The 128-acre One&Only Desaru Coast from the ultra-luxe One&Only brand will open on September 6 on peninsular Malaysia just over the border from Singapore. Featuring 42 suites, 2 luxury suites, and a 4-bedroom villa, this will be the first One&Only in Malaysia.
“We find the most stunning destinations to create beautifully rare places for our guests to play, to dream, to work, to connect, reconnect, and discover the new. As with all properties within the portfolio, our resort in Malaysia will be incredibly private, yet buzzing with life and energy,” Philippe Zuber, President and Chief Operating Officer at One&Only Resorts, said of the resort’s opening.
Easily reached from the international hub of Singapore Changi International Airport and Senai International Airport in Johor over the border in Malaysia, Desaru Coast was designed by award-winning architectural firm Kerry Hill Architects and is found on the south-eastern shoreline between rainforests and the South China Sea.
One&Only Desaru Coast is spread across 128 acres of nature and flanked by a 1.5-kilometer stretch of sand, the only luxury property of its caliber in the region. Facing ocean or rainforest views, each suite features private plunge pools and a butler to attend guests’ needs. The designs are inspired by the traditional Malaysian kampung, or village.
The most luxurious address at One&Only Desaru Coast is Villa One; the 1,500-square-meter, two-storey villa offers four bedrooms, a private spa treatment room, home office, and central grassed courtyard with ocean-facing lawns around a 27-meter swimming pool.
Defining high-end cuisine in the area, Ambara will feature Mediterranean cuisine with organic ingredients seasonally sourced from local producers and One&Only’s Chef’s Garden. Hoshi will serve contemporary Japanese cuisine and breakfast is had at Essential.
Ember Beach Club by Chef Andrew Walsh features freshly caught seafood from local fishermen as well as Chef Walsh’s take on open-fire cooking.
For the health conscious, at Chenot Spa guests will have tailored nutritional menus, fitness schedules, targeted spa treatments, and stress relieving activities and boasts a cooling pool, steam room, and relaxation pavilion.
Signature experiences at One&Only Desaru Coast will include nature walks with Desaru’s resident Naturalist through Panti Forest Reserve, home to gibbons, dusky leaf monkeys, and pig-tailed macaques. The “King of the Jungle” tree-climbing experience will see travelers ascend to a viewing platform within the jungle canopy for views of rainforest and wildlife.
Similarly, at Club One travelers can engage in tennis, the beach, watersports, and more active guests can try Silat Melayu, a UNESCO-listed 7th century martial art, with Desaru’s highly-trained Silat master.
Golfers will find the Els Golf Club nearby; the destination features both the Ocean Course, a 27-hole layout designed by four-time Major Champion, Ernie Els, and the Valley Course, 18-holes designed in collaboration with Els’ long-standing friend and fellow major champion, Vijay Singh.
In addition to the watersports at Club One — including hobie cats, stand-up paddleboards, jet-skiing, and kite surfing — travelers to Desaru can head out on the waters for a spot of deep sea fishing in the South China Sea, trawling waters for sailfish and black Marlin in the region.