Holidays to Langkawi, Malaysia

THE FAMOUS SEEM TO FLOCK to Four Seasons hotels in the same way the rest of us pop into the food section of Marks & Spencer.
     Sir Elton John thinks of them as a home from home, as does Robbie Williams. Britney loves the Four Seasons on Nevis while Hugh Grant checks into the one in Los Angeles. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been known to cosy up at the one in Provence.
     And I had, pleasingly, stolen a march on all of them by arriving just after the opening at the newest Four Seasons hotel, on the Malaysian island of Langkawi.
     Well, nearly all. I arrived to hear that Elijah Wood had shown Hobbit-like cunning by having already checked in, news that my fellow guests nodded at, in a knowing way.
     I was with journalists from Britain's glossiest magazines, an elite squad of people with detailed knowledge of celebrity likes and dislikes and experts at the art of nonchalantly accepting a chilled face towel.
     It was time to drink deep on their wisdom. “Why do the famous love Four Seasons hotels so much?” I asked while we were sitting in the bar. It was very The King And I (the set used by Jodie Foster when filming the remake can still be seen on the island) – all teak and Oriental-style vistas out to the sea, while the rain fell gently into the reflecting pool outside.

the most reliable luxury brand
     This is the true tropics – air that feels like a blanket, and trusses you into enjoyable languor, palm trees where heat and rain partner each other comfortably. “It's the most reliable luxury brand in the world,” said one woman.
     “You know exactly where you are with them. They're exotic in a safe sort of way, high quality but utterly consistent.” Just like Marks & Spencer I thought.
     “The service is legendary,” said someone else. And we all nodded again before starting on our cocktails. Here the seal on a (chilled) bottle of water is broken before it is presented to you (usually along with a complimentary fruit kebab) at the pool.
     There are reflecting pools to pose by and feel vaguely spiritual. This was a hotel with a lot of reflective pools, I reflected. The bedrooms were big enough to house the biggest ego.
     If you can recall the huge Amish barn built by Harrison Ford's character in Witness, you'll have the rough proportions and style of the Four Seasons beach villas.
     Alongside the barn-like proportions, it included a few refinements the Amish hadn't thought of, such as a separate spa room, remote controlled lights and a choice of outdoor and walk-in showers as well as a Roman orgystyle bath tub; plus awesomely powerful air-conditioning, plasma TVs, linen sheets and room service.
     Since most celebrities have accessories in the shape of children these days, the Four Seasons boasts an extensive kids' club, complete with internet access. Langkawi used to be an island backwater with a mixture of mountains, vegetation and beaches that screeches quality of life to Malaysians and British expats.

     The food is great, the night markets are jolly, the roads are safe, crime is almost unknown and there's lots of nature. With an eye to tourism the Malaysian government made it a duty-free port.
     First the Datai hotel arrived, and now the Four Seasons. 'One luxury hotel is interesting, but two makes a destination,' said one of my companions sagely.

thriving wildlife
     By and large my fellow travellers declared themselves pleased with the Four Seasons' first foray into Malaysia.
     Opinions were mixed on the subject of a factory that could be glimpsed on the left-hand side of the resort and Kate thought the hotel entrance could have made more impact: 'It doesn't make much of a statement, but that's me being picky.'
     The food got a big thumbs-up, though, as did the spa treatments. Mosquitoes were proving to be a problem but Royal Rowe, the avuncular American general manager, is addressing the problem with some heavy-duty chemicals.
     “We've tried the touchy-feely stuff, natural repellents from Australia, that don't seem to have any effect on anyone. We're going to send the Russians in,” he said cheerfully. The famous would expect nothing less in a bid for the perfect holiday.
     Staying there quickly became a bit like featuring in an edition of Stars In Their Eyes. It was all too easy to come over all Charlotte Church in the Rhu bar or Wayne Rooney and Colleen McLoughlin on the beach.
     There were watersports for those in a more active, Jonny Wilkinson mood. The yoga teacher, surely hired with an eye on the Madonnas and Gwyneth Paltrows of this world, was stuck in India with visa problems, but the spa was awash with Thai massages and body scrubs, brewed up with freshly made ginger tea and was very Beckham.
     And, I hadn't really expected to, but I found myself having a Sting moment in the mangrove swamps: a boat trip, crowded with butterflies, birds and trees.
     Wildlife was thriving, the hotel naturalist assured us, since the area had become a protected area. There had, he said, even been sightings of a crocodile.
     And with that happy news, and feeling really quite smug, we returned to our cocktails.

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