Coast with the most

ONE & ONLY DESARU COAST, MALAYSIA

For various historical and infrastructural reasons, Malaysia’s resorts have all tended to cluster along its west coast, leaving the eastern flank in a remarkably pristine condition, thick with virgin rainforests and soft-sand beaches. Capitalising on this natural bounty is the One & Only group’s first Asian property. Set on a 128-acre estate, the resort’s 45 bright and breezy suites are the work of Kerry Hill Architects. Fans of Aman resorts – with whom the Singapore-based studio is a long-time collaborator – will recognise, amid the swathes of stone, linear perspectives and dense landscaping, a familiar layout of cascading terraces and pools. The centrepiece is a vast network of lawn and boxed gardens that leads, temple-like, past a 50m infinity pool and down to the 1.5km stretch of private beach and the South China Sea beyond. Special plaudits for the capacious Chenotmanaged spa, and the manicure and pedicure salon run by the ever-fabulous Bastien Gonzalez. DW oneandonlyresorts.com. Rates: from $835

27: Length in metres of the counter in the Ember Beach Club restaurant

50: Length in metres of the main infinity pool, which points towards the ocean and horizon

1,695: Handcrafted pieces, including this handwoven songket above a guest room bed, made by Sarawak-based Tanoti Crafts, a collective of female weavers