The Ups and Downs of Pangkor Laut Resort
Fringed by spectacular white sandy beaches and the emerald waters of the Malacca Strait, this 15 year old resort has had a plethora of star studded guests over the years from Hollywood A Listers, to sports and rock-stars, all singing it's praises. It was declared a paradise by the late Pavarotti whom has a luxury abode named after him. It has been previously voted 'Number One in the World' by Condé Nast Traveller, but does the majestic Pangkor Laut Resort continue to live up to the hype?
Nestled amidst an ancient rain forest on a private island this exotic destination is three miles off the West Coast of Malaysia. To get there from Kuala Lumpur entails a three and a half hour drive, so it is advised to stay in KL a few nights before and after this adventure so that everything doesn't become rushed.
The drive itself will take you through some scenic and not so scenic little towns as you make your way to the Island's transfer port at Pangkor Marina. It is here that you will be met with a warm greeting from the smartly dressed hotel staff who will be checking your bags in and loading them to one of their many transfer vessels. A refreshing welcome drink is offered along with a nice cold towel to help freshen you up from the long drive. Once your reservation is confirmed you are ushered out to the docks and get aboard the speed boat to embark on the final leg of the journey to the island, which is a reasonably short and fun trip.
As you make a slight turn on the final approach, the resort comes into view in all its it glory and before you know it you find yourself in the al fresco welcoming area and lobby. The white columns and wooden thatched roof is elegant and offers a sense of presence to the formalities. The check in staff are friendly but surprisingly not as engaging as the gentlemen back on shore and seem to be quite disorganized which is a slightly perplexing situation to encounter after such a long journey to get there.
This is not as puzzling as coming to find that rooms are not available to be checked into until after 3pm. Strangely, the instructions at the start of the journey were clear in indicating that the 2pm allocated transport vessel must be taken. In effect this left a crowded group of newly arrived and obviously excited vacationers sitting in the lobby for the better part of an hour with very little information or guidance on what to do next. It was a dampener and an unfortunate introduction to the resort that was not really befitting of such a seemingly luxurious, five star destination.
Finally at the stroke of 3pm people magically started being assigned to their rooms and over the proceeding hour were politely asked, key in hand to make their way over to the mini van pick up point. These vans are in constant motion ferrying guests all over the resort and to their respective rooms day and night. Unfortunately the demand for them is such that you can be left waiting for a ride from anywhere from 15 minutes and in one case half an hour, which seemed a little excessive.
It should be noted that for families wishing to visit with young children, many of the options at the resort are restricted - such as the over sea villas due to safety concerns as well as many of the dining venues. Further, from an accessibility and getting around stand point, the many steep inclines and sets of stairs will no doubt cause considerable inconvenience as there are no ramps to be seen anywhere.
The resort is undulating and expansive offering a range of plush accommodation types. From the Garden and Hill Villas through to the Sea, Beach and Spa Villas and finally the Pavarotti Suite and the Estates for those that are looking for the best of the best that the island has to offer. These options come equipped with your own butler and chef as well as your own private vehicle to get around in.
The Hill Villas are set against the leafy hillsides and almost disappear amidst the rain-forest. They offer magnificent, elevated views of the sea and tropical gardens and at 71 m² they aren't small and provide enough space to move and feel relaxed. The styling is as you would expect, a lovely mixture of colonial exterior architecture with rich, wooden malay islandesque interiors. The king size bed is soft and welcoming and naturally has some very nice linen and comforting pillows. A small writing desk and sofa complete the living space nicely. Perhaps the biggest feature of these rooms are the bathrooms which has a large central bath tub with floor to ceiling windows that open to create a semi outdoor feel. There is a waterfall shower, dual hand basins and an extensive line up of Mangosteen designer toiletries. The bathroom area adjoins an open dressing, storage and coffee making area (surprisingly with no Coffee Machine) which in practice feels less spacious and in truth had its fair share of minor blemishes - the most obvious being a power outlet that was falling out of the wall. The air conditioning worked well but was slightly on the louder side of normal. As far as connectivity goes, at check in guests are provided with a roaming WIFI toggle and charger which works perfectly and allows you to to stay connected anywhere on the island. This was very useful indeed.
The resort boasts a line up of seven restaurants and also offers private dining experiences. There is Feast Village which is the All Day Dining venue but with a strong focus on breakfast. As far as the breakfast experience goes, it was good offering a wide range local, Asian and European options but is not at the same level of say a Shangri-la breakfast. Then there is Fisherman's Cove which looks beautiful and is located just near the Spa Village, and features seafood themed dishes crafted by Chef Wai, the pioneer of this locally and internationally acclaimed restaurant. All of the dining spaces across the resort are al fresco, which has its advantages and disadvantages. Regrettably at this venue the service while friendly, was uncoordinated. However more worryingly - the food was actually quite average with the Lobster Bisque tragically being inedible due to an awful, pungent sour taste and bits of the shell still being in it. Sadly, it was returned to the kitchen.
Other restaurant destinations include, Uncle Lim's Kitchen, Chapman's Bar, the Jamu Bar and The Straights, along with the popular pool side Royal Bay Beach Club. At this venue you will get up close and personal with some of the local wild life as the oriental pied hornbills will swoop right in and sit on the chair opposite you, a startling act for such a large bird!
However avian entertainment aside, it was here on all three visits that the service levels encountered were a big let down. From having to wait 45 minutes for a meal to inexplicably not being able to run a drinks tab to the room, necessitating staff to 'but in' on conversations every few moments to get patrons to sign for every individual drink and food item - something never experienced before anywhere in the world. To their credit, the Club Sandwich was simply outstanding.
That said, all of the restaurants - even by Dubai standards are expensive and there is no room service at the resort.
There are some lovely and endearing qualities to this nature driven venue, from the wildlife to mountain hiking and the grounds in general which are immaculate and idyllic. Then there is the Spa Village which is like a little slice of heaven on earth. This really is a whole separate 'village' of indulgence with its own 50-metre swimming pool, its own spa-cuisine restaurant, a small library as well as some private massage pavilions. This is a real highlight of the property, so too Emerald Beach - which on this stay was absolutely beautiful, the water resplendent in rich aqua green and blue. Spending a day down here was absolute bliss.
The beauty and value of any luxury stay is always in the eye of the beholder and is based on one's collective experiences. Perception and positioning of a property plays a large role in setting guests' expectations. In this case heading in to the stay expectations were definitely high and with good reason: this is a highly regarded, five star 'destination stay' that requires a considerable commitment in time and budget to undertake.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a real lack of professional systems and front of house training in play that you would expect a property such as this one or similar to posses. There's absolutely no doubt that there are some star qualities to this famous resort. However, it is the let down in service and the lack of attention to detail that demotes this property from being a truly five star experience to being a much more realistic four star destination. Had this been the expectation and price point from the outset, almost all of the wobbles along way could have been overlooked, however this is billed as one of the world's best resorts, which makes these things count.
Bottom Line:
Ultimately these miss steps were a tremendous shame given Pangkor Laut's rich heritage and elevated status. Perhaps, if one stayed secluded and catered for in the Pavarotti Suite or the Estate, then the experience would have been an entirely different (and dare we say) much more positive one.
Perhaps one day we will find out.
