Redang Mutiara Beach Resort: A Review (July 2017)

Assalamualaikum,

I promised to write about the expenses for our trip to Redang and would also give some useful tips for those of you who are looking to go for a holiday there. So, here you go.

We stayed for a night at a hotel in Kuala Terengganu before going to Redang Island because we had to catch our ferry in the morning, which we could not possibly do on the same day we had our journey from KL to Terengganu. That would be such a rushed trip. It was a budget hotel, Hotel Kenangan. We took 2 rooms for 3 and 4 people. The rate was RM18.30 per person per night, which was affordable for students like us. The room condition was fairly acceptable relative to the price. I mean, we were only in need of a place to sleep at. Not a luxurious room to lavish in.

We took a RM300 per head package (not including GST, RM16.50) at Redang Mutiara Beach Resort. It is the rate for weekdays. We went there from Wednesday (12th July) until Friday (14th July). Since there were 7 of us, we took triple and quad rooms. 

What did the RM300 cover? 

-accommodation with air-conditioner and attached bathroom

-daily meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Dinner/BBQ)

-2 way transfer from Syahbandar Jetty to Redang Island and vice versa

-3 snorkeling trips at 3 different places (does not include equipment)

-free flow of snacks, hot and cordial drinks

You need to pay separately for 

-equipment RM20 (google and snorkel, life jacket)

-Marine Park entrance RM5

Let me break it down one by one.

1. The Chalet

The resort is located at a private beach. If you love your privacy, seriously this is your place. If you want a more lively atmosphere, you can look for other resorts at Long Beach instead. 

So, the room I stayed in had two queen beds while another room had one queen bed and a single bed. Both rooms were the same sized. If I could suggest a thing, it would be better to have maybe twin rooms instead because the price is still the same. We wanted to be in the same rooms because it would be safer and easier to wake each other up, but honestly twin rooms would be better in my opinion. They prepared a pipe with water hose outside every room to wash our sandy feet. Even then there would be sand in the room, on the bed and in the bathroom. There was no way around that. I mean, it is a resort on a beach.

The jetty at the resort

When we arrived, my bathroom's light were broken, we had no remote to control our air-conditioner, no shower gels and not enough towels were provided. Fortunately Peah took along with her a small bar of soap from Hotel Kenangan. So, we had something to clean our body with before asking for shower gel the next day from the staffs. We waited for quite a while to get an iron because other customers were using them and when we got them, it was faulty. Peah's shirt was burned at the sleeve because of the iron. The staffs gave us a hairdryer and it released smoke as soon as we turned the switch on. Basically, the amenities were at most 2.5/5 if I was to rate it.

2. The Food

The food were surprisingly acceptable and good. They were served buffet style. Notice how I wrote Dinner/BBQ? This means between the 2 nights, they would either serve normal dinner or BBQ that they cooked for you. The BBQ consisted of sausages, grilled chicken drumstick/wing, grilled squid with sambal, fishballs and nasi goreng. 

The cafeteria

BBQ night

3. Snorkeling

The first trip was in the evening of the first day, at 2.30 p.m. We went to Pulau Lima. There were not many people there and that was my first time snorkeling. The weather was great. Not too sunny, it was just nice for a snorkeling session. We were not allowed to come near the island itself because there were many corals. You do not want to step on those poor corals which only grow an inch in 5 years, if I am not mistaken. Plus, your feet would hate you because it would be like stabbing your flesh (a bit of an exaggeration there).

The second trip was in the morning of the second day at Marine Park. It was very packed with people. This is a place where everyone goes. I think it only opens in the morning for 2 hours. After that period, the place would be devoid of any known being with 2 legs and 2 hands (humans, not monkeys). But then, most of the visitors mainly snorkel near the beach, especially those with small children. There are plenty space further away from the beach for you to discover. They limit the space but it still is a large area. I got to see a moray eel under the jetty. Since this is a more commercial area, you can find a place to clean yourself, toilets and even place to buy food (if you bring your money that is). Yes, you can step on the island. How else would you get access to these things then? Haha. It was a bit sunny, I am not going to lie.

The third and last trip was at Pasir Akar. Unlike the evening before, the sun was shining so bright that day. No, you cannot step on this island either. Just enjoy yourself in the water. I like this place the best because the corals were divine. Have you seen Finding Nemo? Those large majestic corals from that movie, yes, you can see them here. You can even step on them if they are big and sturdy enough. I did. The place was filled with sea cucumbers. I swear they covered the whole ocean floor. The staffs even gathered a bunch of them and tried making us scream (and succeeded in doing so) by putting those things near our faces. Although we were so tired by this point, we still managed to be the few last people who exited the water into the boat.

4. The staffs

I only have good things to say about the staffs of Redang Mutiara Beach Resort. They genuinely wanted us to have the full snorkeling experience. They would bring us to see unique fishes (moray eel), caught some and let us hold them (clown fish, sea cucumber). 

Since some of us had difficulties with swimming, they offered to teach and motivated us. At Marine Park, one of them brought along a GoPro camera. He offered to take our pictures in the water while another guy plunged us inside to get the perfect pictures.

After the snorkeling session at Marine Park, they brought us to this mini museum and explained the stuffs there. There was a preserved dragon fish in a glass case (did not take a picture because I left my phone at the chalet).

They would assist you when getting out of the boat and if you ever had anything to ask, just ask. We wanted to change our return ticket from 1 p.m. to 7 a.m. and we did without problem.

Since there were not too many customers, we had their attention all the time haha.

Personal tips

- Bring your own bread when going snorkeling so you can attract the fishes. They would seriously swarm around you and if you were anything like me and my friends, you would be screaming for them to go away because there were just so many.

- If you are near-sighted or rabun, you could wear contact lenses. Just make sure your goggle is tight enough so as not to let the seawater get into your eyes. One of my rabun friends did not wear contact lenses and said she could see the fishes clear enough. There are also prescribed goggle but it costed RM25. RM5 more expensive than the regular ones. So, make the right choice.

- Here is a weirder tip for snorkeling. Wear socks. Thick socks. Why? Because this will prevent your feet from being hurt if say you accidentally step on barnacles or corals. The staffs were amused by this. They said, "Korang dalam pantang ke?" XD Lol, ignore those remarks, it is your feet you are trying to protect, they have no business whatsoever haha.

- Bring snacks to the island because all you have there is the cafeteria where they only serve food during meal time. There are also bread and jams prepared, but if you think you would feel hungry for other stuffs, buy them at Kuala Terengganu and bring them here.

- Sunblock is a must. Of course, you will get tanned but at least you will not get sunburn. That would suck.

- We brought only one snorkeling outfit each in which we hung them outside of the rooms before wearing them again for the next snorkeling session although they were not dried enough. It is totally okay, you will get wet again, so what's the point.

- Get friendly with the staffs. You would be surprised to see how that will turn out. In our case, we had a free plate of sotong goreng tepung and almost get an extra snorkeling session, if only the sea was not too dangerous to be in.

- Bring along waterproof cases for your phones if you do not have GoPro camera to take pictures and videos for nostalgic purposes. We had 3 of those. Thank you, Anis, Melly and Zee.

- They turn the electricity off between 9.45 a.m. and 12.45 a.m., and also between 2.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. 

- You will not have any activities to do at night. No board games, no karaoke machine which we expected. Just chat the night away, stroll down the beach or sleep early, whatever you want.

Other expenses 

-Flight ticket from KLIA 2 to Kuala Terengganu (RM90)
-Grab Car at Kuala Terengganu (about RM30)
-Rented Car (RM25 per person,about  RM3 petrol per person)
-Food at Kuala Terengganu (about RM70)


TOTAL EXPENSES = Roughly would be RM600 per person.


There you go. The sand is white, the water clear and blue. Enjoy your holiday ;)

P.s.: I also wrote a much detailed post about the trip. If you feel like knowing more, check that one out too. The post is Pulau Redang Birthday Getaway. You can find it in the Pulau Redang tag.