Discover: MALAYSIA

[MALAYSIAN]

Nobody who dives off the Borneo island of Sipadan wants to leave.

By Martin Spice
Last Updated: 4:44PM GMT 24 Feb 2009



Approximately one hour's flight from my home town of Kota Kinabalu in Borneo lies the small town of Tawau.

From there it is a further hour by bus to the estuary town of Semporna and from there less than one hour by boat to the jewel in the east Sabah region's crown: the island of Sipadan.

By general consensus it's one of the top 10 dive spots in the world. And I'd venture to suggest that by cognoscenti consensus it might rank as the very best of all.

Nobody who dives Sipadan wants to leave it. The island Jacques Cousteau made famous in his underwater TV documentaries is a real treasure.

Jump off your boat, put your mask underwater and gasp. If you don't see a turtle in the first sweep of a gaze that can take in tens of metres of clear water it will be only minutes before one passes.

Look straight below you and there is a good chance you will see a shark sleeping on a ledge. Look in front of you into a cloud of brightly coloured fish that twist and turn in the light – but beware of the one that looks like a child's cutout of a fish.

The manic look in its eye will tell you that this is a trigger fish and almost every diver has their own story of a close and sometimes toothy encounter.

Sipadan is not just for divers. My wife dives; I don't. But I can put on a snorkel mask and float. And that's just what I did for three wonderful days of a recent short break.

Three times a day, we left our resort island and tore across open water, twin outboards screaming. The dive spot was not always Sipadan but the area is so rich in marine life that there is much to see elsewhere.

Diving Sipadan itself is not as easy at it used to be. Once there was accommodation on the island, albeit of a very basic kind. Nowadays the only people based there are the army and Sabah Parks Authority officials.

The new regulations are mired in controversy. Everyone wants to see Sipadan protected but the apparently random allocation of dive permits means you can set off in the early morning only to be turned back by officials.

Frustrating – particularly if you have travelled across the world to dive there.

The desire of Sabah, one of the two Malaysian states on Borneo, to protect its wildlife runs straight into the face of its propensity to make money from the exploitation of that wildlife's habitat.

Thirty years ago much of the rainforest was logged over and a lot of people became very rich on the proceeds. Now the cash cow is palm oil, the green gold of our times.

But the palm oil estates destroy the variety of vegetation, replacing it with a soulless monoculture that is habitat to very few of Sabah's indigenous animals.

On the great Kinabatangan River, the estates extend almost to the banks and have all but destroyed the corridors used by the pygmy elephants as well as damaging the orangutan's habitat badly enough to threaten its survival.

Very recently the issuing of licences to longline fishermen caused controversy in Kota Kinabalu as the environment lobby publicised the dangers this indiscriminate form of fishing poses to sharks and turtles.

That tense chilly dawn wait off Sipadan is a microcosm of Sabah's dilemma. It wants to exploit its natural resources to satisfy its cash hunger but the tourism trade it is so anxious to promote demands access to an unspoiled environment.

The desire to protect and the desire to exploit run counter to each other. In three days we got permits once. One permit means two dives. So is it worth it? A thousand times yes.

What makes Sipadan special is its drop off. There are plenty of islands in the South China Seas and the Celebes Sea but none of them share Sipadan's geological good fortune.

Go a very short distance from the island's tree-fringed shores and you hover over thousands of feet of water. And this drop off is sheer.

One minute you are snorkeling over a hundred varieties of coral three metres below you and the next you are staring into deep sea space.

Visibility is so good you can see dozens of metres down. It is an extraordinary feeling – hovering over a void. For a moment it is terrifying then wonder takes over. For with the depth come the big fish.

Barracuda Point is one of Sipadan's most famous dive sites. Thousands of barracuda shoal here.

If you are lucky you will see them packed together into a wall of fish. If you are very lucky, you will witness one of Sipadan's most famous sights, the swirling vortex of chevron barracuda.

The lack of accommodation on Sipadan is no great loss. Our home for our extended weekend was the sunken island of Kapalai.

Once it was proudly above water; then the villagers started to take away the sand and slowly the sea eroded the rest of the land until it was all under water.

Now Kapalai is a stunning resort built on stilts that rest on the sea bed. Our room was built directly over the water, as were the walkways and the communal areas.

Sitting on our balcony one evening we spotted a turtle come up for air only metres away, tracked blue spotted sting rays as they skimmed above the sandy sea bed and watched the thin and streamlined pipefish as they hung in the spotlights thoughtfully fixed to the underside of the balcony.

As the sun burned down to the horizon, it was hard to believe there was anywhere finer to sip a glass of well-earned sauvignon blanc.

-telegraph.co.uk

[nazrey]

German visits Penang again and again
By IAN MCINTYRE



Pearl of the Orient fan: Tun Abdul Rahman presenting a plaque
to Budke. With him is his consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff.

GEORGE TOWN: To octogenarian German Wilma Budke, Penang is her very own “Fantasy Island” and it is like paying “homage” whenever she flies to the island for her annual vacation.

The 81-year-old widow has created a record of sorts by holidaying in Penang every year since 1978 - she is now the longest returnee foreign hotel guest in Penang’s hospitality industry.

Budke, from the industrial city of Osnabruck, is also the longest foreign guest returnee at two Shangri-La Resort properties here. To date, she has chalked up 4,159 room nights at the two resorts.

For her loyalty, the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and his consort Toh Puan Hajah Majimor Shariff granted her an audience at their official residence Seri Mutiara here yesterday.

The occasion was more meaningful as it was her 81st birthday and Abdul Rahman presented her with a plaque as a gesture of appreciation on behalf of the two hotels, Golden Sands Resort and Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa.

On what lured her to keep coming back for 31 consecutive years, Budke said: “Friendly Penangites, food and fine weather”.

Budke used to come with her husband Friedrich Budke. They came to know about Penang through a travel brochure.

After her husband passed away in 1997, she continued to visit. The couple did not have any children.

[nazrey]

How much is Malaysia ‘Truly Asia’?
QUESTION TIME
By P. GUNASEGARAM

Small things at times highlight disturbing, distressing shifts that have moved values, attitudes and actions over the years by incremental, almost imperceptible, changes.

I LIKE the slogan “Malaysia Truly Asia”, which has been used by the Tourism Ministry in numerous advertisements internationally to promote the potpourri of culture, language, religion and food of its varied people.

The idea is that Malaysia is a microcosm of Asia where the major cultures and races of the most populous continent are represented and practised freely, with its inhabitants coming from all corners of the Asian continent into one happy country.

But how happy is “happy” these days? And how much tolerance do we have these days for the different racial and religious attributes of our diverse people who collectively make up what some people proudly call the Malaysian race? Indeed, is there such a thing as a Malaysian race in the first place?

How much is Malaysia “Truly Asia”? I am afraid my own answer is not terribly positive although it holds out hope for the future. For me, the inescapable conclusion is that things have deteriorated – and by a lot, and they are crying to be turned around.

Let me highlight that small event that is a sign of what we have become, which ironically took place at the Tourism Ministry’s Malaysian Tourism Centre or Matic, a historical building on Jalan Ampang with a number of delightful facilities.

It was here that inauguration of four of Malaysia’s kings were conducted. TV Malaysia was launched here in 1963.

Currently it has a number of halls, meeting rooms, theatre and amphitheatre, a restaurant and shops.

On Jan 17, at a theatre here, Dewan Tunku Abdul Rahman, an Indian classical dance performance – of the Bharatha Natyam – was scheduled in the evening. Just outside this hall is an amphitheatre where a Sara*wakian cultural performance was also scheduled.

For the Indian dance performance, among the decorations in the foyer of the hall, separated by a glass door from the amphitheatre, was a statuette of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha, commonly known as the elephant god. Ganesha is revered for his ability to remove obstacles and the statuette is symbolic of his presence at the function.

The eagle eye of an employee at Matic spotted Ganesha and the employee told the organisers that a dignitary was opening the Sarawak cultural performance later.

His boss, he continued, did not want the dignitary to see Ganesha and he wanted the statuette removed!

What kind of an unreasonable demand was that? The hall had been booked months in advance and in fact a reception during intermission had been scheduled to take place in the amphitheatre area. It is traditional for Indian classical dances to have such an image of Ganesha present.

Despite protests by the organisers, the Matic employee instructed the decorators to remove the statuette ahead of the dignitary’s arrival.

Since when have we become so intolerant that an official of no less than the Tourism Ministry which proudly promulgates the “Malaysia Truly Asia” slogan all over the world has to remove a Hindu deity from the view of a (presumably) Muslim dignitary?

How have we got into a situation that there seems to be so little respect, tolerance and acceptance for the beliefs, practices and rights of other religions in Malaysia when there was so much goodwill before?

What has got into us that we stress the differences and let that drive wedges between us Malaysians rather than enjoy and celebrate the diversity among us which brings so much richness into our lives as we experience other cultures intimately and daily?

Three days later, I was watching US president Barack Obama’s inauguration speech live on TV, where he mentioned that he – a black - became president although 60 years earlier his father may not have been served in a restaurant.

So much has happened in moving forward race relations in the US but here in Malaysia, it has worsened from the time of Independence in 1957.

The unity of purpose which brought all the races together in one front to press for Independence from British colonial rule rapidly deteriorated over the years, as racial and religious differences were whipped up by politicians to keep themselves in power.

Racial and religious tolerance declined over the decades as policies and politics emphasised the divides. Post the May 13, 1969, racial riots, new policies to redress racial inequalities, which were poorly implemented, exacerbated the situation and gave rise to patronage politics.

Now not a day goes by without Barisan Nasional members quarrelling over racial issues.

And one official in Matic deemed it necessary that the statuette of Ganesha at a private performance of Indian classical dance should be removed lest a dignitary catch a fleeting glimpse of it through glass doors and take offence.

To what depths have we descended over the years! If this is what we have come to, how on earth are the problems of abuse and discrimination against some communities going to be sorted out?

Even as we write, there are reports of a Indian Malaysian who died under questionable circumstances while in police custody.

Signs are that Malaysians of all races, creeds and religions are getting tired of this bigotry and policies that divide instead of unite. The results of March 8 reflect the frustrations of the people.

On the night of the dance performance, the Kuala Terengganu by-election results came in. No, it was not the choice of candidate that lost Barisan the election – it was that after March 8, Barisan had nothing fresh to offer, nothing new.

Incoming Umno president and future prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said in the wake of that loss – again – that Barisan needed to change: “If we fail to deal with these challenges (meeting people’s aspirations) effectively, punishment awaits us in the 13th general election.”

And as Obama said humbly after his inauguration as president of the United States, without a doubt the most powerful position in the world: “The world has changed and we must change with it.”

But will anyone listen?

> P. Gunasegaram is managing editor of The Star. He is happy to report, that despite that incident, his daughter Shobna’s dance performance that night went very well.

[nazrey]

Terengganu
Pulau Redang Adventure [Laguna Redang Resort]
by sIMANG
http://flickr.com/photos/dangerouswi...7608049446664/

[2206]

The Sabah Experience: Land Below the Wind
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...=530285&page=2


ECO TREASURE
............FROM MOUNTAIN HIGH .......................TO OCEAN DEEP



Welcome

Sabah Tourism

Sabah Travel Guide




world heritage - Mount Kinabalu Park
world class dive paradise - Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, Mataking, Lankayan, Layang-layang, more...
world top ten turlte nestling area - Turtle Islands Park (Selingan, Bankungan kecil & Gulisan)
world famous Survivor island - Pulau Tiga Marine Park
one of the world most complex ecosystem area - Danum Valley, Maliau Basin, Tabin Wildlife Reserve
world largest wildman rehabilitation centre - Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary
world largest flower - Rafflesia
world best managed edible birds' nest cave - Gomantong Caves
one of world only four single column structure tower - Menara Tun Mustapha (Yayasan Sabah)
world top three sunset spot - KK city
world class resort & golf club
Sutera Harbour Resort
Shangrila Tanjung Aru Resort (STAR)
Karambunai Nexus Resort
Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort



diving paradise

golfing paradise

[2206]

NEO cps


click for more picssssss

[2206]

[nazrey]

Australian tourist numbers to Malaysia to rise
2009/02/21

MELBOURNE, SAT: Malaysia has started the year with an impressive 47,228 Australian tourist arrivals in January, a 21.5 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.

This follows the 33.3 per cent jump in Australian arrivals in 2008 to 427,076 from the previous year.

Tourism Malaysia Sydney director Shahrin Mokhtar said, Australia remained among Malaysia's top 10 tourist generating markets.

"Our performance in this lucrative market is reflected in the double digit growth in tourist arrivals from Australia to Malaysia over the past year," Shahrin said.

"Australians recognise the excellent value for money they get from visiting Malaysia," he added.

Tourism Malaysia''s newly-opened Melbourne office had much better Aussie tourist figures than out of Sydney.

Last December the Melbourne office handled more than 6,300 departures and Sydney around 4,800.

"We in Melbourne expect to do even better, when our sponsorship of the Carlton Football Club goes into full swing next month," Tourism Malaysia Melbourne director Putra Hilmy Elias said.

Carlton club executives and players who recently spent a few days in Penang are most impressed with Malaysia.

"The club's website features glowing reports of the recent Penang visit and club executives are excited about our sponsorship. We will keep in close touch with Carlton to facilitate tours to Malaysia,' Putra said.

Tourism Malaysia Deputy Director General (Planning) Azizan Noordin who was here this week for the two-day Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meeting Expo (AIME)said he was pleased with the outstanding work from Tourism Malaysia officers and staff in Australia.

Azizan said a key objective would be increase the average length of stay by Australian travellers in Malaysia from 8.9 nights to 10 nights.

"We will also be introducing and promoting many smaller, unexplored areas around the country, especially on the east coast of Malaysia. These will appeal to many niche and soft adventure markets including fishing, sailing, homestaysand eco-tourism," Azizan said.

[2206]

Lok Kawi Wild Life Park, SABAH


The Lok Kawi Wildlife Park was officially open to the public on the 17th February 2007. It is located along the Penampang-Papar old road and is fully developed by the Sabah Wildlife Department.

The park consists of two components: zoological and botanical. The main objective of the park is to become a family-oriented park and the emphasis is put on the Children’s Zoo.

Among the inhabitants of the zoo (zoological component) are the Borneo Pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, Orang Utan, Proboscis monkey, Malayan tiger, as well as some different species of deer.

The botanical component, on the other hand; offers visitors the opportunity to go jungle trekking along the botanical trail. The paved trail is about 1.4 kilometers long. However, for leisurely strolls, visitors are only advised to walk halfway along the trail.

Getting There
The journey to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park takes 30 minutes to an hour’s drive from Kota Kinabalu, the estimated distance is 20 kilometers. For transportation, visitors can either drive or take a taxi from the city centre.

[2206]

future world-class leisure and tourism spot

The 2km long Waterfront development
@Kota Kinabalu, Sabah




Kota Kinabalu City Waterfront http://www.kkcwaterfront.com.my/

JESSELTON WATERFRONT http://www.jesseltonwaterfront.com/

Suria Sabah http://www.suriasabah.com.my/

KKTIMESSQUARE the mall http://www.asianpac.com.my/kkts/themall/location.html

Harbour City http://www.harbourcity.com.my/

South China Sea Place http://sudc.com.my/?p=163

[2206]

Climbing the Majestic Mount Kinabalu
SABAH

by ynwa2005
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ynwa2005/with/3333893291/




sunset@Mount Kinabalu



reaching top at early morning





Poring Hot Springs and Canopy Walk

[ethan]

Pulau Pinang (Penang) UNESCO Heritage Site

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=41805097413

[tonight]

nice and beautiful Kinabalu

[2206]

here's more

Kota Kinabalu City during Chinese New Year

pls click me to see more

[nazrey]

‘Malaysia Truly Business’ website to attract MICE tourists and Malaysia My Second Home investors
by Kathleen Tan
Tuesday, 07 April 2009 11:38

Tourism Malaysia is going beyond tourists and targeting the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) market and foreigners who want to make Malaysia their second home with the launch of its “Malaysia Truly Business” website (www.malaysiatrulybusiness.com).

The website was launched last night by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman. It was developed by TBWA\TEQUILA, the agency behind the 10-year-old award-winning “Malaysia Truly Asia” tourism campaign.

Tourism Malaysia is sponsoring the website for a year. It features 168 reasons why Malaysia is a viable investment hub, such as political and financial stability, world-class infrastructure, security, proactive business-minded people and government as well as an exceptional standard of living. The reasons were collated from authoritative international sources, including the World Bank, AT Kearney, the World Trade Organisation, the Economist Intelligence Unit, the European Commission and the World Economic Forum.

“There is no questioning the validity of the data because for every reason stated, there is a link which I can click to go straight to the source,” said TBWA\TEQUILA senior vice-president of brand engagement Datuk Tim Garland in an interview yesterday. He added that the agency would continue updating the 168 reasons from time to time, and submissions from online visitors were welcome.

The website, which also aims to help foreign investors by providing easier access to business-related information on Malaysia, has links to relevant agencies such as Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H), Tourism Malaysia, Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, Multimedia Development Corporation, Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation, Bursa Malaysia and economic corridors.

“Selling the country as a business destination would further enhance tourism arrivals and receipts,” said Azalina in her speech at the launch of the website yesterday night in Kuala Lumpur. She said the campaign was timely in view of the recent call by International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for Malaysia to attract more foreign investments.

Azalina said while it cost almost the same to market to both MICE and leisure tourists, a MICE tourist generated approximately 30% more income for the country, and they generally come in large groups.

According to TBWA\TEQUILA president Austen Zecha, “Malaysia Truly Business” would also leverage on the growing success of MM2H, which has attracted more than 12,500 foreigners between 2002 and last year.

Zecha likened “Malaysia Truly Business” to the agency’s “Malaysia: Bullish on Bouncing Back” campaign during the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Then, companies like Golden Hope Plantations, YTL Corp, Sapura, Telekom Malaysia as well as the National Economic Action Council and the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now Bursa Malaysia) sponsored advertisements and TV commercials on the economy’s resilience.

He said this time around, the website was the focal point. Following the launch, TBWA\TEQUILA would try and get sponsorship for advertisements to drive traffic to the website. Garland said sponsors for the ads had been identified but confirmation was still pending.

“Back then, it was about letting the world know that Malaysia, although going through a tough time, would bounce back,” said Garland. With “Malaysia Truly Business”, the agency hoped to show that the country is in a stronger position than many others around the world, he added.

Zecha said the agency mooted the idea of “Malaysia Truly Business” in late September. The proposal was submitted to Azalina in February. “The world will come out of the economic downturn, but unless the seeds are sown now, we’ll miss the boat. We’ve got to be the first one out of the gate,” he said.

[nazrey]

Redang island, Terengganu
by totise21
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2580612...7616584096700/

[nazrey]

Muzium Negeri Terengganu by Joe Tahir™.
The impressive Terengganu Museum was officiated by the late Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, the Sultan of Terengganu. Covering an area of 27 hectares, the complex has a total floor space of 75,075m. It consists of four blocks of the Main Museum, Maritime Museum, five traditional houses and a landscaped area.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eshaz/s...7614717416061/



How they make keris.

[nazrey]

Tourism Malaysia pushes for convention mart
Published: 2009/05/07

WASHINGTON: With the anemic global economy, governments are looking at a shrinking pool of demand for international conventions and exhibitions.

Realising the lucrative potential of the market, the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (myCEB), a subsidiary of Tourism Malaysia, is to receive an additional RM20 million (US$5.53 million) to drive the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) market over the next two years.

The funding is part of the RM200 million the Tourism Ministry received in early March from the government’s RM60 billion fiscal plan to stop the Malaysian economy from slipping into a deep recession.

The deputy director general of Tourism Malaysia, Azizan Noordin, said recently, the funds allocated for MICE marketing would be used to bid for big events.

"It is also for myCEB to increase its visibility at all major MICE trade shows and to design promotional materials as well as sponsor a welcome dinner or reception," he added.

Representatives from the Tourism Malaysia office in New York, led by its vice president Salahuddin Mohd. Ariffin, recently promoted Malaysia as a meeting and convention location at the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) Springtime Expo show for the MICE industry in Washington on April 16.

The event was attended by 600 exhibitors and 2000 qualified buyers.

According to myCEB, MICE arrivals to Malaysia in 2007 totaled 1.1 million, representing 5 per cent of the total receipts which amounted to RM3.17 billion. -- Bernama

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_New...cle/index_html

[nazrey]

Sime healthcare arm inks deal to promote medical tourism
Published: 2009/05/20

SIME Darby Healthcare Sdn Bhd, the healthcare arm of Sime Darby Bhd (4197), has teamed up with Medilink Network (PVT) Ltd of Bangladesh and Medilink (Beijing) TPA Services Co Ltd to promote medical travel from Bangladesh and China to Malaysia.

Sime Darby Healthcare chief executive officer Elaine Cheong Pek Yim said the partnership is part of the conglomerate's effort to garner a slice of Malaysia's medical tourism market worth RM540 million by next year.

"With these partnerships, Sime Darby Healthcare would be able to tap into Bangladesh and China's healthcare system and, at the same time, offer medical travellers from these two countries the benefits of our medical expertise," Cheong told reporters in Selangor yesterday.

Medilink (Beijing) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medilink-Global (Asia) Pte Ltd, while Medilink Network is its business associate in Bangladesh.
Medilink-Global is wholly owned by UK-based Medilink-Global UK Ltd.

The group acts as a third- party medical facilitator and provides services such as medical transcription, online healthcare records, global health insurance as well as healthcare tourism products for its over two million members.

Under their memorandum of understanding, Sime Darby Healthcare will promote, sell and market its services in Bangladesh and China.

Medilink, on the other hand, will be able to enhance is healthcare services to its clients and provide efficient claims management, standardisation of healthcare information and create greater convenience for patients.

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by nazrey

Pangkor Laut Resort - Pangkor Laut island, Perak
Pulau Pangkor is an island off the coast of Perak in north-west peninsular Malaysia, reached by ferry from Lumut, a small coastal town that links to Ipoh. It has a land area of only 8 square kilometers, and a population of approximately 25,000 inhabitants. It is heavily promoted as a low-key tourist destination by the Malaysia government, but fishing and fish products remain major industries.

Pangkor Laut Resort Awarded 'Best Hotel' by members of The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Kuala Lumpur, May 12, 2009

Multi-award winning Pangkor Laut Resort has done Malaysia proud again by clinching 'Best Hotel' as voted by members of The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH). The awards were presented by Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and Remi Krug, Honorary Chairman of the House of Krug at the 2009 SLH Gala Awards which were held at the Salon Opera, Intercontinental Paris Le Grand. Receiving the award on behalf of YTL Hotels was Vice President Joseph Yeoh Keong Shyan.

The ''Best Hotel as voted by Club Members' award is presented to the hotel that has exceeded guests' expectations through the exceptional delivery of The Club benefits, which has left a lasting and memorable impression on the Club members. The Club of SLH currently has 65,000 Members and a portfolio of 500 exclusive hotels around the world including Pangkor Laut Resort, Cameron Highlands Resort, Tanjong Jara Resort, The Majestic Malacca and Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali (all part of YTL Hotels). Benefits include exclusive offers and privileges and personalised service at all the SLH properties worldwide.

This achievement marks the latest in a series of awards for Pangkor Laut Resort. Other accolades previously won by the Resort include One of the World’s Top Ten Beaches by Ultratravel, The Daily Telegraph luxury magazine UK, 2008; Best 101 Hotels in the World – Pangkor Laut Estates at Marina Bay by British Tatler Travel Guide, 2006; One of the World’s Ultimate Hotels – Luxury Travel Awards by Luxury Travel & Style Australia, 2005; Number One in the World in Top 100 List by Condé Nast Traveller UK, 2003; One of the World’s Most Enticing Retreats on the Waterfront by Harpers & Queen UK, 2000.

Pangkor Laut is a privately owned island located three miles off the West Coast of Malaysia along the Straits of Malacca. This piece of paradise has been 2 million years in the making, and here, one of the world’s premier resorts nestles in the shade of forest giants as old as the land.

Of the island's 300 acres, only a fraction has been developed to house the Resorts' 142 luxuriously appointed villas, its eight Estates and the award-winning Spa Village, a four acre haven of serenity to replenish the spirit. Guests can choose to feast at one of seven restaurants serving a myriad of delicious cuisine, cruise on an antique junk to explore deserted islands or simply relax on an intimate beach voted as one of the world's most beautiful.

Defined not only by its magnificent location, but also by the attention to detail and hospitality of its staff, Pangkor Laut provides those who visit with indelible memories.

Resort Manager Jeffrey Mong said, 'It's a honour to win such a prestigious award alongside all the other great and exceptional hotels in SLH. What is even more special for me is that our team members are recognised for the exceptional delivery of customer service, which in turn has left a lasting and memorable impression on our guests. After all, even though we are blessed on this island under the canopy of the rare beauty of our 2 million-year-old rainforest and Emerald Bay's pristine beach, the actual delivery of the total experience is from the team and by the team.'


Pangkor Laut Resort
Pangkor Laut Resort is an exclusive luxury resort situated on a private island off the west coast of Malaysia. This piece of paradise is surrounded by secluded bays and curled around pristine beaches housing 142 luxury villas and suites and the award-winning Spa Village Pangkor Laut. Pangkor Laut, is a celebration of the region’s culinary arts, where the finest dining experiences are yours to choose from a selection of exquisite and exclusive settings. Only a fraction of the island's 300 acres have been developed, leaving most of its two million year-old rainforest untouched and Emerald Bay, the resort's private beach, has often been cited by independent travel consultants as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The resort has received numerous international accolades including 'Number One in the World' and 'Best Overseas Destination Spa' by Condé Nast Traveller, U.K.

Pangkor Laut Resort is a YTL Luxury Resort.

YTL Hotels
YTL Hotels is the hospitality arm of one of Malaysia’s most dynamic conglomerates, YTL Corporation Berhad. The company owns and manages a stellar collection of internationally renowned, award-winning resorts, hotels and spas. The properties within the portfolio represent the finest in luxury hospitality wherever they may be situated. There are no two properties that are alike; the culture and character of its region infuses the very spirit of each property, where traditions are embraced, colours absorbed, and stunning scenery folded into every encounter. This is the essence of YTL Hotels and every property that bears its name, where our philosophy is that we don’t just build properties, we craft experiences.