A Little Musing About Langkawi, Tourism and The Datai

Until recently, I had not been to Langkawi in forever. Before visiting in 2022, it was more than 20 years since I last visited. Landing on the island after a two-decade hiatus, I was happy to arrive at a modern airport. Outside, though, I was so puzzled as to how sleepy and underdeveloped the island was.

Depending on which part of the island you’re in, you can almost count on there not being any street lights after dusk. The central area of Kuah town, which should have the highest concentration of buzz and activity, is anything but.

Some tourist attractions are closed on both Mondays and Tuesdays, even during the school holidays. The ones operating are so low-rent and uninspiring that it really is an indictment of the tourism ministry’s, and LADA's, efforts — if you can call it that — over the past few decades.

Langkawi is supposed to be the crown jewel in Malaysia’s island archipelago but it just doesn’t deliver enough potency to rival Bali or Phuket, the latter of which is actually cheaper for Malaysians to visit even though it’s in a neighbouring country.

Then you have views like this.

And when this greets you during golden hour.

Oh, what could have been!?

It’s not that we, as Malaysians cannot do it. We can, but I don’t know why — or what — there’s this tremendous inertia to achieve tourism excellence. How do I know we can do it?

Enter Exhibit A, The Datai. Yes, I know it’s not the budget option. Yes, it’s not representative of what most tourists come here to enjoy.

But, if I may be so bold to share how it’s a shining example of Malaysian hospitality, and show why it’s a dream tourism destination for international audiences. It’s proof positive of Malaysian hospitality at its best — or the best it can be.

Home away from home, where ancient rainforests meet… a bottle of 2000 Petrus?

To start with, the Datai is primarily a rainforest resort that features a private beach. We’ve made full use of our equatorial strengths here, and while there are many excellent beach resorts in this region, few do this combination so well.

The lobby is the highest point of the property, and four floors of rooms are situated in this main building. A gentle slope supports an assortment of rainforest villas all the way down to the beach, which is lined by large beach villas to the east.

Arriving guests are greeted by warm Malaysian hospitality, and are then feted with local snacks and a drink of their choice while the reception checks you in. Naturally, I chose champagne.

From this vantage point in the lobby, you can see the nearby uninhabited Thai island, Ko Tarutao, a reminder that the Siamese ruled here once upon a time.

The lobby is dominated by the frog pond and cocktail lounge.

I mentioned earlier that The Datai is not the budget option, but you get a lot for what you pay for. First, no matter what room type you book, they’re all large. The ensuite bathrooms feature his and hers sinks, and you get a coffee machine and a well-stocked mini bar. Most of the mini bar items are free.

The guided walks (while some are free, some are paid, like the bird watching one) testify to this, and guests are introduced to centuries-old trees, and an assortment of wildlife, including hornbills, frogs, macaques, langurs, bee-eating eagles, otters and, during one auspicious morning walk, a rare sighting of the world’s largest woodpecker.

Second, the included breakfast spread is both extensive, delicious and generous, offering a mix of local and Western fares on a buffet line and a cook-to-order menu featuring ingredients like foie gras and lobster. There’s also free-flow prosecco, bellinis, Bloody Marys and more.

Third, the water sports options are both extensive and free, including a catamaran ride to the nearby Pulau Anak Datai, where you can spot the carcass of the Datai’s neighbour, the Andaman Resort, that was consumed by fire a few years ago. Linger along the beach long enough and waiters will bring you cool treats to enjoy in the sun including, but not limited to, ice cream cones and tequila coolers.

There’s no free lunch (there’s no such thing, anyway), and dinners are all paid for. The resort is isolated, so you really only have several choices for lunch and dinner. The best dinner choice is the Gulai House, where the Malay food is probably the best in the country.

The Thai food at the Pavilion is quite good, cooked by a Thai chef, and there’s also a delectable tasting menu available at the Dining Room, which is helmed by chef Chai Chun Boon, who ran Copper KL at Menara Shell in a previous life.?

It’s here at the Dining Room where I must confess some misses by the Datai’s service staff.

The same service staff that work here during breakfast also serve dinner, which commands prices of RM1,000+ per head, if you are liberal with your choices.

It’s in this very narrow and particular area where I must depart from praise; the staff just don’t live up the service quality you’d expect for this price. Some of the staff seem nervous to serve, and can’t confidently describe the dishes.

The first time I had dinner here in July 2023, one of the waitstaff accidentally spilled some of my Stag’s Leap onto the carefully iron-pressed table cloth, and his face turned pale with horror. It was a genuine mistake which I overlooked. But let’s say this involved a more expensive bottle, let alone that RM50,000 bottle of 2000 Petrus I spotted in the cellar. I honestly don’t know what would have happened then.

In the same vein, the concierge and front desk teams falter from time to time, especially when it comes to getting the buggy to ferry passengers across the (huge) property. The lobby is often quite busy, and the team here sometimes appear frazzled handling multiple simultaneous requests. There were instances where buggies never arrived and one weird time where the housekeeping team appeared to have vanished off the face of the earth halfway through cleaning up the room.

But I will temper this minor criticism by saying this: The staff, for sure, try their very best to please you. Every member of the staff, from the front desk to the gardeners, are warm and friendly — and that’s not something I can say about many top-tier properties in Malaysia.?

Is The Datai for you?

If you read the lowest-scored reviews of the Datai on Google, you’ll come across a common theme, and that’s people being big mad that they can’t enter the premises without a reservation.

I’ll clue you in to why the resort wants to limit and control access.

First is the matter of security. The large, open sprawl of the resort provides ample opportunities for the mischievous or malicious to go undetected.

Second is service levels. Delivering high service satisfaction means maintaining the right ratio of service staff to guests.

Third is orderliness and cleanliness. The Datai resort is expertly manicured and curated, and the property is even supported by a team of biologists to care for plants and wild animals. Case in point: The lobby features a frog pond that’s monitored and tended to daily to ensure that the frog population, including its eggs and lilies, are able to support the right number of frogs.

Properties like The Datai are exclusive for a reason, and it should be.

I’m sorry to say that, given Malaysians’ general lack of care for public facilities, making The Datai publicly accessible simply will not do. We Malaysians are not like the Japanese, who are orderly and clean to a fault. One only need to visit the nearby (public) Skull Beach/Pantai Tengorak to enjoy all the of joys of public access, including used diapers, food containers and cutlery, and worse strewn along the beach.

The Datai, as a pristine rainforest destination, and as a business, has high goals to achieve. It is owned by Khazanah Nasional and I believe that part of Khazanah’s mandate is to leverage properties like these to generate income for the country.

It is also an opportune training ground for Malaysians in the hospitality industry, and when you speak to the staff here you learn that they come from all corners of the country. Many are local islanders and “second-generation” staff whose parents worked here previously (the resort celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023).

So, is The Datai for you?

I think you should make it, at the very least, a once-in a lifetime visit.?

It is truly spectacular and delivers the very best of Malaysia.