Terengganu island billed as the ‘Maldives of Southeast Asia’
KUALA TERENGGANU: It was once a coconut plantation and a resting place for fishermen off the Terengganu coast.
Today, a holiday facility on Lang Tengah Island has been transformed into one of the topfive most romantic island resorts in the Asia Pacific.
The Summer Bay Lang Island Resort has been billed as the “Maldives of Southeast Asia” by the magazine, Asian Diver.
It enjoys high occupancies except during the monsoon season, giving Terengganu its muchneeded tourism revenue and jobs for locals.
An estimated 12,000 tourists flock to the resort annually and it’s no different with “Visit Beautiful Terengganu Year 2017” in full gear.
Its general manager, John Chong, 33, said the resort was much favoured as it faced the mainland and was protected from strong currents and waves.
“More fascinating are the resort’s pristine waters and one-ofa-kind coral dust beach that is produced from dead, broken corals. What is astounding is the ‘bioluminescent blue sand’ waters of the sea that sparkle at night.”
He said another attraction was the existence of more than 100 fish species, including baby sharks, which could be spotted 80m from the shore.
“Owing to its rocky terrain, only 10ha of the island can be developed into a resort.”
The resort offers 89 rooms that can accommodate 277 guests at its three-storey facility run by 85 workers.
“We started from scratch, grooming mainland Terengganu locals, boat operators and fishermen in our employ. We have 11 twin-engine boats that ferry tourists to and from the Merang jetty daily.”
The resort has three restaurants, a lounge, a 50m swimming pool, a dive and snorkelling centre complete with trainers, and an island-hopping tour.