It only took 3 weeks to plan our family island vacation. And we picked Redang.
We drove for 5 hours from KL and stayed a night at one of the closest hotels to Shahbandar Jetty. The next morning, we had a quick breakfast at the coffee house. The only thing worth eating was the Nasi Dagang. Read my short review of the hotel on TripAdvisor here.
By 9 AM, we were already on board the ferry and I noticed that it was almost full. Shocking, given that it was only a week after the school break ended. Two hours later, we set foot on the beach, admiring the beautiful setting before our very eyes. It was breathtaking and the air was so fresh!
Given the kind of price we were paying, we weren't expecting much from the resort. It was just alright, but the location was perfect; Against a rocky hill at the end of the beach, slightly elevated, overlooking the open sea. Our room had the best view.
After lunch, we collected our gears, and were all set for our first snorkeling experience. We took a 20-minute boat ride with the other guests and arrived at our first snorkeling spot. Daanish did not need any supervision at all and were very comfortable swimming by himself. Ayra and Aunty had to hang on to a tube, while the wife was a little seasick from the boat ride and had a problem with her snorkel. I was busy taking pictures underwater.
It was a whole different world down there!
The following morning, we were snorkeling at the Marine Park. We were on the jetty and about to leave when people yelled, "Shark! Shark!" We looked down and there it was, a whale shark. I jumped back into the sea [while others stayed behind]. It was a very cool experience to get to swim and touch a whale shark. It was huge, yet gentle. It did not mind the rowdy crowd around it.
That afternoon, we went back into the open sea for our final snorkeling trip. Daanish made a friend his age and they instantly clicked. Before dinner, he hanged by the beach. The kids had loads of fun. We had to take showers in a different room that evening because the water supply couldn't reach our room as its pressure wasn't enough.
Overall, it was a wonderful vacation and a lovely experience. We'd do it again, but probably at a five-star resort this time, just because we like taking showers in our own room.