Categories
Tourism Malaysia

REDISCOVER REDANG AT THE TAARAS BEACH & SPA RESORT

Redang Island has long been a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. With long stretches of sparkling white sand overlooking gorgeous turquoise water and complemented by a protected marine park, it has become a destination of choice for weddings, honeymoons, family getaways, corporate retreats and those seeking adventure and thrills.

Most will head to Long Beach where there are plenty of accommodation and restaurant choices. But for those who want to escape the crowd and want to feel like they have the whole island to themselves, head to the Berjaya Redang Island, a self-sufficient island, where the aptly named Taaras Beach and Spa Resort, Sanskrit for Goddess of the Sea, is located.

The Taaras itself is a vision of paradise. No matter which part of the resort you choose to stay in, it will give you visual pleasures, be it overlooking the ocean waters, or gorgeous landscapes of the garden, or the scenic steep cliffs of the island.  With 184 rooms and suites in various layouts, there is a perfect option for everyone. Even though everything about Taraas screams luxury, the ultimate in luxury and opulence is its Taaras Villa, with its dedicated butler service, gorgeous cliff-side location, and impressive 16m-infinity pool overlooking the bay.

Now, you can travel to Taaras in style following the recent partnership between the Berjaya Hotels Resorts with Prima Air, which provides chartered flights between Subang Airport and Berjaya Redang Island. Guests of The Taaras will be flown to the island using Prima Air’s 10-seater Cessna Grand Caravan EX light aircraft.

Imagine yourself strolling barefoot along a sandy beach while an aircraft flies low over the island. It is reminiscent of the opening scene from the 1980’s Fantasy Island TV show where one of the characters, Tattoo rings the tower bell while screaming “The plane, The plane” whenever he sees a plane coming to the island.

The Taaras has its own private beach with its powdery white sand and crystal clear water. Be warned though that in such an idyllic setting, you may not want to do anything except laze around on the beach or perhaps take a dip in the beautiful ocean in between that.

Knowing the thrill-seekers though, they will want to partake in both water and land activities such as diving, snorkeling, island hopping, kayaking, jungle trekking, and beach volleyball, to name a few. The resort has one of the best diving spots with a 5-star PADI Dive Resort Instructor Development Centre, if you are too lazy to go to the nearby marine park. There are also swimming pools for both adults and children at the resort, where you can rent various shapes of inflatable floats. Mind you, who can resist a unicorn and doughnut-shaped floats.

Guests can also charter the Berjaya Belle Private Yacht for a half or full day experience on the South China Sea exploring the nearby islands in search of dolphins or even whale sharks.

As for food and beverages, you can fill your stomach and quench your thirst at these in-house restaurants comprising the Beach Brasserie, the Asean All Day Dining, the Asean Terrace Lounge and the Bayu Bar.

In the evening, you can sit at the bar by the beach to enjoy the beautiful sunset and at night, have a quiet conversation at the same open bar with the sound of soft and gentle waves hitting the shoreline in the background. You can listen to a live band or check into the karaoke rooms to belt out your favourite songs, watch a movie, or simply read a book at the modest library.

Taaras is indeed, a self-sufficient resort. It has everything that you need while holidaying in a secluded island. It even has a small village outside of the resort, where you can interact with the locals, if you feel like it. Oh, if you are in Taaras, don’t forget to look out for Jojo, Taaras’ very own resident turtle who might show up when you are snorkeling at the resort’s reef or turtle watching by glass-bottom boat.

GETTING HERE:

By Road:

All express/long-haul bus and coaches are available daily via the central bus terminal for eastern region (Hentian Putra Station) located near PWTC. The journey will take about 7-8 hours with several stops and the final stop will be at the Kuala Terengganu Terminal (MPKT). The Kuala Terengganu Shah Bandar Jetty is 5 minutes away where you can opt for public ferry transfer to Redang Island.

 

By Air:

The closest airport to Redang is the Kuala Terengganu Airport . There are various airlines flying in and out of this airport daily. Land and sea (at Merang Jetty) transfers are available with prior reservation. The accumulated journey is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 

Chartered Flight – Prima Air:

The Wednesday, Friday and Sunday flights between Subang Airport and Redang Airport are scheduled as below:

Subang Airport to Redang Airport:

Depart at 11.30 am

Redang Airport to Subang Airport:

Depart at 2.30pm

 

WHO TO CONTACT

For more information, please contact:

The Taaras Beach Spa Resort,

Pulau Redang, 20928 Redang, Malaysia.

T : + 60 (3) 2149 1788 F : + 60 (3) 2149 1499

E : sales@thetaaras.com

Categories
Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA BEACH FESTIVAL 2011

24 November 2011 | Last updated at 01:17AM

100,000 expected at Tanjung Bidara’s beach festival
By Jason Gerald John | 0 comments
MALACCA: Some 100,000 people, both locals and tourists, are expected at the Melaka Beach Festival 2011, which would be held at the Tanjung Bidara beach from Dec 9 to 11.
tanjung bidara

The scenic Tanjung Bidara beach will host modern water-sport activities and also traditional games next month.

The festival’s organising committee chairman, Datuk Abdul Karim Sulaiman, who is also the Tanjung Bidara assemblyman, said the event would involve both modern water-sport activities and also traditional games.

Among the activities which would be held during the three-day beach festival are sailing competitions, pillow fights, climbing the slippery pole, tug-of-war, beach volleyball and soccer, duck catching competition and mountain bike racing.

“Besides these activities, we would also be organising a beach run, fishing competition, kite flying competition, karaoke competition and also the Big Bike Charity Wash,” he said recently.

Karim said the event, which is organised by the State Tourism Promotion Board and the Alor Gajah Municipal Council, would also see a career opportunity and exhibition by the Armed Forces.

“Pos Malaysia Bhd will host a photography exhibition and a sepak takraw competition at the event.

“This event would be a huge hit among visitors to the state as it is one of the year-end programmes which had been included in the 2011 Melaka Tourism Calendar.

“I hope people from all walks of life from in and out of the country would join us for the three days of fun, games and family outing, especially during the school holidays.

“I am sure there would be something for all family members and visitors to participate in and it would surely be a memorable experience,” he said.

Read more: 100,000 expected at Tanjung Bidara’s beach festival – Central – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/streets/central/100-000-expected-at-tanjung-bidara-s-beach-festival-1.10102#ixzz1eaajkhmv