Rain, Road, and Ridiculously Nice Villas

Please click the photo above to play the daily videoThe day started apologetically, with rain doing its best to slow everything down before it had even begun. Morning rounds went ahead regardless, followed by the usual business of sorting Day Care, though the weather had other ideas about scheduling — a patient arrived later than planned, and the whole morning shuffled along a half-step behind itself, like a dance where someone's missed a cue.

Still, by eleven it was all wrapped up, which felt like a minor triumph given the circumstances, and we were out of KL before noon. The first stop was R&R Nilai for lunch — not glamorous, exactly, but there's something honest about a highway rest stop meal eaten with one eye on the road ahead. Then south properly, the PLUS highway giving way eventually to the Senai–Desaru Highway, the scenery gradually trading city grey for a greener, flatter kind of quiet.

Somewhere past Kluang or thereabouts, the sky cleared. Johor, it turned out, had held onto the sun we'd left behind in KL — a small but noticeable act of generosity from the weather gods. Four hours in total, traffic smooth the whole way, which for a road trip out of the Klang Valley counts as something close to a miracle.

And then, the Mandarin Oriental. Whatever fatigue had built up over the drive dissolved fairly quickly once we arrived — the place has that particular hush good resorts manage, where even the air feels like it's been asked to keep its voice down. The sound of the sea reached the room before the sea itself came into view, which is its own kind of welcome.

The villa itself was absurd in the best way — around 1,100 square feet, a small pool sitting between bathroom and bedroom like a very civilised negotiation, a dining area, and a balcony made for nothing more strenuous than standing still and letting the breeze do its work. I spent a good stretch after settling in just wandering with the camera, chasing light rather than anything in particular.

The only real disappointment was the maths of it all — one night is not enough, and the spa, gorgeous as it looked overlooking the Ernie Els-designed course, was priced for a longer stay and closed at seven regardless. We let it go. There was tennis, padel, cycling, all politely declined — we hadn't come to compete with anything, just to walk, slowly, and let the day undo itself.

Dinner was grilled, eaten indoors with the aircon on, the heat outside making a strong case for staying put. And then, sleep — the deep, dreamless kind that only a very long day and a very good bed can conspire to produce.

The Lone Droner

The weather on the two afternoons we were in PD was great. And the tides were high before sunset when we went to the beach. That made for some nice strong waves and great condition to hit the sea. The boys certainly enjoyed it.

The warm sun contrasted well with the cool sea water - sunscreen needed of course. Once you got in, you felt like staying in all day since to was really nice and refreshing in the water. The great breeze also was an added bonus.

But somebody had to fly the drone. Despite the heavy breeze, the drone held its position well and flying was not a problem at all.

I managed to get some great 4K footage and the customary photographs as well. Unfortunately there were clouds on the horizon, hence I was not able to get the red sunset as the sun kiss the horizon. I was happy enough however.

I brought the drone out on both afternoons and managed to fill up my memory card. Good thing I brought the charger along, otherwise I would be out of juice by the end of the first afternoon.

Now came the part of doing editing on those huge 4K files ..... That could wait I supposed ....

One Sunday to the Next

The last weekend went by like a blur. The stay in PD was a mellow one punctuated by trips down the beach, having a nice swim in what I must say were the windiest afternoons I have swam in.

It was great fun though and the beach was actually rather empty. Staying at out apartment meant that we could head down at any time and I had fun with my drones during sunsets. I ended up just chilling out in the apartment rather than venturing around town. Maybe I just needed a break.

The original plan was to take Idlan to school on the Friday but after swimming on Thursday, Idlan had a coughing fit. We decided just to rest at home that day rather than drive all the way to Seri Kembangan. We did go out for dinner at the Golf Club after the swim, but we soon found our way back to the apartment having an early night.

Come Saturday - the final day we were in PD - we decided to head back to KL before lunch rather than wait for the evening. Clearly the boys had had enough of the beach and were missing their PS4 ....

The Beach

Allegedly, Tanjung Rhu Resort owned the longest beach front in Langkawi. From end to end, it was 2.7 km, snaking around a small horn where the sea and freshwater meets.

The beach was shallow enough for small boats to reach the shores while the beach was safe enough with only gentle waves as the whole beach twisted around like a lagoon with a couple of islands in the middle. There were thread of jellyfish from time to time, but the beach was well observed and they have a special flag for that.

The sand were tended daily by the staffs and the beach front regularly cleaned. It was too hot for me to go into the sea however, plus the sunset pool next to the hotel was just too damn nice.

Another attraction was the seafront restaurant, and should you be more adventurous, you could book for a barbecue for two right on the beach tended by your personal chef for a romantic meal. We couldn't try that as the boys had to tag along! Party poopers!

I walked along the beach on the final morning, went past the spa, a small art shed straight towards a public beach - also owned by the hotel. You don't have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the pristine beach. There were also some shops and restaurants at the end there, with some space for car park.

Definitely worth a visit even if you do not stay at the resort as you can just park or dine at the restaurant to enjoy the sunset.

The Sunset

The sunset was to die for. And on both afternoons, the weather was clear and the tide was low. This allowed us to walk along the sand beach to middle of the sea while the sun was low on the horizon.

Irfan soaking up the sunset

As an avid photographer, the golden light it produced was simply mesmerising. Definitely worth the trouble of taking the ferry here to Langkawi ....