Coral Redang Island Resort — Hotel in Pulau Redang

My Second Stay at Coral Redang Island Resort – Still Amazing After All These Years!

This is my fourth time visiting Redang Island and my second stay at Coral Redang Island Resort – and I must say, the experience has improved even more compared to my first stay back in 2007! The resort has clearly undergone some refurbishments since then, and it definitely shows in the overall comfort and service.

I booked directly through the hotel’s official website and was impressed by the fast response – they replied within 24 hours and were very accommodating with all my email queries. The instructions provided were clear and helpful, making the whole process smooth from the start.

I opted for their 3D2N full board package, which included: Return boat transfer from Al-Ameen Jetty Three buffet meals a day Two snorkeling trips

Arrival & Check-In Everything was smooth from the start. The jetty and boat crew were very friendly. Now they drop you at a proper jetty (near Laguna), and the resort staff take care of your luggage and transport you comfortably to the resort – no more long walks like before!

At the lobby, the staff were friendly and explained everything clearly. One thing they could improve is managing the check-in queue during peak season – some guests tried to cut the line, so a proper queueing system would help.

Room Experience I stayed in a Superior Room, which was spacious enough for three of us. What stood out was the bathroom – it had a separate wardrobe area and bathroom space, which was a nice touch. Just a reminder: this is a 3-star resort, so they don’t provide televisions or individual toiletries. They do offer basic shower foam and towels, but you’ll need to bring your own toiletries or buy them at the mini market (prices are slightly higher but still reasonable).

Snorkeling & Dive Shop The dive shop was another highlight of our trip. Ms. Man, who handled our snorkeling trip, was absolutely fantastic. She wasn’t just giving instructions from the boat – she joined us in the water and was so good with the kids! She made first-timer parents like us feel at ease. Kudos to her!

Another major plus is that their snorkeling trips are kept to small groups. Unlike some other resorts where you're packed in with a big crowd, our trip had only about 10 people. It made the whole experience much more personal and enjoyable.

If you want to swim with turtles, just note that it's not included in the package and comes with an extra cost – but worth considering!

Dining Experience We didn’t set high expectations for the buffet, but we were pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of the food. They had options for both spicy and non-spicy eaters, which was great. The restaurant staff were another highlight – super friendly, always smiling, and clearly enjoyed their work. I even had some casual chats with them, and on the second day, one of them remembered our room number before I could even say it! It made me feel so welcomed and appreciated.

Final Thoughts Once I finish exploring other islands in Malaysia (I try to visit one island each year), I’ll definitely return to Redang — hopefully in 4 or 5 years. Honestly, I prefer Redang over Krabi or Phuket. It’s more peaceful, and you don’t need to take additional boat rides just to enjoy a nice beach. The beach right in front of the hotel is already beautiful and relaxing.

If you're traveling with kids, I highly recommend walking towards the Redang Lagoon area. There's great snorkeling there, with plenty of fish to see — same goes for the beach in front of Laguna Resort.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with the service, the package, and of course, the stunning views. Coral Redang Island Resort remains one of my top...

I’m really disappointed with the dive Center here that’s run by The Diver’s Den. THEY DON’T HAVE A JETTY TO THEIR BOAT! See my photos as evidence to my review. I’m paying the full price and a bit more expensive compared to other dive centres but get this: we have to carry ALL OUR GEAR ONTO THE BOAT anchored in the sea. That’s crazy- carry our tank, fins and gear and walk in the sea and climb up the boat about 100 meters away. You get thrown around by the waves and you better have your mask and regulator ready otherwise you’ll be in trouble. THE WORST PART, when you come back from a dive, you put on your used tank, mask and fins and do a back row into the sea and then WALK BACK TO THE DIVE CENTER in full gear. When you back-row into the sea from the boat, they shout ‘Stay away from the boat’s propellers!’ as the waves toss you around!! DON’T HOPE FOR ANYONE TO HELP YOU. They even said they’ll charge RM 10 to carry your gear. It’s extra charges on top of their already more expensive fees! NO JETTY, no problem. Save on having to buy a motorcycle and side-car just get your customers to carry the tanks for you! The dive center is supposedly headed by an awarded winning underwater photographer but he hardly ever points us to anything interesting during our dives. Is he afraid of competition or just plain complacent? He just bangs on his tank to herd us around like cattle but never shows us any marine life underwater during all our dives. The resort itself is a big hassle to get to. They don’t have a jetty so everyone has to arrive by ferry and TRANSFER to a ‘landing boat’. YOU HAVE TO CARRY ALL YOUR LUGGAGE FOR ALL THE TRANSFERS. After the long line getting onto the boat, it lands on the beach. We get into another long line and board a pickup truck. We share this narrow space with our luggage. This transport will bring us to the resort. On the way back, we also carry our own luggage up the landing craft and onto the ferry as well. This is a very unsafe and inconvenient process. The landing craft moves up and down following the waves. Any time someone’s foot can get trapped underneath the ramp or someone can fall into the sea or get trapped between the boats. The resort DID NOT NOTIFY US OF SUCH A RISKY TRANSFER. Although my room was comfortable, it smelt of sewage. This wretched smell stayed on the entire trip. We can smell this for the entire block of rooms, not just ours! The lobby toilets are always wet and dirty night or day This resort is not crowded so there’s plenty of space during meals but the menu is not varied and the coffee is very mediocre. Twice I had the same menu for breakfast. Fruits and dessert choice is very limited. The room toilet is very clean and house keeping is efficient. But it’s not worth the effort. At least Laguna resort behind Coral Redang have their own jetty. It a bit more crowded but the food and convenience and safety is more worth it. I advice to STAY AWAY from...

Massive shout out to Bob the Dive Instructor. His humour is full of witty banter and sarcastic remarks. It's not for everyone, hence the occasional bad review, but he was extremely helpful and friendly with us. Underwater, however, he takes things very seriously and professionally - we felt very safe and in good hands of a 30+ year experienced Dive Master.

Diving and snorkeling was excellent and felt very safe. Scuba sites were amazing and I highly recommend the snorkeling activities as well. There was a bit of wave and current due to the poor weather but no one can control that.

The hotel staff also were very lovely and helpful, Jian and the crew made us feel welcomed and comfortable during our stay.

The food was excellent, mostly malaysian curries for both lunch and dinner with a western option. Their Asian dessert soups were wonderful, and had a variety of fresh cut fruits. Breakfast was also a buffet, with cereals, toast, and egg station, beef bacon, chicken sausages and an occasional Chinese option.

The dining area was extremely clean, no flies or mess, and the tables are allocated by room number.

Rooms were clean and kept to a good standard. Housekeeping is every 2 days. Wifi is fairly fast but generally limited to the main hotel area and not the rooms which is understandable since Redang island is... well, an island. Data signal is also fine, if not a bit slow - we were on DigiCelcom packages.

Tap water is non-potable (not safe to drink) but you are able to fill up water bottles at a station for free (the water is nice and cold!) And request bottles of water at the reception desk (this is limited to the number of people per room per day). Kettles are also provided in the rooms and boiled water is safe to drink.

All of this information is avaliable in the information cards in the room as well.

The hotel provided clean towels, tea, coffee, sugar, creamer, hairdryers and hand/body soap. The floors can be a bit sandy since it's located on a beach island and sand always gets everywhere (it's inevitable) but you can request the staff to mop or sweep (charged may occur).

Checking in and out is simple, a truck will bring you to and from the Jetty and you are able to arrange transport from the Jetty with the hotel as well. Just check with the front desk about the details since this can change with the weather or number of luggages (don't want to overload the boat and sink after all!).

The beach is clean and fairly safe as long as you follow their advice. Night dives are possible with other resorts. The area is quiet - free from the loud karaoke happening in resorts down...