Friendly Malaysia

First of all, meet the people. Malaysians are incredibly friendly. Visit Penang, walk in the old Chinese streets and eat in the "hawkers"--it seems to be China at the start of the twentieth century. Eat fabulous dim sum in Kuala Lumpur, and if you can, go in September for the gourmet festival.

Quick Tips:

Stay in some of the most beautiful hotels in the world at prices you will never find elsewhere.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you stay in the big tourist destinations, train is okay, but a little bit slow. Driving is easy and safe (but beware of goats, cows and dogs) in Peninsular Malaysia, but long distance taxis can sometimes be a better choice. They are very cheap.

We stayed for four days at the Tanjong Jara Resort in September 2003 during our roundtrip journey around peninsular Malaysia. Our feeling is that the Tanjong Jara Resort is the most beautiful and exclusive five-star resort on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and it is (along with the Datai on the west coast) one of the most beautiful hotels we have ever seen. Of course, you can be disappointed during monsoon season, but the rest of the year, it's really a tropical paradise.

There are palm trees, a long white sand beach, two pools, a spa, beautiful wooden villas built in Malay style, a wonderful design, good food, and friendly people -- what else could we expect? It's a very quiet, zen, and relaxing place. If we go back to Malaysia, we will go there again!

The Datai is really the best hotel we have seen during all our trips. We had a booking for two nights, but because everything was so perfect, we stayed for a week.

The hotel is situated on the northwestern tip of Langkawi, far from the main overdeveloped tourist areas of the island. The wooden villas, wonderfully crafted from local materials are scattered throughout the jungle, overlooking the Andaman Sea. We could see monkeys, wild boars and even giant lizards from our private verandah. The two pools, the spa, the bar, everything is luxurious but perfectly designed.

The staff is efficient and exceptionally professional, but always very friendly.

Of course, this place is expensive, but nowhere else in the world can you stay in such an exclusive five-star hotel for that price.

The Datai itself is worth the trip to Langkawi. We will go back!

If you can't get a booking at El Bulli in Spain and if Tetsuya in Sydney is too far, don't miss the Third Floor. We were surprised by its contemporary design and innovative food in the old-fashioned Marriott.

The 14-course special menu is absolutely fabulous. It’s a mix of French and Asian cooking that uses top ingredients like foie gras and caviar. Everything was really perfect. It was sometimes surprising, but always at high levels of excellence and innovation. The wine list boasts a good choice of New World wines.