Malaysia Desaru - Anantara Desaru Coast Resort Review - Deluxe Sea View Room

Desaru, a town in Kota Tinggi District is a popular getaway for both the locals as well as Singaporean. Over the years, the government is developing Desaru into a tourism area catering to families with children. With more international resort opening up along Desaru Coast, Desaru is getting some attention again. Together with H, we embraced the traffic jam and set off to Desaru for a short getaway from Singapore. With the brand new opening of the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort on the 1st of December 2019, we decided to book a stay in its soft opening launch month of December 2019. For ideal on what to do when in Desaru, you can also read our 2 day 1 night Desaru Road Trip Itinerary post.

Upon arrival at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort, we were greeted by a group of enthusiastic staff at the entrance. With a loud gong and traditional music welcoming us, we felt as though we royalties were walking down the red carpet. Welcome drinks are served while we waited for our room to be ready.

With 108 rooms in the resort, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort has a few different categories of rooms from Premier Room, Deluxe Sea View Room, One-Bedroom Villa to Two Bed Room Villa catering to different travellers. Rooms size ranges from 49 sqm onwards and one can just chill the entire day in the room. We book a premier room and was glad to find out that we were upgraded to a Deluxe Sea View Room with as a Discovery Black member. 

Perks we received as a discovery black member in Anantara Desaru:

·     Complimentary internet access, daily newspaper and bottled water

·     Membership preference profile

·     Early check-in from 9am *

·     Late check out until 6pm *

·     Guarantee room availability

·     Special luggage unpacking/re-packing service

·     Daily complimentary pressing

·     Double room upgrade upon check-in *

·     Your personal choice of local amenity

*subject to availability

Anantara Desaru Coast Resort Deluxe Seaview Room

Inspired by traditional Malay style, the room is designed with wooden material and textile giving a very warm and comfortable impression. The bedroom comes with a king-sized bed, firm mattress and a large Ottoman couch. After a day or driving and a fun afternoon at the Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast, we were knocked out that night. The room also comes with a Nespresso machine and a French press for one to enjoy in-room coffee and tea respectively!  

Each room comes with a balcony and ours had a great view of the sea. Despite the weather being gloomy, the view was relaxing. I spent the afternoon in the balcony chilling while H catches up with his work. On top of the outdoor setting, there is a desk in the room if you find the balcony too hot.

The room is equipped with a spacious toilet that is beautiful and functional. There is a bathtub, rain shower as well as a dry area. Instead of giving small size toiletries, you can find eco-friendly toiletries that come in bottles. Unfortunately, I find that the workmanship still has room for improvement. There is always a ponding issue after a shower. Plus, you could smell a stench coming up from the drain. 

Dining in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort

There are 2 main restaurants in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort - Tumeric and Sea.Salt.Fire. Tumeric is an all-day restaurant serving Malaysian and Thai cuisine in buffet style. Whereas Sea.Salt.Fire serves grilled seafood. We managed to visit Tumeric restaurant for Lunch on our day of arrival and also for breakfast the next day during our stay at the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort.  

Lunch Buffet at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort

From Green Curry to Mutton Rendang, you can find a mixed variety of Thai and Malay cuisine in Tumeric restaurant. The food tastes pretty good and authentic. All is good except for the kueh. Unfortunately, the only seafood you see at the buffet table is fish, mussel and Thai Cockles Salad.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I would want to pay for the lunch buffet at 128 rm++. Considering Malaysia is a food haven, you can find delicious food almost everywhere at a decent price. If you are driving and is in for some adventure, you can drive to Desaru city centre (10 minutes drive) or even to Sungai Rengit (30-minute drive) for a lobster feast! 

Breakfast Buffet at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort  

The breakfast spread in Anantara Tumeric restaurant offers western-style breakfast as well as local cuisine. As usual, H made his burger from the buffet item. Overall, the quality of food served at Anantara Desaru is pretty good. 

Facilities in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort

Kids & Teen Club

The family-friendly resort had offer has a Kids Club and Teen Club to keep the children entertained. From board game to Nintendo, there is a different type of games available. You can even engage a nanny to look after your kids (For a fee) when you decide to unwind.

Swimming Pool

There are 2 pools in the resort – With the main pool located right in front of the restaurant, one can enjoy their breakfast and while overlooking at the gorgeous pool. The other is an infinity pool with a view of the beachfront. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to dip because it was raining we visited during the rainy season and it rained the whole day.

Spa in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Price List

Like all Anantara resort, there is an inhouse massage service available for all guest. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to try the signature massage. Here’s the price list for those who are interested. We had a hard time getting the price list because it was not stated in the spa menu. Even the receptionist does not have it and he advises us to call the spa to inquire about it.

Massage Price List in Anantara Desaru Resort   

Conclusion

Overall, we find that Anantara is a nice resort for one to escape the city hustle. The staff are friendly and helpful but seems a little inexperienced. Based on our stay experience, there is still a huge room of improvement in terms of its services and attentiveness to its guest. We could find fault and hiccups in many areas considering it to be a premium hotel chain. However, since it’s still during the soft launch period, we’ve decided to let it go and hope they will improve with more training.

Read 2D1N Desaru Coast Itinerary here 

Read 2D1N JB itinerary here