Hammock-inspired seating at Kayuputi.
The first all-suite resort on Langkawi brings “nautical Riviera chic” to a compact cove south of the port town of Kuah. Flanked by limestone hills and offering a serene panorama that takes in the neighboring islands of Dayang Bunting and Tuba, the St. Regis, designed by San Francisco-based architectural firm Gensler, is an elegant amalgam of various European and Arabic influences, from its grand marbled lobby to its Moorish arcades and mashrabiya-inspired fretwork balconies. Accommodations include four overwater villas and 85 oak-floored suites, a quarter of which come with their own private pools, canopied daybeds, and direct access to lush tropical gardens and the beach beyond. But the best feature is Kayuputi, a thatch-roofed restaurant of whitewashed wood perched over the lagoon. Here, diners graze on Asian-inspired haute cuisine—local lobster with sweet corn risotto and citrus sabayon; cucumber wasabi ratatouille—in a remarkable space designed by Bangkok’s Bill Bensley (who also did the landscaping) as part beach house, part Aladdin’s cave of antiques and curios that he’s picked up around the region, including camel bone-inlaid teak columns from India and windows from the old Dutch embassy in Yangon. (60 4/960 6666; stregis.com; doubles from US$777).
This article originally appeared in the December 2016/January 2017 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“The Luxe List 2016: St. Regis Langkawi”).
Inside the Panoramic Suite.
Inside the Penthouse Suite.
