Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world where the air temperature remains virtually unchanged throughout the year, where there is no separation, in the conventional sense, into the seasons and the sun is almost always shining. The only circumstance that may upset tourists from countries with a temperate climate is high humidity.
But Malaysia is so beautiful and unusual that this insignificant negative side of the local climate somehow immediately fades into the background. All over the world it is known as a country of modern technology, a large number of monuments of ancient culture and wonderful sandy beaches.
Most recreation areas are located on the numerous islands surrounding the state of Malaysia. Redang is one of the most exotic island resorts you will learn about in this article.
Location of the resort island of Redang
It has received worldwide recognition as one of the best resorts in Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, the island of Redang in a very short period of time has become the most popular holiday destination for numerous tourists from all over the planet due to the virgin nature preserved on it and the extraordinary beauty of coral reefs.
It is located just 45 kilometers northeast of the capital of Terengganu, the city of Kuala Terengganu.
How to get to the island
There are several ways to get to Redang (Malaysia). The easiest of them is to fly a plane of the local airline Berjaya Air. She has a small airport on the island. The airline regularly flies its flights from the capital, Kuala Lumpur. An airline opened from here to the city of Kuala Terengganu, where you can hire a boat to get to the island. It can also be reached in 7 hours from Kuala Lumpur by bus.
Tourists arriving in Singapore are often interested in how to get to Redang. Malaysia borders on this island nation, so there are no problems here. You can use the services of the same airline Berjaya Air and in half an hour to get to Kuala Lumpur or direct flight to Kuala Terengganu in 9-10 hours by bus. Then you still have to hire a boat and go to the island.
Island Description
Despite its modest size, covering an area of only 42 km 2 , Redang Island in Malaysia is the largest of the 9 islands of the archipelago of the same name. These small pieces of land washed by the South China Sea, in 1991, due to their magnificent nature, received the status of a reserve.
And this did not become a sensation for anyone, at least not for those who at least once came to the Redang archipelago. Reviews about Malaysia tourists who were lucky enough to be here were always the most enthusiastic. They are filled with all the brochures of the best world travel agencies. Therefore, the flow of those who would like to see all this fabulous beauty of the virgin tropical nature, is becoming more and more every year.
And there really is something to see here. Indeed, in addition to the luxurious forests untouched by man and snow-white beaches, surrounded on all sides by tall and slender coconut palms, you can also admire the unique beauties of a magical underwater world with a unique ecosystem.
More than 500 species of coral live in the clear waters of the lagoon of this amazing marine reserve, many of which can only be found here. A huge number of bright, unusual in form fish and invertebrate representatives of the underwater world of the tropical seas constantly attract all diving enthusiasts to the Redang archipelago (Malaysia).
But the most famous attraction of this underwater kingdom is the world's largest coral - about twenty meters high and 300 meters in diameter! It resembles a huge mushroom and bears the corresponding name - mushroom coral (coral mushroom).
In the waters of this lagoon there are also such underwater sights as the skeletons of the Japanese wrecked during the last World War two warships: Relax and the Prince of Wales.
Climate and weather
Since Redang Island (Malaysia) is located in latitude, where the subequatorial climate prevails, the sun shines here most of the year, although it is often quite humid and hot. The average annual temperature rarely rises above +33 ° C, and the water in the sea usually warms up to +26 ... + 30 ° C. Although the concept of seasonality is quite relative here, it is better for tourists from temperate countries to come here from May to October.
At this time of year the least rainfall occurs, and it is much easier to transfer tropical air humidity. From November to May, the monsoon wind season begins, which often bring rains and lower temperatures.
At this time, there has been a significant reduction in the number of tourists, so many hotels, entertainment centers and shops are forced to close.
Infrastructure
If you look from a height on the island of Redang in Malaysia, we will see that most of it is covered in tropical forests. It may seem that this is a wild and uninhabited land. But this is not entirely true, although the entire infrastructure of the island is concentrated in only two areas. There are 14 resorts here, most of which are not designed for budget tourists.
You will not find cheap housing on them. Even the three-star hotels of Redang (Malaysia) are designed to serve only wealthy tourists. If you want to relax, then hotels such as The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort and Coral Redang Island Resort are best suited for this purpose, but you will have to pay from $ 180 per night for their rooms.
There are cheaper hotels, for example, Redang Holiday Beach Villa with rooms from $ 130. Although the rest here will cost you a little cheaper, still this hotel can not be attributed to the budget category.
If you decide to spend your vacation with your children, then on the island of Redang (Malaysia), according to many tourists, the best conditions for this are available at the Laguna Redang Island Resort.
Nevertheless, here you can find a couple of hotels that can be called budget ones with a stretch. They are in great demand among tourists from China. The cost of a room per day on average costs $ 50. These are the Redang Bay Resort and Sari Pacifica Resort & Spa hotels.
The infrastructure for providing holidaymakers with quality food is also up to the mark here, but still the best restaurants in the resorts of Redang Island in Malaysia are located at hotels. But all of them are quite expensive and are not designed for a budget tourist.
If you would like to buy something from traditional tourist products as a souvenir of your stay on the island, then in almost every hotel you can find small shops with souvenirs. Here, a wide assortment of products such as magnets, mugs and ceramic plates, coated with local paintings, etc. are sold. But they are quite expensive. Experienced travelers are advised to buy them in the capital - Kuala Lumpur, where they are much cheaper.
As for the movement around the island, it is rather difficult to do here, since the existing highway (of very short length) connects only the pier with two resorts. To get to other parts of the island, you need to wade through the jungle along the trail or hire a boat.
Relaxation
The most famous resort, which has gained immense popularity among lovers of unspoiled nature, is considered in Malaysia Redang. Holidays here can not be called cheap, but despite this, thousands of tourists annually seek to get here to sunbathe on the clean snow-white beaches surrounded by slender palm trees, as well as swim in the azure waters of its lagoons.
This resort is suitable for both outdoor enthusiasts and those tourists who come to these distant corners of the planet in search of peace, tranquility and complete relaxation.
In addition to passive pastime on the beach, every vacationer in the resort of Redang in Malaysia is offered many other attractions. Here, for lovers of beach volleyball, special playgrounds are equipped. If you are a fan of diving, the island has all the conditions for this. You can rent a boat and take a fascinating walk along the coast of Redang, admiring its virgin beauty or just go fishing, but only no closer than 2 miles from the coast.
In addition to all of the above, at this island resort all water sports enthusiasts are given the opportunity to go windsurfing, canoeing or kayaking, etc. Guests of the island can optionally go trekking along the wild trails laid through the island’s pristine forest.
Vacationers will also enjoy the proposed nightly entertainment. In the beach area there are many cozy restaurants and bars where you can relax with a glass of cold beer or juice, listening to pleasant music in live performance.
Beaches of Redang Island
People go on vacation to the warm regions to take sun baths, as well as swim in the waters of the warm tropical seas. Redang is no exception. Most tourists imagine a holiday at the famous resort as an idle pastime: sit in a deck chair or lie on the snow-white coral sand of beaches in the picturesque bays of the island. And there are a lot of them.
Dalam Bay and Taaras Beach
The beach area of Dalam Bay is divided by a low hill into two parts: Teluk Dalam Kesi, with Taaras Beach and the fashionable five-star The Taaras Resort, and Teluk Dalam Besar, where no hotels have been built at present.
The bay has clear and clear water, the bottom is sandy. The absence of waves creates excellent conditions for swimming, especially at high tide. But when the low tide comes, lovers of swimming have to walk about 50 meters in shallow water until they get to deep water.
In the coastal area of The Taaras Resort, only those vacationers who live in it are allowed. For other tourists, the entrance is closed. On the island of Redang (Malaysia), the beaches in Dalam Bay are considered the best.
Next to Teluk Dalam Besal is another famous beach - Pasir Panjang. It will take him about an hour to get through the jungle along the path trodden by tourists.
Pasir Panjang Beach
The beach gained fame for its unusual shape, similar to the letter V, and size. It is considered the widest and longest on the entire coast of Redang Island. In the photo below you can see for yourself. To walk along it from one edge to the other, you will need at least twenty minutes.
Pasir Panjang Beach has many resorts. Active life here is bubbling around the clock. In the coastal zone there are many various centers for the entertainment of tourists who come here on vacation from all over the world. This includes numerous discos, expensive restaurants, where everyone can get acquainted with traditional Malay cuisine, cozy bars with karaoke, etc.
On the south side of the beach, which is better known as Shark Bay, from April to August you can watch black-feathered sharks, inhabitants of the local reefs, which pose no danger to humans.
Beaches of Kalong Bay
Teluk Kalong resorts, located on the shores of Kalong Bay, are the most quiet and peaceful place where you can relax from the noisy discos and karaoke. Their coastal zone consists of three cozy beaches, small in size, which are separated by stone boulders protruding from the sand. Couples with children and those vacationers who prefer silence instead of noisy parties like to come here.
Snorkeling
A lot of tourists come to Redang for the most popular attractions here, such as snorkeling (snorkelling) and diving. And this is not surprising. There are not many places in the world where you can see such an amazingly beautiful underwater world, as in a marine reserve on Redang Island in Malaysia. A photo taken in these waters fully confirms what was said.
Thanks to the coral reefs that impress with their fabulous beauty, where, according to ichthyologists, about 80% of the fish that can be found in the seas of Southeast Asia, swimming with a mask and snorkel is the most popular activity for lovers of exotic and extreme sports coming to Redang.
Therefore, almost all resorts offer their guests a service such as rental masks, tubes and life jackets. For some time now, namely since 2006, the use of fins by snorkeling enthusiasts has been prohibited. These precautions have been taken in order to eliminate the risk of damage to certain types of coral by them, but this prohibition does not apply to divers.
Many resorts have specially developed snorkeling tours for their guests. As a rule, they are included in the price. Most often, diving enthusiasts are taken to the neighboring island of Penang, where the Marine Park Center, open especially for tourists, is located. If you do not have such a package, where such a tour is included, then you can always join it for an additional fee, although each trip will have to be paid separately.
Diving
No less popular form of recreation in the resorts of Redang is diving. True, this type of scuba diving, unlike snorkeling, requires special training. Therefore, at so many resorts, diving centers are created where certified training courses in scuba diving are conducted. Experienced instructors will not only familiarize students with the rules of immersion, but also complete it with them. The duration of such a practical joint lesson lasts about 30 minutes.
In the waters of Redang there are many suitable places where divers of various skill levels can go scuba diving. The most famous of them are located on the north side of the island, not far from the Chagar Khutang beach, which is closed to tourists. Here you can dive to a depth of 15 to 30 meters.
Less suitable places for divers are on the south side of Redang. There are so strong undercurrents that only experienced athletes can dive.
Redang Hotels
What is the difference between Redang hotels and their counterparts in other resorts? First of all, first-class guest service.
The high level of service provided, friendly staff, comfortable cottages, made in a traditional style - all this leaves a lasting impression on tourists.
The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort Hotel 5 *
The place where this hotel is located is one of the best on Redang Island (Malaysia). In the photo you see an image of this unique beach resort complex, located on the shores of the beautiful and cozy Teluk Dalam Bay.
The hotel has 183 stylish rooms. In almost all apartments, except for the bathtub, the guests are also provided with showers. All rooms have their own spacious verandas or balconies.
Furniture on the premises of the hotel is made to order. The walls in the rooms are decorated with colorful photographs of the unique and beautiful places of Redang Island.
The hotel has a number of connecting rooms. This is very convenient for those families who prefer to spend their holidays with their children or come here in large groups. All tourists have free Wi-Fi access.
Most vacationers believe that this hotel has the best value for money, which they report in their many reviews.
Hotel Laguna Redang Island Resort
The hotel is located along the coastline of a beautiful beach. From all sides it is surrounded by hills overgrown with virgin rainforests. Its architecture is in the traditional style of a Malay village.
The hotel has 222 comfortable rooms. In each of them there are: air conditioning, bathroom and shower, TV, telephone and refrigerator. There is access to free Wi-Fi.
The hotel rooms are located in 2- and 3-story cottages, compactly standing near the beach.