It’s been a long time since I had a girly girl weekend so I was totally looking forward to our relaxing beach getaway with my 2 good friends whom I’ve known since primary school, Cat & Juliet who came in to KL from Singapore the night before. Having been to the lovely Pangkor Laut Resort numerous time before (twice for a wedding shoot, once for a birthday celebration and another for our FIFOTO company trip in 2009), I was certainly no stranger to the island. What keeps me going back to the island? Definitely the excellent service, the sumptuous cuisines, the beautiful beach and clear waters at Emerald Bay.
It’s a 3-hr drive from KL. You get to the Marina Island Pangkor at Lumut and you take a 5 min speed boat ride to get to Pangkor Laut Resort (PLR).
Once we checked in, Juliest & I headed staright to the pool for some sun. Cat who had a fever from 2 nights ago wasn’t feeling well and decided to take a nap.
By late afternoon, Cat was feeling better and she made it to the spa with us. If you ever visit PLR, you HAVE to experience the Award-winning Spa Village, at least once. The Spa is special because with any spa package you take, you get to enjoy a unique bath experience which starts off with short traditional foot reflexology/foot bath.
as you enter the “bath gates”, you make a wish and throw a coin into a well…
… then you get to the cold bath. It’s pretty cold water so we take a quick dip and get out as fast as we can!
(But of course, we withstood the cold for a photo!)
Next, you’re led to 4 heated aromatherapy corners where you slowly inhale the relaxing vapors from 4 different scents that are calming and relaxing.
Before you take a dip in the “hot springs” (heated pool), you’re required to scrub and wash yourself in a Japanese-style bath
This next part is the nicest – you get to dip in a warm pool, for as long as you like… and warm tea is served!
The last part of the bath experience includes a scrub.
Now, after you’re all relaxed and cleaned, you’re wrapped in a sarong of your choice (which you also get to take home with you as a souvenir) and led to the massage rooms for further relaxation. The massage session is magnificent. Ayu, my masseuse was so good that I fell into a deep sleep and when I woke up, my body was completely relaxed… the knots in my neck and shoulders were gone and my body was soft like a jelly fish. I can’t remember the last time my body felt that way but it felt GOOOOOOD!
Unfortunately though, Cat didn’t feel that great after the spa, probably due to the cold bath and with her not feeling well in the first place, it definitely did not do her any good. Poor Cat stayed in bed that evening and we requested for porridge to be sent to the room for her. Her dinner came with a handwritten/drawn “Get Well Soon” note. Sweeeeet!
Juliet & I had dinner at Feast Village. Since we took the Accommodation + F&B package, our meals included our choice of an appetizer or dessert and a main.
Day 2
Mariana, one of the Managers at PLR called us early in the morning to check on Cat and offered to bring her to the Doctor. Juliet & I went for breakfast while Cat went to the in-house clinic. She met up with us soon after and had half a slice of bread. Poor girl! Breakfast is served at Feast Village and they have a wide variety of buffet spread ranging from Asian to Western. My favorite for breakfast is the juice bar where you pick your mix of fruits and greens and they make you a cup of fresh juice! Rejuvenating, revitalizing, refreshing!
Look who decided to join us for breakkie!
After breakfast, Cat who still wasn’t feeling well, returned to the room to hibernate. Juliet & I headed to Emerald Bay where we spent the afternoon chillin’ by the beach and playing in the waves (it was high tide that afternoon)…
We had our lunch at Emerald Bay itself and played in the sea awhile more before heading back to the spa for round 2 of relaxation!
We had initially pre-booked one spa session but we ended up going on both days. Yes, it is THAT GOOD!
Since we stayed at the Garden villa and we’ve been taking the car back and forth, I suggested we take a slow walk and enjoy the beautiful sunset by the sea villas…
we headed to the pool for a short swim before dinner…
It was Jules and I again for dinner and we decided to try the other restaurant that was included in our package, Uncle Lim’s. Here, they serve nynonya/thai style cuisine. Super delicious! (Actually, the food at all the restaurants I’ve been to from my past few trips, have all been really good!)
Jules was bored at work… look what she decided to do…
Day 3
Our last day on the beautiful island and finally Cat was feeling slightly better. I got a text from Mariana (because she didn’t want to call the room and wake us, how thoughtful!) that morning asking how Cat was feeling. And on the day Cat was feeling well enough, it had to drizzle. So I kept thinking sunny thoughts but it kept on drizzling…
So after breakfast we hung out in the library where they were giving complimentary neck & shoulder massages while we waited for the sun to come up. Sure enough, it did, but just about enough time for 20 mins by the pool, have our lunch and then get ready to leave. Me being me, suggested the girls take the latest flight out (from KL to S’pore) so we could extend our stay, even if it meant a few more hours… I managed to get them booked on the latest flight, coordinated our boat time (from PLR back to Lumut) and requested for a late check out. All that in a few short minutes and there we had it… we bought ourselves 2.5 more hours on the island!
Since Cat had missed out on almost everything on the island (which means she has to make it back again sometime soon! … with her hubby, perhaps? hint hint Lawrence!), we decided to bring her to Emerald Bay to spend whatever time we had left…
… and before we knew it, it was really time for us to leave. This time, for real, unfortunately! We were presented with photo greeting card to remind us of a fantastic girly weekend getaway (not so fantastic for sick Cat but at least she has photos to remind her of our weekend together!)
We’d like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone at PLR who provided such personable and excellent service, which made it the fantastic weekend it was!
For those of you looking for a short, relaxing weekend getaway in a secluded island with NO distractions (there’s no night life, no shopping, just you and the island), I would totally recommend PLR! And if you’re Malaysian, or Singaporean, or if you’re an expat living in Malaysia or S’pore, you can take advantage of the special All-inclusive Resident package (which is what we got) which includes accommodation and meals. If you only have 1 weekend to spare, I’d recommend the 3D2N package. But it’s never long enough. Personally, if time permits, I’d recommend you do the 4D3N package. Best way to book is online at www.ytlhotels.com.my or call the YTL Travel Center at +603 2783-1000.
All photos above taken from iPhone 4s.
Check out our 2009 FIFOTO Company trip photos here!
Speaking of company trips… we are going on our 2012 one in a few hours! So watch this SPACE for photos from our next FIFOTO crew getaway!
