Island hopping is not the privilege of the young and single. Us, with 2 young boys on the tow, managed to enjoy thoroughly on a 3days and 2 nights trip to Lang Tengah island at Summer Bay Resort just offshore of the Terengganu state of Malaysia. It's the site of shooting for the popular Chinese movie, Love U U (夏日乐悠悠).
Recently a short movie was also produced locally featuring The resort.
Watch the short clip here.
Summer Bay Resort is a accredited 4 star accommodation which brings together the idea of living luxuriously as well as in a bohemian style. Do you know that many tourists also visit here after medical tourism such as in vitro fertilization which is gaining momentum in Malaysia.
We self drove from Kuantan around 6am and arrived at Merang Jetty just short of 9am. The drive was leisurely with a few pitstops for breakfast and toilet breaks along the highway. The toll road is so much easier to drive to compared to the old windy and narrow state roads. Summer Bay Resort has its own special shaded carpark which is guarded. Transport will then be arranged to Merang Jetty which is 1km away.
The speedboat left around 10.30 am. The weather was great and sunny with a calm water. The boys had fun watching the view and whirring past other islands. Towards the end of the half an hour ride, both were lulled to sleep by the waves.
A welcome sour lime drink and cold towel washed away the fatigue. Check in was a smooth process for at least 6 rooms concurrently in which the guests arrived in the same boat trip. The staff were lovely and extremely helpful. We paid for an all inclusive package- accommodation, snorkelling and food so that we don't have to worry about spending on the island. The price is very attractive for the quality of service provided.
We settled down in deluxe pool view family room with 1queen bed and 2 single beds- a very thoughtful design for family. Besides the spacious bedroom, there were also two separate showers with toilet. The room was also clean and well maintained.
Other facilities include safe, bar fridge, wardrobe, flat screen TV and plenty of RO water. Water here is treated on-site and freely available. Remember your last vacation spending USD22 for a bottle of mineral water on an exotic island? Here you can unlimited supply free of charge!
Our lovely balcony overlooking the pool with clothes line available both outside the room and on the balcony.
The food here was equally awesome. A great variety with yummylicious way of cooking. It's Chinese buffet style (for lunch and first night dinner) and unlike many other all inclusive tourist package, the ingredients were fresh and delicious. The presentation was attractive. I could smell the cooking even from our room. And we looked forward to meal time- breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner. There's no need to bring extra food into the island because they can also cater to your special dietary requirements if you inform in advance.
A 3D2N stay will include a wonderful spread of BBQ dinner like this. One can even order extra portion of seafood if desired but there were more than enough to savour. For those who chose the 4D3N package, a steamboat dinner will be arranged.
We rented snorkeling equipment and follow a free daily snorkeling trip around the vicinity. For more exciting options, one can purchase night snorkeling options to sight baby sharks and sting rays, or island hopping to redang and turtle point. Even the romantic option of appreciating the beauty of blue sand in the middle of night ocean. The snorkel guides are so friendly that baby Bing enjoyed his first snorkeling trip.
If going out on the boat is not an option, you can still snorkel around the resort because corals and baby sharks are not far away from the jetty.
There are many other activities to enjoy:
-sunrise walk
-scuba diving and licensing
-sand play
-turtle watching
-blue sand discovery
-karaoke
-pubbing at Sunset Bar
-supper at Mamak stall
-sunrise walk
-scuba diving and licensing
-sand play
-turtle watching
-blue sand discovery
-karaoke
-pubbing at Sunset Bar
-supper at Mamak stall
The sun rise walk was worth the 15-20 minutes walk. Some parts were steep and required support from ropes and surrounding tree branches. It's not easy but I managed to do it while baby Yi was in the carrier.
Watch my YouTube for our awesome experience at the resort.
Besides quality accommodation and food, the service here is really tiptop. The staff went as far as locating baby Bing's lost monster truck in the hotel room after we checked out! We would definitely be back again! A true home away from home which is befitting as Maldives in Malaysia!
Summer Bay Resort Lang Tengah