A resort hotel carved out in the beautiful rainforest hillside by the Andaman Sea. The welcoming view from the Lobby Bar is stunning – a sparkling pool, adjoining rainforest and next to the turquoise sea and craggy islands of the archipelago of which Langkawi is part.
The Datai is high-end. For most people: it will be a place for that special occasion, as it was for us and many of the guests we met. It was still the wet season and so not crowded, and the consequent upgrade placed us in a charming rainforest villa five minutes’ walk from the beach. It was exceptional accommodation. The recent renovation of almost the entire hotel gives a fresh newness. The sheer roominess and calm elegance of the bedroom, sitting area and bathroom created a very special feel indeed. We checked out the room we should have had and that too, in the main building, was first class. All the balconies, touching the rainforest, are best suited to animal lovers, as monkeys are frequent visitors.
In fact, wildlife spotting is a continuously available activity – not just monkeys but also black squirrels, hornbills, butterflies and countless other creatures.
The service cannot be faulted: everybody here has a smile and a nice word from gardener to manage. Because the resort is on a hill, at least the upward journey is best by club cars, which are readily available. One driver exemplified the spirit of the Datai: in a downpour he stopped the car to hand a sheltering gardener colleague a vital umbrella – a genuine spontaneous kindness.
Four restaurants provide excellent variety and quality although the fine dining of the main restaurant was not for us, not in our view quality for the money. The Datai is expensive and so one expects excellence and it does not generally disappoint.
Only one reservation, solely out of ignorance, is whether in the busier high season the luxurious standards can be maintained. There were frequent downpours of rain – but in fact rain belongs here and enhances the experience. It soon dries out and the warmth embraces you again. Sad to depart, this had been a special occasion when we had lived in a rainforest with assorted wildlife as neighbours and facilities and service that will be hard to beat anywhere.
