Blissful island escapade

View from Anjung Machinchang. Pictures by Rohanis Shukri

By Hanna Hussein | nhanna@mediaprima.com.my 

With only six villas fashioned after traditional Malay houses, Hanna Hussein settles in for a rustic and tranquil stay at Seri Chenang Resort & Spa Langkawi

Friendly butler Azmil greets me when I arrive at 8pm at the Seri Chenang Resort & Spa Langkawi, one of the island’s new classy retreats. He ushers me to a wooden traditional villa near an arched entrance.

As it is already dark, I can’t see the surroundings but when Azmil opens the front door of the villa, my jaw drops. Basking in luxury is never my priority but a taste of it once in a while gives me such lasting pleasure.

LUXURIOUS STAY

“Welcome to Rumah Terengganu,” Azmil invites me into the villa while handing me a glass of “tadpoles syrup” — that’s what I love to call the sweet sirap selasih drink. It’s a traditional Malay drink of red syrup with sweet basil seeds. When soaked, the seeds become gelatinous, resembling tiny tadpoles. What a fitting welcome to this Malay kampung-style resort with only six traditional villas.

“Rumah Terengganu is inspired by one of the traditional Malay houses in Terengganu, called Rumah Limas Bungkus, which was popular during the 20th Century,” he says.

He then shows me around the huge house which has a kitchenette, a back door for use by the villa butler and also a spacious bathroom complete with an open sky shower, an old-fashioned bathtub and a closet area with a huge dressing table. Just a brief look and I am in love with the villa’s bath area. Its open structure without doors is ideal for honeymooners.

After taking me on a tour of the one bedroom single-storey studio unit, Azmil leads me to the main room where I sit on a sofa for a private check-in. How cool is that!

“Guests don’t have to go to the lobby to check in. We do it at their villa,” says Azmil as he hands me a form to sign. Before leaving, he gives me a leather room-card holder. When he’s out the door, I just go “Ahh...” and spin happily around the room. Spacious, king-sized beds, comfy mattress, fluffy pillows and huge flat screen TV. And a fantastic Bose sound system. Impressive!

CLASSIC AMBIENCE

I wake up in the morning feeling fresh and energetic. I step out onto the balcony, and there it is — my breakfast. Nasi lemak ayam berempah, two half-boiled eggs, orange juice and tea — just the way I had ordered it last night. It is sheer bliss enjoying my breakfast while soaking in the sights of a green paddy field.

The weather this morning is also perfect for a quick tour. Business development and marketing manager Husain Khalid is already on hand to bring me around the resort. “We start with the villa that you are staying in now. Do you know that this house was built without using a single nail?” He goes on to explain that traditional Malay houses are held together by pasak (wooden pegs), to achieve that perfect fit.

“All the houses here are also built entirely from chengal wood and the wooden carvings are all handmade,” says Husain, adding that the rattan layer underneath the roof was weaved by 30 craftmakers in central Java, Indonesia.
“With only six villas, our resort is very exclusive and guests must book way ahead,” he says with pride.

Next, we head for Rumah Pahang, a single-storey timber villa on stilts that incorporates a self-contained studio unit with open sky shower and a ramp that goes up to the verandah, which is specially created to cater to the needs of the physically-challenged guests.

“Rumah Pahang is inspired by the traditional Malay house in Pahang known as Rumah Serambi Pahang and architecturally, the villa uses smaller timber wood and has less engraving but its long roof gable ends have edges with carvings,” says Husain.

“That villa with roofs that look like buffalo horns must be Rumah Negeri Sembilan,” I exclaim as I point to the third villa.

“Exactly! The classic curved roofs are typical of the homes in Negeri Sembilan, with a heritage that can be traced back to the Minangkabau in Sumatra, Indonesia,” he explains, adding that the villa is also a self-contained, one-bedroom studio unit.

We walk through the resort’s lovely, landscaped garden to the fourth house. Husain introduces it as Rumah Melaka with two suites — Ayer Keroh Suite and Alor Gajah Suite.

The glazed and multi-coloured tiles of the staircases instantly remind me of village houses in Malacca.

“Next is Rumah Selangor which has two storeys with two self-contained suites named after the cities in Selangor — Shah Alam and Klang. The designed is inspired by the state’s long-roofed house with straight horizontal ridge.”
The last house is the biggest. Rumah Kedah. It’s not surprising as Langkawi is in Kedah.

Also called Rumah Ibu, literally Mother House, it has five rooms comprising Alor Star Suite with three bedrooms, Sungai Petani Suite and Langkawi Suite.

CULINARY DELIGHTS

The resort’s Dapur Warisan is located underneath Rumah Kedah. The restaurant adopts an open kitchen concept where guests can see the chef at work. Lucky me, renowned Chef de Cuisine Roslan Darus is there to prepare my lunch.

Diners don’t need to order from a menu. The chef will prepare his specialties for them instead. Diners can request the chef to prepare their favourite dishes.

For my lunch that day, Roslan prepares his signature beef soup and tomato rice with ayam masak merah. It’s delightful. The Japanese-trained chef is also very creative with Japanese fusion food. His prawn tempura is simply to die for.  

HEAVENLY ESCAPE

My luxurious holiday becomes perfect with an escape to Kayangan Spa. Entering the spa, a sweet girl introduces herself as Khadijah and explains the various spa treatments available. She suggests the soothing body scrub package complete with “oxygenated” facial. “It’s ideal for the young,” she tells me.

Khadijah starts her treatment with the spa’s signature foot bath featuring a purifying combination of crushed sea salt, herbal cleanser and lime essence. Then, she asks me to lie down on the spa bed while she combines the best ingredients for the scrub.

When she scrubs my body, the lovely aroma of rose petal and hibiscus shrouds the relaxing atmosphere, giving me a tranquil feeling. The body treatment lasts for about an hour and after I wash off the small granule substances from my body, I feel so fresh and my skin becomes rosy and softer.

The oxygen facial treatment is also a must-try at Kayangan Spa because it uses a special machine which blows out cooling oxygen on the face that cleans and refreshes the skin.

BREATHTAKING VIEW

Although it’s best to just sit and enjoy the tranquillity of the rustic resort, you’ll also be tempted to swim at the pool and stroll along the Malay fishing village across the river nearby. If you love more active pursuits, ride the resort bicycles to get to Langkawi’s happening beach, Pantai Chenang, just 15 minutes’ ride away. The bicycles are free for your use.

As for me, I simply love to park myself at the perfect spot — Anjung Machinchang — a public balcony that opens up to a stunning view of Gunung Machinchang, one of Langkawi’s iconic natural structures. I love doing this at sunset for the best views.

With a glass of iced tea in my hand, I look out at the lush natural landscape before me. I feel so calm and I know it’ll be hard for me to leave.

Seri Chenang Resort & Spa Langkawi
Lot 1150, Pantai Chenang, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah.
Tel: 04-955 8275. Fax: 04-955 8277. Website: www.serichenangresort.com

-nst online.