cost and whatnot. I think it's a good way to instill discipline. 

 The dining area is also the official habitat of these four legged residence of Redang Reef:

Can you spot them?

All in all, the staff were polite and ensured that we were well taken care off. 

However from a facility point of view, the resort could improve on a few areas, like its WiFi coverage for instance. The signal is so damn weak in the rooms that I had to sit in the dining area to log in. Even there the signal is not strong.

I also couldn't recharge my mobile phone in the room because there was something wrong with the power point. So I had to recharge in the dining area too which thankfully had power points that were working. 

And for DiGi users, there's no coverage at all in the rooms. I had to go to other areas of the resort to make calls or to send text messages. I can tolerate no WiFi in the room, but no mobile coverage is very annoying. 

The resort could really do with a refurbishment exercise to spruce the place up and and improve its facilities, especially its broadband/WiFi which is a basic facility in almost all hotels and resorts these days.

Review: D'Dusuntara Jungle Retreat

After a Skype conversation with TC last Thursday, I found myself tagging along for a 1-night getaway to D'Dusuntara in Batang Kali.

The initial plan was to go to Bentong Sanctuary, but somehow the location got changed to D'Dusuntara instead.

So we met up on Saturday at Millennium Condo in Section 14, Petaling Jaya with the rest of the people and drove in convoy to Econsave Batang Kali where Kamal, the owner of D'Dusuntara was waiting for us.

Because the road leading to D'Dusuntara is rough and tumble, only 4-wheel drives can go in. So TC parked his car in Econsave and we hopped into one of the other 4-wheelers.

Takes about 30 minutes to drive from Econsave Batang Kali to the jungle retreat.

Peaceful pond that greeted me upon arrival.

If only the water would have been slightly clearer ...

Towards the end of the pond are air-conditioned timber chalets with bunk beds.

I sneaked in to take a look and was particularly impressed with the washroom ...

First time I'm seeing a washroom in the middle of the jungle that is this nice and clean.

Just a short climb towards the top of the hill is where all the action is.

A pool in the middle of the jungle is a sweet surprise, especially since the weather was humid as hell.

After we bored ourselves playing Jenga and marveling at the card tricks of some of us, we started jumping into the pool.

Nice blue pool complete with jacuzzi. The pool contains salt water (surprise, surprise), so there's hardly any taste of chlorine that you'd fine in most swimming pools.

Beside the pool is a small building ...

I bet even a shortsighted person would be able to see the red stair railings. And that's a good OSHA thingy, isn't it? ;-)

At the bottom of the stairs is a neat little kitchen ...

... where the staff prepared our delicious BBQ dinner ...

... and served them in chafing dishes.

We had fish, chicken, lamb, sausages, pumpkin, fried mee hoon, salad, cut fruits, and potato wedges (my fav) for dinner. 

I didn't take any pics of the food cause we swamped down on the grub the moment the lids were removed. Don't mess with a bunch of hungry people who had just burnt lots of calories in the pool!

After dinner, we cleared the tables and chairs so that we can boogie woogie. Soon some of us started jumping into the pool again.

I shall not post photos of anyone here cause people drinking while dancing and goofing around in the pool don't make nice pics ;-)

After all the crazy fun, some of us started heading to our tents towards the wee hours of the morning ...

Before the trip I was told to bring a sleeping bag cause we were going to be sleeping in tents. But these tents had mattresses, pillows and quite comfy. So I didn't have to bring sleeping bags after all.

I asked TC to buy insect repellent for fear that we may be swarmed with mosquitoes. But no mosquito bit me and I was pleased.

This is the tent which I 'chop' for TC because the poor fellow was already passing out by the pool.

Me? Well ... I 'strategise' my drinking, so I usually don't end up getting bloody drunk :-)

The grand dame of this jungle retreat has got to be D'Dusuntara Villa which is made entirely of timber (oh no ... screams the environmentalist!).

Apparently the interiors of D'Dusuntara Villa is so lovely that someone offered to buy the villa from Kamal and his wife, Hawa should they decide to sell it.

Kamal and Hawa have had this 3 acres of land for 17 years. And they built up the place bit by bit to what it is today. Of course Kamal's experience working as a contractor when he was in Perth, Australia helped a lot too.

Is that my name I see there?

D'Dusuntara is a lovely place to chill for groups of max 30 people. If you're thinking about organising events for bigger groups like team building activities, then better look elsewhere. But Kamal did tell me that he's planning to add more rooms at the top of the kitchen. 

The other dissatisfaction I have is the cost. We paid RM180 each for the whole 1-day getaway which included a 1-night stay in the tent and 3 meals (dinner, supper and lunch in that order) only. We had to bring our own wine and beer cause these were not included. 

I think RM180 is quite a lot to pay considering the fact that we didn't sleep in air-con rooms and neither was dragon's meat served in any of the meals. 

Despite those little dissatisfactions, going to D'Dusuntara was a good experience for me. The trip was not only a good weekend getaway from the city, but also a good getaway from my usual weekend routine of chilling at home and being unproductive :-)