[REVIEW] Club Med Cherating Resort, Pahang

I was in dire need of a holiday getaway in 2020 and decided, with my friend, to book at Club Med Cherating for a 4D3N trip. Why Club Med? 

Why not? It had everything inclusive of the price, from food and drinks (plus booze) all day, activities, two beaches, two swimming pools and the sea right at the doorstep of my room. It was the perfect place to go especially in a time of a pandemic when you just want to minimise exposure and contact with people and just not think about what and where to eat for your next meal on holiday. 

5 Hotels in Malaysia For Solo Travellers

Travel solo through Malaysia and you’ll inevitably fall in love – a place that unravels unique experiences with its varied offerings. It has the capability to trigger wanderlust for anyone who wishes to explore this visual journey of nature, islands and sci-fi cityscapes! Every traveller here is exposed to a colourful metropolis where every culture, religion, and taste come together to form a new modern Asia! Profoundly known for its beaches, rainforests and cultural influences from the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and Europeans, Malaysia gives you an excellent visual narrative.

Dash Resort Langkawi review

Okay, I know I have a backlog of my Turkey postings to write. Heck I even thought I could get it done while I was away in Langkawi for this media trip. Ha ha ha, what a joke that was. So once again, Turkey takes a backseat because.I just can't wait to tell you about this resort because IT. IS. SO. DAMN. PRETTY. Especially the infinity pool that looks out onto its own private beach.

Have I got you interested and envisioning your next holiday yet? I have? Great! Because this hip and happening resort is located just an hour's plane ride away in the island of Langkawi, Kedah. The name of this paradise is Dash Resort Langkawi by Ri-Yaz Group and is situated at the very end of Pantai Cenang, giving it an exclusivity coveted by many resorts along that stretch of beach.

Tun Dr Mahathir Launched Dash Resort Langkawi...and I was there.

My stubby hand

Over the last weekend, YAB Tun Mr Mahathir arrived in Langkawi to officiate the grand launch of the all new trippy, very Alice-in-Wonderland Dash Resort Langkawi. And I was honored to have been invited to attend the event after two days of enjoying the resort itself. I must say, it was one of the most relaxing trips I've had in a long time. But more on that in my resort review later on!

Langkah Syabas Resort, Kota Kinabalu Sabah

I was supposed to climb Mount Kinabalu last June but after the earthquake that shook Ranau and destroyed the mountain trails, that was obviously a no go this time. For the mountain that is. I was still determined to fly out to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and enjoy a well deserved relaxing holiday by the beach. So just two weeks before my trip, my friend recommended Langkah Syabas Resort, an isolated beach resorted located just 30 minutes south of Kota Kinabalu.

A quick Google search of the resort won me over and this post will show you ten reasons why.

Frisky Goat Bakery Cafe, TTDI review

After hearing many good things about Frisky Goat in TTDI, I finally dropped by for a lunch. Parking however was a challenge and I had to circle the block three times before I lucked out and scored a parking spot right in front of Frisky Goat.

Upon entering, I was greeted with a cheery 'hello, welcome to Frisky Goat!', was quickly shown to a table and given a menu. It was a weekday and the cafe itself wasn't crowded with a nice upbeat music playing in the background. The chattering of three Australian ladies at the table next mine gave me the illusion of being in Australia. One can imagine, can't she. The ambiance was inviting with a corner offering their pastries and bread and a display of tantalizing cakes and desserts. The seats against the wall were lined with funky cushions and was quite cosy.

Gold Coast 2014: Grande Florida Resort Apartment

"Spacious unit with a balcony overlooking two swimming pools, one cool, one heated."

"A hideaway amidst lush tropical palm trees and greeneries that provides the illusion of privacy."

"A minute's walk to the pristine unspoiled Miami beach with a stunning view of Surfers Paradise and within walking distance of shops, a tennis court and a Coles supermarket."

These were the common reviews I kept reading online when researching the resort. A friend had secured resort vouchers for our trip at about 469AUD for a two bedroom apartment for 6D5N. We booked five units for our trip. When we split the cost of the apartments amongst our group of 22, it became a freaking steal.

Indonesia: Bali - Grand Mega Resort and Spa, Kuta review

While Sri Ratih Cottages had been heaven away from home, the next hotel stay of our trip in Kuta was a vast disappointment. We made the mistake of being drawn in by the cheaper rates on Agoda, forgetting that we would eventually have to make up for it in additional transportation cost as the hotel was about 10 minutes from the city center by cab.

Grand Mega Resort and Spa hotel is located along a massive hallway/road where across was Galleria mall that was loaded with food and shopping. To cross the ever busy road, guests would need to get the hotel security guard to help them. From the road, the hotel was a flashy sight with a silver and purple front.

Indonesia: Bali - Sri Ratih Cottages, Ubud review

This review is way overdue, mainly because I forgot. Sorry!

On my Bali trip in January, I stayed at Sri Ratih Cottages while in Ubud for two nights. My flight got in very late and by the time I arrived at the accommodation, it was well past midnight. Fortunately, the open-air lobby was opened around the clock and the receptionist quickly sorted out my luggages and had a bellboy deliver them to my room where a friend had already checked in.

Maldives Part 4 - The Art of Doing Nothing

The art of doing nothing is actually not true. It was just something I saw on a t-shirt in the resort's souvenir shop. There are actually quite a lot of things to do at Huvafen Fushi. But with the view we had and the relaxed mood we were in, it was just as easy to just laze around and do nothing.

Non-motorised water sports are complimentary so everyday, my sis and I went snorkeling. Each guests gets their own set of snorkeling gear that they can keep with them for the rest of the stay. The underwater was simply stunning. I never quite understood the appeal of scuba-diving but having seen what the shallow reefs had to offer, I am tempted to tryout for a scuba-diving license now. Over four days, I spotted a reef shark, a sting ray and a tiger fish. Too bad, there were no sea turtles in sight. Motorised activites are chargable to the room so plan your days carefully.

Underwater world.

We also went kayaking on our second day there. In the middle of the afternoon. With the mid-sun beating on our backs, we went around the whole island in a hour. Bad move because it was really hot! The kayaks have a glass bottom which lets you look at the reefs beneath you. I prefer snorkeling for an upclose view of the reefs. Still no sea turtle.

 

Kayakking under the sun.

The resort also has a daily stingray feeding session at 5:30pm. The stingrays have been coming to the lagoon beach for ten years now so it's pretty much clockwork routine for them and allows them to be familiar with humans. (God bless Steve Irwin's soul..). The resident stork whom I call Si Bangau also drops by every evening for food.

Stingray feeding

On days when all we wanted to do was chill out and escape the sun, we hung out in the island library, the Lair and played with the gaming consoles. I was so happy when I found Need For Speed. (yes, I do realise that I went all the way to Maldives to play video games). The resort also has a resident kitty cat which demanded to be let into the Lair when we got there. I wanted to ask if I could take it to our room....

Now seeing dolphins is a personal dream of mine so we booked ourselves on the resort dolphin cruise as soon as we got there. The cruise only takes place on Sundays from 4 to 7pm at USD175 per person. But if there are more than 6 people, it gets cheaper. What an experience it was, being able to see wild dolphins in their natural habitat. According to our guide, Lana, this particular pod has over 200 dolphins in it and during that hour, we certainly saw plenty of them. It was magical.

Dolphin sighting.

0%Here's a video of the dolphin cruise: http://youtu.be/tbZVCUPpSgQ . I had to remove the actual sounds because it was just too noisy from the wind and other tourist boats. Music in the video is by Daniel Veerapen, an Malaysian artist.

 

 

There are many things to do in Huvafen Fushi. You can adopt a coral reef and plant it yourself. Then in 50 years (if Maldives hasn't sunk) you can come back and marvel at your contribution to Mother Nature.

 

 

 

Or if you're Asian like us, then take lots of pictures. Whilst there, we noticed all the Asian guests had DSLRs and digital cameras everywhere they went hence the theory: picture-taking is an Asian thing.

 

It's impossible to take a bad picture in Maldives. In fact the only thing that can spoil a picture is, well, us. We took tons of pictures; camwhoring, weird shots, jumping shots.... this shot below...

 

Fireball!

We were saddened when the evening for us to check out came about. The resort manager, Marco and our Thakuru, Nahu saw us off at the jetty as the speedboat took off for the airport. The resort representative escorted us to the Singapore Airlines check-in counter and bide us farewell. We boarded our plane and prepared for the comfortable ride home (flight experience here) It was a memorable vacation to Maldives and Huvafen Fushi was the dream resort (read about it in my previous post). The food was delicious (drool over it here) although I was missing teh tarik by the first morning.

Pristine blue waters, colourful reefs and fishes, majestic dolphins, friendly locals and resort staffs...I see now why Maldives is the place to visit before you kick the bucket.

To finish off this post, a momento of our holiday there.

From Maldives with Love.

 



Maldives Part 2 - Waking Dream Resort

First impression of Maldives...

"Holy crap! That is a lot of blue!" *I'm blue da ba dee da ba die*

After disembarking from our flight, our first class treatment continued as we exited the immigration hall and found the resort representatives waiting for us with welcoming smiles. From there, they relieved us of our suitcases and guided us to the airport jetty. While my sister and I were gawking at the boat and the clear blue Indian Ocean, we were given face towels to freshen up after a long flight and refreshing cold coconut water.

Water taxi

The boat ride to Huvafen Fushi took approximately 25 minutes which flew by in a flash because we were too mesmerised by the sight of endless blue water, interrupted only to isolated island resorts. For those without sea-legs, anti-nausea wristbands are available onboard.


Huvafen Fushi

Soon Huvafen Fushi loomed into view and we were greeted by the General Manager himself, Marco and our Thukuru, Ali and Nahu (personal butlers). Ali drove us to our Lagoon Bungalow in a buggy and gave us the tour of our home for the next four days.


Pathway to the water bungalows

We have a stunning view of the blue blue ocean from our awesome bathroom and also from our bedroom/living room/kitchen. The patio opened up to a day bed, our private swimming pool and a deck leading down to the sea.


Lagoon Bungalow No. 19 - Our home away from home

The resort had also prepared a complimentary bottle of champagne and a serving of bread, olive, ham and cheese. That was a nice touch!



Complimentary champagne and coffee

Seaside view from the toilet and bedroom.

The ocean is our pool!

After our luggage were delivered to our room, we Superman-changed into our swimsuits and was taken on a resort tour via buggy. Wheee!


A waking dream indeed.

The island itself isn't really that big and everything is within walking distance with sandy pathways leading to every corner of the island resort.  The pathways are shaded by strategically planted trees and bushes that also provide privacy for the Beach Bungalow residents. The best parts about the beach bungalow are that you literally have a beach in your backyard and everything else is just a stone's throw away. All together, the resort has 44 bungalows consisting of the beach bungalows, ocean and lagoon bungalows as well as the beach and ocean pavilions for bigger groups.



Salt & Raw (top), Fogliani's, UMBar (left) & Celsius.

There are four main restaurants that specialises in different cuisine types; Celsius, Raw, Salt and Fogliani's as well as a bar (UMBar) and an underground wine cellar, Vinum where you can wine and dine to your heart's content. More about the resort food offerings in the next Maldives post (yup, as a typical Malaysian, I am dedicating one post to food).


The Lair!

Right next to the swimming pool and restaurants, Huvafen Fushi has a library/entertainment lounge called The Lair. Bright, homey and spacious, guests can rent DVDs, borrow books and surf on the computers. They also have XBox and PlayStation 3 console sets for the kids, teens and young adults. Coffee and tea are available at hand for guest's consumption free of charge.


World's first underwater spa


Huvafen Fushi holds bragging rights for having the first underwater spa in the world called Lime. Apart from the usual relaxing body and facial treatments at above-sea level, guests can also have their massage or body scrubs in treatment rooms several meters underwater. We asked to see the underwater spa and the resort was more than happy to accommodate us in the afternoon. Nahu showed us the spa at night and boy, was it a different world in the glow of the underwater spotlights.

Under the sea. 

After showing us around, we were taken to the water sports center, Float, where we were fitted with our snorkeling equipments by its jolly manager, Peter. Peter then took us through the house rules when swimming around the house reefs to ensure that we don't accidentally step on them or hurt ourselves. They offer parasailing, jetskiing and many other motorised water sports for a fee. Non-motorised sports like snorkeling and kayaking are complimentary although some will require licenses to prove your qualification. For the exercise nuts, there is also a gym (Pump) and a yoga pavilion that overlook the ocean that comes fully equipped with water bottles and towels.

Over the following four days, my sister and I were treated to a relaxing and heavenly lifestyle, a far cry from the KL life we were used to.  Time slowed down to a crawl as we filled our time with a variety of activities at our own leisure (things to do there, coming soon in Maldives Part 4!).

The staffs there were friendly and approachable, greeting us along the pathways and going out of their way to ensure that everything was okay for us. The management even extended our checkout time from 12pm to 8pm simply because our return flight was near midnight! Now that's I call superb treatment!

The stunning Maldivian sunset

It's no wonder that the resort name, Huvafen Fushi means 'dream island' in their national language of Dhivehi. It definitely felt as though we were living the dream.

Continued in Maldives Part 3.

Bed and breakfast prices start at USD1450 per night as stated on their official website. Alternatively, you can also make your booking via Agoda or Atollparadise for special offers.