The difficulties of my second day at the Sheraton resort started very early today as it begun with me struggling to get out of bed! A combination of laying between the soft, luxurious layers of bed linen and in the comfy signature Sweet Sleeper bed (which Sheraton is famous for, I hear) and the calm and tranquil surroundings , made it almost impossible for me to start my day.
But with a quick stretch and a glance out the window and sea beyond, I was up and ready to start my day. And besides, there was no way I was going to miss out on the resort's legendary breakfast buffet spread!
Shasha and I decided to walk to the Feast Restaurant instead of taking buggy, to enjoy the greenery and its natural beauty and at the same time build up an appetite for what awaits us at the Feast. Once the equally “famished” Shasha and I arrived at Feast Restaurant, I was astonished to find that the place was filled with so many different faces from all over the world. From the animated Saudi Arabian family of 7, laughing over the breakfast table while their little ones ran about on the outdoor terrace, to the sun-dried Dutch honeymooners, locked in a dreamy gaze, feeding each other fresh fruit from the buffet table to us, the travel blogger and the Cute Suit. The ambience was bursting with holiday joy and excitement. The mood was indeed infectious.
Beef bacon, Japanese soba noodles, nasi lemak, hummus, pancakes, 10 types of breads were amongst the many breakfast fare offered to the Sheraton guests. There was such an amazing spread and variety of international breakfast to choose from that I didn't know where to start! After finally filling up my plate with a selection of different dishes and seeing Shasha doing the same, we nestled ourselves down on the Feast outdoor terrace and dug into our 'feast' (excuse the pun)
We were then joined by the Director of Food & Beverage, En. Nazar Rosly, to chat with us about his Pride and Joy – The Feast Coffeehouse and The Chime. Over breakfast, En.Nazar enlightened us on the food and beverage industry in Langkawi and told us that The Chime is now the latest hotspot in Langkawi ! Yuhoo! we were in the right place at the right time ! With a resident DJ, different theme nights and a 7 piece live band, Chime Night Spot caters to party animals who can bust a move on the dance floor, business travelers wanting to wind down after a long day of wheeling and dealing and music lovers who could sing along to current hits and hit classics performed by Chime's resident live band. Don’t know about The Cute Suit but I was already planning to chill out at Chimes after our interview with Datuk Azhar Mansor this evening!
Towards the end of our breakfast and feeling totally energized by the consumption of good rich food, we were joined by Puan Rosidah, who graciously offered to give us a personal tour of the resort on a private golf buggy!
We started our tour visiting the different suites and chalets within the resort. The Superior sea view rooms were similar to our rooms, with timber floors and of contemporary Malaysian interior design. The soothing aesthetics of the suites blended in effortlessly with the natural surroundings and the sea which can be enjoyed from a large balcony. The bathrooms are very sexy whereby one can choose to soak in the bath tub whilst watching the many cable channels on the flat screen plasma tv in the bedroom thru a shuttered opening! The Partial Sea View rooms similar to the sea view rooms have an absolutely exquisite view of the Andaman Sea! The Garden View rooms are just as comfortable and well decorated as the Sea view suites only difference is that the balcony looks out onto the lush forest of the resort and on occasion, monkeys swinging from the trees!
Our last stop of the Sheraton room tour was the chalets, which had extra large verandas with outdoor dining area for 4 and a comfy daybed for lazing and gazing out to the sea. The chalets had direct access to a sandy beach overlooking the sea. I could easily imagine how it would be like having my own little house by the sea, being in one of the chalets. Sigh..
Suddenly, I thought about my mum, an avid traveler, who scrutinizes hotel rooms with such zeal and concluded that she would approve of the interior design of the rooms and the extras available to guests like the coffee maker with the many variety of coffee and tea sachets, the well stocked mini bar, free bottles of mineral water topped up daily and the local and international leisure and travel magazines laid neatly on the coffee table for easy reading.
After the brief tour of the hotel and chalet suites, Puan Rosidah brought us to the Chawan Spa; the Balinese Spa located in a quiet and secluded part of the resort. After a brief tour of the Spa reception area (which smelt so good from the exotic aromatherapy oils) we were taken to one of the many spa suites where, we are told, a variety of spa treatments are made available for the individual guest or for the honeymooning couple. From the outside, the spa looked just like any other chalets in the Resort, but the interior was completely different! The Spa Suite oozed with sensuality and tranquility with its mood lighting and enticing decor. After literally “prying” Shasha off from the Spa doors, Puan Rosidah kindly drove us back to the hotel lobby, concluding our insightful and enlightening tour of the Sheraton property.
That night, after an interesting encounter with Datuk Azhar Mansor (which is a totally different story all together!) I decided to pay my long awaited visit to Chime night spot, where on this particular night, the theme was Sinful Pleasures. The atmosphere inside Chime was chilled and very laidback. The crowd was just starting to pick up as it was still relatively early, but with the DJ spinning some eletric Hip Hop tunes, and the 7 piece band performing later on, I'm sure Chime would be packed to the brim night in, night out!
By the time the crowd picked up, I was already out the door and making my way back to my hotel room to recharge from the long day.
All and all my visit to the Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi has been eventful and highly appreciated, really. Kudos to the Sheraton Resort and many thanks to Puan Rosidah and the Sheraton Hospitality folks for making Shasha and I feel like their most cherished guests! It is rare to find the 'human touch' in the hotel industry nowadays, but with The Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi, it definitely feels like my home away from home.
Going to take a day off blogging to catch up with myself and get my thoughts and creativity back into my system. Will be back with an update of my adventures like my interview with Datuk Azhar Mansor, the first man to sail around the world in 114 days, and island hopping with the cute suite! But till then..
