Review: Pangkor Laut Resort

Pangkor Laut Resort was planned as a prequel to our sweet honeymoon shortly after our wedding, as hubby wanted a short escapade to relax after our wedding planning.
He had always wanted to come to Pangkor Laut Resort as he had read that this is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations among the foreigners from the west due to its exclusivity.

A lot of people told us that it was not worth it to spend our honeymoon in Malaysia, as with the prices we are paying, we could have gone on an overseas trip, to probably places like Taiwan, Hong Kong or even Australia.
However, we still proceeded to this as hubby had projects on hand and unable to take long leaves, we looked forward to a short but sweet escapade locally.
Furthermore, our country is a rather popular tourist destination and with so much natural beauty surrounding us, what better way to start our marriage if not on an exclusive and private island like Pangkor Laut Resort, which is an award-winning and highly ranked in the world?


We didn't make a mistake, as we, especially me, was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome of the resort the minute we arrived at Lumut jetty.

Everything that you could think of, it was thought of by the resort as well and basically, I won't be wrong to say that we did not have to lift a finger to do anything on our own at Pangkor Laut Resort.

From the luggages to the speedboat to the checking in, it was all handled by the resort with so much professionalism that they already made us feel at ease immediately!


The lovely view of and from the resort is just simply stunning, and spells tranquility and peace in one's mind; an ideal picture of a perfect relaxing vacation.


Despite being an island of its own and away from mainland, there is still no need to fear of pirates or unwanted company as the resort had everything under their hands and guests like us just feel safe and secure all the time.


The remarkable part about this resort is its surroundings of a 2 million year old rainforest; which lends it the natural environment and mystery required.

Most of the facilities here are surrounded by the natural environment; and even the spa and the bathrooms are just built right in the middle of the forests!

Despite the natural surroundings, that did not stop the little touches of design to enhance the comfort of their guests; for instance the little pebbled path for walking for the guests.


Bathrooms by the beach are not your typical public toilets, mind you!


Take a step into them and you feel like you are transported into luxury!

Everything was just so aromatherapy-like that you are constantly reminded of your lovely breakaway from the city life.


At the same time, taking note of the nature's environment around them, the resort does its best not to strip the place of its natural resources and yet, considering the comfort of their guests, they provided facilities and little touches that took care of every need of the guests.
They provide shuttle service for their guests, shuttle stops, phone booths, bathrooms, etc.


At the beach (Emerald Bay) area, they even provided towels and chilled mineral water for the guests lazing by the beach!
There is even a pot at the shuttle station with water for one to wash the sand away from their feet.

(I love the touch of using a coconut husk; very environmental and natural, as a tool to ladle the water from the pot)

One need not worry about the bad weather as the shuttle will take you to the nearest point before dropping you off near your villas.
Also, there are two umbrellas provided in every room, but if you forget to bring them, there are always umbrellas everywhere!


There are pavilions for you to rest, and for book lovers like me, they also have libraries; one at the main reception and another one near the spa village area.


I loved how they made the reading areas so comfortable and cosy!


I am sure by now, that you are certain that my review of this place is a positive one; if not uplifting!

I truly enjoyed the natural beauty of this place which gave me the much needed peace of mind, and the top notched services and hospitality makes my stay even more memorable.
I am already looking forward to my next visit here, and it was a very reluctant departure on my last day.

I am truly happy with the first part of my honeymoon, albeit a short one, and it has made the first part of my marriage a very sweet one :-)

I would definitely recommend this award-winning place to newly weds, or honeymooners or couples looking for a romantic retreat;)

If you do not believe me, well, let their awards and testimonials convince you.

Disclaimer: I am not paid nor hired by Pangkor Laut Resort to write this review, as it was done purely based on my own opinions and experiences and am not speaking for the majority.

Honeymoon Special: Romantic Dining by the Sea

On our last night in Pangkor Laut, we enjoyed a lovely romantic evening, despite the stormy weather which threatened to spoil our dining by the sea.


However, since I am a big fan of the rain, I was not upset a bit even when I had to move into the restaurant for my food, instead of sitting on the verandah overlooking the sea.

The dining venue was at Fisherman's Cove Restaurant, which was just a few steps away from Spa Village (where we were staying).


Great food, excellent service, romantic ambience and lovely songs serenaded our dinner that night and are the summary of the overall dining experience at this fine dining restaurant in Pangkor Laut Resort.


I still miss the wonderful fresh seafood fare I have enjoyed here.
Appetizer


Starters



Sorbet as a palate cleanser


Our mains:
Grilled Barramundi with Tiger Prawns


Braised Lobster with citrus sauce


Desserts



If I were to describe the entire evening with only one word, it would be SUPERB :)
I truly enjoyed myself, and thanks to the excellent hospitality by the staff which made my stay even more memorable.

Lunch with the peacocks at Royal Bay Beach Club

Yup, with the peacocks, you didn't read wrongly!

We had a late lunch after our spa session, and that day's lunch was at the Royal Bay Beach Club.


Thankfully, most of the restaurants or bars around here serve lunch until 4 o' clock in the afternoon, making sure that most of us who have spa or other appointments do not starve to death.


We sat down in the rather casual and relaxed environment of the restaurant, and were immediately greeted by a bunch of peacocks striding proudly into the restaurants like they owned the place.
You know how haughty peacocks can be sometimes, and really, we were surprised at how bold they were and I even wondered where they came from until I remembered that we are surrounded by rainforest, and they do have a botanical park on the island.

The peacocks were harmless, really, but they can a little nosy as they came too close to us diners; in fact, too close for comfort!

Lunch was a simple but enjoyable affair; with the lovely food served! (I won't elaborate much on the food but will go in general, as I will cover on the food in my food blog :)
A glimpse of what we had for our late lunch that day








We enjoyed our lunch very much and relaxed with the good food, environment and service, while looking forward to our next activity later in the afternoon...

Honeymoon Special: Spa and Couple's Massage

If you come all the way to Pangkor Laut Resort and did not try out their award-winning spa services, then you missed out on the good stuffs.

As we were signed up on the honeymoon package, we were scheduled to enjoy a four-hours spa and relaxation session provided by the professionals here at the Spa Village.


The spa sessions here are exclusive and though they have the standard packages, they also customize according to each individual needs following a consultation with their experts (who are certified doctors and professionals by the way) to optimize the benefits of the spa.

Their services and facilities have received great reviews and feedback from experts; putting them at the top spot for Best Destination Spas and many other rewards.

Hearing all the fab reviews, I was just more than excited to try out their spa!

It was one of my lovely hubby's thoughtful plan for me to just unwind and relax those tension from the wedding planning. He wanted me to just enjoy myself and have a good time, thank you hubby!:)

Just sitting at this pavilion while waiting for my spa session already made me feel so relaxed!


The design here is influenced heavily by the Balinese style and is obvious on the architecture of the pillars and ceilings.


The view from where I am sitting; overlooks the Infinity Pool


We were served a chilled and refreshing drink which tasted of orange and lemongrass with a light tinge of ginger (or so I thought)


We didn't have to wait long as we were scheduled on their appointment list, as I have mentioned, and soon we were attended to by our individual masseur; yes, even if it's a couple session, we still have our own dedicated masseurs.
(They do make us feel like kings and queens around here!)

Our Masseurs were of Indonesian origin; or more specifically, Balinese and they were very friendly and spoke good English.

We started with a simple foot massage.

(This is an ancient tradition to relax and promote blood circulation; as I was told)

It certainly helped me to relax a little.

After that, we were led to our changing rooms, and this is where our photography session ends as we changed into sarongs and led to our full spa session; which includes a cold shower/dip in a clear pool, followed by a Japanese bath; onsen, and then relaxing in a hot spring pool.
Chilled green tea was served after the hot bath.

There was then an exfoliation session, and we were both united at the steam room.
(Yes, the above sessions were all separate)

After steaming ourselves for as long as we like (or could stand), we enjoyed a milk bath in a jacuzzi bath tub with massaging motion turned on, to our liking. There was hot tea or plain water served at this time.

We then proceeded to our massage session, and that was my favorite part.
It helped me to relax and I almost fell asleep! (that's the purpose anyway;)

We were then led to our private nap gazebo to enjoy a short nap, until the masseurs came to wake us up.

I felt rejuvenated and relaxed after the whole session, and I enjoyed the lemongrass with ginger juice I was served at the end of the session.
I developed some redness as I had extremely sensitive skin, which was probably due to the temperature change and the nature (the session was out in the nature). There were also insect bites, but the masseurs and therapists took good care of it when I informed them by applying their traditional ointment/balm on the affected spots.
They just thought of every little thing!

It was a lovely session, and I enjoyed every second of it.
I will definitely come back one day to try their spa again, definitely world class services and facilities! :-)

Early morning swim at Emerald Bay

After our breakfast on the third day, we made a short trip to enjoy the view at Emerald Bay and to swim; well, for my hubby at least, for me, it's just playing with the water :p

I just love the calming waters and peaceful surroundings here!




We only spent an hour or so, as we had to get ready for our next activity! :)