golfkat Travel Blog

Most of our trips to Malaysia have been to the islands off of Malaysia, on the Andaman Sea.  Langkawi, and later Penang have become our islands of choice in Southeast Asia.  I will tell you why in this story.  First, Langkawi, with only 45,000 inhabitants, is located 30 km off the coast of northwest Malaysia, on the Straits of Malacca, and consisting of 99 islands.  The name Langkawi comes from lang which means eagle, and kawi is Sanskrit for marble, which is plentiful on the island.
 
We were strongly recommended by our Malay/British family friends that the Datai Resort on Langkawi is a must stay and do on our trip to Malaysia.  We first stopped in Kuala Lumpur for a taste of the big city.  We always wanted to see the blending of cultures evident throughout Malaysia.  Buddhists, Chinese, and Muslims mingle and live quite freely and without discord.  KL itself is a vibrant city with the iconic Petronas Twin Towers (once the tallest buildings in the world), a famous Chinatown, and a shopping mecca for all of SE Asia. 
 
The highlight here though, was meeting our friend Angela.  We were introduced to her through our Malaysian friend Sohbee, who went to Diablo Valley College with Sheri.  She made sure we would be cared for properly when we got to KL.  She put us in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 5 star, corner suite, which is right next door to the biggest shopping area in KL.  KLCC is a huge, modern five story indoor mall.
 
But more than that, she arranged for us to meet her dear friend, Angela.  Angela arranged for a half day tour for us.  Then she and a friend met us in Chinatown for an authentic Malay Chinese dinner.  To top it off, she introduced us to durian, the king of fruit.  I call it the stinky fruit, the only one that Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods, will NOT eat.  I don’t like it either, but Sheri, Angela, and Sohbee just love it.  She took us to an outdoor stand filled with durian and rambutan fruit.  My first bite told me that I could not handle it.  Sheri was the same way, but found upon subsequent tries, that it is definitely an acquired taste.  She loves it now.
 
We have become good friends now with Angela as well.  She met us in Sydney a few years ago.  She took us to Chinatown, and some sightseeing.  She has become our eyes and ears for our trips to Malaysia and surrounding countries.  We hope she will visit us here in the US soon, so that we can repay her many kindnesses.
 
So, we take a short flight from KL to Langkawi.  We are picked up by a big black Mercedes, with a guy holding a placard with our name on it.  He loads us up, and drives us about 30 minutes to the north end of this beautiful island.  We passed by the main town, Kuha, which is not much more than a wide spot in the road.  Langkawi is also a duty free island, and was granted World Geopark status by UNESCO.  But tourism is a big part of the island now.  Many KL residents come here for a holiday away from the big city.
 
As we approached the Datai, we really did not know what to expect.  It turns out that we could see Thailand (a small island) across the sound from the Datai.  Situated on the northwestern tip of Langkawi Island, The Datai is nestled inside an ancient tropical rainforest, with a secluded white sandy beach facing the calm Andaman Sea.
Some people think a hotel is just a bed for the night but a stay in The Datai will change that perception. Built on stunning scenery which leaves the heart fully-warmed; The Datai provided an experience of Langkawi like no other. 
 
Blended with nature and tradition, we looked around and noticed a subtle luxury that we have never seen before or since.  The Datai was simple, and elegant at the same time.  A very civilized check in process welcomed us here.  A cold towel, and a cool iced tea were brought to us while we registered on a couch.  We were led to our room by a young female staffer in a full length traditional dress.
 
Our room seemed rather ordinary at first.  But then we realized we had a sitting area, office space, and a huge double vanity/bathroom facility.  In fact, it was as big as the room itself.  The most significant feature was the his and hers bathrooms.  We could see both the pool, and the Thai island across the sea from our sitting room.  A large fruit basket and a refrigerator full of drinks were also provided.
 
Sheri was a little tired, so I made my way around the hotel.  My first stop was the Lobby Lounge, and a tall, cold Thai beer.  Then I walked down to the white, sandy beach facing Thailand.  It is then I realized we were in the middle of a rainforest.  I also found the Beach Club, and made reservations for the big BBQ buffet dinner in the evening.  We were also told that a wedding was being held on the grounds.  I also found out that we had an 18 hole golf course, mountain biking, 2 pools, spa, health club, and tennis.  Several day trips were available to uninhabited islands in the Andaman Sea, along with lots of water sports.
 
We made our way down the trail, bridges and stairs to the ocean, and the Beach Club.  We really did not know what to expect, but we saw a beautiful sunset across the Andaman Sea.  After a cocktail, we headed over to the food.  Every type of meat and fish was being barbecued.  Every Malay, Chinese, and Thai side dish was available.  The fruit table was piled about 3 feet high.  We could not eat much, but we certainly could have.  We ate so much that we had to take the shuttle back up to the resort after dinner.
 
The next morning, we had a stunning breakfast in the hotel dining room.  The best part was all of the fresh fruit, peeled, cut, and cleaned for us to enjoy.  Sheri went back to the room, and I headed for 18 holes at the Datai’s golf course.
 
But the highlight of our visit here was about to happen.  I went to the internet room next door to the gift shop.  I started some emailing, and I met Jason and Chun, who lived on the island of Penang, about 2 hours south by ferry.
Jason was going to conduct the wedding ceremony, and Chun would accompany him.  He was comped the room for 2 nights for performing the ceremony.  We struck up a lively conversation, later saw each other in the bar, and decided to have dinner together.  But this would be after he performed the ceremony down at the beach.
 
We decided, by default, to eat poolside, for a greater variety of food.  We ended up eating and talking for four hours.  We really connected with them, as they invited us to visit them in Penang on our next visit to Malaysia. So even though we had only two nights at the Datai, we were headed for Penang the next year (and many subsequent visits).
 
The Datai is a place that is visited just once.  It is both unique and expensive.  We will savor the two nights forever.  That was really our first stay in the rainforest.  And our first stay on such a small island.  We had monkeys at our patio door most evenings.  The sounds of the jungle, at first a little frightening, were a welcome chorus for falling asleep.  The staff at the Datai is without equal anywhere in the world.  It is an experience of a lifetime.