The Suit & I @ The Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi - Day 2

The difficulties of my second day at the Sheraton resort started very early today as it begun with me struggling to get out of bed! A combination of laying between the soft, luxurious layers of bed linen and in the comfy signature Sweet Sleeper bed (which Sheraton is famous for, I hear) and the calm and tranquil surroundings , made it almost impossible for me to start my day.

But with a quick stretch and a glance out the window and sea beyond, I was up and ready to start my day. And besides, there was no way I was going to miss out on the resort's legendary breakfast buffet spread!

Shasha and I decided to walk to the Feast Restaurant instead of taking buggy, to enjoy the greenery and its natural beauty and at the same time build up an appetite for what awaits us at the Feast. Once the equally “famished” Shasha and I arrived at Feast Restaurant, I was astonished to find that the place was filled with so many different faces from all over the world. From the animated Saudi Arabian family of 7, laughing over the breakfast table while their little ones ran about on the outdoor terrace, to the sun-dried Dutch honeymooners, locked in a dreamy gaze, feeding each other fresh fruit from the buffet table to us, the travel blogger and the Cute Suit. The ambience was bursting with holiday joy and excitement. The mood was indeed infectious.

Beef bacon, Japanese soba noodles, nasi lemak, hummus, pancakes, 10 types of breads were amongst the many breakfast fare offered to the Sheraton guests. There was such an amazing spread and variety of international breakfast to choose from that I didn't know where to start! After finally filling up my plate with a selection of different dishes and seeing Shasha doing the same, we nestled ourselves down on the Feast outdoor terrace and dug into our 'feast' (excuse the pun)

We were then joined by the Director of Food & Beverage, En. Nazar Rosly, to chat with us about his Pride and Joy – The Feast Coffeehouse and The Chime. Over breakfast, En.Nazar enlightened us on the food and beverage industry in Langkawi and told us that The Chime is now the latest hotspot in Langkawi ! Yuhoo! we were in the right place at the right time ! With a resident DJ, different theme nights and a 7 piece live band, Chime Night Spot caters to party animals who can bust a move on the dance floor, business travelers wanting to wind down after a long day of wheeling and dealing and music lovers who could sing along to current hits and hit classics performed by Chime's resident live band. Don’t know about The Cute Suit but I was already planning to chill out at Chimes after our interview with Datuk Azhar Mansor this evening!

Towards the end of our breakfast and feeling totally energized by the consumption of good rich food, we were joined by Puan Rosidah, who graciously offered to give us a personal tour of the resort on a private golf buggy!

We started our tour visiting the different suites and chalets within the resort. The Superior sea view rooms were similar to our rooms, with timber floors and of contemporary Malaysian interior design. The soothing aesthetics of the suites blended in effortlessly with the natural surroundings and the sea which can be enjoyed from a large balcony. The bathrooms are very sexy whereby one can choose to soak in the bath tub whilst watching the many cable channels on the flat screen plasma tv in the bedroom thru a shuttered opening! The Partial Sea View rooms similar to the sea view rooms have an absolutely exquisite view of the Andaman Sea! The Garden View rooms are just as comfortable and well decorated as the Sea view suites only difference is that the balcony looks out onto the lush forest of the resort and on occasion, monkeys swinging from the trees!

Our last stop of the Sheraton room tour was the chalets, which had extra large verandas with outdoor dining area for 4 and a comfy daybed for lazing and gazing out to the sea. The chalets had direct access to a sandy beach overlooking the sea. I could easily imagine how it would be like having my own little house by the sea, being in one of the chalets. Sigh..
Suddenly, I thought about my mum, an avid traveler, who scrutinizes hotel rooms with such zeal and concluded that she would approve of the interior design of the rooms and the extras available to guests like the coffee maker with the many variety of coffee and tea sachets, the well stocked mini bar, free bottles of mineral water topped up daily and the local and international leisure and travel magazines laid neatly on the coffee table for easy reading.

After the brief tour of the hotel and chalet suites, Puan Rosidah brought us to the Chawan Spa; the Balinese Spa located in a quiet and secluded part of the resort. After a brief tour of the Spa reception area (which smelt so good from the exotic aromatherapy oils) we were taken to one of the many spa suites where, we are told, a variety of spa treatments are made available for the individual guest or for the honeymooning couple. From the outside, the spa looked just like any other chalets in the Resort, but the interior was completely different! The Spa Suite oozed with sensuality and tranquility with its mood lighting and enticing decor. After literally “prying” Shasha off from the Spa doors, Puan Rosidah kindly drove us back to the hotel lobby, concluding our insightful and enlightening tour of the Sheraton property.

That night, after an interesting encounter with Datuk Azhar Mansor (which is a totally different story all together!) I decided to pay my long awaited visit to Chime night spot, where on this particular night, the theme was Sinful Pleasures. The atmosphere inside Chime was chilled and very laidback. The crowd was just starting to pick up as it was still relatively early, but with the DJ spinning some eletric Hip Hop tunes, and the 7 piece band performing later on, I'm sure Chime would be packed to the brim night in, night out!

By the time the crowd picked up, I was already out the door and making my way back to my hotel room to recharge from the long day.

All and all my visit to the Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi has been eventful and highly appreciated, really. Kudos to the Sheraton Resort and many thanks to Puan Rosidah and the Sheraton Hospitality folks for making Shasha and I feel like their most cherished guests! It is rare to find the 'human touch' in the hotel industry nowadays, but with The Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi, it definitely feels like my home away from home.

Going to take a day off blogging to catch up with myself and get my thoughts and creativity back into my system. Will be back with an update of my adventures like my interview with Datuk Azhar Mansor, the first man to sail around the world in 114 days, and island hopping with the cute suite! But till then..

Harith The Hectic Beach Bum

Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd. & The Sheraton Beach Resort, Langkawi

The Suit & I @ The Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi - Day 1

10.21 a.m -- Currently at The Airport Starbucks, awaiting 'the cute suit' to arrive from Kuala Lumpur to pay me a visit or rather check on me. Elisa (Shasha for short) is the head of Sales & Marketing for Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd. and is down from KL to the Island of Langkawi to meet some of the prominent folks of the Island with me. Some to mention include Mr Wicky Sundram Executve Director of the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club and Datuk Azhar Mansor, the first Malaysian to sail solo around the world. The Cute Suit plans to also do some research on Rahsia Estates competitors and reki other resort developments on this Island. Coincidentally, the day she arrives is also the same day I check into my new temporary residence on this mystical island.

The Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi has generously invited us to stay 2 nights at their resort free of charge! And in exchange I will do a complete blog article on their entire resort and its facilities.

Phew, after getting Shasha out of the airport and into the taxi, we made our way to the Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi. On to way to our destination, we chatted about how my trip has been so far and Shasha's agonizing flight into Langkawi. (Sound familiar?) She also passed me a package from my little sister; a batch of home made cookies, which were absolutely delicious! Thanks sis..!

We arrived at Sheraton’s security check point and entered into a lush, green forest like paradise! The entrance porch of the hotel was stunning and as we got out of our taxi, we were greeted by their cheerful bell boys and charming hospitality host. They welcomed us with warm smiles and genuine warmth. That took a lot of our stress and tiredness away from us. We could exhale and relax.

Once inside the main lobby, the receptionist showed us to the luxurious and comfortable lobby lounge. The plush sofa seats and arm chairs were a pleasure to look at and to sink in. The softly playing elevator music in the background almost lulled us to doze off! We met with the head of sales and marketing of the Sheraton, Puan Norsidah who was a soft spoken and very welcoming lady. She introduced herself formally and spoke to us about Sheraton's 'Back To The Community' program.

This program basically “gives back” to the Langkawi community youth by inviting youths of the island to join Sheraton’s community program and take part in team building exercises and also when completing the programme, will be given jobs at the hotel, such as being a waiter bellboy or front desk staff.

"With this program, we hope to give back to the community, by giving the native youth of Langkawi the opportunity to learn and experience working in the hotel industry, it may not be a glamarous job but it definitely will put these kids on the right track!"

Puan Norsida then went on to explain to us how The Sheraton Resort have an open policy in terms of hiring staff whereby no one is discriminated from a chance at getting a job at the hotel as long as they have the right credentials , training and attitude. Puan Norshida mentioned how one of their bell boys is a “little person” but his size did not matter to the Sheraton. He always takes his job seriously and does not let his size affect his job quality

After getting acquainted with her, and also collecting our room keys, we then hopped onto our buggy, and was then driven to our respective rooms (which luckily for us, were side by side!) Once at the room, I was stunned by the room size and layout. The room was spacious and very comfortable. The smell of aromatherapy oils and the faint sound of the sea at my balcony made me feel completely at ease and relaxed!

After settling into my room and taking some photos, I met up with Shasha to explore the hotel. We started from the lobby where we checked out their comfortable business centre called 'Link' equipped with free wi-fi and up to date computers. We then made our way to their spacious and contemporary style all day restaurant called Feast. This restaurant offers Ala carte dining, international buffets, interactive cooking stations and a beautiful garden view, making eating at this restaurant not only a pleasure for ones palate but also for ones eyes.

We made our way down the stairs from the Feast Restaurant to their nightspot fun pub F&B out-let called Chime. Known as THE place to be when the sun goes down, whether it's chilling out at the sexy outdoor ( under the stars ) cabana or dancing inside to the music spun by their resident DJ, Chime was a really awesome place. I was already planning in my head to go back to The Chimes when it opened in the evening! Perhaps, I may invite Shasha to come along with me.

A short walk off Chime, onto their outdoor timber boardwalk, we came upon the infinity pool canopied by huge leafy trees. Quite a sight to behold! The pool area was divided into a smaller children's pool and in the main pool was a bar! Drink while you swim! How cool is that!!

By the poolside, there was a man making batik art on the spot! He was very friendly and even offered to let us try our hand at batik making. But both Shasha and I declined as we didn’t want to embarrass ourselves and ruin his master pieces so we moved on to Sheraton’s private beach cove. Because The Sheraton supports the island's eco friendly status, they did not destroy the natural rock formations on the beach and instead created a fascinating beach cove with sandy nooks and crannies for the guests to explore and enjoy also giving the beach a more natural and untouched look!

400 metres, 3 bottles of water and 2 tired tourists later, we were sticky, exhausted and had achey feet.. but it was all worth it to check out the hotel surroundings! We decided to wait for a buggy (which come by the main entrance to pick up passengers regularly) and headed back to our respective rooms to rest up for an international buffet dinner with the executive assistant manager.

After a refreshing nap and armed with a worked up appetite, Shasha and I made our way to the Feast Restaurant for a casual dinner with Mr Kumar, the Executive Assistant Manager. Once seated at the restaurant, we were greeted by the very friendly Mr Kumar who took us around the restaurant, where the buffet was showcased and then sat us down for dinner! The spread at the international buffet was huge! From asian delights such as chicken rendang and mongolian style barbeque, to their signature succulent roast lamb and paprika potatoes. Yum! I've dined at a few hotel buffets but this one was definitely worth remembering. I could tell that the chef and sous chef took so much pride in their creations, walking around the buffet tables making sure all the trays were replinished and serving their barbequed meats with the biggest smiles, making us feel comfortable about eating at their restaurant.

Stuffed to the brim, and now in need of some deep hibernation before tomorrow's packed schedual, we thanked Mr Kumar for the memorable meal and went our seperate ways. But before heading back to our rooms, we decided to check out the other restaurants in the hotel grounds, which include The Spice Trader, an Arabian and Indian themed restaurant which overlooks the Andaman Sea, and The Captain's Grill which is located on a pier so close to the ocean you can feel sea breeze gently caress your face while enjoying the best seafood the island has to offer.

It is now12.32 a.m, Shasha is in her room, completely knackered from her long day, and I'm fully satisfied with my entire day. It has been very tiring.. but to get to sleep on a bed THIS comfortable, definitely well worth it. Going to reenergize as tomorrow I will be exploring the rest of the hotel including the different rooms and their Spa! Woooh. But till then..

Harith The Cosy Beach Bum

Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd. & The Sheraton Resort Langkawi