For your eyes only
At first, it seems a stretch of the imagination to say that just an hour’s flying time away from Kuala Lumpur, there’s a place that you really can get away from it all (and without leaving the country, no less). Once you step foot in one of Ambong Pool Villas’ nine private pool villas, you’ll see that this tropical Langkawi retreat is very real indeed – and rarely has reality looked quite so enticing.
Each of the villas (priced at RM2,800 per night) sit on a blissfully quiet hill at the southwestern tip of the island, peeking out from swathes of rainforest and offering unbeatable views of either the sunrise or sunset. The most compact villa measures just over 153 square metres, which means that there’s plenty of space to roam around for a young family – not to mention a wading pool attached to every 12-metre-long infinity pool.
But really, when you take in Ambong Pool Villas’ outdoor wooden bathtubs and enormous bathrooms with glass-fronted showers overlooking the pool (there’s a curtain for shyer types), it’s a resort best explored – the first time, at least – by two. From your king bed, you can slide open the doors of the lounge area and plunge straight into your infinity pool, or stroll outside to your villa’s terrace and relish an al fresco champagne breakfast. Sunset barbecues are also possible, overseen by a private chef who’ll grill your seafood to perfection as you relax on a sunbed above the lawn, listening to the hum of the rainforest as the sun dips below the sea.
Each villa is refreshingly unique from the other: Villa Kemarong, for instance, welcomes guests with an enchanting vista that stretches out towards Pulau Dayang Bunting, while you can spot the rugged peaks of Langkawi’s second-highest mountain from Villa Machinchang. In Villa Kuang, you’ll be so cleverly concealed by the trees that you can get up to entirely no good, but we’ll leave that to you. Should you wish to leave the tastefully decorated confines of your villa, call Ambong Pool Villas’ efficient and eager-to-please service team, who’ll quickly send a car to whisk you away.
Just down the road is Ambong-Ambong, their sister-resort, which boasts one of the island’s best spas and a stellar Japanese restaurant, Unkaizan, or if you’re pining for a sea breeze, Tengah Beach is six minutes’ walk away. Do make sure you’re back in time for a midnight soak in your villa’s bathtub – in a dramatic nighttime jungle setting like that, it would be a waste not to.
