Escape to paradise

Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti once called Pangkor Laut “paradise on earth”, and it’s easy to see why. Surrounded by emerald waters and cloaked in rainforest, this private island retreat offers the kind of unspoiled beauty that feels like nature’s own aria.

- BY ERIS CHOO

It's the perfect island afternoon: swaying palms, golden sands, sound of waves lapping against the shore. I am midway through lunch at the beachfront restaurant when someone unexpectedly joins me, adorned in a sleek black coat and a puff of white at the chest. With quiet confidence, he occupies the seat across mine, unbothered by my surprise.

My unexpected dining companion? An oriental pied hornbill, one of many who call Pangkor Laut island - located on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia — their home. Encounters like this, I soon learn, are not uncommon here. Pangkor Laut is home to a thriving population of hornbills, flying foxes, and long-tailed macaques, all living alongside guests with little distinction between “their” space and ours.

Rhythm of Nature

Pangkor Laut sits just off the Straits of Malacca, a private island of about 300 acres. Only a small fraction of it is given over to Pangkor Laut Resort, a five-star, bespoke luxury resort, while the rest remains rainforest, untouched and dense, right down to the shoreline.

Villas rise from hillside, cove, and shore, their dark wood structures blending seamlessly into the surroundings. My villa, a Tropical Hill Villa tucked on the hillslope, opens out onto a private balcony with sweeping views of the sea.

Recently refurbished, the space is understated rather than ostentatious, with polished wood floors, airy ceilings, and a cosy bed made up with crisp white linens. In the mornings, I take my coffee on the balcony, watching the sky shift from pale pink to gold as the sun climbs over the horizon. In the afternoons, lounging on the sunbed outside, the soundtrack is provided by birdsong.