LOCATION:
About an hour from Penang or 2 hours from Ipoh on the North South Highway (NSE). Take the Semanggol exit on the NSE. Adequate sign boards are put up throughout the highway to guide you to Bukit Merah Lake Town.

DESCRIPTION:
I've been to this resort twice. Once was for office trip. Another one was for leisure.

To me, the winning attraction has to be the Orang Utan Island, probably one of its kind in the world (yes, there are a number of real orang utan sanctuaries out there, but this one is on an island!). The small tropical island in the middle of the 7,000 acre freshwater lake houses a number of orang utans kept in their natural habitat (well, almost!). From the resort's main jetty, the boat ride takes about 20 minutes. There is a visitor centre that describes the history behind the orang utans kept here - most of them were taken from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Interestingly, you will be led into a caged tunnel-walk that confines you, not the orang utan. From the cage you can view the orang utans playing "outside" the cage in the thick forest. I saw a number of them even climbing up tall trees, most of them are close to the cage where you can see them up close and personal. They do have call names as told by the guide. During feeding time, the food given was mostly of fruit types, although one of the orang utans got a special treat of a canned drink!

I have also tried the water park which I feel is quite ordinary and nothing spectacular. Nice for a family outing, though I think the one in A Farmosa Resort is much superior in term of water rides and other attractions. Outside the water park is covered mostly by the waterfront boardwalk, with small shops selling souvenirs, as well as pizza. I had my lunch in Cafe De Lac (I suppose that means Cafe by the Lake?).

Another star attraction worth mentioning is definitely the EcoPark. An interesting concept of jungle-walk through elevated wooden planks to see various animals kept in cages, such as sun bears, deer, as well as various types of primate. There are also certain type of animals that are allowed to roam free such as the adorable family of rabbits, colourful parrots, some iguanas, squirrel monkeys, etc.

The EcoPark also hosts two scheduled Animal Shows at the small amphitheatre but my timing was not suitable for either of the shows.

MY VERDICT:
Great destination for those with families.