The Westin Langkawi Beach Resort & Spa

Pride of Langkawi

Here’s one luxury property in the island getaway of Langkawi that beckons me and it is none other than The Westin Langkawi Beach Resort and Spa. I have dropped in at the sprawling property twice that provides wonderful glimpses of the rolling hills on the Andaman Sea. The property took shape sometime in 2007 and has a lot to entice luxury travellers. Located at a stone’s throw distance from Eagle Square and from Kuah Jetty Terminal, the property has an unspoilt beach. 

 A view of Andaman Sea from the hotel

 Scenic view of Andaman Sea

One has to take a short trip to view the entire property. There are beach facing rooms, garden rooms, deluxe suites and spacious villas.

 A typical luxury villa

  

  A luxury suite

 

A well-furnished suite 

 I had lunched at Seasonal Tastes – the all-day dining outlet of the property. The offerings at the food outlet would make gourmet lovers drool. 

Lunch spread at Seasonal Tastes

I was offered Avocado grilled water melon with lime honey. There was the starter- Vegetable Tom Yam soup served in Westin branded coconut. The other recipes were Buttered asparagus spears, confit tomato fettucine and candid carrots spice shallot juice. The dessert was a delectable one- fresh mango, Gula Melaka ice cream, coconut bavaroise and pearl sago.

Before winding up, I had a look at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC) that opened in 2015 and boasts of three ball rooms. LICC is a perfect venue for MICE travellers to host meets and conventions.    

Langkawi International Convention Centre

 Ball Room at LICC

Address: The Westin Langkawi Beach Resort & Spa,

    Jalan Pantai, Jalan Dato Syed Omar,             

                    Kedah, 07000 Langkawi, Malaysia

Zende

Variety is the spice of life

I had a one-night stay at the luxury Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur sometime in April, this year. The all-day dining food outlet of the property- Zende derived from Arabic word implies happiness and serves great Continental and Oriental delights. The 200-seater restaurant was set up in 2011 and provides a plethora of choices in Malaysian, Western and Indian cuisine.  

Entrance of Zende

  

Open space at the outlet

 

 An illuminated outlet

The dining outlet rests on the 3^rd floor at the lobby level and is done up in Arabic style with flora and paintings. There is a lot of open space and mostly, it is lined with a steady stream of guests. There are three live stations including egg station, porridge station and noodle station. Nearly 60 per cent of the dishes served are Malaysian food. The outlet serves around 15 vegetarian dishes and 30 non-vegetarian platters. Prawn curry and Nyona curry or noodle soup are highly popular among foodies.

I had my pick of Brown Hash Potato, Vegetarian Samosa, Vadai, Upma and Paratha relished with Potato Masala and Brinjal. The outlet is open from 6.30 AM to 11 PM Sunday brunch is on from 12.30 PM to 4 P. Diners have pay RM 75 for a single person and the charges are affordable.

Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson

Redefining luxury in South-East Asia

A magnificent, one-of-a-kind luxury property on the Straits of Malacca is quite unbelievable. I happened to visit the property sometime in April, this year and I was completely bowled over indulging in the world of luxury at Lexis Hibsicus Port Dickson snuggled on Pasir Panjang beach in the coastal region of Negeri Sembilan. Opened in 2015 from the house of indigenous Malaysian hospitality brand- Lexis, the property is shaped in the form of Hibiscus flower and in contemporary times has set a new benchmark in the world of luxury with the largest number of water villas and swimming pools.

 An outer view of Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson

 

 Ocean front villas

 A view of Port Dickson

 

An hour drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) brought us to Lexis Hibiscus that is easily accessible by North-South Expressway. On reaching the property, we were taken away by the picture-postcard views of ocean-front villas stretching out from the beach for over a kilometre to the sea. There are glitzy interiors, fine-dining restaurants, luxury suites, spa and outdoor entertainment areas.  

A glittering lobby

 Well-furnished lobby

 A luxury suite

  The iconic property boasts of about 639 pool villas and 552 sea water villas, each of these pride in having its own swimming pool and steam room that form the USP of the hospitality group. The hotel has added another feather to its cap by having glass panel on the floor of each room that provides views of underground marine life.

 A glass panel on the floor

The luxury haunt has six food outlets- Roselle Coffee House, Umi Japanese restaurant, Horizon Deck, Wave Dining, Coralz Bistro and Captain Lounge.  There are a host of adventure activities on the beach like kayaking, boat riding and water skiing.  The property has its own heliport and offers cruise on the Straits of Malacca.

  

Address: Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson

               12^th Mile, Jalan Pantai,

              71250 Pasir Panjang,

 Negeri Sembilan,

               Malaysia                  

Phone: +606 660 2626

The Bakery

A taste of British era dining

For those who love to indulge in Continental and English breakfast in “the City of Joy”, there is The Bakery at The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata that has preserved the great old tradition of hospitality. The nearly two century-old restaurant sprawling over 1,250 sq. ft is in the city hub and dates back to the bygone days of British India. The 48-seater food outlet took off in the hoary days of 1830 with a factory and a miniature café famed as Wilson Bakery that was conceptualized by David Wilson. It was initially designed for the Britishers and gradually the East India Company came up with the Auckland Hotel for their senior officers. Reputed as the premier and largest bakery in the Eastern zone of India, The Bakery was renovated and eventually The Lalit Group of Hotels reopened in December, 2013.

The food outlet has the one-of-a-kind bakery show kitchen and an airy, spacious private dining room. Besides, there is an old spiral staircase belonging to the British era. 

Bakery Show Kitchen

The restaurant prides in offering the widest collection of fresh, health breads that go down well with the stomach. On offer are sour dough multigrain bread, corn mill bread, sea salt focaccia and turmeric jaggery loaf that has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties reducing the chances of debilitating diseases like cancer and cardiac disorders. The turmeric jaggery loaf brings relief from arthritic pain, helps in digestion and bolsters the immunization system. The dough multigrain bread reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes while sea salt focaccia checks blood cholesterol level, regulates blood pressure and diabetes. Consuming corn mill bread is said to offer protection from diseases like breast cancer and gallstone.   

 An array of health breads

 Display of bakery products

 A collection of bakery stuff

      One can get to select from a wide array of English breakfast options including vegetable puffs, burgers, glutton-free sandwiches, pastas, cakes, pastries and other tidbits. During my visit in September this year, I settled down with American breakfast comprising Eggs Benedict made of poached eggs on English muffin. The dish was accompanied by roasted tomato and potato wedges, not to mention Caesar Salad. 

Eggs Benedict

Ceasar Salad

I relished having Heritage Hunt – pine apple juice done up with grated coconut and grenadine syrup.  The signature dessert - Belgium Chocolate with Hazelnut Crunch was quite lip-smacking.

 Belgium Chocolate with Hazlenut Crunch

The restaurant is open on all days from 8 AM to 10 PM.

Address: The Bakery,

                1,2,3, Old Court House Street,

               Dalhousie Square,

Kolkata- 700069

Phone             (033) 44447777

Food for two: Rs 1,000. No alcohol is served.