TIME Magazine’s World’s Great Places Desaru Coast Located on the South-Eastern Coast of Johor, Malaysia

Desaru Coast Report – 22nd to 24th September 2022

Desaru Coast, a coastal resort area on the south-eastern coast of Malaysia, is recognised as one of TIME Magazine's World's Great Places of 2021. More recently, three of Desaru Coast's properties were listed in the Top 10 as Best Beach Resorts in Malaysia in Travel + Leisure's inaugural Asia's Best Awards 2022. Getting to Desaru Coast by ferry means getting up early to be at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal for the 8:30 am departure time.

Desaru Coast is the region's first premium integrated destination resort with the opening of The Westin, Hard Rock Hotel, Asia's first One & Only Resort & Malaysia's first Anantara Resort & Villas. The Els Club Desaru Coast, with two world-class courses and the region's largest water park, Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast, complete the integrated venues of the Desaru Coast. The destination also offers a fully equipped conference centre, and its MICE programme offers bespoke events for businesses of all sizes. This is a seriously excellent place to hold that off-site team meeting.

Mine was a whirlwind visit to the region, and I spent time looking around and having a meal at one of the restaurants at each resort. I went on a local mangrove eco-tour and had a golf lesson with the Els Club golf complex's resident pro. Here's my take on the Desaru Coast.

The Resorts

Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast.

The Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast provides a fun ambience for families looking for a sense of adventure. This 365-room luxury resort is inspiring, with direct access to Adventure Waterpark, complete with machine-generated waves, and Desaru Coast's shopping village. The Hotel offers an exciting programme of children's activities. You can drop the kids off at the Roxity kids club and leave them to indulge in activities such as batik painting, puppet making and board games. Kids aged between 4 and 14 are welcome.

As with all Hard Rock hotels, there's plenty of music memorabilia at various points around the Hotel and restaurants. There's even music piped underwater at the pool!

The main restaurant at the Hard Rock is the Elephant and the Butterfly, with a definite Mexican bias to the menu. The dining is wholesome and casual and best shared with a group. The predictable items, like guacamole, quesadillas, frijoles, burgers, and grilled steaks, are all available. Some of the food arrived cold, but the cod dish was excellent; it was still steaming hot when I cut into it. The kids' menu is extensive, too. Of course, a decent selection of cocktails is available, and when at the Hard Rock, the Margarita is the drink of choice for me.

After dinner, it's time to find a seat at the music bar and enjoy the rest of the evening with the local house band. Good to see a few folks dancing to the familiar tunes of the 80s and the 90s.

The Westin Desaru Coast Resort

The Westin Desaru Coast Resort is within a three-to-four-minute walk from the Hard Rock. The Westin Desaru is a refreshing sanctuary to unwind in one of 275 light & airy hotel rooms and suites. There's direct access to the private white-sand beach and sparkling calm ocean. At The Westin Desaru, guests can savour healthy, inventive, creative cocktails and an interactive kitchen concept at the resort's restaurants and Beach Bar.

The Westin is part of the Marriott hotel chain, and your Bonvoy points are good here. Grant Young is the General Manager, and his team provides outstanding service at the bar, the pool and the restaurants. The Seasonal Tastes restaurant serves a buffet breakfast with several themed stations such as Chinese, Indian and western. There are enough choices for the fussiest of eaters.

The main restaurant at the Westin is Prego, and yes, Italian is the cuisine du jour. The hot and cold antipasti is a great way to kick things off, followed by the delightful soups, which are thick and creamy. My favourite was the Zuppa di Fungi, heavenly mushroom soup with a drizzle of truffle. An exciting pasta menu includes an apple and goat cheese tortellini with a cream cheese sauce. If you can get past the pizza section of the menu that includes ham, zucchini and artichoke calzoni, you will get to the seafood and meat mains, including a whopping tomahawk steak good for two people. To finish with something sweet, and highly recommend, is the Tiramisu Tradizionale.

The Westin Desaru has lots of space. You can stroll down to the beach area or park yourself in many places near the lobby or poolside. In the morning, there is beach yoga, and even at 6:30 am, there was an active class of about 20 people doing their sun salutations, and downward dog poses.

There's a convention centre next door, and it seems an ideal place to have the off-site team building meeting. There were two or three corporate groups at the Westin while I was there. The corporate t-shirts were a giveaway, as were the group activities down by the beach.

Of course, as I stayed at the Westin Desaru, I must mention the rooms. Large, spacious rooms with a king-size bed, lots of natural light and beautiful views of the beach and ocean. I loved the big bathroom and had to use the deep and glorious tub. You won't find tiny, fiddly bottles of shampoo and bath gel here. There are proper-sized bottles on the shower shelf…great touch.

Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas

The Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas is a 108-room resort of luxury accommodations nestled in lush tropical gardens and offers a serene beach escape. Several 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom standalone villas overlook the gardens and lagoon, while the luxury 3-bedroom and 4-bedroom ocean-fronting residences provide families and groups with the utmost privacy.

There are a host of activities to keep you busy. Everything from beach yoga, to cycling, to Cinema under the Stars, where you sit back on a comfy lounger, grab your popcorn and watch movies on a big screen under the stars. For the kids, there's a kids club as well as a Teens Club with dedicated amenities, including video games, foosball, table tennis and board games.

Sea.Fire.Salt is Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas' signature restaurant serving steaks and fresh seafood. There are ten varieties of salt to match the different types of meat, salad and

fish. Every weekend, there is a buffet with a difference where you can order as many dishes and times as you want from the regular Sea.Fire.Salt menu. A wide range of homemade coolers, fresh juices, mojitos, martinis and beer are available too. The food is fresh and delicious. Dining poolside and the resident DJ spinning the beats is a glorious way to spend a Saturday lunchtime. If you have been to a Sunday brunch in Singapore, the prices at the Anantara brunch will be a delightful surprise, especially the free-flow alcohol option.

A great place to have a few cocktails is the Observatory Bar, which overlooks the resort. This bar is a chillout place, and it's pretty easy to grab a quick snooze in the big comfy lounges around the bar. Fancy an Aperol Spritz on a warm afternoon? This is the place to be.

When I think Anantara, I think spa. Anantara Hotels & Resorts is known worldwide for its award-winning spas built on the foundation of bespoke luxurious and holistic signature experiences rooted in indigenous traditions. The spa menu includes two signature spa treatments. The Roots of Malaysia is a 90-minute treatment that combines Malaysia's healing practices and techniques. The Anantara Signature Massage uses a signature oil blend to stimulate circulation, promote deep relaxation, and restore energy flow for supreme well-being. I was not combating jet lag, but the relaxation therapy was welcome. The Spa at the Anantara Desaru has six treatment rooms. Two couples suites, two couples suites with in-room jacuzzies, and two singles suites.

One&Only Desaru Coast Resort

The One&Only Desaru Coast is a spectacular retreat that embodies the essence of the location, known as the 'village of palms'. This is truly a luxurious hideaway, set amongst fabulous gardens and jungle.

The resort is home to a breathtaking collection of 42 Junior Suites, two luxury two-bedroom Grand Suites and an exclusive four-bedroom Villa One. Every suite boasts a private plunge pool, abundant indoor and outdoor living spaces, and 'wow your socks off' bathrooms, all inspired by the beauty and traditions of Malaysia's enchanting southeast. There is also a kids and teens club at this resort.

It's a large property, and it seems that there's no one around. Then after you see the fully contained suites that enjoy 24-hour butler service, why would you need to wander out except perhaps at mealtimes to one of the five dining venues on the resort?

The Ambara restaurant captures the flavours of the Mediterranean coast and lets you experience field-to-fork dining as Ambara embraces the seasonal produce Malaysia has to offer.

The Hoshi marries traditional Japanese and modern culinary techniques. Be mesmerised as you watch the theatre-style preparation of mouth-watering omakase menus served with the season's freshest ingredients and paired with the most refined Japanese sake and whiskies. There are twenty counter seats and be prepared for the whole show.

The Essential celebrates the diverse flavours of Malaysia and embraces forgotten tropical ingredients at this vibrant café and bar. Nothing like a handcrafted cocktail to beat the afternoon heat while you lounge on your sunbed.

Critically acclaimed and Michelin star chef, Andrew Walsh, conceptualised the Ember Beach Club. You can choose a 4, 5 or 6-course menu at this beachside restaurant, and you will indulge in fresh seafood that blends the best of western and Malaysian techniques. I can see why this is another popular dining venue to spend at the beach with live music, great food, and chilled wines.

Finally, a perfect way to end the day is at the Dusky Monkey, the open-air lobby bar with deep timber wood reflective of the surrounding rainforests. Enjoy a selection of creative straits-inspired bites and tailor-made cocktails made with regional rums, curated gins, and funky artisanal tonics,

The Els Club

The Els Club Desaru is a 45-hole golfer's paradise set against beautiful coastal vistas, awarded Malaysia's Best Golf Course for two consecutive years at the World Golf Awards. With two courses, the Ocean Course, a 27-hole course designed by Ernie Els and the 18-hole Valley Course, designed in collaboration with major champion Vijay Singh, the Els Club should definitely be on your list of regional golf destinations. There are day packages for Singaporean golfers to travel to The Els Club for 18-holes plus a 3-course meal.

The resident pro, Zafran Abdullah, is only too happy to show you around. He also has a coaching studio with two classrooms, brimming with video cameras and clubs to help you improve and fine-tune your game.

The facilities include restaurants, meeting spaces, viewing balconies, and terraces with expansive views of the South China Sea. The locker rooms are luxurious, and there's even a glass-fronted locker with Ernie Els's shirt and shoes.

Wetland River Cruise

Operated by the JungleWalla tour group, the Sedili Wetland River Cruise tour begins with a boat cruise that covers the area's rich mangroves. Our naturalist guide, Irshard, pointed out the exciting wildlife that calls the Sedili home. The mudflats are teaming with life, such as fiddler crabs, molluscs, kingfishers, and migratory birds feeding on the beaches. As we cruised silently along the river, we saw a family of crab-eating macaque monkeys and a giant water monitor lizard perched about 6 meters up on a tree branch. On this tour, you will learn much about the significance of the mangrove swamps in Malaysia. I've never been on a mangrove tour before; this one was educational and inspiring.

Desaru Coast Experiences

Desaru Coast boasts an abundance of experiences and attractions for families, couples, friends, and workmates to enjoy. This premium destination resort offers curated programs under four areas of interest: nature-inspired & edutainment, off-the-beaten-track, adrenaline activities, and wellness experiences to provide an easy and relaxing stay.

The ferry service via Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal offers reliable, fast and convenient cross-border connectivity from Singapore. In 90 minutes, guests can arrive at the doorstep of Desaru Coast to enjoy the activities, beaches, amenities, and dining options the destination offers. With this, day trippers from Singapore can visit Desaru Coast to experience an unforgettable day with the day and stay packages rolled out by Desaru Coast. Make this place for your next break. I know I will be back again soon.