ONE&ONLY DESARU COAST

Known to few travelers outside Malaysia or nearby Singapore, the recently revamped resort area of Desaru Coast in Johor is now firmly on the map thanks to the arrival of One&Only. With just 44 standalone suites and a capacious four-bedroom villa, this is one of the last projects of the late, great Australian architect Kerry Hill, whose feted brand of site-sensitive modernism produced some of Asia’s most innovative hotels. Here, cleanlined pavilions dressed in timber shutters channel Malaysian village vernacular; terraces of stone and lawn cascade down to the sea; and pools reflect the wild tangle of the surrounding rain forest. Amid the enveloping lushness are all the indulgences that you’d expect from a One&Only property, including a Chenot-managed spa and Ember Beach Club, which features poolside cabanas and a barbecue-centric menu by Singapore-based Irish chef Andrew Walsh. Another draw is the beach itself: a one-and-a-half-kilometer stretch of pristine white sand lapped by the South China Sea. oneandonlyresorts.com/desaru-coast; doubles from US$980