Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
264
Telok Chempedak, 25050 K uantan, Pahang.
&
800/233-1234
in the U.S., or 09/566-1234. F ax 09/567-
7577. http://kuantan.r egency.hyatt.com. 336 units . RM356-RM615 ($103-$178/£64-£111) double;
RM950 ($276/£171) suite. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
3 restaurants; 3 bars, including a pub w/liv e enter-
tainment; 2 outdoor pools; 3 out door lighted tennis courts; 2 squash c ourts; health club; spa w/sauna,
steam, and massage; children's center; concierge; airport transfers; room service; babysitting; smoke-free
rooms on the top floors; executive-level rooms.
In room:
A/C, TV w/satellite programming and in-house
movies, minibar, hair dryer.
In Cherating
Most people skip Kuantan and head straight for Cherating, some 47km (29 miles) to the
north. The anchor resort, Club Med, opened in 1980. Since then a couple dozen smaller
resorts have opened up, none of them coming close to Club Med's standard. Resorts here
are all mostly self-contained units; to stay her e means y ou'll most likely be dining in-
house, par ticipating in beach and waterspor ts activities, and possibly only leaving the
resort for tours planned through your resort's activities desk.
Windsurfers, take note:
Cherating is world famous for ex cellent conditions and the
home of the “M onsoon M adness” international competition, which takes place ev ery
January, when monsoon conditions make great waves. In addition to windsurfing, resorts
can arrange trips through the mangroves up the Cherating River in a hired bumboat and
trips to crafts shops and cultural sho ws.
Club Med
Kids
Typical to Club M ed style, this “ family village ” is all about
escapism—fun and relaxation. Activities include sailing, kayaking, beach volleyball, ten-
nis, wall climbing, and r ollerblading. Try bungee-bounce or take flying-trapez e lessons.
For relaxation, there are yoga classes and the Mandara spa. Club Med also organizes short
trips to villages outside the r esort for sightseeing and can arrange golf outside the r esort
as well. For families, the full menu of childr en's activities can keep kids occupied ev ery
minute of their stay. The property itself fronts a good stretch of beachfront on 80 private
hectares (198 acr es). Malay-style wooden houses hav e contemporar y furnishings, with
clean wooden floors, vibrant fabrics, small balconies, and small bathrooms with standing
showers. If you're new to Club M ed, their pricing is a bit confusing, depending on the
size of your party and the time and duration of y our stay. The club works out an overall
fee, which is inclusive of all meals, beverages, and most activities, in many cases including
international airfare as well. For an idea, a 3-day, 2-night trip, not including transporta-
tion to and fro, will set you back RM880 ($255/£158) per night.
Correspondence through KL offic e only thr ough Vacances, Suit e 1.1, 1st F loor Bangunan M AS, Jalan
Sultan Ismail, 50250 K uala Lumpur.
&
03/261-4599.
Fax 03/261-7229. w ww.clubmed.com. 323 units .
Refer to text above for pricing information. AE, DC, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar; outdoor pool;
outdoor lighted tennis courts; squash courts; health club; full-ser vice spa; watersports equipment rent-
als; children's center; airport transfers; babysitting.
In room:
A/C, TV, hair dryer.
Swiss Garden Resort & Spa
Many choices of accommodations in Cherating
offer basic seaside facilities for budget trav elers, but y ou should be warned: M ost ar e
plagued by tatty rooms desperate for upgrading, substandard facilities, and disinterested
service. Swiss Garden is a better choice, as it's one of the newer properties in this category
and is managed by the same people behind S wiss Garden's successful leisure-class hotels
in KL. This four-story horseshoe-shaped block surr ounds a swimming pool fr onting a
very pretty beach—if you pay extra for a sea-facing room, make sure you get the top floor
for the best view. Swiss Garden's rooms have good space for luggage, sport clean tile floors
that make the r oom feel fr esh, small balconies, wooden furnitur e, soft beds, and small
TVs. Recent renovations have made r ooms more stylish. The two best featur es of the
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