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.