Anantara Desaru Family Escape: 3 Nights From RM22,000
Planning a year-end break with the whole family, grandparents included, and dreading the logistics? Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas in Johor has put together a package that handles most of it for you. The Private Residences Family Escape is a three-night stay in one of the resort's private residences with breakfast, lunch and dinner, a butler and a set of guided activities included, starting from RM22,000++ (about USD 5,400++) for the stay.
Desaru Coast is a few hours' drive from Kuala Lumpur, so this is a beach holiday that does not start at an airport.
Where you stay
The package is based in Anantara Residences Desaru Coast, an enclave of 20 garden and beach residences inside the resort. Residences come in two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts and start from 254 square metres, and guests still have use of the main resort's facilities.
There are two settings to choose between. The Garden Residences sit among mature greenery, each with its own infinity pool. The Beach Residences open onto a lawn facing the sea, with ocean views from most of the house.
What is included
- Three nights in a private residence
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, served in the residence or at Turmeric, the resort's all-day restaurant
- A floating breakfast in the residence's private infinity pool
- A private barbecue dinner in the residence or on the beach
- A Spice Spoons Malaysian cooking class
- A private outdoor cinema night with snacks and drinks
- One guided mangrove tour
- One guided nature walk with the resort's naturalist
- 24-hour butler service
The butler also arranges VIP airport arrival and departure for the family at both ends of the trip.
What the days look like
Most of the included activities are things the family does together. For the Spice Spoons cooking class, a chef comes to the residence's own kitchen to walk everyone through local ingredients, grilling in banana leaf and wok frying. The mangrove tour takes a boat through the coastal waterways and introduces guests to local fishing communities, while the naturalist's walk goes looking for wildlife and the creatures living in the tide pools. The resort says guests may spot dusky leaf monkeys and monitor lizards on its nature walks.
When everyone wants a break from each other, younger children have the Layang Layang Kids' Club, with cooking activities and beach games. Teenagers get the Luncur Ombak Active Zone, a hangout with films, video games, pinball, foosball and table tennis. Parents can book Anantara Spa treatments to be done inside the residence; spa treatments are not listed among the package inclusions, so expect to pay for those separately.
Meals
With full board included, a private chef can cook in the residence, or the family can eat at Turmeric, which serves international dishes alongside Malaysian and Thai food, with live cooking stations and buffets.
Outside the resort
Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark and Desaru Fruit Farm are both nearby for a day out. The resort also runs a separate evening Mangroves by Firefly cruise, led by its resident naturalist, with a picnic of local food on board; it is not part of this package's inclusions.
How to book
The Private Residences Family Escape starts from RM22,000++ for three nights. The two plus signs mean service charge and tax are added on top of that figure, and RM22,000 is the lowest rate quoted. Booking is through the Desaru Coast page on Anantara's own website, anantara.com; check dates and terms there before you commit.
More on the area: read about the new karting circuit and racquet club coming to Desaru Coast, and how Desaru Coast is pitching itself to Formula 1 visitors.
