Lounging in Langkawi

18-20th June

Having spruced up my toenails with a pedicure at Pretty Nails in Great Eastern Mall – the hot wax wrap is particularly good – we head to the airport once again for one last blast of rest and relaxation on this trip. We are heading to Langkawi, a pretty island off the west coast of penisular Malaysia. It has to be said, that it is also a bit touristy, tacky these day, but we don’t see much of that as we hole up at the delightful Bon Ton resort. This consists of a pretty garden adjacent to bulrush an lotus packed marshes which eventually give onto the sea. The feel is rural rather than beachside. Its claim to fame is that each of the seven guest rooms scattered around the garden are old Malaysian timber houses saved from ruin on the mainland and lovingly restored. Raised on wooden stilts, with thatched roof, timber shutters and beautifully crafted fretwork, the structures may be traditional, but the interiors are contemporary classic, and would grace the pages of a glossy magazine. We even have a bath made from teak on our private terrace.

A long, thin, rectangular blue swimming pool – its chlorine-free water the perfect temperature for lazy laps – forms a centrepiece to the garden, with enough teak loungers shaded by white parasols for every guest, and attentive waiters on tap with chilled water and refreshing fruit. Bon Ton also has the best restaurant on the island – serving the best mashed potato in the world. You don’t have to take my word there are restaurant reviews to prove it. With all this on hand, who wants to venture out? Apart from the obligatory massage, not us – we are here to relax after all.

It turns out that you can probably discover more about Malaysian history here than anywhere on the island. Next door, Bon Ton’s sister resort, Temple Tree, also offers accommodation in a range of reclaimed houses. This time the theme is colonial, with larger properties originally built by the English ruling class in the 1930s,40s and 50s, together with a red timber building that was originally a Chinese shop house. Rather than each building serving as an individual room, as at Bon Ton, these each house several luxurious guest rooms and terraces and comfortable communal lounges. One of the largest is still being installed and you can see the timbers and columns are carefully numbered to ensure they are recreated to the original plan.

Some of the hotels’ profits support a dog and a cat sanctuary. The dogs are in kennels somewhere but there are a dozen or more lucky rescue cats wandering round thinking "this is the life". As in Tioman, there is a peculiarity to many of the cats here – they have short, stumpy tails. The Tioman variation – short with a kink at the top – is meant to be due to inbreeding, so I guess it’s the same on Langkawi. Whatever the length of their tail, they each have a favoured spot to spend the day – inside a decorative wooden pot by the pool, under the shade of a bar stool, beneath the steps of a chalet – but as the heat of the sun fades they come out to greet the guests, chase lizards up trees, or sit by your side as you sip a cocktail and watch the sun go down. Like pampered cats the world over, they’ve got the right idea.

Butterflies, birds and Bijan's

17th June

Back in KL, we head for one of its biggest parks – yes, dear reader, you can still find oases of green amongst the high rises and expressways. It would take more than a day to do justice to this extensive park, so we limit ourselves to a stroll round the butterfly park – as it is the only place we can find to park the car – the bird park, and the ornamental lake. It must be butterfly season, as there are many hundreds of them flying around, dipping their proboscis into the colourful flowers, resting with wings spread like kites to take in the sun, and sipping water from one particular puddle which obviously has superior qualities to all the others. My favourites are the large black swallowtails with an iridescent blue band across their wings.

The bird park is just as packed – but with children as well as a huge variety of birds, from eagles to songbirds, peacocks to flamingos, and even two of the cassowaries we first encountered in Australia last year. My favourite is the hooting, hopping Great Hornbill. What appears to be a banana on its head turns out to be its voice box – producing the loudest hoot in the park as it hops kangaroo-style round its cage. And a special mention goes to the crested pigeon – it does sport a lovely crest, but its size is the real cause for celebration. Imagine Trafalgar Square full of pigeons the size of turkeys.

While local holidaymakers and daytrippers are out in force in the bird park, the lake and surrounding gardens are populated by local workmen armed with leaf blowers, strimmers and mechanical diggers to plant yet more trees. Their desire to keep the area neat and tidy is admirable, but it’s not the peaceful walk we had in mind. No matter. A final treat is in store as we follow the signs to the mouse deer park. Surely the smallest deer in the world, the mouse deer stands 20cm high to its shoulder and is about 40cm long – the size of a large cat – and stands on legs so spindly, its back knees are knocked. So cute!

The evening starts with a visit to Pavilion - the Westfield of KL.  But our minds are on food rather than shopping. KL restaurants offer food from every country in the world – except their own. Finding a Malaysian restaurant brings needles and haystacks to mind – perhaps they have that at home everyday so want something different when they eat out. Malaysian food is distinctly homestyle – essentially large portions of comfort food. But the internet is a wondrous thing, and we discover Bijan’s near Bukit Bintang. We can’t claim to be the first, as the place is packed, and the friendly staff magic tables from nowhere to fill every available corner. Having sampled the food, I can understand why it’s so full.

Three days on Tioman Island

13th-16th June

No time for a Sunday morning lie-in as we head to the airport for a short flight to Tioman Island. It’s school holiday time in Malaysia and we had trouble finding accommodation, so our three nights are split between two resorts. There are virtually no roads on the island and the airport transfer is by water taxi. Our first stop is slightly north of the airport, an area known as ABC, which is popular with locals and backpackers. Our hotel is one step above backpacker, but definitely budget. On the plus side, there is a pretty beach and warm clear sea, and life here revolves around this prime piece of real estate. We lounge in the shade of the trees alongside the backpackers playing cards, watching the antics of Malaysian children in the water. Snorkelling and an ever-capsizing banana boat are on offer to those who swim. This pleasure has passed many Muslim adults by – most wear life jackets even sitting in a water taxi – so I’m impressed by a mum in a bright blue swimming burka, teaching her children to swim.

Happy Hour at the beach bar starts at 5, but a handful of middle-aged Brits have been propping it up for several hours by then, the drone of their world-weary tales the irrating background hum of barflies the world over. After dinner, beach chairs are turned away from the sea towards a giant screen showing live football – no escaping the world cup here. The barflies and backpackers have settled in for the night, but I’m soon nodding off and head to bed.

Half an hour down the coast in a speedy little boat we arrive at our second destination, and I can't think of many people who won't find paradise at Bagus Place. This delightful little resort - just 5 rooms - is a restful, rustic, haven nestling almost invisibly in the rocks and rainforest that fringe the South China Sea at the southern tip of Tioman Island. We are staying in the boat house, which looked like Noah's Ark washed up on the beach. Inside there is a downstairs lounge and shower-room with open tread stairs to the bedroom, outside deck, and a second indoor lounge complete with daybed and splendid sea view. We had planned to scuba-dive but, if truth be told, the restful style of Bagus Place lulled us into a soporific stupor of contentment. We managed to interrupt our lounging, reading and sleeping with an occasional snorkel from the end of the jetty, where baby reef shark chased shoals of tiny fish. The jetty bar is also a lovely place to watch the sun go down and stars come out. Robinson Crusoe, eat your heart out.

After two days of simple pleasures, it’s time to head back to KL. We wake to a flat, calm sea, but an hour later, when our boat is due to leave, a wind has sprung up, swelling the sea making white crested waves. This time we are given life jackets for the bumpy ride back to the airport, and are thankful that we are not on one of boats full of snorkellers that we pass on the way.

If it's Saturday it must be KL

11-12th June

I'm taking advantage of Robin’s Kuala Lumpur house-swap to do a lightning tour of Malaysia – a 10-day mini-break covering KL, Tioman Island off the East coast of the peninsula, and Lankawi off the West Coast.

With my flight landing at 7.40pm , there’s only time to drive back from the airport to the flat in the Embassy district, Robin’s home for the next month, meet the cats he is looking after – not quite as needy as the two I’ve left at home – and drop round to the next door bar for a late supper to the sounds of a local jazz band.

On Saturday I get my first real sight of KL, from the top of the Menara Tower. KL’s own twin towers – Petronus – dominate the skyline, but there are skyrise blocks all around and many more being erected - a clear sign of Malaysia’s booming economy, deliberately spurred by massive population growth. In the 1970s, the government decreed that the population must rise from 15 million to 65 million by 2015 to generate economic growth. It seems to be working. Sadly the buildings needed to house both businesses and workers in KL seem untouched by any architect’s hand, with function rather than design to the fore. But, as in many south-east Asian cities, there is a real vitality here. Designer labels, and the latest electronic gadgetry (there’s a least one iPad on show in every coffee shop we visit), sit comfortably alongside outdoor food stalls, where old style restaurant entrepreneurs vie for your custom at night. We enjoyed a great meal in Jalang Alor – famed for its Chinese food – brought to our table from 4 separate kitchens. Then onto Bukit Bintang, for a leisurely bar crawl leading up to England’s first World Cup match, against USA at 2.30 in the morning! When Gerrard scores after 4 minutes, the late night seems worth it, but after USA draw level we call it a day at half time. The street is still teeming with ex-pat and local supporters, including a Brummie with the physique of Matt Lucas masquerading as a flag of St George in a striking one-piece - “It’s really sweaty in here”- covering him, literally, from head to foot. I guess you could say KL's cosmopolitan!