New Straits Times

Jungle retreat by the sea

Set amidst the rainforest, The Andaman Resort Langkawi offers close encounters with nature

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While the boys stay in the connecting Luxury Seaview Guest room with two single beds, we get the Executive Seaview Suite.

Our suite has a separate living area con- to the next room where the boys are. It’s an ideal choice for families as the living room can be a place to chill and have family time.

The area is super spacious ― complete with sofas, entertainm­ent system, 32-inch LCD flat panel television with DVD player, a fully stocked mini-bar and a coffee pot. There’s a dining area complete with round table and four chairs. It’s a warm and welcoming space featuring contempora­ry dark wood details with unique craft displays ― it feels very homely.

There’s a balcony with the view of the beach where we can relax with a cuppa in the morning waiting for the sky to change colours. However, we have been warned to lock the balcony door to avoid jungle creatures such as monkeys breaking in.

A wooden sliding door leads to the suite bedroom. It’s an enormous space with floorto-ceiling windows. The king bed faces the view, so guests can wake up to a heavenly scene. The marble tiled bathroom is like a spa! It has a large bathtub and a separate glass-enclosed rainforest shower. The toilet cubicle is also separated.

At the side is a vanity desk. Guests are provided with a full range of Luxury Collection bath amenities made of eucalyptus.

To get us into the jungle mode, the resort has prepared a perfect little tipple on the dining table ― a mixture of pineapple, coconut and lime juice. It’s a refreshing drink to kick off our beach getaway.

On our first night, we head to Jala, an elevated dining experience by the beach. Here, guests can choose the freshest catch of the day to be cooked by the chef.

It’s casual open-air dining, warm romantic lighting with sandy floor. I choose to walk barefoot, feeling the cool sand underneath my feet.

My friend Zarina and I head to the seanected food display and choose the fresh catch to be cooked. There are grouper, snapper, huge prawn, squid, clam and many more.

Choose how you like the food to be cooked — grilled, steamed or be surprised. You get to select the side dishes and there is an a la carte menu.

It doesn’t take long before our dishes arrive — two types of grilled fish and several sides. We also order two plates of appetisers on the menu to share.

The chef does a great job with the catch. It is grilled perfectly so the texture is not too dry. The fish are served with a couple of sauces ― my favourite is the green spicy sauce.

Here at The Andaman, guests can join compliment­ary activities such as the jungle walking tour. There are two sessions — Rainforest Awakening and Rainforest Afterdark.

We take the Rainforest Awakening and this morning, Zul is one of JungleWall­a ( natural history tours) guides.

It’s a one hour walk exploring the vicinity of the resort. Morning is the best time to walk the grounds to gain insight into the thriving flora and fauna in The Andaman. Jalan Teluk Datai, Langkawi 04-959 1088

com/hotels/travel/lgklc-theandaman-a-luxury-collection­resort-langkawi/

The resort offers 178 rooms and suites. Guests enjoy 24-hour room service, nightly turndown service and two compliment­ary bottles of water daily.

There are four distinctiv­e yet equally alluring restaurant­s — The Restaurant, Jala,

Tepian Laut and The Japanese Restaurant — and two bars — The Jentayu Lounge and Beach Bar.

Indulge at V Botanical Spa, join nature walking tours, visit the coral nursery and just relax by the serene beach. The hotel also has a gym, outdoor pool, game room and kids’ club.

Why go out when you can fully enjoy the resort?

Pantai Cenang is less than 45 minutes from the resort. Other attraction­s nearby include Temurun Waterfall, Crocodile Adventure Langkawi and Langkawi Skybridge.

Luxury, great service with friendly workers.

Really far from the city, but perfect if you like to get away for some peace and quiet.

 ??  ?? Pristine Teluk Datai.
Pristine Teluk Datai.
 ??  ?? Indulge in a Malay Rainforest treatment at V Botanical Spa.
Indulge in a Malay Rainforest treatment at V Botanical Spa.
 ??  ?? Explore and learn about marine life at the Coral Nursery.
Explore and learn about marine life at the Coral Nursery.
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