Heavenly landscape. Service was fantastic. Villas were very private and quiet.

Generally considered to be one of the best resorts in Malaysia, the Four Seasons at Langkawi did not disappoint. The rooms (91 of them) are spread around a 46 acre site. My room (103) was 1500m from Reception and this can be a bit of a drag to walk. There are, however, complimentary bicycles and golf carts to get from A to B. Rooms were very luxurious (outside shower and a jacuzzi with an indoor shower if you don't fancy leaving the room). Decent air conditioning and a big and comfortable bed. Service was excellent and the staff were most accommodating with regard to changes of plans at short notice. Can't be cheap, but seemed to be value for money.

Many would rate this resort as perfect. And it could be. But it lacks a certain something to make it a complete experience. We had a beach villa the situation of which was very private and quiet- really felt very special.

Good points:

- Immaculately maintained, clean grounds - an army of staff taking care of this aspect (but see my note on housekeeping below)
- mostly well shaded areas for walking/ biking
- very spaciously laid out beach villas
- full range of amenities in villa all working perfectly
- generous complimentary supply of daily bottled water
- lovely architecture and lay out to grounds
- good choice of restaurants although we only tried the Italian and the Grill
- beautiful bar area (lacked atmosphere- what about a happy hour?)
- excellent, speedy , reliable buggy service at all times
- the quiet or adult pool is stunning and exactly as you would dream your ideal beach pool with good menu choice and nice food
- On arrival the accommodation was spotlessly clean
- even with high occupancy the resort does not feel busy
- all staff without exception were always at extreme pains to make everything perfect (the service staff are the true stars of this property)
- the staff, the staff, the staff!

Not so good points:

- the Quiet pools harmony is disturbed by swimmers who use it as a lap pool and swim into your 'private' area and this is not at all managed by the staff
- the Quiet pools staff service was inconsistent- some days it was super attentive with popsicles and towels and other days we had to wait 20 minutes for a menu order
- housekeeping was not at all doing a good job in the first 4 days until we made a note of this at Reception- they then sent 9 people- a bit of an overstatement and unnecessary really..
- the tipping system is unclear- there is very clearly an expectation from various staff and when we have left it for example with a note for housekeeping they have taken it- however what is not made clear by Management and should be made clear is that your Room 'surcharge' of 10% takes care of this aspect
- walkways around beach villas need replacing in areas
- water at beachside is not great for swimming- bit dirty looking
- no replenishment of fruit in room
- considering size of Beach Villa bed was not so big especially when compared to 5 star hotel beds in Singapore
- breakfast was a bit of a let down- it was simply not as good or consistent as I had experienced already at similar places in Singapore- maybe its difficult to do this if they get their supplies off the island. A few days the melon was raw and other days it was off- even discoloured but still served
- Things missing? The extra charm of added touches eg. Little chocolates at turndown, candles, ie.no pampering over and above the price paid which would give it the special / cherry on the cake factor


I think the thing that was lacking for me personally is what you often get at island resorts- Spa, Restaurant or other staff are trying so hard to please guests that whilst you are in the laid back and beautiful inspired environment of a stunning resort it seems harsh to criticise their efforts in any way. And why should you? They are doing their best and their best is more than acceptable most times. But is it outstanding or is it as it would be for similar prices elsewhere or is it up to the level that this resort sells itself at online when you make that decision to book or not? My answer is no.

But that's something which is entirely down to the Management to ensure and not the staff themselves. In particular with regards to food I think that for a resort like this they should have a super chef in at least one of their restaurants as we experienced at the Oberoi, Mauritius in 2009 or the Conrad Hilton in the Maldives.

So come on Four Seasons - invest in training these super hard working people to a sophisticated level that you know would bring it in line with the general international standards of a super deluxe 5 star - its fair to the staff and its fair to us! Then we would be back time and time again!

Well, we stayed 5 days in this hotel during our honeymoon (and after the stay in the Datai hotel on the same island). Honestly I expected a lot more from Four Seasons. In the beginning you are impressed by the entrance, little swimming pool surrounded by palms and you are waiting for the check-in. Then there was the first deception - the architecture, it was all from concrete, a lot of Moroccan style details .... why? You feel that it's all made up, artificial. Then you go to the beach and .... you understand why the hotel is from concrete... cause there is a concrete plant just in front! I was speechless when I saw it, unbelievable. So, for this reason I never even tried to bath in the sea, preferred to stay near the quite swimming pool, which again was a bit strange. The idea of private cabins is bizarre, cause again it was from concrete and by midday it was a real oven! But you do appreciate the sunglasses cleaning!
The beach villa was huge and impressive. Nice bathroom, great bedding, a separate massage room, a little pool just in front, the terrace is very comfortable, and it was so pleasant to watch the sunset. The restaurants were great, and I guess we enjoyed the italian one the most. The chef is italian and his food is delicious. As for breakfast, I wasn't impressed, lack of choice for this kind of hotel. The bars in the evening were empty, even if we were told that the hotel was 80% full! so I felt a bit strange about it. I wouldn't go back there.