The Datai, Malaysia
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The Datai, Malaysia
Rainforest meets the sea
For two decades The Datai has been the benchmark resort on the Malaysian island of Langkawi. Windsor Dobbin discovers why.
A beautiful setting in virgin rainforest with direct access to a private white-sand beach. Tick. World-class sporting facilities. Tick. A delightful spa offering a range of indigenous treatments. Tick.
No wonder The Datai has long been a favourite with Australians looking for an exclusive Asian hideaway where they can do as much or as little as they like.
But nothing stands still and The Datai marked its recent 20th birthday with the opening of several dramatically chic beach front villas and a new golf course designed by Ernie Els.
This multiple award-winning island resort off the north-west coast of Peninsular Malaysia offers so many options for pampering, dining, adventure and sports that many guests do not leave even when staying for a week or more – and one of its selling points is that it is almost completely isolated among the ancient rainforest, offering seclusion for those seeking a little ‘me’ time.
The resort
The 124 rooms, suites and villas, and those 14 new beach front pool villas (think personal butlers and in-room dining while choosing from your personal wine cellar) offer luxury living in a very laid-back environment.
Twice I walked along the pristine beach (Thailand is just a few miles across the Andaman Sea) and only saw two other people. There are no beach shacks, trinket vendors or makeshift food stalls, which may be a plus or a minus depending on your viewpoint.
The resort has two swimming pools, a beach club and an award-winning spa (a bigger facility is on the drawing board) with many of the villas nestled under a natural rainforest canopy and visited by a range of indigenous animals from monkeys to extremely large lizards, even the occasional wild boar.
Spa options include the signature tugku batu hot stone treatment or a lembut massage using herbal oils.
Earlier this year The Datai Langkawi was named Malaysian winner for best luxury destination spa at the World Luxury Spa Awards.
“The Datai Spa has set a benchmark as an industry leader and I believe this award will be an inspiration to us for years to come,” said GM Anthony Sebastian.
Guests can enjoy a range of dining options that include The Dining Room, The Pavilion restaurant and The Gulai House, all within close proximity to the villas – and if you don’t want to walk anywhere during the heat of the day, you just call up a golf buggy to take you wherever you want to go.
The more adventurous guests can trek through the rainforest, or take a culinary class and learn how to cook chicken and herbs in coconut broth, or maybe stir-fried king prawns in garlic and black pepper sauce.
Eating and drinking
Understandably, there is a strong Thai influence in this part of Malaysia, and eating and drinking well are certainly a key element of any stay.
Variety is the key to the popularity of the dining options. There are no nearby alternatives other than The Andaman resort at the other end of the beach, where Datai guests can sign for meals that are added to their account.
The Dining Room offers Western-style dishes like honey-soy duck breast, or roast rack of lamb in a black olive crust, while The Pavilion and Gulai House are for the more adventurous.
The Pavilion is run by a Thai kitchen team with choices like spicy green papaya with dried shrimp salad, crispy soft-shell crab with Thai chilli oil, massaman beef and roasted duck curry with pineapple. Service here, as throughout the resort, is solicitous and efficient.
Gulai House, deep in the rainforest in a traditional kampung-style setting, highlights Malaysian and Indian specialities and has its own tandoori oven. Think dishes like grilled fish and prawns in a banana leaf, nonya chicken coconut curry or grilled seasonal fish with a variety of traditional sauces. The sample platter, or campur-campur, of soft-shell crab, satays and mango salad, is popular.
The Pool Bar, on the water, is a superb spot to enjoy a drink at any time of day and serves beer on tap, cocktails, a selection of wines by the glass and dishes ranging from satays to hamburgers.
Here you are greeted with an iced towel, a glass of cold water and complimentary peanuts while you watch the sun set – a magnificent sight – or you can go a step more upmarket and enjoy one of the buffet evenings at The Beach Club, where the ginger-steamed garoupa with sambal is popular on the al a carte menu.
Unusually for Asia, there is a well-chosen global wine list with a good selection from France, Italy and Chile, as well as names familiar to Australians in Grosset, Cape Mentelle, Leeuwin Estate, Rolf Binder and Kiwis Cloudy Bay, Neudorf and Saint Clair.
There is a range of accommodation options from deluxe hotel rooms to those new ultra-luxe beach villas featuring their own 10-metre swimming pools, separate bedroom and living room, dining table, cellar, free wi-fi and all mod cons, including indoor and al fresco showers and a minibar with complimentary beers and soft drinks. Satellite TVs, free wi-fi and iPod docks are de rigueur.
Activities
Guests can also participate in free morning and afternoon nature walks, use mountain bikes, the gym, catamarans, wind surfers and kayaks, play tennis or participate in a cooking class.
Guests are given a daily newsletter listing the next day’s activities, the weather and optional activities like deep sea fishing trips, photographic safaris, bird watching or night-time nature walks. Venture off track and you may encounter anything from squirrels to brightly coloured bird life. But keep the windows to your accommodation closed – the local monkeys can be both curious and destructive.
The new golf course is magnificent – and already a favourite with the Malaysian royal family, who fly in for a round or two before heading back to Kuala Lumpur.
Locked between million-year-old rainforest and the Andaman Sea, the sparkling new Els Club Teluk Datai has been described as one of the world’s most captivating new golf courses.
It is overlooked by the marbled limestone peaks of the Mat Cincang Mountain range and has natural streams flowing throughout the course, as well as predatory macaque and dusky leaf monkeys that have been known to pilfer the odd ball. You may also see eagles (I spotted an eagle’s nest in a tree), lizards and hornbills. It doesn’t come much more exotic than this.
Prices start from around $450 to $500 per night. Book accommodation now or browse more travel destinations.
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