Just a two-hour drive from Singapore, the resort is a super convenient place for long weekends, school holidays or simply when in need of a quick escape from reality
Ever since I had first heard, just before the pandemic, that Khazanah, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, was going to redevelop parts of Desaru, I was highly intrigued. Desaru, from what I remember, was popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but wasn’t particularly known as a luxury destination. Over the past two decades, it had all but faded in memory.
But the idea of a newly developed beach destination, with a stellar roster of hotels—Anantara, One & Only, Hard Rock, and Westin—just a few hours’ drive (or a quick ferry ride) from Singapore was quite exciting. I love the idea that I could jump into my car and within two hours be checking into somewhere idyllic and luxe. Since travel resumed, I have been itching for an opportunity to head up to Desaru Coast and check out one of these new properties for myself.
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Desperately in need of a quick holiday after a long year, I decided to bring the family (my wife plus three insane kids) to the Anantara for four days in December. Because I really didn’t want to bring my own car up into Malaysia, we arranged a car service to drive us door to door. On the way up, we hit a small jam at the causeway but still arrived at the Anantara within two and a half hours; on the way back, we got home in exactly two. While there is a ferry, it takes over 90 minutes, so you really don’t save all that much time when you factor in the need to get to and from the ferry terminals. Plus my eldest is very prone to seasickness, so it was safer to go by road.
We chose Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas after careful consideration of what each of the four Desaru Coast properties offered. The One & Only may be the most luxurious of the resorts there, but I would rather visit it sans children. On the flip side, I heard from friends that the Hard Rock was almost entirely besieged by families during school holiday periods. We chose Anantara because it offers the right blend of luxury, with adult and family activities, while also taking inspiration from the local culture.