Destination
Features
By John Bonar
Disembarking at Langkawi International Airport I found an island paradise with buffalo grazing by paddy fields, Llangur monkeys foraging in the forest and Brahminy Kite eagles soaring in the blue sky.
Don’t expect crazy nightlife and wild bars. This is a UNESCO designated Geopark where you come face to face with geological wonders 550 million years old and an ideal family holiday island, or a honeymoon destination. At the Mutiara Burau Bay beach resort at the west of the island, with the peak of 700m Mount Machinchang rising behind and the azure Andaman Sea lapping at the beach you may wake in the morning to the rapping on the window from a trio of long-tailed monkeys curious at their reflections in the glass. Go to breakfast with squirrels scuttling along the overhead rafters and eager Myna birds scrabbling for crumbs on the floor.
From luxury hotels better than 5-star to humble backpacker hostels, Malaysia has a range of accommodation to suit every taste.
If location is everything then the best address in Kuala Lumpur is the Trader’s Hotel by Shangri La (http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/kualalumpur/traders) right beside the Convention Centre and boasting stunning views of the Petronas twin towers. Walk out the back door and you are right in the landscaped park with water features. A shuttle buggy will take you round the gardens to the twin towers with the restaurants and shopping centre.
Malaysia is known for its wonderful bright batik fabrics printed on cotton and silk. If you can find a tailor, for men the most luxurious buy is a silk smoking jacket in bright silk with an elegant batiked motif. For ladies, a piece of living art is the figure hugging delicate Nyonya kebaya blouse patterned with floral or mythical animal designs and worn with a sarong but you will need to visit Penang or Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur to find it.
In Langkawi head for the Komopleks Kraf Langkawi (handicrafts centre) near the Pantai Pasir Hitam beach on the northern coast. You can watch demonstration of traditional crafts and buy batik, pewter, basketware and woodcarvings.
Traditional Food
Malaysia is a melting pot of Asian cuisines. With Malay, Chinese and Indian food predominating there are also the fusion dishes of the Peranakan, the descendants of the 16th Century Chinese settlers who married Malay women in Singapore, Melaka and Penang. You can even find some redoubts of Malaysian Portuguese in the state of Melaka.
One night in Bangkok
Now that Bangkok is back to business as normal, as if the Red Shirt protests had never happened, You might want to enjoy a stopover in Bangkok on your way to the beach paradise in Khao Lak. JW Marriott Bangkok, conveniently located in the central business and shopping district, close to shopping centers and BST Skytrain commuter line stations, offers an unbeatable package .
Similan Islands
By John Bonar
From a jetty crowded with speed boats we piled into two fibre glass monsters and in a stomach-churning, wild, bouncing ride we bucked the waves for 70 minutes to the fabled Similan Islands, a protected national park and one of the world’s top ten diving spots. While dolphins jumped in the background we donned snorkeling masks and rubber fins, rolling off the boat into a boat and found sea turtles close enough to touch while myriad schools of brightly coloured tropical fish swam around us.
Quan Spa
By John Bonar
Close to the beach at JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort, you enter the luxurious Quan Spa through an archway into a cool garden with pools interspersed with massage treatment tables under canopies. Around the garden are 15 elegant treatment suites as well as a steam room, sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi and rain shower.