A beach for bummers
By Justin Cheong, TODAY | Posted: 02 May 2008 1543 hrs

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"You're going to Redang again?" is a common remark I get when I tell people I'm off to the island on the east coast of Malaysia for my April holiday.

And there's a good reason why I keep going back. The island is protected by the Malaysian government. That means, collecting corals or fishing within a 3.2km radius of the island is prohibited.

Because of the restriction, there is a phenomenal variety of aquatic life — including shoals of ikan kuning, needlefish, garoupa, triggerfish, monos and sergeant fish. With bread in hand, swimmers can easily place themselves in the shoes (or flippers) of the fish feeder at Sentosa's Underwater World.

This time around, I chose to stay at the Berjaya Redang Beach Resort, which offers packages inclusive of a direct hour-and-a-half flight to Redang on Berjaya Air via Seletar Airport.

From www.berjaya-air.com, I picked the 6D/5N package — which included a trip to the marine park — and opted for an extra round-island snorkeling trip that cost RM45 ($19.50). The entire trip, inclusive of daily breakfast, came to RM1,578 per person.

The package excludes other meals, but just a short walk from the resort are coffeeshops serving nasi goreng kampung and fried kway teow for RM5 — among assorted Malay dishes including rojak and satay.

The highlight of the resort is the unbeatable view from its private beach. The warm azure waters and everything else commonly depicted in a beach holiday advertisement are rendered in vivid blues and greens here. One can use a self-made pinhole camera and still get a perfect picture.

When not in the water, visitors can grab a towel, find an empty deck chair — readily available during non-peak periods — and spend the day on the pearly white sand, under an attap umbrella with a good book and the balmy breeze blowing their way.

A peace-seeker's paradise, Redang doesn't provide much by way of action-packed activities. But the resort does arrange scuba dives, fishing trips and banana boat rides for visitors bored of lazing on the beach.

Another great thing about Redang is that it's possible to travel light. The warm weather and availability of provision shops mean all that's needed are swim shorts, a couple of T-shirts and bermuda shorts, a good underwater camera and sunblock (make sure it's less than 100ml to abide by airport regulations on liquids), all of which can be stuffed into an overnighter.

Clearing immigration is a cinch at both ends, too. As if that weren't good enough, Berjaya Redang Beach Resort offers pick-up service from the airport to the hotel, which is less than 10 minutes away.

What's not to like about Redang? I'm already planning my next trip back. Yes, again. - TODAY/fa

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