The Ritz Carlon Langkawi offers everything you would expect from a luxury hotel in a destination where nature prevails: secluded, quiet and a high level of service in a beautiful setting.
Pour la fin de mon séjour à Langkawi j’ai opté, après le Westin Langkawi, pour le Ritz Carlton. The reason is quite simple: spending a week or so in another luxury hotel like the St Regis Langkawi did not fit in my budget so I cut my week in two. And since I had already tested the St Regis and the Andaman that I love so much had burned down and will certainly never reopen, I was left with this recently opened Ritz Carlton.
As much as for the Westin my apprehension was to find an overcrowded resort, not very quiet and with an average service, here I wondered which version of the Ritz Carlton I was going to have to do. As much as St Regis has never disappointed us, our experiences at the Ritz Carlton hotels are mixed to say the least. Generally speaking, we find these hotels dusty, the service too stilted, like a chain that lives a little too much in its past. But this hotel is brand new so I thought that hopefully from a blank sheet they would have created something a little more in line with the times. It remains to be seen if I made the right bet…
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Booking
I booked a fortnight before my trip a standard room at 350 euros per night. It hurts and for the price I hope not to see the dark side of Ritz Carlton as was the case at the catastrophic Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur.
Much more expensive than what I used to pay at the Andaman but it’s normal: before, I used to leave a little earlier in December and now my dates collide with the Christmas vacations, the price increase is general in the sector and finally by booking so late I had no hope that the best prices were still available.
Location of the hotel
The hotel is located in the west of the island, half an hour drive from the airport. It is outside the city, hidden in the rainforest, a bit like the Andaman but the latter was much more remote and isolated.
Arrival at the hotel and check-in
I check-in online the day before my arrival at the hotel but to my surprise it’s already been 24 hours that the Marriott application indicates an upgrade to a corner junior suite ! Surprise because considering the occupancy rates I doubted that any upgrade to a suite would be possible and this will be the only one I will benefit from during this stay whereas at other times of the year I have always been spoiled here And then Ritz Carlton does not have the reputation of being very generous on the subject.
I arrive by Grab (the local Uber) at the hotel.
It is lost in the tropical forest and we take a small interior road that after some minutes leads to the lobby of the hotel.
As is common here it is totally open to the outside. Another distinctive point is that it is only used to welcome customers. The hotel’s rooms, villas, restaurants and other facilities are scattered throughout the resort, much like the St Regis Bali.
Here is a map of the property to help you visualize it.
And when you walk through the hotel, this is the setting that awaits you.
For my part, I enjoyed walking but clients can also be transported by electric buggies.
I am installed in a sofa for my check-in.
They bring me a welcome drink and an Oshibori.
The person in charge of the check-in finally arrives.
To my great surprise it was a Frenchman, a trainee who was studying not far from where I live in Paris. Very nice. He proceeds with the formalities, introduces me to the hotel and its facilities, explains to me how to orient myself. He proceeds with the formalities, introduces me to the hotel and its facilities, explains to me how to find my way.
He explained to me that the hotel was almost full so they could only upgrade me to a suite because otherwise the high status guests were upgraded to villas! Very rare and appreciable!
It’s a bit early and my room is not ready yet so he suggests that a buggy drops me in one of the bars or restaurants of the property and they will send me a text to tell me when my room is ready. He gives me the key because all I need is for the supervisor to check that the cleaning has been done properly.
And here is my buggy.
I’ll have tea at the poolside bar which we’ll talk about later.
Very quickly a text message informs me that my room is ready. Rather than ask for a buggy I will go on foot, just to visit the hotel.
The room
The rooms are in small blocks of 6 units, so there is no big massive building.
One enters the room by a corridor…
On the right is a dressing room that leads to the bathroom.
Moving forward you find the bedroom itself.
It is very spacious, tastefully decorated and really bright since, with one exception, all the walls are in fact large floor-to-ceiling windows.
The bedding is of very high quality and I slept like a baby.
There is also a desk on which I will find a welcome and a note from the management.
There is also a well-stocked minibar with chilled wine.
A minibar with several temperatures for wine in a hotel room is rare.
Then in the next room we find the lounge.
It opens onto a very large balcony.
Then back to the room to access the bathroom that can be reached through the dressing room or directly from the bedroom.
There is a large bathtub and a very large walk-in shower.
A double washbasin.
There is also a desk overlooking the room, with a partition that closes for the night.
And last but not least: Japanese toilet fans will not be disappointed!
A beautiful room, brand new, very bright, comfortable, what more could you ask for?
We end with the video visit.
The hotel facilities
The hotel has a beach, two pools (each with a bar and restaurant which we’ll talk about later), a gym, and a spa.
The beach
It is located between the two pools. It is modest in size but totally sufficient for the size of the hotel.
I really like the quiet and green setting in which it is located.
To be honest I didn’t go, preferring one of the two pools.
Pool #1
It is located next to one of the hotel’s bars. It is of good size and offers a nice view of the sea.
It also has a whirlpool.
It is modest in size but appropriate for the size of the hotel, I have never seen it crowded.
On the other hand, it is often noisier than the other one because children are allowed there.
Pool #2
It is located opposite the first one, on the other side of the beach, in height. You can see it in these photos taken from the other pool with the bar and restaurant next to it.
It is a beautiful infinity pool with a totally unobstructed view to the sea.
The view is superb.
There are deckchairs…
But also sofas to enjoy the view apart.
As I said its particularity is to be reserved for adults and it is therefore very quiet, more than the other where the noise and the shouts can disturb some customers.
The service is impeccable and they will bring you a refreshing towel upon your arrival. Of course, you can order drinks from the bar next door or still or brewed water is offered.
This will be my favorite spot in this hotel.
The Spa
It is located at the very end of the estate and its architecture is easily recognizable.
You can enjoy its facilities or have a treatment. Those nostalgic for the Air France La Première lounge will be happy to find Biologique Recherche products.
In the installations, very pretty, one finds a Sauna and a Hammam, but the Hammam was out of order during my passage.
There is also an outdoor hot tub.
Not exceptional but very good, quiet and comfortable.
As for the treatments, they are of high quality and the size of the treatment rooms is impressive.
Gym
The gym is located in a separate building. It is large, bright, well equipped and…not very crowded.
Bars and restaurants
The hotel has four restaurants, two of which also being a bar.
Beach Grill – Anytime
This is a bar/restaurant located next to the first pool that offers a simple menu at all hours. I will go there the first day for a tea, then once for an aperitif and once for a liquor knowing that the property also offers cigars.
However, I will not eat there.
Nice and pleasant and very friendly staff.
Horizon – Aperitif and Dinner.
This is the bar and restaurant located next to the second pool. Like the neighboring pool it is for adults only.
It has a indoor and an outdoor part, I will only attend the outdoor part.
Very nice view at the end of the afternoon as the sun is setting.
They had the intelligence to put the bar with its back to the sea which offers a superb view to the customers. This is where I will choose to dine.
Nice atmosphere at the time of the aperitif.
The menu is quite simple.
To start I will have a green papaya and mango salad with a crab roll.
The salad will be fresh and pleasant, the hot roll just as good and with, it is rare, a lot of crab in it.
Then Massaman, a lamb curry.
The meat is melting and the dish very good, spicy with very balanced flavors.
And for dessert a banana cream and ice cream, with a caramel sauce.
Very good too.
It is now night and I enjoy this very nice bar.
A very nice place with a simple but perfectly executed menu and a lovely staff.
A last view of the pool before going to bed
Langkawi Kitchen – Dinner
The Langkawi Kitchen is the “normal” restaurant of the hotel. It is quite large and the setting is nice and warm.
The menu at Langkawi Kitchen goes far beyond the location of the place. Here you can enjoy dishes from the region’s greatest culinary influences, including India, China and Malaysia.
The waitress who will take care of me is again a young French woman in training. Not possible to have the tasting menu for one person so it will be a la carte.
Cucar Udang Kara (fried lobster fritters)
It is good without being exceptional and at least not greasy. The sauce will give it a little more taste.
The salad will be very tasty and will improve the whole.
Shrimp and fish soup
Very tasty and spicy, I love it!
Then a dish whose name I didn’t write down and that I forgot to take a picture of. Melting meat, well spiced.
Then a kind of chocolate and banana donut.
Fresh and good.
In the end, a pan-Asian menu, good dishes and a very pleasant service.
Hai-Yan – Dinner
Hai-Yan is a Chinese restaurant that represents the hotel’s fine dining offering.
The decor is more luxurious and premium than the other restaurants in the hotel.
The map is so long that I will spare you the pictures.
The welcome is cordial, they call me by name and they install me.
The choice of the dishes was not easy: if their composition is translated in English it is not the case of their name so it is difficult to make an idea quickly.
I will start with a fried wagyu beef as an appetizer.
Good but not exceptional.
Fried shrimp
It’s better, it’s good but nothing more.
For dessert it will be an iced mango cream.
Fresh and good.
In the end a beautiful setting and good service but I am a bit disappointed. Maybe it’s just me not being a fan of Chinese food as I had the same impression at the St Regis Honk Kong restaurant but I think that for a Ritz Carlton the fine dining offer should be embodied by something more sophisticated and premium. A few kilometers away, the Kayu Puti at the St Regis Langkawi is on a different level.
The staff
Totally impeccable, efficient and very warm and welcoming.
I also had the chance to meet the hotel’s management and especially the general manager during a cocktail party given for the Elite members of the loyalty program. Lots of interesting discussions about the local hotel industry, this hotel in particular, and I will learn from them on this occasion that the Andaman is not ready to reopen and that it will certainly not reopen in its old form, which really pained me.
In any case I was delighted by the hotel staff, from the management to the waiters.
Check-out
I will check out on the Marriott mobile app. A buggy will bring me with my suitcase to the reception where my Grab will pick me up a few minutes later.
Bottom line
The Ritz Carlton Langkawi has really reconciled me with the hotels of the chain with a much more modern and less dusty style than most of those I have known so far.
The hotel is really superb and its decoration very successful. The service is at the level we expect but without being unnecessarily stilted.
The facilities are very nice, especially the second infinity pool and its bar which offer superb views.
On the other hand, I think the hotel would benefit from having a more sophisticated fine dining offer, whether it is Western or not.
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