Tag Archives: redang island

Laguna Redang’s different shades of blue

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~By now you may be tired of my blog posts with the word “Redang”. Believe me this is going to the last. We stayed there a good four days and three nights, and I hope you have appreciated just how beautiful the place is, which explains why I had too many photos I want to share.~

Redang Island’s most popular spot–or rather strip–is Pasir Panjang, where hotels line the immaculately white beachfront for the droves of tourists that come here during the summer. Most of them are Asian (Koreans and Chinese, particularly, but I think I once heard someone talking in Filipino while we were there).

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Laguna Redang, a four-star hotel and the biggest in Pasir Panjang, undoubtedly gets the biggest slice of the tourist pie everytime, and for good reason–the sand here is whitest and the waters bluest (no, really, I’m not trying to over-patronize). This is because of an islet halfway through the strip that blocks away sunlight from the other side and showers all the good light on Laguna Redang’s (and neighbors’) side.

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Told you, bluest white and whitest blue. :P

The resort was inspired by a movie shot where it stands now (want to know more? please buy our magazine, it’s still out :P ).

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This is the resort’s souvenir shop, and this was culled from the movie that inspired the hotel owner
to build Laguna Redang in the first place.

Located an hour’s plane ride from Kuala Lumpur, plus a 1.5-hour jetty ride to the island, this is one of the places you go to to de-stress and have fun. For those who want more quiet, the place maintains corners where you can be away from the other tourists and at peace with yourself and with nature (read: it doesn’t get too noisy, and believe me, I’m picky when noise is involved). What can you do here, aside from that which we all love, which is absolutely nothing? Many.

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Go kayaking
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Snorkel. Or you can always hunt for baby crabs in these waters.
An elderly Chinese guy was actually doing that at 7 in the morning.
He looked like he was having loads of fun jumping up and down
whenever he saw a crab scuttling on the sand.
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Or maybe not wait for your boat to dock and just jump off
into the water? I can completely understand
this guy for his, er, rash decision.
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Go people-watching. That’s always fun.
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Take a walk. In style. That gorgeous beach is postcard-perfect with you in it.
That’s my co-writer, Jen Balboa, getting in character. Read her feature on Laguna Redang
on AsianTraveler’s Beaches of Southeast Asia 4 issue.
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Sebastian, anyone? That’s steamed chicken with, uh,
a healthy dose of imagination.
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Or see the sun rise and bathe this corner purple and orange
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Ah, the good life.
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Tell me if dreams aren’t made of these.


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Redang Island’s treasures: The Redang Marine Park

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Redang Island, part of the state of Terengganu, is located off Malaysia’s East Coast. While this part of Malaysia is rather known for rough current althroughout the year, Redang is quite an exception. It joins equally well known Malaysian beaches such as Langkawi, Perhentian, and Pangkor Laut. Relatively uninhabited, this Marine Conservation Area is home to rich marine life akin to the Philippines’ very own.

Redang is one beautiful, beautiful island. I fell in love with it in the four or so days we were there, and I’m certain everyone else who has been there felt the same.

For this entry, let me take you to Redang’s Marine Park, the biggest and most popular snorkeling site in the island.

En route to the Redang Marine Park
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Redang Island
The view from the jetty window of one of the limestone mounds abundant in the island
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And this–one of my favorite shots.
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One of the many boats going to and from snorkeling spots, transporting guests to and from their hotels
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Redang Marine Park
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You can’t have been to Redang and not have snorkeled.
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I did, and thanks to the friendly Tourism Malaysia officer from Indonesia, I had my photo taken underwater by Laguna Redang’s photographer (by the way, the photographer, whose name I had forgotten, used an Olympus). I didn’t know your head was going to be shoved into the water to get this shot, and as I do not know how to swim, my head had to be repeatedly shoved underwater by the photographer’s kind assistant. But hey, it wasn’t that bad. All I did was to make out his English instructions on the poses I had to make, get my head shoved down the water, and try my best to smile in his direction without gulping seawater, or worse, fish. :)
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You may also want to read through the rest of my entries from my Malaysia trip (will add more as I finish all my entries):
Dancing in the rain in Citrawarna 2011
Touches of Paradise
Sunrise Therapy

For more of these beautiful destinations [including, of course, how to get there], please get your copies of asianTraveler magazine’s Beaches of Southeast Asia 4 (July 2011). You won’t be disappointed!

Thanks for reading and do come back for more!

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One-Night Stand in Paradise (AsianTraveler Magazine)

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Excerpt from my feature on Berjaya Redang Island Resort in Redang Island, Terengganu, Malaysia for AsianTraveler magazine’s Beaches of Southeast Asia 4 issue.

A white yacht sat quietly on the horizon, punctuating the neat fold of sea-green and blue before my eyes. On both sides, rolling greens enclose this piece of the South China Sea, like loving arms caressing a gem.  

Standing in the middle of the beach, its fine sand caressing my weary feet under the early afternoon sun, I felt like a small child looking up and around in awe at this magnificent blanket of green and blue.


I was at Berjaya Redang, a secluded cove located in Redang Island, lonely and yet beautiful off the East Coast of Malaysia, but I might as well have been in another world.


I was on a race to experience this unexpectedly quiet, unhurried beauty that lay before me. All I had, after all, was roughly 24 hours.

You can also read my blog post on Berjaya here and here.

AsianTraveler magazine is available in major bookstores and airport lounges. For more of Asia’s best destinations, most colorful festivals, and finest cuisine, visit the AsianTraveler website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.

Watch out for the next issue: Cosmopolitan Sanctuaries! Thanks for reading!

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