The Beauty and Fun Sibu Island's Resort

Vacation To Malaysia
By SHARON OVINIS on Thestar.com


MAGINE your tanned skin glistening under the scorching sun, beads of sweat trickling down your forehead; but you welcome the perspiration as it cools down your body.

You’ve worked hard to reach the pinnacle of success and you’re not going to let a little humidity dampen your spirit. You know only too well that you’ve got to do it all on this three-day, two-night vacation. So you soak in the sun as you take long walks on the sandy white beaches, ride the banana boat and swim in the deep blue sea.

This is no imaginary trip. Sibu Island Resort, Johor, will be whisking 10 lucky winners from The Star-Pizza Hut’s Newspaper-in-Education contest, to this privately-owned island off the east coast of Malaysia.

Teams clinching the top spot in the Mag Inc 2009 contest from the upper secondary and primary categories are in for an idyllic getaway after toiling hard on their three-page mini magazine entries on the theme of teenage angst.

Sibu Island Resort has opened its doors to the world with a fresh look, heralding a new dawn to island adventurers. The resort has had a masterful make-over — 121 timber chalets refurbished and upgraded to luxurious accommodation and land reclamation to provide three stretches of pristine beaches.



With the construction of its own water desalination plant, the resort now boasts a constant supply of clean, fresh water — the first project of its kind on any island in Malaysia.

The island is easily accessible from Johor Baru by road at only one-and-a-half hours’ drive. From the Tanjung Leman jetty, the trip to Sibu Island is but 20 minutes on a comfortable air-conditioned, 50-seater twin-hulled catamaran.

At the resort, students and teachers are promised an island-spiced holiday with an integrated experience. Their days will, no doubt, be filled to the brim with both active fun and laid-back indulgence, from dawn till dusk.

The resort’s 27 hectares (67 acres) of natural surroundings feature a myriad of activities that are designed to challenge the mind, strengthen the body and build cohesive bonds. Not only is the island a perfect safe haven from the hustle and bustle of the city, its environment is rife with team-building pursuits such as telematches, adventure games and obstacle course programmes.

If students cannot get enough of the sea and salt water in their hair, then there is scuba diving, wind surfing, jet skiing, boat cruising, canoeing, snorkelling, fishing and island hopping.



Plan to unwind from the sand and surf? Then, explore the island at your own pace and discover charming surprises in store. The grounds and gardens offer a tranquil backdrop for jungle-trekking, deer-feeding and spice gardening.

If it’s a more rigorous workout that you’re up for, then pump those arms and flex those muscles at The Gym, dance to aerobics or jog around the resort.

And nothing can sound a whole lot better than a soak at the sauna to soothe those sore muscles afterwards. Or else there is the wide range of therapies and massages to be checked out at The Tropical Holistic Spa.

The resort isn’t without its culinary versatility. Students and teachers will be treated to island fare that is designed to excite the discriminating Malaysian palate.

Options are aplenty as there are barbecues by the beach, diverse Malaysian specialities, theme night parties and more. The Selayar Restaurant and the open-terrace Lumba-Lumba Coffee House serve up specialised buffet selections all day long.

Rather sit by the beach for a picnic and strum your guitar? Then let them pack you a take-away picnic basket as you tuck in by the beach.

And if you want to tune in to some hip-swaying music, head to The Suji Lounge where entertainment thrives while the sun sets in the horizon.

So write away and pen your thoughts on issues surrounding teenage angst. Sibu Island Resort promises to be an amazing location for celebrating a win with teammates!

Vacation To Malaysia - Pulau Lang Tengah

Pulau Lang Tengah or Lang Tengah Island off the coast of Terengganu is one of the nation's well-kept secrets. Its arresting beauty can easily captivate you while you are there. Crystal clear sea-water, pristine beaches and untouched tropical jungle. Its arresting beauty lingers forever in your memory. An island you can call your own, private and tranquil.

Getting there

Lang Tengah Island is located about 40 km north east of Kuala Terengganu (22.5 km from Tanjung Merang) on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. The island is reached by boat from Tanjung Merang (not to be confused with Marang, south of Kuala Terengganu), 45 minutes’ drive north of Kuala Terengganu.

Boat services to Lang Tengah
Most resorts include return boat transfers from Tanjung Merang to Lang Tengah in their packages or arrange it for their guests. You can also charter a boat from the nearby Perhentian Islands or Redang Island (Redang Island also has an airport – see below).

Tanjung Merang is a small fishing village 45minutes north of Kuala Terengganu an

Image via Wikipedia

d the jetty is a few minutes outside of the village. Taxi services are available or your resort can arrange a land transfer from Kuala Terengganu airport or bus terminal.

Image via Wikipedia

Speedboat departures from here are usually pre-arranged with your resort and take 40 minutes. Most boat operators have a fixed schedule, with two departures daily (morning and afternoon) in peak season and one departure in off-peak season.

Image via Wikipedia

Transfers cost around RM 95 return.

It is possible to charter a boat (from RM 380 per trip) to Lang Tengah Island from Tanjung Merang, Redang Island or the Perhentian Islands.

Getting to Kuala Terengganu / Tanjung Merang
Directions for buses and flights are to Kuala Terengganu. From Kuala Terengannu, you can take a taxi or local bus to Tanjung Merang jetty or arrange a land transfer with your agent/resort from the airport or bus terminal. If you are driving, continue north on highway 3 and follow the signs to Merang jetty.

Fly
Air Asia and Malaysia Airlines have several daily flights (50 min) from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu.
Firefly has daily flights from Kuala Lumpur (Subang Airport) and Penang.

Berjaya Air offers daily flights from Kuala Lumpur (70 min) Subang Airport and Singapore (90 min) Seletar Airport to Redang Island. From here, you need to arrange a boat transfer to Lang Tengah.

Take a bus
From Singapore buses depart from the Lavender St bus station and are operated by Transnational. Tickets cost around SGD 35 and the journey takes around10 hours. Buses depart early in the morning or late evening for overnight journeys. There are other coach & travel companies operating out of Golden Mile Complex at Beach Road (e.g. Five Stars, Enjoy Holiday Tours, Konsortium and Gunung Raya etc.) that provide holiday packages and coach services to Kuala Terengganu or Merang. These buses are more luxurious, but are also significantly more expensive.

From Johor Bahru buses depart from the Larkin bus station. Several choices are available, including Transnational, Damai, Adik Beradik and Cepat express. Tickets cost around RM 35 and the journey

Image by g™'s Flickr via Flickr

takes just under 9 hours. Buses depart early in the morning or late evening for overnight journeys.

From Kuala Lumpur buses depart from the Hentian Putra bus station. Several choices are available, including Transnational, Damai, Konsortium, Plusliner, Sutera and Mutiara. Tickets cost around RM 30 and the journey takes around 7 hours. Buses depart early in the morning or late evening for overnight journeys.

From Penang buses depart from Komtar or Butterworth bus stations and are operated by SP Bumi or Atieza. Tickets cost around RM 35 and the journey takes around 9 hours. Buses depart late in the evening for overnight journeys.

From other major cities and towns in Malaysia, there are also several bus companies that operate services to Kuala Terengganu. For updated information and schedules, enquire directly at the long distance bus station.

Drive
There are car parks at Merang.

From Kuala Lumpur take the east bound highway (East Coast Expressway) in the direction of Kuantan. From Kuantan, take the coastal road (highway 3) north, in the direction of Kuala Terengganu (follow signs along the way). The journey should take around seven hours.

From Singapore / Johor Bahru Cross the border at Woodlands or the Second L

Image by samuel_lee via Flickr

ink and from Johor Bahru take the Plus highway north. Exit at Yong Peng. Follow highway 1 to Labis and Segamat, highway 12 to Kuantan, then use either highway 14 to KT or coastal highway 3 via Kemaman, Paka and Dungun.

From Penang take the East-West highway 4 towards Kota Bharu via Grik and Jertih. From Kota Bahru, proceed south on highway 3 to Merang or Kuala Terengganu.

From Kuala Terengganu continue north towards Merang and follow the road signs to Kota Bahru; Batu Rakit; Kustem Universiti; Sutera Beach and finally, Merang Jetty.

Things to see and do

Scuba diving and snorkelling
There are 12 dive sites around the island, with a depth of 7-26 metres and within 5-15 minutes’ boat ride from the resorts. At the nearby Redang, Perhentian and Bidong Islands, there are another 40 sites, within 30-45 minutes from Lang Tengah by boat.

One of the notable attractions for scuba divers at Lang Tengah is the possibility of sighting whale sharks or manta rays at certain times of the year. Turtles are present throughout the year as are barracudas and if you are lucky you may also spot a leopard shark.

Jungle trekking
For early risers, one of the best treks is the early morning trek to Batu Kuching (Cat’s rock) where you can watch the sunrise at 06:30 am. The trek takes around 30 minutes from the resorts and can also be done at any other time of day for beautiful views over the island and the surrounding sea.

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