Review: St. Regis Langkawi

I stayed at the St. Regis Langkawi for two nights as part of the last stop on our trip to Malaysia, on the island paradise of Langkawi.

The last time I visited the island, back in 2019, I had stayed at the Ritz-Carlton and the Andaman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, on the western and northern coasts, respectively. This time, I was curious to check out the St. Regis, nestled on the island’s southern shores near the town of Kuah. 

St. Regis Langkawi – Booking

The St. Regis Langkawi was one of the properties that had increased in price when Marriott Bonvoy changed to dynamic pricing as of March 29, 2022.

I had locked in a two-night booking here just before the switch, using two anniversary Free Night Awards from the American Express US Bonvoy Brilliant Card worth 50,000 points each. 

The hotel was priced at exactly 50,000 points at the time, and we just happened to have two Free Night Awards worth this amount that would be expiring soon, so it was an excellent use of the certificates. 

Nowadays, the St. Regis Langkawi is priced between 50,000–60,000 Bonvoy points per night, while cash rates range from $400–500. Redeeming points is still a decent deal, as is burning soon-to-expire Free Night Awards, perhaps topping up with points if necessary.

For this stay, the two Free Night Award certificates came out of my partner Jessy’s Marriott Bonvoy account. Thus, instead of leveraging my Titanium Elite status, we’d be leveraging her Platinum Elite status instead for the benefits.

Furthermore, we used two Suite Night Awards to upgrade from a base-level suite to the St. Regis Suite with Pool, which is the highest suite type you can upgrade to with the Suite Night Award at this property.

St. Regis Langkawi – Location

The St. Regis Langkawi sits on the southern tip of the island, down a long 30-minute road from the airport and around 15 minutes past Kuah, one of the only cities on the island.

One of the best ways to explore the island is by taking a Grab. These Uber-like rides are extremely cheap; however, since there are relatively few on the island compared to Penang or Kuala Lumpur, you may have to wait for a while for your ride to come.

One evening we wanted to go into the night market, and unfortunately, there was no Grab available at all. Additionally, there are no taxis on the island, and the hotel staff whom you’d ask to call a taxi for you would simply try to call a Grab as well. 

Therefore, if you feel you’ll be leaving the resort and going out often, it may be best to rent a car. But if you’ll be spending most of your time at the hotel, this won’t be too much of a concern.

The hotel is isolated in its own private area, without much else around. The nearest hotel is the Westin next door, which is within walking distance.

Nearby attractions include the Langkawi Night Market, a seven-minute ride from the hotel via Grab, and the Wat Koh Wanararm, known for its Buddhist temples and monuments, which is around a 15-minute ride.

St. Regis Langkawi – Check-In

The resort building takes the form of a six-storey mansion with “wings” cascading outwards towards the shorelines. The architecture has European and Middle Eastern influences with a colour palette of blues and beiges.  

The entrance and lobby are actually situated on the third floor of the building, with the rooms and suites found on all floors leading down to the ground floor, which then opens up to the poolside and beachfront area.

The grounds feature Islamic arches and mashrabiya-inspired architecture, and the outdoor layout draws upon a series of large central courtyards.

When we arrived, we were introduced to the lobby area to complete our check-in. The lobby is a grand and open space with opulent materials dotted throughout, such as ivory-coloured marble floors, rich timber, and metallic accents.

The staff presented us with a welcome drink, and let us know that our St. Regis Pool Suite upgrade would be available shortly. However, we ended up waiting about 40 minutes before the suite was available, which was a little frustrating. 

When the associate finally came to collect us and escort us to the suite, she informed us of our breakfast benefit in the mornings as elite members, as well as the nightly Champagne sabering ritual – a St. Regis staple – taking place outside the main lobby at 6:30pm every night.

St. Regis Langkawi – St. Regis Pool Suite

We were assigned Room 112, a St. Regis Pool Suite on the ground floor of one of the “wings” of the overall resort building. 

The interiors follow the same light colour scheme as the rest of the resort, with subtle touches of blues, greys, and emerald greens. Metallic accents, seen in the public spaces of the resort, are integrated into the room’s light fixtures and a gold partition.

When you first enter the St. Regis Pool Suite, the room opens up to the living area, with a couch, ottoman, a single armchair, and coffee table. Across from the sitting area is a wall-mounted TV.

I must note that the desk chair was poorly optimized for productivity, and I didn’t feel very comfortable sitting there at all. However, this is a leisure-oriented resort after all, so I’ll give them a pass for that.

Just above the couch, an imaginative local painting hangs on the wall, while the floors are decorated with hand-tufted and hand-carved rugs, done in the styling of the island’s traditional craftsmanship.

On the left, as you enter the room, there is a well-stocked pantry with a Nespresso coffee machine and tea. Meanwhile, on the right-hand side of the couch is a small bar shelf with liqueurs.

Moving further into the suite, we arrive at the bedroom. The resort had proactively decorated the room for our anniversary, which I appreciated as a thoughtful touch.

The king bed is flanked by side tables and hanging metallic bulb lamps. A beautiful coral-embroidered design adorns the wall behind the headboard, while a second hand-carved rug sits beneath the bed.

The bathroom was quite large, with natural stone flooring and walls. 

The space features a wide vanity, walk-in shower, and a deep soaker tub just to the right of the shower.

As its name implies, the St. Regis Pool Suite also features a private terrace and a very large plunge pool, accessible from the bedroom. This was certainly the most impressive part of the suite overall. 

Alongside the pool is a small deck with pool chairs and an outdoor elevated cabana and daybed.

The pool chairs just about squeezed into the space by the pool, and there wasn’t much room on the deck to scoot past.

The outdoor section also had a gate that led directly out to the beach area, which is another benefit of these ground-floor St. Regis Pool Suites.

As part of St. Regis’s signature butler service at this resort, we were able to order complimentary coffee and tea to the room 24/7, including cappuccinos. Butler service also includes complimentary pressing for two garments per guest per night. 

In terms of my overall impressions on the suite, I thought the room interiors were certainly tastefully decorated and looked attractive at first glance. Having said that, I did notice signs of wear and tear, such as cracks in the marble and water stains, in quite a few places. 

I had the same impression here as I did from the St. Regis Mexico City. It may have been a stunning resort five years ago; however, the hard product could now use some touch-ups.

(In comparison, The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, on the same island, was much more modern and with a fresher appearance.)

Despite a few gripes, the outdoor pool was certainly the highlight, and the room interiors don’t matter all too much when you have a huge pool to yourself. Indeed, I was very impressed by the size of the pool, which was downright huge compared to, say, the St. Regis Bali, where we also had a plunge pool. 

Overall, while I felt that the interiors could’ve used a little more polish, the St. Regis Pool Suite’s outdoor pool certainly made up for that.

St. Regis Langkawi – Breakfast

Breakfast is served in the hotel’s L’Orangerie restaurant from 7–11am, offering an extensive buffet spread plus an à la carte menu. For our stay, breakfast was covered as part of our Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite benefits.

It’s worth noting that the breakfast menu is virtually identical to the St. Regis Bali’s, hence why I believe the two resorts must be related in some capacity. 

The à la carte menu features items such as river lobster omelette, steak and eggs, and wonton noodles. Meanwhile, the extremely wide-ranging and impressively presented buffet consists of all the typical Western breakfast items, along with an abundance of Chinese-, Malaysian-, and Indian-inspired items. 

Additionally, some of the hotel’s more unique breakfast offerings included sushi, crème fraîche on a blini topped with Avruga pearls, and “Egg Nouvelle”, a creamy mixture of egg whites and lobster inside a hard-boiled egg shell. 

All of these are available as part of the St. Regis Bali’s signature breakfast, too, so it was something of a déjà vu moment for me as I wandered through the breakfast presentation.

One difference to the St. Regis Bali was that the Indonesian breakfast station in Bali was replaced by a nasi lemak station in Langkawi – a classic Malaysian breakfast staple.

We certainly helped ourselves to multiple servings of this delicious mixture of rice, crisp anchovies, bean sprouts, spicy sambal, and various toppings. 

In addition, an extensive drinks list is available, such as specialty coffee and tea, St. Regis iced tea, and sparkling wine. In the past, Champagne had been served here at the breakfast spread, but now the standard is sparkling wine, which can be mixed with orange juice to make mimosas.

Given the superb variety at breakfast, we indulged in some huge plates of food each morning, setting ourselves up to enjoy the resort facilities during the day without having to worry too much about lunch.

St. Regis Langkawi – Dining

The hotel features several distinct restaurants, bars, and dining experiences. Kayuputi is the hotel’s signature fine-dining restaurant, with prices to match.

This overwater restaurant was built to resemble an art collector’s beach house, and offers some incredible sunset views from the outdoor patio.

We didn’t eat dinner here, although we went out on the deck for drinks both nights at sunset, which is certainly something I’d highly recommend if you’re staying at this resort. 

The best seats are on the hammocks overlooking the horizon, and I recommend arriving early to secure a place. It’s a stunning photo opportunity and an even better view.

We tried some of the snacks and drinks on the menu, such as French fries, chicken thighs, and some creative cocktails. In particular, the specialty cocktail for two was very intriguing, as it’s poured over fruit-infused spherical ice cubes to resemble a sunset itself.

The Pantai Grill is the hotel’s rustic beachfront restaurant that serves up a menu of premium seafood and steaks cooked on a wood-fire grill. We tried a pizza from here for lunch on the day we arrived, which was quite tasty.

There are also two bars on the resort, The St. Regis Bar and the Decanter Wine Bar, which feature a collection of over 500 wines from around the globe.

St. Regis Langkawi – Pools & Beach

The resort has a central pool area, consisting of an entire swimming pool “complex” with a series of cascading infinity pools.

I’m not afraid to admit that I have a childlike wonder when it comes to these types of pools, so I spent a fair bit of time in the public pools even though we had a large private pool back in the villa.

The single pool complex offers many layers of water in which to take a dip and relax, along with ample poolside seating dotted all around – including an “island” section of seating that could only be accessed from the pool itself. 

The resort also overlooks 600 metres of a relatively tranquil private white sand beach. It’s certainly a picturesque slice of Langkawi’s coastline that the St. Regis occupies down here on the southern edge.

You can relax on the beach chairs and enjoy dedicated poolside service from the beach attendants.

While I appreciated most elements of the relaxation facilities, I did feel that the bright blue finishes on the pool chairs decked out around the resort looked a bit cheap, and didn’t add a sense of luxury to the environment.

A deeper navy, or something similar, would make for a more sophisticated look.

St. Regis Langkawi – Other Facilities

The resort offers a handful of beach activities for guests, such as kayaking and paddleboarding, although these are chargeable rather than complimentary.

Kayaking is RM 60 ($17) per hour, while paddleboarding is RM 80 ($24) per hour. We took the kayak out for a spin in the lagoon, but skipped the paddleboards.

Meanwhile, the fitness centre is open 24 hours and is located on the ground floor of the resort. The space is dimly illuminated but modern and spacious, with a separate aerobics room. 

The rest of the gym is well-stocked with cardiovascular equipment, exercise bikes, and free weights.

The Iridium Spa is also situated on the ground floor, with a substantial list of massage and facial treatments available. The spa operates on an appointment-only basis, so be sure to schedule in advance.

As is common at many St. Regis properties, there is a boutique and a salon located next to the spa, although the latter was closed at the time of my visit.

The walkway to Kayuputi also leads to the Westin Langkawi, linking the two resorts. Guests can venture between the two and experience both resorts’ dining facilities during their time here.

St. Regis Langkawi – Airport Lounge

Here’s one final unique element about staying at the St. Regis Langkawi: the resort operates a dedicated lounge at Langkawi International Airport in conjunction with the neighbouring Westin resort, offering a private space for guests to relax and enjoy some food and drink prior to their outbound flight.

The lounge is located post-security, just to your right as you approach the airport’s small handful of departure gates.

The seating area is fairly basic, as are the food offerings, with only a few fruits and light sandwiches to pick from. Coffee, tea, and a selection of non-alcoholic cold beverages are available as refreshments.

Still, this is a unique concept that I haven’t seen being offered anywhere else besides the ultra-luxurious resorts of the Maldives, so I’ve got to give credit to the St. Regis Langkawi for going above and beyond to arrange a seamless departure experience on the island. 

Conclusion

Spending two nights at the St. Regis Langkawi was a wonderful way to wrap up this springtime trip to Malaysia.

I found two nights to be the perfect amount of time for our relaxing beach vacation after a jam-packed few days of city-hopping the days before. However, I could’ve certainly enjoyed staying longer to fully relax and indulge in the resort’s offerings as well.

Compared to the Ritz-Carlton on the western side of the island, the St. Regis offers a fairly different experience. 

Whereas the Ritz-Carlton placed a great emphasis on tranquillity and made you feel like you were the only guest on the property at times, the St. Regis is more family-friendly and less secluded.

Indeed, if you’re looking for variety, I’d recommend splitting your time between the St. Regis and the Ritz-Carlton. This way, you’re also closer to the various different attractions on Langkawi.

For 50,000–60,000 Bonvoy points per night, I’d say the St. Regis Langkawi is still a reasonably good deal on points. I’d liken it to a “budget” version of the St. Regis Bali, as the Langkawi location shares quite a few similarities to its more well-known Indonesian counterpart.

The St. Regis Langkawi wouldn’t rank as an all-time favourite for me, but it was still a very pleasant place to spend time. I could certainly envision a return stay both here and over at the Ritz in the future, given that Langkawi remains a favourite destination of ours, and we’ll likely be back not too long from now.