September in Malaysia means multiple public holidays and so last weekend we made the journey over to the East Coast for an island adventure on Redang. Now, we do have a touch of PTSD since our island experience back in April, and all of us were quite on edge about the weather and the boat ride…

We drove to Merang jetty on Friday evening and stayed at Razak Guest House down the road overnight. When I came to book Redang there was very little left that we felt was affordable, so we opted for Redang Reef Resort. This is not on Long Beach but you can easily walk there in around 5-10 mins. They do an all inclusive style package with 4 meals a day, return boat, 2x daily snorkeling trips and the room. It was still quite expensive but I guess when you look at everything it includes it really isnt that bad. Another good option would be Redang Pelangi Resort because they do a similar thing but with live music and good cocktails.

Redang Reef Resort has a little beach at the back of it and this, for me, is what makes it stand out against other places to stay. If you have children, it is a safe bay to swim. If you like coral, it has a beautiful house reef with Black Tip Reef sharks, Ribbontail Rays, and hundreds of different types of fish. If you don’t want to go on a grotesque snorkeling trip with a hundred people in life jackets who can’t swim, just stay there and you’ll be alone and content.

I always feel the weight of anything that bothers me flying away as soon as I see a tropical island. For me, there is no greater feeling than swimming underwater. I loved being in Redang, even when I got vomited on at 1am by my 3 year old and then spent the next 4 hours freaking out about how to evacuate her to a hospital for her to then wake up as if none of this had ever happened!

I will say that the plastic pollution is quite upsetting on Redang. There’s a lot of it floating in the water and people don’t seem to care about what they are doing with their litter. I guess they are trying to make some kind of efforts with conservation through their Marine Park, but I don’t know how legit that whole thing is.

Along Long Beach you’ll find bars for your sunset cocktails, and music as the evening goes on. It isn’t the cheapest island, but it is beautiful. Tioman will always have my heart but Redang is a good option for an easy time with everything close by and options to take boat trips to dive sites. It is only about 40mins from the jetty by boat, and having that all inclusive option means you don’t have to think about food. However,they made it very clear (through signage) at Redang Reef Resort that they do not cater for vegetarians and insisted on really committing to that by putting seafood in literally everything. If, like me, you are a vegetarian, you won’t be able to eat anything! I gave up and went for a pizza on day 2. The rooms were big with two double beds and they were basic but comfortable.

I will definitely go back to Redang but I would live my life on one of these islands if I could!