Introducing Kate and Wayne, the lovely couple who won a recent honeymoon competition in Brides Magazine. Having originally planned to honeymoon closer to home, I was delighted to be the one to call Kate and break the news that they had won a 10 night honeymoon in Malaysia! Kate and Wayne spent three nights (the first two and the last) in Kuala Lumpur at the stunning Majestic hotel, followed by 7 nights of pampering and relaxation at Pangkor Laut, a hidden island gem on the East Coast of Malaysia…one of the only hotels in Asia to offer overwater accommodation! I caught up with Kate when they got back to find out all about it…
1) I know originally you weren’t planning to travel so far afield for your honeymoon, have you been to Malaysia before? Did the journey times seem ok for the length of time you were away?
Neither Wayne nor I had ever been to Malaysia before and the journey time (15 hours including changing planes in Dubai) was quite a long one, but once we got to the hotel in Kuala Lumpur and had a good night’s sleep, we felt totally refreshed for what lay ahead.
2) You spent a few nights either side of your stay at Pangkor Laut at the Majestic in Kuala Lumpur. Would you recommend a stay in Kuala Lumpur to future honeymooners looking at Malaysia?
Kuala Lumpur is a bustling, hot and busy city packed with skyscrapers which sharply contrast with the older, beautiful colonial buildings. We only had one full day in the city and we visited Merdeka Square (Independence Square), the world famous Petronas Towers, Chinatown and the central market in the that time we had. I would not say there are lots of things to do in the city unless you like high end shopping, in which case there are plenty of places to visit including the Starhill gallery and the sizeable shopping mall under the Petronas towers. It’s not really a pretty city from what we saw, more of a business hub with headquarters for every bank you can think of. It is also quite polluted and dirty in places but the Petronas Towers are well worth a visit, as is Chinatown for great gifts and souvenirs.
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3) What did you think of the accommodation and facilities at the Majestic?
The Majestic Hotel is as its name suggests – Majestic. On walking into the foyer you find yourself standing under a stunning Art Deco-style chandelier with plentiful fresh flowers and smiling staff welcoming you for your stay. We stayed in a junior suite in the newer Tower wing and the room was immaculate, decorated in a contemporary style with floor to ceiling windows, a modern freestanding bath, separate shower and his and hers sinks, a HUGE bed which was so comfortable and a separate seating and dining area.
On our first night we were greeted with rose petals scattered from the door to the bed which was a lovely touch. During our stay, we both had a 60 minute massage which was lovely. The spa staff were friendly and courteous, as the staff were throughout the hotel. We only ate breakfast (and a sneaky late night room service pizza!) there, but there was lots of choice and the eggs were freshly cooked to your liking. We also used the rooftop pool (on the fourth floor) which was a great place to cool off after a hot day investigating what the city had to offer.
Learn more about the Majestic hotel in Kuala Lumpur
4) Did you adventure out into the city at all?
Please see the answer to question #2.
5) The majority of your honeymoon was spent at the stunning Pangkor Laut resort, what were your first impressions of the hotel?
Pangkor Laut is a breathtaking place in every single way. It is the closest place to heaven on earth I can imagine. We arrived on a speedboat with a handful of other guests and were met on the jetty by our own personal member of staff, who escorted us to reception for an efficient check-in and then showed us to our stunning accommodation. Everywhere is immaculate, from the fresh flowers dotted all around the resort which are changed daily to the stunning views, well-kept gardens and sports facilities. As for the accommodation – it was out of this world. We were lucky to stay in one of the two Sea Villa Suites, in the Purnama Suite, which sits perched out at sea on wooden stilts and is accessible by a walkway. The suite has a large separate bedroom (with balcony), lounge (with another balcony – both of these rooms also have satellite TV), with an even larger balcony accessible from the entrance hall then a huge bathroom with a bath that has views over the sea, his and hers sinks and a waterfall shower. After being left in our room it is safe to say we were left pinching ourselves after what we had seen on the short walk from reception.
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6) What did you think of the food and drink at the hotel, did you enjoy staying on a full board basis?
All of the food and drinks we had at the hotel were exceptional, but I would recommend staying on a full board package as meals would be quite pricey if you were paying for them individually. Breakfast at the Feast Village restaurant was varied and fresh, from the fruit juiced for you to order to the eggs cooked any way you liked. We spent our lunchtimes at the Royal Bay Beach Club – the bar/restaurant by the stunning infinity pool. The poolside was our favourite area on the island to sunbathe, relax, read and swim, and the lunches offered were a selection of both western and Asian foods. We have to praise Rehman who worked tirelessly at the pool to make sure no-one ran out of bottles of ice cool complimentary water and raced around setting up sunbeds with a friendly smile. In the evenings we tried Uncle Lim’s Chinese restaurant but our favourite was the Feast Village for its variety.
7) I know you visited the world renowned Spa Village whilst at Pangkor Laut, which treatment did you have and would you recommend to others?
The spa treatment I had at Pangkor Laut can only be described as five hours of pure bliss. After the bath house ritual (which involved a Chinese foot pounding, bathing in cool and hot baths and a Shanghai scrub), I had the “Princess Treatment” – this involved a 90 minute massage, a hair and scalp massage/softening treatment, a facial, an exfoliating body scrub, a relaxing lime and scented bath which I lay in while sipping some ginger tea before having a steam treatment. I finally had a manicure to finish it all off. To say I felt relaxed at the end of it all was an understatement!
8) Pangkor Laut is very well known for its fabulous service and friendly staff, would you agree?
Absolutely. Pangkor Laut is a stunning resort with beautiful scenery and weather, but the helpful, friendly yet non-invasive staff is what sets it apart. From Hafizi, who worked on reception and led us from the jetty to our suite, to our favourite waiter Dwi at Feast Village to the excellent Rehman by the pool , all staff were excellent. Everyone greeted you with a smile and a hello and were all so courteous. Nothing was too much trouble for anyone.
9) Did you feel that 10 nights was long enough in Malaysia? Would you want to go back and visit the other side of the area or perhaps adventure over to Borneo?
We felt that we spent the right amount of time at Pangkor Laut and in Kuala Lumpur. Whilst we mostly spent our time relaxing on the island, we did take part in some activities, notably the spa treatments, the fascinating jungle walk across the middle of the island to the beautiful Emerald Bay beach on the other side (where we saw monkeys, monitor lizards and hornbills on the way), played a few games of tennis, took a morning yoga session, and Wayne also used the gym to go running in the mornings.
Learn more about holidays in Malaysia
10) Finally, a bit of a cheeky question, do you have any feedback for Turquoise Holidays and the service you received travelling as a Turquoise Honeymooner? Would you recommend us to your friends for their honeymoons or holidays?
I would absolutely recommend Turquoise Holidays to family and friends. We dealt exclusively with Lizzie who was friendly, so helpful and answered all of our questions quickly. Other than a slight hiccup at the airport where our driver was waiting for us in a different place to that we had been told, everything was seamless, relaxing and well thought out. We could not have asked for a better honeymoon in a more perfect place and we were so sad to leave the beautiful island of Pangkor Laut.
Learn more about Turquoise Holidays honeymoons
All images taken by Kate Gardiner
