Perfect pairing: Combine city and coast to experience the true magic of Malaysia

Restful retreat

Mother Nature is on our side during our time at Tanjong Jara Resort in the coastal state of Terengganu, the first stop on our three-pronged Malaysian trip. As well as the triple shark sighting on our first day, we’re treated to a string of glorious sunrises, where ribbons of purple and yellow dance across the sky, before giving way to the fiery-orange sun that peeks over the horizon to signal the start of another day in paradise.

Tanjong Jara, part of Malaysia hospitality giant YTL Hotels, can be found a four-hour drive east of Kuala Lumpur, ensconced among thick shrouds of palm and Ketapang trees and fringed by a one-mile crescent of sand. Its timber and rattan-clad buildings are designed in the intricate style of a traditional Malay Istana (palace) – and fit for royalty they most certainly are.

My Serambi Sea View Room is kitted out with a double vanity unit, huge walk-in shower, separate dressing room and a bed so comfy I’m sure it has magical jet lag-healing powers. It’s not just the accommodation that’s dreamy, either – throughout the whole resort, there’s a charming, laid-back ambience that makes it impossible not to feel completely at ease.

And that’s what makes Tanjong Jara so special. Despite being 6,500 miles from home, I feel warmly welcomed and deeply privileged to be invited to experience local Terengganu culture, which is woven into every facet of the guest experience. One evening, the resort hosts its weekly Kampong Sucimurni Lifestyle event, where market style stalls are set up for members of staff and local residents to showcase the customs that define Malay life, from batik painting and teh tarik (tea) sampling to traditional dancing and wooden stilt-walking. Sucimurni is a philosophy of purity, health and wellness and, after spending three days soaking up the infectious joy that’s ever present at Tanjong Jara, it’s impossible not to leave with those three boxes confidently ticked. 

City life

Hearts full and metal gong struck to mark a ceremonial goodbye, we leave Tanjong Jara behind and head for the high-rises of Kuala Lumpur for a brief spell in Malaysia’s buzzy capital. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more glamorous base for exploration of this modern metropolis than The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, located slap bang in the middle of the city’s Golden Triangle, with every designer boutique you could dream of just a stone’s throw away. After checking in at the hotel’s plush Club Lounge, we set about getting our bearings of its two distinct, interconnected wings, across which guests will find 365 rooms and suites. The property, which is managed by YTL Hotels, also features a gym, two pools and the group’s signature Spa Village for clients seeking a little respite during their city escapades.

With the hotel tour over, we head out, armed with umbrellas in defiance of the relentless rain we refuse to let dampen our spirits, to get into the heart of the action. The futuristic Petronas Twin Towers, the city’s most‑recognisable landmark, are a 15‑minute walk away, ringed by the manicured gardens of KLCC Park.

Our short stay in the capital is topped off with a decadent meal at The Ritz‑Carlton’s Michelin‑recognised Yi Len restaurant, where a team of mastermind chefs reimagine authentic Chinese dishes into taste bud‑tingling specialities such as steamed enoki rolls and house‑crafted tofu with mushrooms. I leave the next morning knowing I’ve only scratched the surface of what Kuala Lumpur has to offer. All too often written off as a stopover destination, the city is bursting at the seams with heritage and studded with trendy venues, perfectly complementing a tranquil coastal break. 

Island time

After a three‑hour drive to Malaysia’s west coast, we board a speedboat itching with anticipation. With two incredible stays under our belt, our final stop of Pangkor Laut Resort – YTL’s flagship hotel – has some pretty big shoes to fill. After a 10-minute whizz across the waves, the private‑island property comes into view, cloaked in a vast emerald blanket, encircled by a series of stilted villas and fringed by Seychelles‑style boulders rising from the shallows. We needn’t have worried – if the concept of ‘ending a trip in style’ was to be personified as a place, it’d undoubtedly be Pangkor Laut.

The resort is bigger than its coastal sibling Tanjong Jara – so much so it has a network of golf buggies to shuttle guests around – but still retains the same unmistakable warm spirit in its DNA. We’re greeted like old friends with flower crowns thrust onto our heads, before we’re ferried across to the floating villas we’ll call home for the next three days. With the turquoise ocean stretching in one direction and thickets of tropical jungle standing proudly in the other, every day provides a glorious insight into Malaysia’s natural beauty – from bats swooping and lizards scampering, to hornbills nesting and, if you’re lucky, a local pangolin meandering across the sand.

While on the island, we pay our respects to Mother Nature to thank her for rewarding us so richly during our stay in Malaysia by planting a tree in the two‑million‑year‑old rainforest and visiting the Nature Conservation Centre to learn about Valentine, the resort’s most recent turtle rehabilitation success story.

The country’s abundant natural resources are also celebrated at Pangkor Laut’s Spa Village, a sprawling corner of the resort that comprises bath houses, treatment pavilions and healing huts, where I’m lucky enough to spend three hours experiencing traditional bath rituals, rejuvenating hair and skin therapies and a restorative massage, beautifully encapsulating Malaysia’s time‑honoured practices and healing culture.

The cherry on top of our stay comes on our final evening, when we board one of the resort’s yachts to sail the perimeter of the island as the sun goes down. There’s something poetic about our trip concluding with an epic sunset, considering the excitement and hope those early sunrises at Tanjong Jara instilled. 

Malaysia truly surpassed my expectations. It may often be compared to its more‑popular neighbours of Thailand and Singapore, but this is a destination rich in its own star appeal and I feel privileged to have had a front‑row seat to see it in all its glory.

Book it: Audley Travel offers a 13‑night trip to Malaysia from £3,166 per person, including five nights at Pangkor Laut Resort, three nights at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur and five nights at Tanjong Jara Resort. The price includes B&B accommodation, flights, transfers and a heritage tour of Kuala Lumpur.
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