An Asian Escape For Nature Lovers

For travelers with wanderlust, a love of nature, and an appetite for luxury, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, Malaysia, is a destination not to be missed.

Holidaymakers looking for less-traveled destinations in Asia will find a winning combination of sun, sea, luxury, and privacy at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, located on one of Malaysia’s most exclusive coastal strips. With the new Beach Residence Bliss package, travelers can swap the confines of their homes for the comforts and premium amenities of residentialstyle beachfront living within the resort’s vast collection of opulent residences and villas.

Perfect for multi-generational getaways or weekends away with friends, a 245-square-meter threebedroom beach residence can accommodate six adults and three children, while the 380-squaremeter four-bedroom beach residence provides expansive space coupled with privacy for eight adults and four children.

All beach residences offer direct beachfront access alongside private infinity pools and wide sundecks surrounded by a well-manicured lawn and shaded by coconut trees. Each residence also boasts a cutting-edge kitchen, wine fridge, and pantry stocked with luxury amenities, as well as the latest AV equipment. Ensuite bedrooms and an elegant dining area come with ample living space, while the powder room and helper’s room offer functionality.

Making the most of Anantara’s peerless service, guests can outsource meal planning to their butler who will see to all the details and ensure a perfect dining experience. From floating breakfasts under the tropical fronds to private barbecues on the deck, in-residence dining experiences at Anantara Desaru Coast showcase the best of local and regional flavors, allowing guests to soak up the serenity of lagoon and garden views.

The Beach Residence Bliss package starts at around $547. The package includes accommodation, with children under the age of 12 staying for free, as well as buffet breakfast, a daily minibar refill, nonmotorized seasonal watersports, resort credit, a signature massage for two, and a welcome fruit platter.

Guests at Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas’ first luxury hotel in Malaysia can look forward to an array of nature-inspired activities such as tree planting, seed collection, and camera trapping. These newly introduced activities complement an existing schedule that includes beach life and tidepool discovery, bird watching, and nature walks around the resort.

The tree planting program takes place at a nearby nursery where guests can plant trees including Sea Almond, Sea Apple, and rainforest fruit trees that are endemic to Malaysia and that provide food for local wildlife. The tree saplings are nurtured at the nursery until they are big enough to be transplanted to a forest. Meanwhile, seed collection is a fun exercise for people of all ages to

enjoy. Guests are brought to a nearby forest to gather seeds that have fallen to the ground, with the seeds then germinated to grow into saplings.

As for camera trapping, the activity involves a visit to the protected Panti Recreational Forest reserve located 90 minutes away from the resort. There, guests are escorted by guides to inspect the cameras and check for battery usage. Guests who donated towards Anantara’s Dollar For Deeds initiative are invited to participate. Dollar For Deeds is Anantara’s CSR program where guests donate a small amount of money for every night they stay, which the resort then matches, ringgit for ringgit. The money is ultimately channeled to Rewild Desaru, a nonprofit organization that supports resident wildlife species.

For those who prefer to remain at the resort, the Desaru Beachlife & Tidepool Discovery activity invites guests to walk on the beach at low tide to discover the hidden small creatures that come up to look for food. For bird lovers, Desaru’s Winged Gems is a great guide-led activity that gives guests the opportunity to spot birds often found at Desaru Coast, such as the stork-billed kingfisher, oriental pied hornbill, and crested serpent eagle. Last but not least, the morning and evening nature walks led by the resort’s resident naturalist offer insight into the names, benefits, and stories of the surrounding plants and flowers.

To further help develop a love for plants and nature, our recreation department has arranged terrarium making classes on Saturday afternoons, with guests encouraged to take their terrariums home as a memento of their stay.

Daily wellness workshops have also been recently introduced to inspire people to make their own natural products, including pain relief balms, coffee scrubs, and bath bombs. Meanwhile, the resort offers regular exercise sessions on the beach, including Sunrise Dong Sticks on weekdays and yoga sessions on weekends.

Activities aside, the resort’s 116 accommodations comprise of 90 tastefully decorated deluxe rooms in low-rise buildings that overlook the gardens, lagoon, and ocean. A total of 13 stand-alone double story luxurious one- and two-bedroom pool villas are located around the lagoon, with designs that draw heavily on the traditional kampung houses. Constructed to suit the tropical Malaysian climate, kampung houses are typically characterized by floor-to-ceiling windows, slanted carved wooden panels, louvres and vents under the roof, and wide-open doors that allow natural airflow to cool the interior. Lastly, the threeand four-bedroom beach residences offer modern expansive areas with private pool for small families, with some offering direct beach access.

As for dining, Turmeric is the allday dining outlet serving the best of Thai and Malay cuisine, and Sea. Fire.Salt. is the resort’s signature restaurant serving steaks and fresh seafood. The restaurants are ranked first and second respectively in the destination by TripAdvisor. The dining experience at the resort is further complimented by the 360-degree view at the Observatory Bar, the chill out setting at the Infinity Pool Bar, and The Lounge with its panoramic views over the entire resort and beach. Meanwhile, the Herbs Garden and pristine beachfront provide ample space for team building activities as well as picturesque weddings with an ocean backdrop.

“Guests can look forward to an array of nature-inspired activities such as tree planting, seed collection, and camera trapping. "