YTL

Issue Twent y One

T h e

Y T L

L u x u r y

M a g a z i n e

T h e
Y T L
L u x u r y
M a g a z i n e

The Passage
of TimeMalacca - Malaysia’s
Historical Heart

Island of Festivals
Bali’s Celebratory Season
PP 15585/10/2012(031264)

YTL People

Felipe Massa
Tash Aw
Alain Roux

Niseko Food Trail • Destination Weddings • Kampong Living

Contents
26Life Events

10 A roundup of parties andevents in the world of YTL.

Life Bites

16 Hot happenings at YTL Hotels.

Life on the Cover

18 They say that visiting Malacca
means visiting Malaysia. And,
with its long and eventful
history, it’s easy to see why.

Life Feature

26 Let the living be easy at
Tanjong Jara Resort. Enjoy
the sweet simplicity of
kampong life, where you canescape the frenetic fervour of
big city living… for a few days
at least.

30 No stranger to writing about the
finer things in life, author Kim Inglis
shares with YTL Life her latest
book, entitled A Perennial Feast.
34 The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur offers irresistible
new membership deals for
its Majestic Spa as well as
gentlemen’s lounge, The Smoke
House.
35 Formula One’s Felipe Massa
talks about the importance ofsetting a good example, both on
and off the track, and how his
family keeps him grounded.
38 Dato’ Mokhzani Mahathir,
Chairman of the Sepang
International Circuit, on the40
recent SapuraKencana
Petroleum Malaysian GrandPrix Charity Gala 2013, in aidof the National Heart InstituteFoundation.
40 Lord of the UK’s celebrated
three Michelin-starred The
Waterside Inn and descended
from what can only be describedas ‘culinary royalty’, chef
extraordinaire Alain Roux finds
his own private haven on the isle
of Pangkor Laut.
44 Experience a unique insight into
real Balinese life and culture as
The Bali Arts Festival, the Bali
Kite Festival and the Makepung
Buffalo Races all take place
this season.

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Ensure your ‘Happily Ever After’story starts on the right notewith a fairytale wedding at oneof YTL Hotel’s fantasy locations,complete with a bridal package
executed with faultless flair.

Beautiful Life

Everything’s coming up roses
this spring.
Old world charm meets modern
trends as The Majestic Hotel
Kuala Lumpur plays host to
fashion at its most creative.

Life Of Luxury

Fairytale brides, neon popsof colour and the smartest
new offerings from luxurious
fashion brands help you
slough off the drearinessof winter.

80 Six new reads that’ll resonate.

Spa Life

76 Indulge in all the delights ofa splendid English Afternoon
Tea without having to worry
about gaining a single ounce.
Sounds impossible? Not at
The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur’s Majestic Spa.

Life Cuisine

82 Winter or summer, you’ll
find Hokkaido, Japan, to be
the go-to destination forgourmet-minded travellers allyear round!
88 The Majestic Malacca’s
Peranakan Culinary Journeys
is just what you need to infuse
your kitchen with the charmand flavour of authentic Straits
Chinese cuisine.

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Life Guide

92 There are few more idyllic
places to be this season
than in Berkshire, England,as the countryside erupts
into splendour and thesurrounding woods arecarpeted in bluebells. Denise
Ellis, manager of YTL Hotels’
Bray House in the village of Bray,
shares with us her top things to
do in the county.

PORTFOLIO OF LIFE

90 Explore the world of YTL Hotels.

My Life

120 Celebrated Malaysian-born
author Tash Aw of The Harmony
Silk Factory fame, talks about his
latest novel Five Star Billionaire,
the authors who inspire him andhow he always travels with atleast one book in hand.

Editorial Team
Editorial Director
Izan Yusuff Wilson
Editor-in-Chief
Diana KhooSub Editor
Christy Yoong
      
Editorial AssistantMichelle Liong
T h e

Y T L

L u x u r y

M a g a z i n e

ArtCreative Director
Eireen Ooi

Published By
YTL Hotels
11th Floor, Yeoh Tiong Lay Plaza, 55,
Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Sales

General Manager
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A Note fromTan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh
It’s been an exciting time for YTL Hotels, with Malaysia being the pit-stop for most of theaction. I am pleased to say The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the venue
for the prestigious Formula 1 Gala Night. Our hotels around the city also played host toa steady stream of international names, from Ferrari driver Felipe Massa to statuesquemogul Kimora Lee Simmons and singer-songwriter Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds,
while our resort Pangkor Laut hosted culinary legend Alain Roux.
Hollywood star Kimora also launched the Starhill Gallery Luxury Channel, a newand exciting multimedia platform that provides compelling, high quality videos,
trendsetting online editorials and presents an outstanding range of high-end
retail products that are available in Starhill Gallery. This is a compelling additional
avenue for Starhill Gallery to showcase the latest in the world of luxury retail toits discerning clientele globally.

Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh
Managing Director,
YTL Corporation

The influential UK Tatler magazine presentedThe Swatch Art Peace Hotelwith the Tatler Travel Award for ‘Daring Design’, giving the Shanghai
landmark the ultimate recognition for its stylish, contemporary design andethos. YTL Hotels is very proud to see our management partnership withThe Swatch Group Ltd and, more importantly, our shared dreams for
The Swatch Art Peace Hotel come to fruition. We are thrilled that it is
now recognised as a leading hospitality icon, especially in a city as
sensational as Shanghai.
We are also delighted that Gaya Island Resort has been namedin Condé Nast Traveller’s Hot List 2013 as one of the best new
hotels in the world. The resort was called a revelation, as one of
the first, truly smart plugged-in places to stay in Borneo.
In addition, we are pleased to announce the recent launch of
A Perennial Feast, a new cookbook that compiles the very
best of YTL Hotels’ international dishes and recipes, a lovely
work put together by author Kim Inglis and photographer
Jacob Termansen, working with our teams of talented
chefs. Enjoy the issue and God bless.

Kimora, flanked by
Joseph Yeoh andAmarjit Chhina,
launching the Starhill
Gallery Luxury Channel.

life events //The
Glorious
Race

The world’s hottest race, the Formula One
Grand Prix, returned to Malaysia with an
unrivalled celebration of glitz and glamour at the
SapuraKencana Petroleum Malaysian Grand Prix
Charity Gala in The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

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1. Tan Sri (Dr) Francis
Yeoh, Dato’ Seri Jean
Todt and Datuk Seri
Shahril Shamsuddin.
2. Datin Mastisa Mohamed
and Dato’ Mokhzani
Mahathir. 3. Roen Cian
Nagapan, Soren Ravn
and Stuart Tomlinson.
4. HM Tuanku Alhaj
Abdul Halim Mu’adzam
Shah and HM Tuanku
Hajah Haminah.
5. Pedro de la Rosa
and Nico Hülkenberg.

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It was a night of many unforgettable sights
at the recent SapuraKencana Petroleum
Malaysian Grand Prix Charity Gala.
Celebrating 15 years of Formula One racingin Malaysia, the gala, held at The Majestic
Hotel Kuala Lumpur, drew 800 people,
including guests of honour Seri Paduka
Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku
Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Seri
Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong
Tuanku Hajah Haminah, the King and Queenof Malaysia, as well as local and internationalcelebrities, members of the F1 fraternity, andmovers and shakers of the corporate world.
Guests, who were dressed to the nines,
began arriving at 6pm for the cocktail
reception, which was followed by a charity
auction featuring sponsored items by
Formula One teams and drivers, jeweller
Ceres, watchmaker Cecil Purnell and YTL
Hotels to raise funds for the National Heart
Institute Foundation.
After the auction, guests adjourned to thelife-sized facade of the Eastern & Oriental
Express train, a splendid transformation of
The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s Grand
Ballroom, decorated with candles, oldbooks, pocket watches and fresh flowers,
complete with a lounge and bar to depict
the luxurious onboard experience for guests
travelling for the first time.
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6. Sara Maclaurin, James
Maclaurin, Rocio Beltran
and James Beltran. 7. Lewis
Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
8. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
9. Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin.
10. Dato’ Mohd Ibrahim
Mohd Nor, Datin Nina Juren,
Dato’ Sufian Majid and Datin
Alissa Fitri. 11. Ian Briggs
and Andrew Whitney. 12.
Stephane Valsamidis andJonathan Cecil Purnell.

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13. Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds.
14. Kimora Lee Simmons. 15. Teri
Hatcher. 16. Datuk Seri Michelle
Yeoh. 17. Hwei Tan and Dato’ Yeoh
Soo Min. 18. Dato’ Dr Hassan Arif,
Ritzzawati Rosli, Toh Puan Dr Aishah
Ong and Lim Siew Lian.

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After the guests of honour departed, the nightcontinued, with after-party entertainment
provided by DJ Najee ensuring the evening
ended on a high note.

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Guests feasted on delectable morsels as
they were entertained with a classical music
performance by trombonist Marques Youngof the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra andthe Sentral KL Station band. At 10.30pm,
the excitement rose when 10-time
Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, Kenny‘Babyface’ Edmonds, took to the stage withhits like Cool In You , Every Time I Close
My Eyes, Whip Appeal and Fly Me To The
Moon, as well as a medley of his favourite
songs including I’ll Make Love To You andChange The World . He was then joined
onstage by Malaysia’s sweetheart Dato’ Siti
Nurhaliza in duets of Fire and When I Fall in
Love, a harmonious unity of two legendary
musicians from different parts of the world.

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life feature //life feature //

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A Weekof Style
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Starhill Gallery recently celebrated seven daysof fashion and style with their annual fashion
celebration aptly titled Starhill Fashion Week. Kuala
Lumpur's best dressed set turned up in their stylish
best to view fashion collections by international
names like Valentino, Kenzo and M Missoni, as
well as creations by homegrown talents, including
Khoon Hooi and KLutched.

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1. Dr Casey Chow & Ashley Chow.
2. Charmaine Yusuf, Alia Bastaman & Ian
Loh. 3. Peter David, Priscilla Yee & Chris
Chia. 4. Chelsia Ng, Joyce Wong, Shirena
Hamzah, Rozie Mastor & Serena Choong.
5. Jeremiah Tan, Dato' Yeoh Soo Min,
Dato' Jimmy Choo & Hwei Tan. 6. Lexie
Rodriguez & Joshua Ivanovic. 7. Nikola
Hassan, TS Yap, Ida Lokman & Shawna
Yap. 8. Arabyrd. 9. Hajar Yusoff, Mani
Picar & Aisyah Yusoff.
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life bites //YTL’s newest events, attractions and not-to-be-missed experiences.

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Saying ‘I Do’ In Style

Ever dreamt of an exotic fair ytale
wedding? Well, The Surin, gracefully
located on Phuket’s near-perfect Pansea
Beach and a member of Design Hotels,offers private wedding and wedding party
packages for couples who want their
special day set in paradise. Surroundedby the Andaman Sea and coconut
groves, choose from Western or Thaistyle wedding ceremonies and leave
everything in the good hands of theresort’s expert coordinator. Finish things
off with a special flying lantern ceremony.
Thai-riffic? We think so.

02

The Book of Matthew

The award-winning Shook! Shanghai
restaurant at The Swatch Art Peace Hotelin China is now helmed by Minneapolisborn chef Matthew Ona. Bringing withhim an eclectic buzz and faultless culinary
prowess, your dinner experience isguaranteed to be more than memorable.
Feast on a varied spread of delectables,
which may include organic black pork
belly with homemade kimchi and classic
salmon tartare with sweet oven-roasted
tomatoes and ginger miso rose sauce.

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Zen Moments

Surrounded by mist-swathed jungle, theSpa Village Cameron Highlands offersa unique haven where you can escapefrom the world and immerse yourself in a
cocoon of bliss. With a special treatment
menu that is inspired by the Orang Asliand their deep understanding of natural
healing ingredients, as well as the tea
and strawberries the highland is sofamous for, begin each spa journey withan unforgettable tea-inspired bathing
ritual before proceeding to your treatmentof choice.

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Taste of Sabah

Fancy dining while your toes are digging
into the sand and your only distractions
would be the sea and the sumptuous
feast ahead of you? Look, then, toGaya Island Resort’s Bajau Lautbeach barbeque experience, inspiredby the cuisine of Borneo’s seafaring
people. Dine on piping-hot coal-grilled
seafood as well as traditional Sabahan
accompaniments like hinava (a dish bestlikened to ceviche), steamed mountainrice, local sweet corn and shots of lihing,
the famously potent Kadazan rice wine.

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Island-Hopping

If you’d like a taste of traditional island life,
consider an excursion to neighbouring
Pangkor Island during your stay at theluxurious Pangkor Laut Resort. Hoponto a speedboat for a quick ride to
Pangkor Jetty, where your guide will takeyou for a walk through the little town, with
its colourful shops, interesting fish andseafood stalls, traditional Malay homes
and local coffeeshops. Shop for quality
seafood products produced by local
cottage industries as a tasty souvenir!

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Be A-Mused

K u a l a L u m p u r ’s S t a r h i l l G a l l e r y
introduces its newly-revamped Muse
Floor, which offers a haven for epicureans
to indulge their passion for the culinary
and lifestyle arts. Having opened in
March 2013, the expansive 12,000
sq ft space, named the Starhill Culinary
Studio, includes state-of-the-art kitchens,cooking classes, demonstration areas
and even private dining rooms. All you
need now is your imagination to create anexperience to remember!

For more information on YTL Hotels’ events and promotions, go to www.ytlhotels.com

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life on the cover //Old City,
New World

They say that visiting Malacca
means visiting Malaysia. And, with
its long and eventful history, it’s easy
to see why. In this city, where history
and modernity sit side-by-side, acurious townscape is created thatdraws in visitors from far and wide tomarvel at the unique legacy of thisformer Straits Settlement.
Text Flavia Galeotti Photography Yong Keen Keong & Ting Yang Shan

Despite the well-worn cliché, Malacca truly is a melting pot of
cultures and races, thanks to its historic role as a port of callin the 15th century, right through to being one of the British
territories' Straits Settlements in the 19th century. The influxof various cultural influences over the centuries has createda heritage unlike any other in South-East Asia. Remnantsof the past, both big and small, stand strong in Malacca
City as it progresses into the 21st century; like theinconspicuous chimney stacks of wood-burning stovesfrom the old days that mingle among satellite dishes onshop house rooftops, or the 1920s mansion with thelarge courtyard that now marks the entrance of The
Majestic Malacca.

Murals depicting Malacca's colourfulhistory decorate the backs of shop
houses along the Malacca River.

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THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINEThis balancing act of integrating the old with the
new is carefully but beautifully done, such that,in 2008, the city was named a UNESCO World
Heritage Site (along with George Town, a sister
Straits Settlement in Penang) and, in 2010, wasrecognised as having reached the benchmark
of a developed state. In a further effort topreserve this heritage, the city was declared

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

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life on the cover //a smoke-free zone in June 2011,
where ‘no smoking’ signs dotted about
the narrow streets gently remind bothresidents and visitors alike to kindly refrainfrom smoking.
From what was initially a small fishingvillage, Malacca has come a long way and,even in the passing centuries, the practiceof mixing and assimilating old traditions
and cultures with new ones has beencommonplace throughout.

Humble Beginnings

Take a stroll along the Malacca River (or aleisurely cruise, if you prefer to travel in comfort)
and murals painted on the plain rear walls of shop
houses, opposite the river from Kampung Morten,
illustrate the colourful and lively history of Malacca.
Scenes depicting the arrival of Sumatran prince
Parameswara start Malacca's visual history guide.
Legend has it Parameswara named the city after
the Malacca tree he sat under where he witnesseda mouse-deer defend itself against his hunting dog
by pushing it into the river. The prince took this asa sign of the powerless overcoming the powerful– he had previously fled a Majapahit attack on
Singapura (modern-day Singapore) – and appointed
himself the first Sultan of Malacca, taking the nameof Iskandar Shah and going on to establish Malacca
as a port that led it to its critical role of trading spices
and precious goods between Arabia, China, India andEurope. Thanks to the strategic location of the port in
the Straits of Malacca, its easy access and ideal weather
fluctuations that brought in new traders and dispatched
the finished business, the city positively flourished.

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Another illustration is of Admiral Zheng He, a pivotal figurein the trading relationship between China and Malacca, andthere is also a depiction of the arrival of Princess Hang
Li Po of the Ming Dynasty to be married to Sultan Mansur
Shah. Elephants, junks, Portuguese carracks, Chinese
envoys and scenes of combat decorate the exterior of thefirst stretch of shop houses, all testament to the importantmoments of Malacca’s early years.

2. The Majestic Malacca, where thepast meets the present in modernday Malacca. 3. The hotel originallybegan life as the private residence ofa successful businessman. 4. There
are still pockets of Malacca that are athrowback to a simpler and slower paceof life. 5. The original ceramic tiles thatare still in use in The Majestic Malacca.

Beyond this, further down the river, is another collection ofmurals, representing the different facets of contemporary

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THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

3“From a small fishingvillage, Malacca
has come a longway, mixing andassimilating old
traditions and cultureswith new ones.”
multicultural Malacca, and Malaysia as a whole: taking up a wallfrom floor to roof, a traditional Indian dancer strikes a pose next toa serene Peranakan beauty and a grinning lion head, golden kuihbahulu is plated alongside vivid green ketupat, representatives
from Sabah and Sarawak in traditional dress gaze out at passersby, while a Rafflesia flower is proudly in full bloom. This piece,
initially commissioned for city beautification, is a treat for the eyes
and a popular point of attraction. Almost like a 21st century reimagining of the elaborately decorated old Chinese shopfronts

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

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life on the cover //life on the cover //6. A house on Heeren
Street, now known as
Jalan Tun Tan Cheng
Lock, where Malacca's
wealthiest families
used to live.
7. Hand-beaded
shoes, a perfect matchfor the Nyonya kebaya.
8. Malacca's iconic
Christ Church wascompleted in 1753.

that populate the old city of Malacca, the past is honoured andinfused with the present, and saved for posterity.
Over time, Malacca’s importance as a trading port wasrecognised by many foreign powers and, as such, wascolonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese
before Malaysia gained independence. These governing
powers left their imprints on the developing city port in one
form or another – whether as architecture, cuisine, language orclothing – the remains of which can be seen to this day.

Perfect Harmony

One of the most recognisable landmarks in the old city is theiconic red Christ Church building. Initially built by the Dutch toreplace St Paul’s Church, and used by the Portuguese as a
Catholic church, the new Bovenkerk was completed in 1753 in
traditional Dutch architectural style. When the handover to the
British East India Company occurred in 1838, the church was
re-consecrated as Christ Church and painted red in 1911. To
date, it is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malacca– such is the longevity of historical buildings, despite constantdevelopment and on-going progress. And yet, across the
Malacca River, is the contrasting Jonker Street. Famous forbeing the place to shop while you walk, antiques and handicraft
shops are wedged in between clothing boutiques, bars andrestaurants, while stalls line up the roadside to sell bric-a-bracand cheap but tasty street food.

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The old and new in Malacca always seem to complement,
rather than compete against, each other. Either by merging
together to become an updated version of what it used to be(like The Majestic Malacca), or by coexisting side-by-side.

“Influences of the Dutch, Portuguese,
British and Peranakan cultures permeate
each facet and detail of the hotel.”
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The concept of coexisting without conflict is not something new
in Malacca. On what is formally known as Jalan Tukang Emas,
or Harmony Street (alternatively called Temple Street), sit threeof the oldest places of worship in Malacca. Kampung Kling
Mosque is a curious blend of Sumatran architecture adapted
to a mosque built in 1784, where the minaret resembles apagoda and there are sloped eaves rather than a domed roof.
The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple practices the three doctrinal
systems of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, and was
been built in 1645. The Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple was built
in 1781, after the Dutch colonial government gave Thavinayagar
Chitty the plot of land. Each representing the three main racesof Malaysia, these holy places have opened their doors for
centuries without incident. The spirit of 1Malaysia was (andstill is) alive and well in the old Malacca city, long before it waspioneered in our 21st century.

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life on the cover //An Oriental Touch

Due the strong trading ties between China
and Malacca, many Chinese immigrants
married local Malays and settled down for a
new life in the sultanate. From these unions
grew the unique Baba Nyonya culture, adistinct blend of Chinese and local Malay
customs that can also be found in the otherformer Straits Settlements of Penang andSingapore.
Out this marriage of cultures (so to speak) camethe famous hybrids of cuisine and clothing:
Nyonya cuisine contains equal elements ofChinese cooking mixed with flavourful local
spices, and created such delectable dishes aslaksa (of which Malacca boasts the best), Nyonya
kuih and ayam pongteh (a chicken stew cookedwith fermented soybean paste, mushrooms anda dash of sambal ), while an adaptation of thelocal baju kurung by the Peranakans gave rise to
the Nyonya kebaya , a more fitted, meticulously
embroidered blouse featuring particularly traditional
Chinese designs (like the phoenix and dragon, but
is also otherwise typically decorated with flowers andanimals) made from delicate fabric, worn over a batik
skirt and matched with the painstakingly hand-beaded
kasut manik. The Nyonya kebaya is largely considered
to be one of the more beautiful traditional garments,
with the best tailors calling Malacca home. And while
the whole ensemble is generally reserved for special
occasions, it has been given a modern twist worn overjeans or skirts by the more daring and fashion-forward
Malaysian woman.

9. The refurbished Majestic
Malacca has retained
its vintage feel. 10. The
Spa Village offers uniquetraditional Peranakan beautyand health treatments.
11. Get a warm welcome
at The Majestic Malaccawith a pot of tea, served
the traditional way, in a
Chinese basket.

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The Majestic Malacca
Two grand gateposts, inscribed with Chinese calligraphy
in bold black strokes, stand sentinel at the entrance to The
Majestic Malacca. The pristine white exterior, as if it were only
built yesterday, belie the original age of the historical hotel.
The building began life in 1929 as the private residence ofbusinessman Leong Long Man, who left Guangzhou, China, tomake his fortune with rubber plantations in Malacca. Despite
his success in business, he succumbed to tuberculosis two
years after moving into his mansion, which was inherited by hisoldest son.

The appeal of the Nyonya kebaya is timeless, such thatwomen have created extensive collections of vintage andantique kebayas for their personal wardrobe – notably Tun
Endon Mahmood (the late wife of the fifth Prime Ministerof Malaysia), who had in her collection more than 200
kebayas displayed in Malaysia, Singapore, and Melbourne,
Australia, after her passing in 2005.

The house passed hands several times before it reached Lim
Heng Fang, who established it as the Majestic Hotel in 1955.
In its original incarnation, the hotel boasted an enjoyable
atmosphere and 24 rooms at formidable rates, which meant thatthe hotel never went empty.

The touch of the past is not hard to miss in a modern city
like this, where, at every corner, you are faced with over 500
years of history. The idea that preserving history compromises
national development is unfounded when we look at how
celebrated Malacca is among Malaysians and visiting
foreigners. This city is a perfect example of keeping mementosof the past, having feet firmly planted in the present, but witheyes cast towards the future.

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For almost half a century, the Majestic Hotel stayed in business,but the state government bought the land in 2000 and closed
the establishment down. Sitting empty for seven years, with thethreat of being demolished hanging over it, YTL Hotels stepped
in to resuscitate the classic hotel with a new lease of life,
reincarnating it as The Majestic Malacca. A 15-storey expansion
was added behind the old building (originally where the servants
quarters once stood), creating 52 rooms and suites furnishedwith four-poster beds draped in silks and claw-footed bathtubs

10standing proudly in the middle of the bathrooms. Expect to be
ushered to your room by a bellboy bearing a tea basket withtraditional Chinese teapot and cups for a warming welcome.
Even with the addition of the new wing, the old building
remains largely unaltered from its early days; the English
ceramic tiles on the ground floor are the originals fromthe 1920s, which were restored to their former glory, andthe louvered shutters on the exterior of the building were
repainted their original green. The upper floor was cleared
to make a large space and transformed into the dining
area, serving the famous flavourful Peranakan cuisine.
The vintage feel of the hotel was not lost to the revamp, where
influences of the Dutch, Portuguese, British and Peranakan
cultures permeate each facet and detail of the hotel. A touchof the colonial ‘rubber tapper’s estate’ ambience lingers in thefoyer and tea room, a calming space to hide from the relentlessheat of the outdoors.
Not to be missed is YTL’s signature Spa Village, the only spa
in the world where treatments are derived from traditional
Peranakan beauty and health routines. Decide between thesuam-suam panas (warming) or shiok-shiok sejuk (cooling)experience, or choose à la carte treatments while enjoying a
blissful hair mask or a sublime oil massage with infused withspices that invigorate the skin and prickle your senses.

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life feature //Village People
Enjoy the sweet simplicity of kampong life at Tanjong Jara Resort,where you can escape from the frenetic fervour of big city life and,instead, indulge in a few blissful days of village life de luxe.

Tanjong Jara Resort's
weekly Kampong Life
activity is designed tolet guests experience a
slice of village life.

26

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINECity living can get to you. If your dailyschedule revolves around the huggermugger of crowds, commutes and theticking clock, it might be time to break away
for a few days of the simple life. One of
the best places to retreat to is the Tanjong
Jara Resort, perched along the golden
coastline of Malaysia’s north-eastern stateof Terengganu. The Malay culture andway of life has always formed an integral
part of the Tanjong Jara experience but
it truly comes to life every Saturday as
the resort hosts its weekly Kampong
Life activity.

At the beachfront garden, a flurry of activity
takes place every Saturday evening as
makeshift stalls are set up offering resort
guests a taste of village life. Kitchen staff
will set up woks where keropok lekor , atype of fish sausage and the state’s mostpopular snack, keropok ikan (fish crisps)
and cucur sayur (vegetable fritters) arefried á la minute, and cups of sweet,
strong local coffee are served. For those
who wish to cool down in the tropicalheat, there are also cups of iced roselle
juice. Nearby, a makcik (aunty) mans astall offering piping-hot akok, a traditional“At Tanjong Jara Resort's
beachfront garden, a flurryof activity takes place every
Saturday evening as makeshiftstalls are set up offering resort
guests a taste of village life.”
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life feature //KAMPONG LIFE 101
A quick guide to what’s what.

Congkak – A traditional girl’s game that is played allover the Nusantara region, using a wooden congkak
board with about 14 to 18 holes, depending on theboard. Seashells, bright red saga seeds, tamarindseeds or even marbles may be used to play. A gameof mental calculation, the objective of congkak is tocapture the seeds or shells of your opponent, whereby
the person with the highest number collected is deemed
the winner. If you have a handful of Malaysian coins,look for the older 10sen ones as a picture of a congkak
board is depicted on its reverse side.
Gamelan – A traditional musical ensemble featuring avariety of instruments, usually at least one metallophoneor xylophone, gongs and drums.
Takraw – Also referred to as sepak takraw or sepak
raga, this is a sport that is immensely popular in the
Malay Peninsula as well as the south of Thailand. Usinga small rattan ball, the rules are simple: only the feet,knee, chest and head of the player are allowed to touchthe ball. A type of ‘kick volleyball’, it is traditionallyplayed by men.
Akok – A traditional kuih (local cake or pudding) thatis popular in the East Coast of Malaysia, particularly inthe states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Made using a
mixture of hen’s eggs, santan (coconut milk) and flour,
there may be several shapes and variations of akok but
it is always soft, spongy, egg-y and sweet. Pandanus
leaves may also be used to flavour it, causing someakok to have a green-ish colour.
Lekor – Also known as keropok lekor, this is one of
the East Coast’s most famous nibbles. It is especially
famous and popular in Terengganu. Made from fish,sago or tapioca flour and lightly seasoned with salt,these can best be referred to as Malaysian fish sausages
and may be eaten boiled or fried. Best enjoyed with adribble of chilli sauce.
Lemang – Rich and filling, lemang is a traditional
Malay rice dish made with glutinous rice and coconut
milk. Stuffed in hollowed-out sticks of bamboo linedwith banana leaves, in order to prevent the rice sticking
to the bamboo, it is cooked over an open fire. Found allover Malaysia, this dish is a must-have during festivals
and religious feast days, particularly Hari Raya, where itis eaten as an accompaniment to meat-based curries,
particularly fragrant beef rendang.

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especially those living in big cities,
hardly ever get a chance to experience
these simple pleasures and, week after
week, Kampong Life is a highlight for
our guests, regardless of nationality; somuch so, during the peak season andfestive holidays like the recent Chinese
New Year and Christmas seasons, werun an extra session on Wednesdays
in addition to the usual Saturdays. And,during the Muslim celebration of Hari
Raya, we host it according to the local‘open house’ concept. Guests would
then get a chance to see what it’d belike celebrating in a traditional Malay
home. There’d be, of course, musthave festive dishes like lemang andbeef rendang while, the night before,
our young guests would enjoy fireworks
and sparklers.”

trainer to demonstrate the fine art ofcoconut-plucking. Effortlessly scampering
up each tree, he is trained to select only
the ripest, juiciest coconuts and, witha quick twist and throw, a bright green
fruit will soon land with a thud on thegrass. These freshly-picked coconuts willthen be served to the picnicking guests
as the ultimate tropical thirst-quencher.
There are also stalls where you cantry the art of batik-painting as well as
demonstrations of the games of congkak
and takraw , both popular pastimes inthe East Coast. The rhythmic beats ofthe gamelan can also be heard in the
air and, for a magical hour, guests canlose themselves in the sweet simplicity
of kampong-living, served up Tanjong
Jara-style.

One of the undisputed stars of Kampong
Life, however, is Jara – a pig-tailed
macaque who visits the resort with his

Kampong Life takes place every Saturday
from 1700-1800hrs at Tanjong Jara
Resort’s gardens.

Terengganu kuih famous along Malaysia’s
east coast, made from a sinful blend offlour, eggs and rich coconut cream.
Guests are invited to sample the selectionof sweet and savoury tea-time snacks
and enjoy an impromptu picnic on readylaid-out woven pandanus mats.

From ketupat-weaving
to batik-painting andan open-air feastof local snacks,
Kampong Life
captures Tanjong
Jara's uniquely Malay
spirit.

“We began Kampong Life as a resort
activity in 2004,” shares Peter Neto,
Tanjong Jara’s resort manager. “Werealised we needed an experience thatwould be different, unique and, yet,totally live up to the resort’s ‘Unmistakably
Malay’ philosophy. When we began
Kampong Life, we realised then that not
only did the foreign guests enjoy it, but
the locals as well. Many Malaysians,

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29

life feature //life feature //Jetting off to exotic locations to analyse
and write about interior design, indulge
in spas and fine dining, and getting
pampered in luxury hotels: it’s all in a
day’s work for Kim Inglis. Over the last 15
years, the English writer has composeda number of books and magazine
articles on such attractive lifestyle topics
as these, assembling an impressive
portfolio that any writer would be envious
to have participated in. But, before thisglamour, Inglis' career had much humbler
beginnings, where she learned on the job
and eventually worked her way up.
“I stated off working in London as
an assistant editor for the publishingcompany Hodder and Stoughton, making
tea and then learning how to edit and writeon the job,” she says of her early days. “I
moved to Hong Kong and was working
as an editorial assistant, then becoming
the executive editor of a magazine
there. Pretty much all my training andThis page: Kim Inglis’ latest book with YTLHotels focuses on the cuisine of the group's
various properties. Opposite page: Celebrated
photographer Jacob Termansen shooting for A
Perennial Feast in Saint-Tropez.

Words With
The Author

No stranger to writing about the finer thingsin life, Kim Inglis has made a name forherself as the go-to author on all things
artsy, indulgent and luxe. She sits downwith YTL Life to share a bit about herself
and her latest endeavour, A Perennial Feast.
Text Flavia Galeotti

30

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

writing has been in the industry – I
haven’t taken courses or done journalism
diplomas; it’s all been through book ormagazine publishing.”
From Hong Kong, she returned to London
as a freelancer, where she worked withdifferent magazines and publishers, likethe notable Dorling Kindersley. Then, 18
years ago, she and her husband madethe choice to move to Singapore, where
she continued working as a freelancer
and devoted her focus entirely to writing
only books on topics that inspired her.
These turned out to be travel, cuisine andgood interior design, to name a few.
“I’ve found myself in that niche because
they’re things I’m interested in. I’m not
an expert chef or architect – I’m a writerfirst and foremost – but because I’ve
done a lot of work in those fields over
the years, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge
and contacts, which has led me to writeon those particular subjects. And I love
those kinds of things. It’s a joy, really,”
she confesses.
It was this interest that got her involved
with doing her first book with YTLHotels in 2008, Spa Village, after theretreats run by the eponymous holistic
Spa Village arm of YTL Hotels. The
coffee table book highlights the spasof various hotels around Malaysia
and Bali, exploring the various
restorative treatments and their
histories based in Ayurveda, Chinese
Traditional Medicine, herbalism andshamanism, all supplemented bystunning vibrant colour photography
by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni.
With the success of the first book,
she was engaged to work with YTLHotels again for another book, thistime focussing on the cuisine of its
various hotels around the world.
But, for her, the challenge lay inthe presentation and structureof the book: “I didn’t just wantto have names of restaurants,
so I said, ‘Could we perhaps
change it a little bit and makeit more flowing? Almost like aculinary journey’.”This suggestion resulted in theunique approach of the book,whereby readers join Inglis ona coherent tour of YTL Hotels
and its restaurant around theworld. She explains: “Westarted off with some seafoodin Hokkaido and talked about
scallops and fish and Japan.
Then, we thought, ‘It’ll besnowy and cold up there;
what would you then want
to do? Perhaps have someEnglish high tea.’ We talked
about high tea here [inTHE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

31

life feature //Kuala Lumpur], and, of course, high tea in
the UK in the beautiful cottage they havein Bray. And then it became a meander
through different cuisines, adding in therecipes. It really makes it flow from one
topic to the next, like a journey from one
country, to another continent, to anotherrestaurant, to a different resort – whether
you’re going on a train (say, the Eastern& Oriental Express) or on a plane.
We’ve made it into a culinary journeyof discovery with an organic slant.
And I think we succeeded.”A clever addition to the book was theinclusion of recipes of popular dishes
from different cities and restaurants.
Adaptations of the recipes usedby the professional chefs, Inglis
tweaked things slightly to incorporate
more easily found ingredientsand simpler cooking methods,
giving the home cooks something
to try their hand at, replicatingthem in the comfort of theirown kitchens.
The word ‘perennial’ in thetitle was included for its
meaning: enduring and longlasting, something which Inglis
felt was reflective of the
YTL legacy and her way of
honouring the future success ofthe organisation.
From this experience, Inglis
has come out with anappreciation for the hard
work of the chefs she met,saying: “I think being a chefand coming up with newtastes, flavours, textures andbeing constantly innovative
is an extraordinary talent.
Not to mention the stressof running a kitchen and

32

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

putting out 120 covers in less thanan hour and a half. And, to be able toshowcase the work of a lot of thesepeople and have them captured in
Jacob [Termansen’s] photography, it’s afascinating thing that these people canproduce such extraordinary dishes.”
Inglis’s next project will take her backto her home base in Singapore, tocreate a book about the city state andits direction for the future. “A lot of
the stuff out there is about the old
Singapore, but we want to talk aboutt h e n e w S i n g a p o r e a n d w h a t ’s
happening now,” she shares excitedly.
And while YTL has not yet booked her
for another project, she says, without
hesitation: “I would love to do somethingelse with them.”

Top: Kim Inglis chats with Celia Gumbau, cofounder of YTL Hotels' Muse Hôtel de Luxein Saint-Tropez. Below: Jacob Termansen's
photograph of Pangkor Laut Resort's
Feast Vilage.

my life //Club Class

Friends with benefits? You can certainly enjoy allthat and then some with The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur’s new membership deals at The Majestic
Spa and The Smoke House, designed exclusively
with genteel ladies and gentlemen in mind, of course.

If you’ve fallen in love with the colonialcharm of The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur, there is a way to forge a closer
bond with the historical hotel that stands
gracefully along what was once known
as Victory Avenue in Kuala Lumpur.
Built in the 1930s and located rightacross from the Moorish-inspired oldrailway station, The Majestic used tobe known as one of South-East Asia’s
grandest hotels and, indeed, with its
recent reopening, following a massive
refurbishment, it looks set to reclaim thatthrone once more.
From the neo-classical eleganceof the Majestic W ing to the sleek

35

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINE

modernity of the Tower Wing, the hotelalso houses a world-class spa in a
separate annexe, done up in nostalgic
Art Deco fashion. Inspired by the styleof celebrated Glaswegian architectCharles Rennie Mackintosh, it is theideal place to enjoy colonial-inspired
wellness therapies amidst soothinglyluxurious surroundings. The Smoke
House, inspired by the gentlemen’s clubsof 18th-century London, is proving tobe the de rigueur hangout for the city’s
well-heeled gents. With exclusive areas
dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure in theform of a Cohiba or, perhaps, a dram of
the finest Islay malt, The Smoke Housealso offers a grooming room operatedby Truefitt & Hill of London, the world’s
oldest barbershop and groomer tothe gentry.
In this light, The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur begs leave to announce two
special membership packages for
Kuala Lumpur’s ladies and gentlemen
to discover and partake of. For just a
nominal sum per annum, all members
are entitled to a complimentary meal
for two at Contango, a 2-day/1-night
stay in a Colonial Suite of The Majestic
Wing and access to the gymnasiumand swimming pool. Those who takeup The Majestic Spa package will also
receive 10 spa treatment vouchers anda 20 per cent discount off afternoon
tea at The Tea Lounge (for up to four
persons). Early birds will get an extra
treat! Members of The Gentlemen’s Club
will enjoy 12 sessions of barber services
at Truefitt & Hill, membership of the Leading
Hotels of the World Leader’s Club, apersonalised smoking jacket and a 20
per cent discount off liquor and cigars at
The Smoke House.
For more information, tel: +603 2785 8070.

M
N

Photography J Redza

Enjoy the best of The
Smoke House (left) and The
Majestic Spa with two special
membership packages.

ice Guy

Formula One’s Felipe Massa speaks to YTL Life
about the importance of setting a good example
both on and off the track, how his family keeps
him grounded and what the future holds.
Text Diana Khoo

The Art Deco-embellished interiors of The
Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, located justacross from the city’s Moorish-inspired
old railway station, might be an unusual
place to meet a Formula One racing star
but Ferrari’s Felipe Massa seems perfectly
at home. Dressed down in a powder blue
shirt and white trousers, accented with asimple pair of grey trainers and a not-sosimple Richard Mille timepiece, he strolls
casually into the hotel’s Drawing Room,accompanied by his manager Nicolas
Todt, son of Fédération Internationaled’Automobile (FIA) President Jean, andhis good friend, Dato’ Yeoh Soo Min. It’s
his first time staying in Kuala Lumpur’s

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36

life feature //“I spent my childhood
watching champions like
Ayrton Senna and Nelson
Piquet, both fellow Brazilians,
at the peak of their careers.”

This page: Felipe Massa pulls infor a pitstop during the Malaysia
Formula One Grand Prix at the
Sepang Circuit.
Facing page: Formula One wintertesting at Circuito de Jerez, Spain.

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historical heart and he appears to beloving every minute of it. “The Majestic isfantastic… beautiful,” he enthuses.
In town for the recent Sepang leg ofthe Formula One World Championship,
Massa appears calm and relaxed, despite
the qualifying sessions just a few days
away. “I always make sure I prepare myself
well,” Massa shares. “You need to beready for everything here in Malaysia. It’sa nice track but Sepang is very hot andhumid, which makes things difficult. And,to race in such conditions, you must be
especially fit – physically and mentally.”
Born in São Paulo in 1981, the 32-yearold has made quite a name for himself
in the world of motorsports. “I’ve always
related to speed,” he says, smiling.
“Ayrton Senna was, of course, my big
hero. I watched him at the peak of his
career when he just couldn’t stop winning
championships. Nelson Piquet is a fellow

Brazilian as well and I spent my childhood
watching all these champions. From themoment I began karting at the age ofeight, I realised racing was what I wanted
to do with my life. And now, doing what I
do, it’s like a dream come true.” Certainly,
the passion for speed seems to behereditary. Massa’s father, Luiz Antonio,
used to be an amateur Touring Car racer
and he shares how he used to watch hisfather testing and racing cars ever since
he was a young boy. “My father, who’s
always been a hero to me, loved racing
for fun and my passion for motorsport isall due to him. In fact, I had my very own
motorcross bike since young, but it wasa little bit too crazy, I think. My father thentold me I was better off having four wheels
to race on, rather than two!”It’s also no secret that many little boysaround the world grow up harbouring
dreams of, one day, being able to race
fast cars for a living. On what advice
would he give them, Massa pauses
for a moment before saying: “The mostimportant quality you need would be
raw talent. You also need to be simple,
humble and willing to learn. Know that
there’ll also be many difficult days ahead
and, to get over them, it helps to have acompletely open mind. Once all these arein place, you’ll find the opportunities will
come.” On the subject of little boys, theBrazilian’s eyes immediately light up as his
mind wanders to thoughts of his youngson, Felipinho. “He’s three now and he’s
the best thing that could happen in mylife,” he says, beaming. “He motivates
me to do even better in my own life as
fathers naturally want to give their families
the very best. It’s not easy being a father
but it is just the most fantastic feeling.”
On the inevitable subject of whether
little Felipinho will follow in his father’sfootsteps, Massa smiles and says: “Healready wants to race! But, some days,
he wants to be a footballer. He has a little
battery-operated F1 car, which he loves!
The decision is ultimately his and my role
as a father is to simply help him achieve
whatever he wants to in life.”

This may also explain why Massa is soparticular about setting a good example
whenever possible. In the often-anodyne
world of Formula One racing (Mika
Hakkinen comes to mind here), Massa’s
gregariousness, sense of humour andopenness has led to the media as well
as several industry insiders referring to
him as one of the most well-liked racers
around. “My philosophy in life is simple:
live with both feet on the ground and live
for your family. I also think it’s important tobe aware of setting a good example. As an
F1 driver, you have your fans and followers
as well, so you do need to think mostthings through at least twice to always givethe best example you can for them. But I
think it helps I live a pretty simple life off thecircuit as well.”On the grid, Massa, although still relatively
young, has chalked up an impressive trackrecord. “I’ve had so many good memories,
from the time I started in F1 as a 20 year-old
with Sauber.” He also cites his first victoryin Turkey as more than memorable, as wellas his first win on home ground. “Winning in
Brazil”, says Massa, “is like a dream cometrue. I’m also grateful to be able to say thislist of good memories keeps getting longer
and longer as the days go by, but I also
make sure it serves as an inspiration tokeep on achieving more.”
Back to the topic of Malaysia, Massa
appears to have been infected by the
local preoccupation with food. “I justgot back from lunch, actually, at Starhill
Gallery’s Shook! Restaurant. I makesure I have a meal there every time I am
in Malaysia – I love the fish dishes, thepizza… everything’s so good!” And, on
a thoroughly more Brazilian obsession,
Massa admits to being tremendously
excited that his country will play host to
the World Cup next year. “I am definitely
going to take Felipinho to watch someof the soccer matches with me. He’ll
be bigger by then, so I am sure he will
understand the game a little more andenjoy it better. I’ve been a fan of São Paulo
FC for a long time and I’ve always loved
football. But, ultimately, it’s still a hobby
for me. I enjoy watching it and playing thegame but, for sure, I don’t have the talent
for it. My talent is for racing and I live my
dream already, doing what I love. Maybein my next life, perhaps?”

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38

life feature //with his sterling performances that left theaudience craving for more.

Image from Marcus Wong

Despite the luxurious glitz and glamour of
the Gala Night, it not only set the stage foran adrenaline-fuelled grand prix to come,but also allowed the guests an opportunity
to contribute to the needy by aiding
the Institut Jantung Negara (National
Heart Institute) Foundation. To this end,
the sponsors of the event, including
Cecil Purnell, Carlsberg, YTL Hotels,
Sime Darby Auto Performance, Ceres,
Diptyque and Standard Chartered Bank,
held an auction of their products, with theproceeds going to the Foundation.

Far left: Dato' Mokhzani
Mahathir, Chairmanof the Sepang
International Circuit.

On the eve of the 15th Petronas
Malaysia Grand Prix 2013 at the Sepang
International Circuit, The Majestic Hotel
Kuala Lumpur hosted the SapuraKencana
Petroleum Malaysian Grand Prix Charity
Gala Night. It was an evening that saw amelding of the eras, as the ultra-modern
high-tech engineering synonymous with
Formula One blended seamlessly with thecolonial heritage of the Majestic Hotel.

A Majestic Gathering
In setting the scene for the recent exhilarating weekend of the Petronas
Malaysia Grand Prix, the SapuraKencana Petroleum Malaysian GrandPrix Charity Gala 2013 took centre stage at The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur to, not only celebrate Formula One’s 15th year in Malaysia, butalso to support the National Heart Institute Foundation.
Text Weng Sheng Thong38

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Chairman of the Sepang International
Circuit, Dato’ Mokhzani Mahathir, iterated:“I think The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur
is a very appropriate venue for such an
event. It is a building with a lot of history.
For Formula One, which has only been
racing here in Malaysia since 1999, theassociation with such a historic building
makes the event even more glamorous,
meaningful and a great attraction for all
those who attend the gala.”
Among the stars and celebrities to grace
the event were 10-time Grammy Awardwinner Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds. With
11 solo albums to his name, Edmonds
wowed all those who attended the night

Reflecting upon the generosity of thegala’s guests, Dato’ Mokhzani said: “I
am proud and humbled to receive such
positive feedback on this charity gala,with all the sponsors playing a big part.
We are looking to play our part on andoff the track and I believe this will provide
the foundation with the funds to help asmany people as possible.”

Dato’ Mokhzani Mahathir, Chairman of the Sepang
International Circuit, shares his love for motorsports
and hopes for F1 in Malaysia with YTL Life.
When did you first discover yourpassion for motorsports and F1?
That was a long time ago and you canblame my father (former Malaysian Prime
Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) forthat. I got into sports cars after I saw abeautiful design at the Paris Motorshow
in 1984. F1 has always been something
I’ve followed and, when the idea ofholding it in Malaysia was mooted in
1996, it was a dream come true after I
was recruited into the Board of Directors
and became Chairman of the Sepang
International Circuit (SIC).

telecommunications, finance, banking.
You meet a huge number of people fromall walks of life at motorsports events.

What do you love most about your job
as Chairman of the SIC?

Where are your future hopes for
Malaysian F1?
I dream of having an F1 champion of ourown. I hope that, with the three teams weare actively involved in and having therace here until 2015, one day, we will see
a Malaysian driver competing to be rightat the front of the grid and standing on
the podium.

Meeting all sorts of people from aroundthe world. I believe F1 especially isa fantastic platform for networking.
Anywhere there’s a race, I have afriend because of common interests
in motorsports. People also come fromall sorts of industries – oil and gas,

What have been the most importantmilestones in Malaysia’s F1 history?
Having three teams that are closely
related to Malaysian companies andMalaysian - owned. That is a huge stepfor us as a country and host nation. It’sa fantastic achievement because weare, not only the host, but also an active
participant and we use both the venu
and the teams to promote our country.

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39

life feature //restaurants. Anyone worth their fleur de sel
would immediately recognise Alain Roux’s
name. Son of another legendary chef,
Michel, the 45-year-old Alain is best known
as the keeper de luxe of The Waterside
Inn – the only restaurant to have held thecoveted three-star rating longer than any
other restaurant in the UK and the first one
outside of France to hold three Michelin
stars for a whopping 25 years. In order
to seek respite from the demands of his
work and to unwind, Roux loves nothing
better than spending quality time with hisfamily – “away from the restaurant”, hesays, with a wink. “Pangkor Laut fulfils mydefinition of a perfect holiday. I am able tocut off completely from work and to relax
in style with my family. We are pampered
and looked after in a gentle way and yet
are spoilt for choice with the numerous
activities available on the island.”IslandLife
Descended from culinary
royalty and lord of The
Waterside Inn, England’s
three Michelin-starreddining room par excellence,the celebrated Alain Roux
finds his tropical haven on
Pangkor Laut island.
Text Diana Khoo Photography Ting Yang Shan40

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Chef extraordinaire Alain Roux enjoys asunny vacation at Pangkor Laut Resort.

Three miles off the west coast of the Malay
Peninsula lies a small but perfectly-formed
tropical island. Thick with verdant jungle
that date back two million years and linedwith perfect curves of white sand beach,the tiny isle of Pangkor Laut is as close toheaven on earth as they come. Spanningjust 300ac and perfectly poised in the
midst of the Straits of Malacca, the island
is home to the world-class Pangkor LautResort, as well as a small cluster of justeight luxurious-beyond-belief villas referred
to, simply, as The Estates.

that culinary aristocrat, Alain Roux, enjoys arare lull in his busy life.

Located in a secluded cove, each of theeight properties is individually-crafted,
reflecting its own unique design andaesthetic style. Choose from two-, threeor four-bedroom villas, complete withprivate infinity-edged swimming pools,
where a dedicated team will ensure youwant for nothing. It is within such a haven

Having arrived on the island after a 13-hour
flight from London and a three-hour journeyby car and private speedboat with his wifeand baby daughter, the Roux family wereimmediately whisked off to their private seaview Estate, where they spent a blissful few
days away from the rigours and demands ofrunning one of the world’s most celebrated

Playfully posing with his family at theresort’s main swimming pool, just a shortdrive away in his Estate’s appointed private

life feature //life feature //have worked with Denis Ruffel, one of thegreatest and most talented professional
pastry chefs. He was a tough teacherbut, as a man, is like a godfather to me.
My experience there has impacted myentire career.

vehicle, Roux, shielding his face from thebright tropical sunshine with a hat, says:“This exclusive island is, without doubt, oneof the leading luxury resorts of the world. I
appreciate how it blends seamlessly within
its environment, allowing us to feel so close
to the surrounding natural beauty. I lovebathing in the warm sea and spending timeon the island’s perfect beaches. There isalso squash, tennis, a play area for children
and a fabulous spa – if you can tearyourself away from the swimming pool! My
wife and I are also charmed by the resort’s
beautiful sea villas, each perched elegantly
atop stilts in the water, although I really dolove the peace, quiet and seclusion of ourprivate estate.”

What do you normally eat, off-duty?
I love anything prepared for me by my wife.
We enjoy simple dishes, usually meat or
fish with one of two garnishes, and perhaps
a dessert.
What are your favourite food andwine pairings?
I love champagne! I can drink it anytime
a nd w i t h a nyt hi ng a nd ever yt hi ng!
Otherwise, my palate is more classic
and I like traditional pairings of white winewith fish and shellfish, and red with meatand poultry.

On the subject of food, a topic very close
to Roux’s heart, he enthused: “It’s hard tochoose a favourite restaurant on the islandas the cuisine is fantastic. But I did think

What have been your most memorable
meals?
The ones prepared at home by my paternal
and maternal grandmothers. They were themost amazing home cooks and we would
always gather around their large tables toenjoy delicious meals together as a family.

Far left: Roux's
restaurant, The
Waterside Inn, in
Berkshire, Englandis one of the world's
finest dining rooms.

the Chinese restaurant, Uncle Lim’s, wasamazing! I can tell you that I was mostimpressed with the talented chefs and the
fresh, delicious ingredients. Staying at The
Estates is particularly spoiling as we also
had the exclusive services of a personalchef, which I consider sheer luxury as,
while on holiday, I love taking a break fromthe kitchen! One of my special memories
from this trip will be the private beachbarbeque we enjoyed, which came with abeautiful, romantic menu.”“There are many destinations in the world
I would still love to visit,” adds Roux, “butcertain places to which I will never hesitate
to return have always included New York,Singapore, Tokyo and Bangkok. Now, ofcourse, Pangkor Laut has joined the list.”

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What is it like growing up in the Roux
family?
Our family has always had great love forfood, cooking and the appreciation ofwine. I cannot help but be influenced bythis, especially in our passion for service
and devotion to the business of delighting
customers. It nurtures my love for what
I do!
What is the secret behind The Waterside
Inn’s great success?
There is no secret. As we all know, whensomething is done well, rewards usuallyfollow. Our formula is, simply, daily hard
work, quality and consistency. What weachieve is a credit to the whole team but
we are also aware that the challenge lies inmaintaining these high standards.

How important are Michelin stars toyou, personally?
They are important as it denotes
recognition from an establishedinternational source, which is renowned
for its professionalism, flair andfair ratings.
Your father, Michel, recently openeda restaurant in Vietnam. Do you haveplans to expand to Asia?
Vietnam is a solo venture for my father
and it is a French restaurant called
La Maison 1888, at the InterContinental
Danang Sun Peninsula Resort. I am
not planning to expand in the UK orelsewhere, but who knows what the
future holds? If the opportunity arose,
my first choice would be to open in Asia.

What has been the best piece of advice
you’ve ever received from your father?
Remember to not cook for oneself, but forthe customer.
What was your childhood ambition,
though? Did you feel pressure from thefamily to become a chef?
There was no pressure at all. It was I who
couldn’t resist the urge to join the culinary
world. I did enjoy the idea of growing fruitand vegetables for a living, although, since
I do not possess green fingers, I think I
made the right career choice!
What was your first work experiencelike?
I was an apprentice at the Pâtisserie Millet
and learnt a great deal. I was privileged to

Necessary kitchen tools?
I cannot live without a sharp knife, a goodstove and oven, plus a spoon, which I use
to taste as I cook.
What’s always in your refrigerator?
Fruit juice, milk and cheese.
And, lastly, what’s your idea of comfort
food?
Something that is light and tasty, withminimal cream or butter, as it quickly
satisfies my appetite and leaves me
feeling good, without the need to lie
down afterwards! My favourite comfort
dishes include vegetable soups, stews
and traditional English puddings like
Eton Mess.

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43

life feature //life feature //Balinese
Summer Festivals
The true richness of Bali life is largely unknown to themillions of visitors who visit the Island of the Gods.
Simon Pridmore shares three mid-year events thatoffer unique insights into Balinese culture.
In Bali, around the middle of every year,
the wind changes; the clouds blow
away and the island erupts in a frenzyof cultural activity. The preparations havebeen going on for months: dance teams
forming, practicing and performing invillages all over the Island of the Gods;
cohorts of artists planning and producing
new creations; groups of young men
sweating over the construction ofgigantic elaborate flying devices andfearless athletes training themselves
and their animals for the competitions
to come.

1.Towering penjor
accompanying a
religious procession.

1

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The main events take place in theatresand workshops in Bali’s capital ofD e n p a s a r, o n t h e s o u t h - e a s t e r nbeaches of Sanur and in the skies

above this usually sleepy coastal village,
and along dusty tracks in remote, ruralWest Bali. These are all major featureson the calendar for the Balinese but arelargely ignored by the millions of visitorsthat descend on the island during thesummer months. If only they knew what
they were missing!

A Rich Cultural Heritage

Art is just part of daily life for the Balinese.
For example, everywhere you go, in
shops, hotel gardens, on the streets
and in thousands of roadside temples,
you see the delicate hand-made offeringbaskets called canang laid out several
times a day for the gods (or devils),
each one a colourful, artistic creationin its own right. Even the way these

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life feature //life feature //offerings are placed involves a gracefuldance-like ritual. Along village roads,
you often see lines of towering penjor ,stylishly decorated curved bamboo polesthat announce an upcoming festival orcelebration. Again, these are not justsimple signposts; each is an astonishingwork of art.

“Religion is responsible for lending
Bali the spiritual element that
distinguishes it from all othertropical islands.”

Art is intertwined with religion, the prime
mover for the Balinese. It governs every
aspect of daily life and is responsible
for lending Bali the spiritual element that
distinguishes it from all other tropicalislands.

At the Arts Centre, attractions include
traditional music, dance and theatre,
flower arranging, contemporary art, film,
puppet shows, literature recitations andhandicrafts. Permanent exhibitions are
set up in the two main halls; competitionsin activities as diverse as foodpreparation, costume design, offering
making and pop singing take place in theindoor Ksiranawa Theatre, while major
dance and musical performances areheld in the huge outdoor 6,000-seater
Ardha Candra amphitheatre.

Hundreds of years ago, the Hindus of theMajapahit Empire brought their culture,
painting, music, dance and sculpture
from Java to Bali and these merged withexisting practices to create a unique formof Hinduism and an individual artisticstyle. In the 20th century, early western
tourists included a large number of artists,
2

attracted and inspired by the island’s
own creative community. Some ofthese visitors stayed and settled in Bali,
adding their own influences, including
a commercial aspect to activities that
previously only had religious or social
significance, and introducing the world towhat became known as 'Bali-style'.

The Bali Arts Festival(Mid-June to Mid-July 2013)
In 1979, the Bali Arts Festival wasestablished to showcase the island’sastonishingly rich cultural heritage. It isa month-long celebration of traditional
Balinese culture that runs from mid-Juneto mid-July each year and brings people
from all over the island to Denpasar toparticipate as both performers andspectators. For many, their involvementin the festival actually began months

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beforehand, when they competed withother cultural groups in their region forthe honour of representing their village,
the home of their family and the resting
place of their ancestors, in front of a large
audience. In 2012, the festival featured
over 300 troupes with more than 15,000
performers, as well as a small number ofparticipants from elsewhere in Indonesia
and overseas.
The festival begins with a grand paradein mid-afternoon on the opening day
that starts at the Bajra Sandhi Puputan
field in Renon and finishes up at the Werdi
Budaya Arts Centre on Jalan Nusa Indahin east Denpasar, where the majority of
the festival events will be held. Each ofBali’s eight regencies is represented bya gamelan orchestra and local people
dressed in regional costumes.

2. Offerings add
splashes of colour
to the MotherTemple of Besakih
in Bali.
3. Although Bali
is a small island,
dance styles andspecialities canvary greatly fromplace to place.

3

Although Bali is only a small island, styles
and specialities vary greatly from place
to place; many Balinese themselves
rarely get to see some of these local art
forms outside the festival. As you movethrough the site, you can chance upon
trances from remote villages in theinterior; groups performing almostforgotten ancient traditional regional
dances; bamboo gamelan orchestras
from Jembrana in West Bali playing
their fast, rhythmic jegog music;
demonstrations of unique ikat clothweaving from Sidemen in East
Bali or gangs of folk from Buleleng,
Bali’s northern-most province,
singing humorous genjek songs.
Occasionally, you may discoversomething completely new orfind yourself witnessing an art
form that has become unpopularand is in danger of fading away
i n t o o b s c u r i t y. T h e r e m a yonly be a handful of spectators
in attendance but you may stillfind the performance moving,rewarding and memorable.

Big Hits

Massive dance drama
spectacles depicting stories
from the Ramayana or
Mahabharata that are put
on by high schools and theCollege of Performing Arts
usually mark the beginningand end of the festival
and the Balinese. The

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47

life feature //gamelan competition is a big draw too.
This contest pits top orchestras fromdifferent regencies against each otheron the same stage. It can be quitea noisy affair but not all the sound in
the auditorium is generated from thestage. There are usually huge numbersof local supporters in the audience,
shouting encouragement for theirorchestras and heaping abuse on
the opposition.
Another local favourite is Old Masters
night, which celebrates performers
who have devoted their lives to aparticular art form. Sometimes, these
artists are old and frail and have to behelped onto the stage but, once they
lay their hands on their instrument
or pick up a favourite puppet, their
youth returns in the expressionof their skills and the fluidity of
their movement.

This is the astonishing and unique Bali
Kite Festival.

required at various points in the process.
In the days leading up to the event, large
teams, dressed in their chosen colours
and waving banners, march through thestreets of Denpasar towards the beach.
Their kites often dwarf the pick-up trucks
they are carried on and the procession
completely blocks traffic as it goes.
Some groups are so large they have theirown police escort!

Now, when you think of kites, you may
visualise the small, diamond-shaped toysthat you played with as a child and which
always ended up getting stuck in trees.
Banish such images from your mind
straightaway. This is a different world.
These kites are enormous creations
evoking religious and cultural themes.
They are flown to encourage the Gods togrant good harvests but there is another,more earthly aspect to the event as the
kites also act as a vehicle for peacefulinter-village rivalry.

The kites are made of cloth strung on abamboo frame and each one takes atleast 10 people to get off the ground.
There are three main traditional designs– Bebean, Janggan and Pecukan. The
Bebean looks like a wide-mouthed fishwith a split tail; the bird-like Janggan has
a long flowing tail while the Pecukan issaid to be the most difficult to fly as its
oval, leaf shape makes it unstable.

This is fun but it is also taken very
seriously. The kites take weeks to planand construct and religious blessings are4

The stars of the show, though, are theeye-catching non-traditional kites, which
are often enormous aerial sculpturesr e p r e s e n t i n g t h e H i n d u g o d s o r,
sometimes, more unusual creations,such as a two-masted schooner withall sails aloft or a flying dragon with a
10m wingspan.

Entr y to the festival events iscompletely free of charge and mostof the performers are volunteers,
driven by competition, love of theirart and pride in their talent rather
than monetary gain. The festival isa fabulous opportunity for visitors
to see Balinese village culture
at first hand and tourists arewarmly welcomed.

To find out about this year’s event,visit www.baliartsfestival.com

4. The Bali Kite
Festival features
enormous creations
that evoke religious
and cultural themes.
5. Balinese wayang
has served as the
local community's
cinema for centuries.
6. Delicate handmade offerings canbe found everywhereon the island.

Bali Kite Festival(July 21 to July 24 2013)
A week or so after the Arts
Festival closes, an event
featuring a very different but
just as traditional activity opens
on Padang Galak in Sanur.

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5

Competition is fierce and villagers turnout in droves to cheer on their teams.
Last year, over 10,000 people attended
the festival and there were 1,200 kites
in competition. A kite is judged on thequality of its design, how easy it is tolaunch, how high it flies, how stable it isin the air and how gracefully it is broughtback to earth.

6

As you might imagine, take offs andlandings can be difficult. Teams charge
across the padang at top speed topropel their kites into the air, wreaking

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49

life feature //havoc as they go, and the final stagesof the flight can be equally chaotic asthey fight to bring the kite back down on
exactly the right spot.
Throughout the day, gamelan orchestrasc l a n g a w a y, p r o v i d i n g a n e x o t i csoundtrack to proceedings, while foodcarts and drink vendors patrol throughthe crowds. It is a wonderful atmosphereand a rare chance to mingle with the local
people as they relax and let their hair
down. Again, everyone is welcome andthere is no charge for entry.

7. Behind therich and cheotic
cultural life of Bali
is a tranquility of
Spa Village Resort
Tembol, Bali.
8. The Makepungbuffalo races are a
mix of sport, culture
and courage.

Spa Village resort
tembok, baliWith a dramatic landscape of soaring
peaks and black volcanic sand, Spa
Village Resort Tembok, Bali embraces
the healing ethos of celebrating local
culture and honouring the ancient
remedies of the island. A place ofpeacefulness and calm, combining
the therapeutic value of its beautiful
location with an ancient and richcultural heritage, Spa Village Resort
Tembok, Bali reflects the spiritualityof ages, making it the perfect place
to rejuvenate and rediscover yourself
after exploring the Island of the Gods'
rich cultural heritage.

Makepung Buffalo Racing(Sunday mornings, beginning 28 July)
Well off the normal tourist trail, near the
town of Negara in Bali’s western-mostprovince of Jembrana, the dry season
ushers in a series of events that mix
sport, culture, skill, courage and, yes, anopportunity for a small wager.

and excitement mounts as preparations
for the racing begin in earnest.
Pairs of buffalo are harnessed to small
two-wheeled chariots, which are actually
modified ploughs, and raced along a
track. The jockey balances precariouslyon the chariot, driving the buffalo by
twisting their tails and ‘encouraging’ themwith a spiked whip.

These are the Makepung water buffalo
races, introduced to Bali by immigrants
7

from Madura, the island province that lies
east of the Javanese city of Surabaya.
On alternate Sunday mornings, between
the end of July and mid-November,hundreds of participants representing
two teams from either side of Jembrana’s
Ijo Gading river, the East (red banners)
and the West (green banners,) compete
in heats leading up to the early season
Regent’s Cup and the end of season
Governor’s Cup.
The events start relatively sedately and,for foreign visitors, amusingly, with abuffalo beauty contest. The animals areparaded before the crowd with their horns
painted and colourful harnesses andsilk ribbons around their necks. These
decorations are removed before the races

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Each race is a time trial, with one pair ofbuffalo chasing another (makepung is a
derivation of the word kepung meaning'chase'). The teams can reach speedsof up to 60 km/h and it is an incredible
thing to witness these huge animals
thundering past, the diminutive, brightly
clad jockey suspended between them
furiously urging them on to the finish line.
It is not a scene for the faint-hearted.
Flecks of blood fly into the air as thewhip scourges the flanks of these hugebeasts, and sweat and foaming buffalo
spittle mingle with the clouds of dust
thrown up by their pounding hooves.
If you want to be one of the very few
foreigners to experience this extraordinary

tradition at first hand, note that the
racing always takes place early inthe morning, before the heat of the
day makes the buffaloes sluggish.
Bear in mind also that Negara is agood three-hour drive away from
Kuta, so make a very early startfrom your hotel or arrange to stayover near Negara the night before.
Again, as with the other festivals,
it costs nothing to attend the races
themselves.

Experience theExtraordinary

Attending any of these festivals
allows you to get to know
the island and its people ingreater depth and gives you an
extraordinary chance to see whatlies behind the tourist tapestryof beach, rice field, temple
and shopping opportunities.
Immerse yourself in Bali’s
cultural soup, embrace thechaos, the cacophony andthe excitement, and returnthe countless smiles you will
be offered along the way.

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beautiful life //beautiful life //Think Pink

Everything’s coming up lilac roses at Bobbi Brown. Pretty is the keyword here andeverything is in a shade that’ll please the ladylike set. From limited edition sparkly eye
shadows to rose-hued nail polish and pearlised shimmering lip gloss, it’s the perfectbeauty palette for this season’s romantic clothes.

Coming Up Roses
Spring and summer fashion is all about being bright, beautiful andembracing colour. Ensure your visage follows suit.

Blooming Wonderful

One of the most revered names in perfume, the house of Creed’s
Fleurissimo scent is not to be sniffed at. Majestic, highly elegant
and beautifully composed, it is a fragrance that is scented withrose, tuberose, violet leaves and Florentine iris. Created especiallyfor the legendary Hollywood star and Monegasque princess
Grace Kelly, upon commission by HSH Prince Rainier of Monaco,
to wear on her wedding day, this scent is also beloved by ahost of other luminaries, including Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis
and Madonna.

52

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINEThe Numbers Game

For spring 2013, renowned Parisianperfumers and candle-makers Diptyque
introduces L’Eau de Trente-Quatre ,a sophisticated and versatile newscent inspired by the house’s first-everfragrance, named simply L’Eau. Paying
tribute to the original boutique at 34
Boulevard Saint-Germain, L’Eau deTrente-Quatre is rich with citrus notes,
particularly bitter orange, verbena, lemon
and grapefruit, ensuring a more thanfresh approach to the season.

April Showers

Few people realise it but Folavril is, in fact, legendary perfumer Annick Goutal’s firstcreation. Inspired by the name of an antique shop where she used to work while in her
30s, it was said that Folavril was Goutal’s most favourite scent to wear in springtime
and likened it to “a stroll through a garden, lush with exotic fruits and tomato leaves”.

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The

Life Majestic
Old world charm meets modern trends as The Majestic Hotel
Kuala Lumpur plays host to fashion at its most creative.
Photography Chuan Looi Styling Calvin Cheong Hair Ricco Cheng Makeup Amber Lee
Model Natalia L/Andrews Models & Marc/Base Model Location The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Window on
the world
Striped t-shirt,leopard print skirt
and tote bag,
M Missoni.

Full deck

Checking inLace blouse, laceprincess sleeves cardiganand tweed A-line skirt,
RedValentino. Happy
Diamonds earrings andring, Chopard.

Smoking jacket courtesy of The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Skeleton fly short-sleeveshirt, McQ Alexander
McQueen. WW1
Monopoussoir Heritage
watch, Bell & Ross.

Close shaves[Him]
White cotton shirt andsweater, Kenzo. Denim
jeans, McQ Alexander
McQueen.
[Her]
Knitted halter-neckjumpsuit, M Missoni.

Called to the bar[Her]Printed high waist maxi skirt
and silk blouse, M Missoni,
De Ville Ladymatic watch,
Omega.
[Him]
Printed shirt and silk scarf,
Kenzo, De Ville Annual
Calendar watch, Omega.

Tea for two[Him]
Green leopard print shirt
and jersey sweatshirt,
Kenzo. Denim jeans, McQ
Alexander McQueen.
[Her]
Printed dress and pleatedmaxi skirt, Kenzo. Tabaccoacetate with rose gold
sunglasses, Chopard.

Blast fromthe past

Printed cap sleevedress dress, McQ
Alexander McQueen.
Smoke-lensed acetate
sunglasses, Chopard.

Full bloom

Floral kaftan with belt andflare pants, M Missoni.

Touch of class[Her]
White linen shirt, brown
suit, pants and scarf,
Kenzo.

[Him]
Cropped crochet-knit
cardigan and dress,
M Missoni. Happy
Diamonds earrings andring, Chopard.

beautiful life //All Things
Bright & Beautiful
Brush off the dreariness of winter and, instead, let your ensemble explodein riotous colour!

Neon Lust

The only arm candy to sport this spring –Dior’s Mini Diorissimo handbag in neonpink or neon yellow.

Fairytale Flair

Soon-to-be or June-to-be brides would
be thrilled that celebrated designer
Khoon Hooi has recently launched his
inaugural bridal collection. Infused withhis trademark femininity and signatureromantic style, explore delicate
lace, floral appliqués, extravagant
embroidery and dreamy tulle, all crafted
into light, airy creations sculpted with asubtle modern twist.

Paper(Cut) Dolls

Inspired by the Chinese folk art of paper-cutting, the house of Shiatzy Chen’s Spring/
Summer 2013 collection, named ‘Perpetuality’, blends traditional paper-cutting
motifs together with sumptuous materials like semi-translucent jacquard, lace andembroidered organza to stunning effect. The palette is also vibrant, with bright yellows,
soft pinks, rich blues and ivory all coming together to shape the image of a modern
woman in a new age, all the while proud and confident of her culture and heritage.

Lounging In Luxury

Pops of colour

Inspired by the preppy wardrobes of American Ivy League university students,
M Missoni goes all Yale, Harvard and Princeton this season. Jacquards, waved jersey
and cotton faille are paired with patterns like chevron, stripes and polka dots for an
ironic yet contemporary twist. Lookin’ smart, we say!

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Channel your resort goddess with Farah
Khan’s new Art Nouveau-inspired fashioncollection. From loud and proud dresses
to vivid shifts and fabrics adorned withlavish bird and dragon designs, this isdesigned with the holidaying siren in mind!

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67

life feature //couples the chance to experience all the splendour and pompof a wedding ceremony infused with Malay grace and charm.
Tanjong Jara Resort is itself located in paradise-like settings –the long stretch of pristine beach faces the azure expanse of
the South China Sea, while the traditional architecture, redolent
of a sultan’s istana (palace), has won it numerous citations,
including an Aga Khan Award.
The Elements: Here, exchange your vows right on the beachsurrounded by strewn tropical petals and under a classic floral
arch. An indulgent five-course seafood feast awaits after thatat the Teratai Terrace, where a traditional gamelan ensemble
entertains while you celebrate. If, however, your dream is toexperience all the colour and richness of a traditional Malay
wedding, do ask for the Nelayan or Bunga wedding packages,
which include an authentic Malay wedding procession,
complete with bearers carrying tall poles of bunga manggar ,a celebratory decoration that is a must-have at Malay nuptials,
accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the kompang , and,perhaps, a kampong-style dinner with food prepared andserved from little wooden huts.
Highlight: If you’ve ever attended a traditional Malay wedding,you’d be able to understand and appreciate the gaiety andfestive air the occasion affords. And, if you’re looking for amemory to immortalise, a traditional bunga manggar procession
Its paradise-like setting and award-winning
traditional architecture make Tanjong Jara
Resort an ideal venue for your dream wedding.

EverAfter
Aside from something old and something new, every marriage
could also do with a dash of fairytale romance. Why not look
to YTL Hotels for fantasy locations coupled with faultless flair
in making your wedding one to remember?

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The month of June has always been a favoured one forweddings. Some say it’s attributed to honouring the Roman
goddess of marriage, Juno, while others believe summer
weddings were preferred as it wouldn’t get in the way of theensuing harvest time. Whatever the reason, there’s no doubting
the popularity of June as a month in which to wed. So, whether
or not you’re a soon-to-be or June-to-be blushing bride, here
are some locations you might wish to consider when planning
the occasion.

Tanjong Jara Resort

The Scene: The East Coast of Malaysia, with its sweeping
golden sand beaches, glass-like waters and rich Malay
heritage, is steeped in age-old Malay traditions and offers

life feature //“Oh, they say when you marry inJune, you’re a bride all your life.”~Seven Brides for Seven Brothers~

1.You can choose either a Thai or westernstyle wedding ceremony on The Surin's
patch of Pansea Beach. 2.Spa Village
Resort Tembok, Bali is a mystical setting
for a wedding. 3.Gaya Island Resort offers
the richness, colour and natural beauty of
Sabah as the backdrop for your wedding.

1

escorted by a kompang troupe, looking wonderful in theirtraditional attire of baju Melayu matched with colourful samping,is pretty hard to beat.

wedding couple complimentary bouquet and boutonniere, as
well as a host of other delightful touches, including a bamboolined and frangipani-strewn aisle, rustic wedding arch accented
with tropical flowers, Balinese dancing, a five-course Balinesebanquet and more. The bride and groom will also be treated toa couple’s spa experience and a gift in the form of two night’s
complimentary honeymoon, inclusive of accommodation andbreakfast, at any YTL Hotels property in Malaysia and Bali withevery wedding experience booked.

Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali

The Scene: The mystical island of Bali, so beloved of the gods,
seems as magical a setting for a wedding, if ever there wasone. Located in the quieter part of the island’s north point, theSpa Village Resort Tembok, Bali is ideal for those wishing for a
tranquil, culturally-infused wedding, set against a backdrop of
volcanoes, black sand beaches and the cerulean hue of theBali Sea.

Highlight: Getting married to the beat of the hypnotic gamelan
while being entertained by graceful Balinese dancers.
Beyond exotic and magical!

The Elements: Imagine hypnotic gamelan music playing while
Balinese dancers execute their graceful movements, witheach flick of the wrist or look of the eye rich with significanceand meaning, as you pledge your lives to each other. If thisscene gets your approval, you might want to consider an exotic
Balinese wedding. The resort’s signature package offers the70

THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINEThe Surin

The Scene: Phuket’s perfectly-formed Pansea Beach, fronted
by the emerald-hued Andaman Sea and verdant coconut
groves. Having been completely renovated in 2011 by

2

3celebrated architect Ed Tuttle, The Surin offers private wedding
as well as wedding party packages.
The Elements: Choose from Thai or western-style wedding
ceremonies, which will be held on the resort’s patch of
perfectly-pristine beach. There will be abundant displays of
exotic flowers, including orchids and lotus blossoms, as wellas complimentary four hours’ photography service, in-roomhoneymoon decoration for the wedding suite, spa treatments
and a personalised souvenir for the couple and breakfast in
bed the morning after the wedding.
Highlight: The flying lantern ceremony – iconic of many Thaicelebrations – truly an experience to cherish!

Gaya Island Resort

The Scene: Imagine a tropical island paradise in the South
China Sea, the majestic Mount Kinabalu on the horizon and all

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life feature //life feature //the Lumba-Lumba, for a wedding cruise or even if you wish to
exchange your vows at sea.

Photography Louis Pang

Highlight: Located within Sabah’s famous Tunku Abdul Rahman
Marine Park and in the area’s famed Coral Triangle, Gaya Island
is a gem of a location should you desire an island wedding. The
hotel is also a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, so
rest assured any experience here will be, naturally, world-class.

“Marriage is thegolden ring in a chain
whose beginning is
a glance and whoseending is Eternity.”~ Kahlil Gibran ~The Majestic Malacca

The Scene: Set within a historical 1920s mansion, right by the
famous Malacca River, and infused with all the colour, pomp
and splendour of an authentic Peranakan-inspired wedding
ceremony, The Majestic Malacca offers a most unique andunforgettable experience. After all, how many couples can
say they exchanged vows in true Baba-Nyonya fashion in aclassical Straits Settlement mansion?

4. Exchange your vows amidst verdant peaks
and undulating tea plantations at Cameron
Highlands Resort. 5. The Majestic Malacca
gives your wedding all the colour and pompof an authentic Peranakan-inspired ceremony.

The Elements: Begin your life together as man and wife in Straits
Chinese splendour, with a tuang teh or traditional tea ceremony,
dressed in an intricate Peranakan wedding ensemble, followed
by a trishaw ride around the heritage heart of the town, before
sitting down to a sumptuous feast of Peranakan delicacies
that may include signature Malaccan-style Peranakan dishes
like ayam pongteh, udang nenas masak lemak, ayam cincaluk
and assorted kuih-muih, while being entertained by a traditional
dondang sayang performance.

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Highlight: The dondang sayang performance – a traditional
Sino-Malay form of entertainment where Baba-Nyonya singers
trade poetic musical exchanges in a light-hearted, often
humorous fashion, accompanied by Malay rebana drums,
a tetawak (gong) and the violin. It’s also quite the sartorial
experience playing the role of a Baba groom or a Nyonya bride.
The costumes are beyond elaborate and will consist of various
gowns, robes, headdress and accessories, including the allimportant kasut manik (beaded slippers) for the bride – thetraditional hallmark of the bride’s prowess in sewing, often seen
as a great bargaining chip during the marriage negotiations.

the richness, colour and natural beauty of Sabah, affectionately
referred to as ‘the Land Below the Wind’. Gaya Island Resort,YTL Hotels’ latest island resort and just a 10-minute speedboat
ride away from Sabah’s capital of Kota Kinabalu, offers uniquespaces in which to celebrate and commemorate one of
the most important days of your life. Sunsets in this part of
the world are particularly breathtaking and the little island of
Gaya itself offers secluded bays, exotic mangroves and lush
rainforest in which to celebrate the occasion.

Cameron Highlands Resort

The Elements: There are no fixed packages available as yet
but the team at Gaya Island Resort are ever-willing to help
you plan and see to every detail should you wish to celebrate
your wedding here. The island’s beautiful beach is a wonderful
location in which to host a wedding on the sand. You may also
wish to command the hotel’s luxurious 64ft Princess yacht,

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THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINEThe Scene: Imagine verdant peaks hidden amidst a blanket of
mist and clouds, undulating tea plantations and just a little whiffof mystery in the air… that is the scene awaiting you at Cameron
Highlands, Malaysia’s most popular cool-weather retreat and thepreferred hill station of planters, army folk and expatriates looking

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life feature //life feature //6 & 7. Pangkor Laut Resort offersa stunning backdrop of natural
beauty for the perfect wedding.

married amidst pine-scented greenery, mist-swathed hills and anabundance of highland blossoms.

Pangkor Laut Resort

The Scene: Set three miles off the west coast of Peninsular
Malaysia and along the Straits of Malacca, Pangkor Laut is a
private tropical island paradise. With secluded bays, including
the renowned Emerald Bay, and age-old rainforest, the island
is home to just one resort and eight private estates. Rich innatural beauty, the island is also home to friendly hornbills anda host of other wildlife. In the waters, cuttlefish, seahorses andother colourful marine life may be spotted right from the overwater walkways or by the jetty itself, while more sophisticatedpleasures may be taken in the resort’s several fine restaurants
or its award-winning flagship Spa Village.

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for respite from the muggy heat during colonial times. Perched ona little hillock, the stately Cameron Highlands Resort, overlooking
the green of the local golf course, exudes colonial charm fromevery timber beam, roaring fireplace and plantation-style white
shutter and offers a unique tropical highland location in which to
conduct and host an intimate matrimonial celebration.

The Elements: Weddings here are definitely celebrations
to remember. Pangkor Laut Resort offers three distinctive
packages, including a signature wedding at sea on board the65ft YTL Lady I motor yacht, a beach wedding at Emerald Bay
and a lantern courtyard wedding. The most romantic, however,would have to be the first option, where you exchange vows
aboard the yacht’s petal-strewn deck against the backdrop
of a setting, egg yolk-like sun, followed by champagne
toasts and the lilting tunes of a live band. Once back on terra
firma, continue the celebrations with a sumptuous seafoodbanquet before turning in for the night in one of the resort’s
beautiful villas.

The Elements: Cameron Highlands Resort offers its Signature
Colonial Wedding package for matrimonial highland flings. The
resort makes full use of the area’s famed flower gardens andnurseries to flood the space with Cameron Highlands’ famousroses while saying your vows on the terrace, framed by misty
hills and pine trees. A special fireplace lighting ritual also awaits
the newlyweds, aided by flowing Laurent-Perrier, before moving
onto a colonial-inspired dinner as a pianist tickles the ivories. A
50-minute couple’s spa experience at the award-winning Spa
Village Cameron Highlands and two nights' complimentary stay at
any YTL Hotels’ signature properties in Malaysia and Bali is also
included in the package.

Highlight: Walking up the makeshift aisle of a petal-strewn
jetty to board the luxurious YTL Lady I to exchange vows in
the waters off Pangkor Laut, just as the sun begins to dip into
the sea. If this isn’t the stuff of fairytales, we wouldn’t knowwhat is.

Highlight: The incredibly romantic ambience. After all, there arevery few places in South-East Asia where you can say you got

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spa life //Afternoon
Delight
Indulge in all the pleasures of a splendid English
afternoon tea without having to worry about
ingesting a single calorie. Sounds impossible? Not
with The Majestic Spa’s luxuriously-spoiling
English Afternoon Tea treatment.
Text Diana Khoo Photography Law Soo Phye

Afternoon tea witha no-less delicious
twist at The Majestic
Spa, Kuala Lumpur.

Be transported back in time the moment you step into the
Art Nouveau-inspired Majestic Spa at the newly-reopened
The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur. Located right across fromcelebrated colonial architect AB Hubback’s Moorish-dream ofa railway station, The Majestic Spa, managed by YTL Hotel’saward-winning Spa Village arm, is housed in a special annex,
separate from the heritage hotel, and evokes all the old world
grace and charm of colonial Malaya. Fronting it is the rather
marvellous spa pool, which looks out onto the Moghul-esquechhatris (dome-shaped pavilions) and horseshoe-shaped archesof the station. It is, however, not to Rajasthan that The Majestic
Spa looks but, rather, considerably further west. Greatly inspiredby the progressive modern style and distinctively romantic spiritof architectural legend and one of Glasgow’s most famous sons,

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spa life //Charles Rennie Mackintosh, The Majestic Spa draws its design
influence from his well-known work for the city’s famous Willow
Tea Rooms, arguably his most famous commission by Catherine
Cranston, who’d owned Glasgow’s most famous and popular
chain of tea rooms at the time, which includes her equallyrenowned Argyle Street and Ingram Street tea rooms.
Design enthusiasts would immediately recognise the Art
Nouveau motifs so favoured by Mackintosh and the clever useof light and space – a distinct similarity in layout between the
spa and the tea rooms. Evoking all the sophistication and savoirfaire associated with salon-socialising in the early 1900s, The
Majestic Spa’s design also brings to mind Mackintosh’s love ofcreating a variety of spaces within a single location. Treatment
rooms are located on the first level, while the ground floor
houses charming changing rooms as well as the steam and coldrooms, available for guests to lounge in, pre- or post-treatment.

Little posies of purple static flowers also abound, as do artful
displays of colourful teapots and cups and saucers – a clever
nod again at Mackintosh’s tea room legacy – which immediately
put you in the right frame of mind as you prepare yourself for the
English Afternoon Tea experience. And, as with all Spa Villages,
there is the added bonus of a ritual to enjoy before your spa
journey commences. After selecting your treatment of choice,accompanied by a glass of Pimm’s or, for the teetotaller, a gunner(a hugely popular colonial-era mocktail that’s essentially a blendof ginger beer, ginger ale, lime and mint), you will be whisked off
for a little treat, designed to get you quickly, but unhurriedly, into
the spa frame of mind. Here, inspired by the colonial heritageof old Malaya and the beauty regimes of expatriate ladies, eachtreatment at The Majestic Spa is preceded by a lavender water
foot bath, followed by a soothing head massage with rosemary
hair tonic and finished off with a gentle foot scrub using a paste
made with assorted herbs, like lavender, thyme, sage and mint.

Berries and creamfeature strongly in
The Majestic Spa's
English Afternoon
Tea Experience.

The spa treatment is itself inspired by Anna, the Duchess of
Bedford, who’d begun the English institution of afternoon tea
by devising a thoroughly-enjoyable way of beating that “sinking
feeling” she experienced in the hours between breakfast
and dinner, and The Majestic Spa’s own take on the art ofafternoon tea is definitely worthy of Woburn Abbey’s most
famous contribution to society. The experience begins with afull body scrub using a fragrant blend of blackberries, cream
and oat bran. After a few minutes, allowing the antioxidant- andmoisture-rich mixture to melt onto the skin while ensuring you
are sloughed off in style, you are invited to rinse off in a warm
shower before beginning a relaxingly therapeutic massage, using
the spa’s special garden berries oil. I’d initially planned on staying
awake to enjoy each soothing knead and press afforded by mytherapist Shaidatul, but her fingers worked their magic too deftly
and I promptly fell asleep, only to be awakened by her gentle
placement of chamomile bags onto my eyes as she began the
final instalment of the experience – the English Rose natural
facial. After a face massage, masque and a spritz of rose water,
I was eased back into the real world with a cup of chamomiletea. Those wishing to prolong the entire experience may choose
to upgrade the treatment to include a soothing chamomile bathas well. As for me, although I didn’t spend the afternoon nibbling
cakes and scones and sipping Lapsang Souchong, this caloriefree experience proved to be infinitely more enjoyable. After all,how often can you say you enjoyed a full English Afternoon Tea
without having to worry about weight-gain and, instead, sport
the added bonus of a post-spa glow?
The English Afternoon Tea spa experience is priced at RM700 for a
two-hour session. A special couple’s experience is also available uponrequest and includes a full afternoon tea session at the Colonial Café
post-treatment. To book your spa experience, tel: 603 2785 8070.

OTHER TREATMENTS TO TRY
Can’t get enough of The Majestic
Spa? Check out its other signatureexperiences, all inspired by the beauty
and wellness rituals of olde Englandand colonial Malaya.

of her journeys across British Malaya.
Available as a single’s or couple’s
treatment, enjoy a hair masque, herbal
or coconut-papaya scrub, a steam
session or lime blossom bath and finish
with a special massage. RM1,500 per

couple or RM750 as a single treatment.

Malaya Golden Chersonese – a2½-hour experience inspired by the
epic journey of Isabella Lucy Bird,
the intrepid colonial explorer andauthor of The Golden Chersonese, herseminal work detailing the accounts

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Queen Victoria’s Lavender –Favoured for its anti-bacterial andsoothing properties as well as delicate
fragrance, this experience combines
a tranquillity breathing ritual with an

exfoliating session, a curative lavenderand aloe gel mask, and is finishedwith a ‘Drift Away’ lavender massage.

RM850 for a three-hour session.
Alternatively, pick from the à la carte
menu's selection of soothing facials
or deluxe Majestic massages. Each
90 minute revitalising session begins
with the Gifts from the Garden footscrub and Rosemary Scalp Treatment.

Treatments range from RM350 to
RM550 each.

shelf life //Asian Inspirations
Inspired by this issue’s eclectic selection of destinations, YTL Life picks
out six reads, all published by Tuttle and Periplus, that’ll resonate, be it onfood, travel or style.
What: Bali by Design – 25 Contemporary Houses.
Who: Kim Inglis and Jacob Termansen.
Why: After delighting in the talented duo’s work on A Perennial Feast, a look at the foodculture and dining rooms of YTL Hotel’s properties around the globe, from Saint-Tropez to
Hokkaido, you might enjoy this design-centric read on beautiful modern Balinese homes,
certain to make you hanker after a return visit to the Island of the Gods.

What: Tokyo on Foot.
Who: Florent Chavouet.
Why: As this issue of YTL Life is strongly focused on Japan, this fun book might inspire
you to stop by Tokyo for a few days before or after your Hokkaido jaunt. To many, Japan’s
capital is Blade Runner-like: futuristic, audacious and bold. Yet, it is also classical,
traditional and elegantly vibrant. For those who’ve never been or are planning to go, thisbook offers a unique perspective on discovering Tokyo, complete with tales and sketchesof everyday Tokyo-ites living out their lives in one of the most bustling metropolises in
the world.

What: The Nyonya Kebaya – A Century of
Straits Chinese Costume.
Who: Datin Seri Endon Mahmood.
Why: Authored by the late wife of one of Malaysia’s
former Prime Ministers, who herself was a great fan of Peranakan style, this book offers
a rich introduction to the history and culture of the Straits Chinese. With each page avisual feast of the Nyonya’s famous and unabashed love for fine things, many of thesarong kebayas featured in the book come from Datin Seri Endon’s own collection. Readand discover about the various types of kebaya fashion that existed – from exquisitelyembroidered kebaya sulam to traditional baju panjang – as well as the accessories that
accompanied them and the painstaking work that went into creating each piece. A
celebration of the evolution of a unique form of fashion and craftsmanship.
What: Indonesian Cooking – Satays,
Sambals and More.
Who: Dina Yuen.
Why: If you’ve enjoyed reading Simon
Pridmore’s article on Balinese festivals
on page 34, we thought you might
like to enjoy a literary feast-ival as well.
Dina Yuen’s collection of homestyle
Indonesian recipes might encompass
the country, but there are several
signature Balinese dishes featured
within, like ayam bumbu Bali, grilled
swordfish with yellow rice and sweetspicy calamari.

What: My Japanese Table.
Who: Debra Samuels.
Why: With a key cuisine story this issue
focusing on the food of Hokkaido, Japan(Niseko, in particular), this charming booknot only teaches you how to recreate
most Japanese dishes at home withease, but is also packed with interestingnuggets of information that’ll help you
appreciate Japanese cuisine and culture
even more, such as the thought process
and care that goes into putting together abento box meal as well as tips on rollingyour own sushi.

What: Chinese Houses ofSoutheast Asia.
Who: Ronald G Knapp and A Chester Ong.
Why: The Chinese diaspora has greatly impacted the world, particularly the South-East
Asian region. In this beautiful and evocative book, Professor Emeritus Ronald Knapp andcelebrated Filipino photographer A Chester Ong team up to capture, document and tell
the stories behind these sojourners and settlers through the homes they built and the lives
they lived. From the Tan Cheng Lock residence in the historical heart of UNESCO-listed
Malacca, to the sprawling plantation homeof Oey Djie San in Tangerang, Indonesia, thespirit behind these structures live on today toserve as the collective memory of the souls
they used to shelter.

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life cuisine //1.Tomioka White lounge at
The Green Leaf Niseko Village.
2. Hilton Niseko Village. 3. Chef
Takuya Kato of Pirka Teppanyaki.
4. Succulent meat for warming hot
pot dinners at The Crab Shack.

NORTHERNCOMFORT

1

Winter or summer, you’ll find Hokkaido to be
the go-to destination for gourmet-minded
travellers all-year round!
Text Diana Khoo Photography Yong Keen Keong

Global gourmets have long been clued into Hokkaido’s reputation as a mecca forworld-class produce and cuisine. After all,Japan’s northern-most state does boastof its own Michelin guide. But, what thetruly in-the-know set aren’t telling you isthat most of the food action isn’t far at
all from the tiny alpine village of Niseko,
famous for its amazing powder-like snow
and a veritable magnet for skiers andsnowboarders, and now fast featuring on
every globetrotting culinary enthusiast’s
travel itinerary.

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Located about two hours’ drive from
Hokkaido’s capital of Sapporo, Nisekosits prettily at the foot of Mount NisekoAnnupuri and is actually made up of acluster of lovely resort villages. It is hugely
popular as a winter sports destination
as it clocks up an amazing amount ofsnowfall (it recently ousted Mount Baker
in the United States’ Washington State forthe title of snowiest resort in the world),

while spring, summer and autumn lure adifferent kind of traveller, who come forchampagne-fresh air, nature and, oh, ofcourse, the food.
H okk a id o’s reputa ti on as J a pa n’s
breadbasket is also well-deserved; notforgetting the marine delights its bountiful
seas and wonderful produce its fertile
lands regularly serve up. The spring
season is the usual herald for a hostof fresh new things to eat after a long
winter. The ground softens, the trees
bud, flowers blossom and, suddenly,
the local farmers’ markets explode inriotous colour. Niseko, in particular, isa wonderful place to experience thebounty the warmer weather brings, with
its abundance of fine dining rooms andbijou gourmet producers. From luscious
snow crab to creamy farm-fresh milk andthe silkiest tofu made with crystal-clear
mountain spring water, here’s a taste ofwhat Niseko is serving up on a plate.

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life cuisine //Makkari Pork

A short 10km distance away from Nisekolies the village of Makkari, famed forShinichi Sugaya’s marvellous fine dining
room, Maccarina, as well as for its
scrumptious pigs. If you can imagine what
Gloucester Old Spots are to England or
Iberian pata negra is to Spain, then you’d
get a better idea of what Makkari is to
Hokkaido. Fed on a herb-heavy diet oforegano, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger,
the meat from this hamlet’s (pardon thepun) pigs has to be tasted to be believed.
The Hilton Niseko Village’s Executive Chef,
Rob Shipman, does several exquisite
variations of Makkari pork, all of which may
be sampled at the hotel’s Melt Bar & Grillas well as at the Ezo Pub. At the former,
opt for the Caesar salad with Makkaribacon, herb croutons and Edam or, for amore local flavour, the Makkari herb pork
loin with yuzu sauce. If you have children
travelling with you, they would certainly
appreciate Ezo’s luxed-up version of a
traditional fast food favourite – Makkari
pork hot dogs with grain mustard, served
on a baguette instead of the regular
hot dog bun. There’s also pizza topped
with Makkari bacon, mushrooms and agenerous smear of basil pesto sauce.
Those with a penchant for meat, notnecessarily Makkari, might also do well
to visit the Tomioka White lounge on the
ground level of The Green Leaf Hotel nextdoor to try its assorted Hokkaido sausage
platter. Certain to go down well with adults
and children alike.

Dairy Products

Niseko Village is itself home to two dairies,
both of which are open to visitors all-year
round. First up is Milk Kobo. Foundedby Mamoru Takahashi 15 years ago bychance, after puzzling over what to dowith the surplus of milk from his farmcows, he began experimenting and thenselling an assortment of dairy treats andconfections. It didn’t take long for him to
make a name for himself. Come summer,
long queues have been known to snakein and out of this charming little dairy,
just down the road from both The Green
Leaf and the Hilton. Milk Kobo’s must-try
item here is, without doubt, its delectable84

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8

6

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“Niseko is a wonderful place toexperience the bounty of spring, with
its abundance of fine dining rooms
and bijou gourmet producers.”

5. Stylish cocktails are served up
at the Melt Bar & Grill. 6. Don't
leave Niseko without trying Milk
Kobo's justifiably-famous cream
puffs. 7.Gourmet Makkari pork
is served at the Hilton Niseko
Village's Melt Bar & Grill.

cream puffs. Baked fresh daily and filledwith an obscene amount of luscious
custard-y cream, one bite and you’ll
instantly understand why over a couple ofthousand of these choux buns are solddaily during the high season. Other things
to try include the chocolate eclairs, milk
puddings (a Hokkaido favourite), yoghurt
drinks and farm-fresh Swiss milk rolls.
There’s also a cosy café area where you

9can munch away on your purchases
immediately, accompanied by something
hot or cold. We recommend the café lattemade with kuromitsu, a Japanese sugar
syrup that literally translates as ‘black
honey’. And, if you’re visiting in summer
or are just in need of something cold andsweet, the Ice Kobo soft ice creams are
sure to hit all the right spots. There areover a dozen flavours on offer, including
Gianduja chocolate, caramel, tiramisu,
blueberry, choco-banana and rum ‘n’raisin. Should your sweet tooth rear its
head long after Milk Kobo’s closed, don’t
panic. The Mountain Boutique, theHilton’s hotel shop, sells little tubs of Ice
Kobo – in milk and green tea flavours.

10

8. As Niseko canremain under heavy
snow up until late
April, expect tolook for Niseko
Fromage under ablanket of white.
Niseko's mountains,
meanwhile, aresnow-covered till early
June. 9. Ice Kobo's
green tea ice cream.
10. Niseko Fromage's
famous oven-toasted
cheese crisps.

If you’ve trekked your way around Niseko
Village, you’d surely have come across thisdarling little cheese shop called Niseko
Fromage. A boutique enterprise owned
and operated by Noriaki Seki, a mastercheese craftsman from Yoichi, a smallseaside town not far from Niseko. There’s
no sign in English but you may look out
for a small red and white flagstaff planted
into the ground or, alternatively and if youreyes are sharp, a little kennel belonging toa pooch named Sakura – the fromagerie
is right next to it. Niseko Fromage’s
cheese has won Seki-san several awards
already but few realise accolades, albeitof a different kind, is something he isaccustomed to, having coached Japan’s

snowboarding team during the Nagano
winter Olympics. Try and buy several
types, including Gouda (perfect for
fondues), sandwich-perfect Havarti andfresh handmade string cheeses, ideal for
sprinkling over summer salads. Niseko
Fromage’s famous oven-toasted cheesecrisps are also all-too-easy to snack onand come in plain, shrimp and seaweed orchilli flavours. If you happen to be visitingfrom late April to November, you might
be lucky enough to try its famous soft ice
creams. There are only two flavours – milk
and Camembert. The latter, though, is theundeniable star. One lick could possibly
prove life-transforming.

Tofu

If you’ve ever observed the breakfast
buffet at the Hilton Niseko Village’s Melt
restaurant, you’d probably be wondering
why so many Japanese guests make abeeline for little dishes of white pudding.
To clue you in, they contain not pudding,but small scoops of fresh tofu, made withwater that bubbles up from a natural springat the foot of Mount Yotei. Referred to as
wakimizu tofu, it is considered to be one of
the most delicious of its kind in the region.
If you’re in the mood to explore, visit the

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life cuisine //OTHER THINGS TO TRY
Corn – Hokkaido pearl corn isincredibly sweet and boasts whitish,
pearl-like kernels. They may beeaten raw or steamed. The locals’
favourite way, however, is to roast it
lightly with butter and soy.

12

14

The one downside is that it only reopens
mid-December when the winter season isunderway once more.

Sea Urchin

11
spring itself to indulge at the very sourceof the refreshing water. For foodies, notethat there is a tofu-ya (a little shop that sells
a wide variety of spring water and tofubased edibles) next door, including tofu
udon noodles, flavoured tofu skins andtofu drinks. What delights many visitors,
however, is their discovery of ‘tonuts’ –the shop’s own version of doughnuts but
made with, what else, but tofu.

Crab

Flanked by the chilly Seas of Japan andOkhotsk, it’s no surprise that seafood,particularly crab, features strongly in
Hokkaido cuisine. Here, eating crab iselevated to an art form, of which there aremany grand masters. Those with exquisite86

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palates would inevitably hanker for the rare
and highly sought-after hanasaki crabs
from Nemuro. The more widely-available(and no less delicious) are tarabagani (kingcrab), kegani (hairy or horseshoe crab) andzuweigani (snow crab), all of which are attheir best from April right up until August.
Both the Hilton and The Green Leaf offer
several ways to enjoy all three varieties ofthese leggy crustaceans. The Melt Bar& Grill does a mean snow crab spaghetti
as well as a grilled Hokkaido king crab ina tarragon sauce, while Ezo Pub goestraditional with its snow crab ramen servedin a miso broth with sweet corn kernels, as
does Sisam, whose snow crab and potato
chawanmushi , both iconic Hokkaido
produce, offers intense flavour encased

13
in a light-as-air egg custard. Pirka, theHilton’s teppanyaki restaurant, also does aparticularly lovely version of Sea of Okhotsk
king crab served, decadently, with a lobster
sauce. For those visiting during the winterseason, The Crab Shack, located nextdoor to The Green Leaf Niseko Village, isquite possibly the best location in which
to indulge your wildest crab fantasies.
Here, you may order grilled king crab orboiled hairy crab, or, if you’re undecided,just go for the kaisen nabe (seafood hotpot), where a massive king crab, together
with a host of other good things, including
prawns, fish, scallops and a variety ofJapanese mushrooms like enoki, maitakeand shitake, will be put together in true
gourmet style for you to slowly feast on.

11. Pre-prandial drinks
are a must at the Hilton
Niseko Village's Flame
Bar & Lounge. 12. Eatingcrab is an art form in
Hokkaido. 13. Snow
crab ramen at the Ezo
Pub. 14. Goshiki at The
Green Leaf is a favourite
all-day dining room.

Once considered a nuisance to fishermen
and a pest to swimmers, the reviled sea
urchin is now finding itself the star of
Asia’s most sophisticated dining rooms
and unwitting darling of top Japanesechefs around the world. From Tetsuya
Wakuda’s celebrity-status botan ebi
appetiser to Shinji Kanesaka’s simple
but sublime uni sushi, it would seem
pampered palates the world over can’t
get enough of the umami explosions thata delicate mouthful of sea urchin can give.
Hokkaido is, undoubtedly, a fine place toindulge in this marine equivalent of foiegras. The seaside town of Otaru, about
an hour and a half’s drive from Niseko,with its numerous sushi restaurants, is agreat place to indulge in these spiny but
hugely tasty echinoderms but, if you aren’tkeen to wander too far, Rera Sushi at the
Hilton would be able to serve you some
au naturel or as a topping for sushi, while

Pirka offers a more subtle version, using it
to enrich a shiso-fragranced sauce while
matching it with a portion of luscious
Hokkaido abalone.

Rice

The rice-producing capital of Japan,
Hokkaido has another deserving title to
add to its name – that of ‘rice bowl of
the nation’. With its cool climate and low
humidity, it’s no surprise that rice cultivatedin Hokkaido, the first place in Japan to
do so, is flavoursome and boasts a rich,slightly-glutinous texture. Here, it must be
noted that the Hilton Niseko Village and
The Green Leaf support the local industry
by using only Hokkaido-grown rice inall its dining establishments. And rice,
without fail, makes an appearance every
mealtime, from breakfast (the Japanese
love rice with grilled or broiled fish to start
their day) to lunch and through to dinner.
If you’re breakfasting at The Green Leaf’s
Goshiki, try the steamed rice cookedwith 15 types of healthy local grains andcereals to give your body a bigger boost
as you gear up for a day outdoors.

“Niseko is a wonderful place toexperience the bounty of spring, with
its abundance of fine dining rooms
and bijou gourmet producers.”

Potatoes – Local varieties likeD a n s h a k e a n d K i t a - a k a r i a redelicious. Enjoy them in various
traditional or Western-style dishes,or look out for Gosetsu udon
potato noodles or even local potatoshochu, a potent liquor.
Beans – August and September iswidely-regarded as ‘bean season’in Hokkaido, especially for the wellknown and popular edamame.
Buckwheat – Soba noodles are a
popular Hokkaido delicacy and you
may chance upon buckwheat fields
covered white with flowers in themonths of July and August. Freshsoba is best enjoyed in the monthsof September and October.

Visit Michi-no-eki or the Niseko
View Plaza to buy a wide varietyof local seasonal produce. Enquireat the concierge desk at the Hilton
Niseko Village for more information
on how to get there.

THE PERFECT BASE
The Hilton Niseko Village, set
at the foot of Mount NisekoAnnupuri, is the perfect basefrom which to enjoy all of thearea’s top produce and dining
outlets, several of which arewithin the hotel itself. There arealso a host of other outdoor
activities to enjoy throughout
the spring and summer seasons,
including tennis, horsebackriding and, for the golfers, two
18-hole championship courses,
including one that’s designed by
Arnold Palmer.

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life cuisine //Poh’s Kitchen

Complex and highly flavourful as the result of hours of laborious
preparation and cooking, it’s no wonder Peranakan or Straits Chinese foodremains as alluring (and enduring) as ever. To gain insight into this uniqueculinary experience often described as Malaysia’s original fusion cuisine,
join The Majestic Malacca’s Peranakan Culinary Journeys.
Text Diana Khoo Photography Yong Keen Keong & Ting Yang Shan

Few words are as evocative as masak .
Although it means ‘cooking’ or ‘to cook’in Malay, to the Peranakans or theStraits Chinese of Penang and Malacca,
it conjures up visions of kebaya -clad
women bonding in the kitchen or aroundthe dining table as they prepare the
day’s meals, be it peeling or preparing
ingredients, painstakingly pounding spicy,
aromatic sambals the traditional way,using a mortar and pestle, or standing by
the fire, gently toasting cubes or sliversof pungent belacan (shrimp paste cakes)
until fragrant – an essential ingredient in
Peranakan cuisine.
Legend says it was the Chinese
princess, Hang Li Po, whose arrival in
15th century Malacca to be the bride of
Sultan Mansur Shah, bringing with heran entourage of noble young men andwomen, that heralded the start of intermarriage between the two races. In time,
their descendants became known as‘Peranakan’. This unique culinary fusion
has resulted in the creation of some of theregion’s most exotic and original cuisines.
Although Peranakan food may be foundas we ll in Pe n an g an d S i ngapor e,
Malacca’s is distinctive, thanks, in part,to its multi-cultural influences; from thePortuguese and Dutch to other ethnic
groups that are uniquely Malaccan,
like the Chittys. Aside from trawling thestreets of Malacca in search of authentic
Nyonya flavours, one of the easier ways

Chef Poh offers practical insights into
Peranakan cooking at The Majestic
Malacca.

“Nyonya cooking can be very tedious, but
I’ve ensured that whatever’s taught during theclasses is easy to replicate once you’reback home.”
be to engage yourself in a two-and-halfhour culinary session with The Majestic
Malacca’s Chef CK Pow, or ‘Poh’ as he ismore commonly known.
Cooking classes are conducted at
the poolside, with stations all set up,
and chef’s hats, aprons and recipes allprovided for. And Chef Poh, although alittle quiet at first, warms up amazingly
quickly once he starts on his favourite
topic: food. “Nyonya cooking can be very
tedious,” he shares, “but I’ve ensured thatwhatever’s taught during the classes iseasy to replicate once you’re back home.

After all, what’s the point if you don’t feelinspired to cook and try out what you’vebeen taught?”
Although an amateur in the kitchen, under
Chef Poh’s guiding hand, I see howeasy it can be to prepare classic Nyonya
dishes like Chicken Pongteh . Even thecomplex-sounding Udang Kuah Pedas
Nenas (a prawn and pineapple curry that’s
a great favourite) is produced without
too much hassle. Chef Poh effortlessly
demonstrates how blended spices may
be deftly transformed into a paste that’s
headily fragrant once it hits the oiled

wok. The key ingredients go in soon after
and, before you know it, you have a true
blue Nyonya feast at the ready. If you’re
inspired to pick up a few pointers in thefine art of Peranakan cooking, you now
know where to look.

The Majestic Malacca’s Peranakan Culinary
Journey is held from 3pm to 5.30pm uponrequest and is priced at RM250++ per person.
This includes a cooking lesson with Chef Poh,followed by food tasting. Hats and aprons areprovided and children below the age of 12 arewelcome to join in at no additional charge.

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life cuisine //Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok and add theblended garlic and shallots. Sauté overa medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add in the tauchu and gula Melaka into
the paste and stir till dissolved. Add in
the water or chicken stock and bringto boil.
3. Add in the mushrooms and potato andcook for another three minutes until the
potato is half-done.
4. Add in the chicken and cook until themeat is cooked through. Season withthe dark soy and add salt for flavour.
5. Serve with steamed rice or bread.

Easy Nyonya Dinner

Here are three easy dishes you might wish
to serve up at your next meal. All you needto go with these are servings of hot white
rice and a hearty appetite.

Ayam Pongteh

A classic Malaccan Peranakan dish, you
won’t find Chicken Pongteh on the menusof Penang Nyonyas. This dish tastes evenbetter when the flavours have been allowed
to infuse and develop. Most Peranakan
families tend to make this tasty dish in big
portions so that there’s plenty to enjoy overthe course of a few days.
Ingredients
500g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
100g shallots, blended
100g garlic, blended
2tsp tauchu (preserved bean paste)
1tbsp gula Melaka or coconut palmsugar (ground)2
shiitake mushrooms or dried
Chinese mushrooms, cut into pieces1
potato, quartered
20ml cooking oil
300ml water or chicken stock
1tsp dark soy sauce

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Prawn and Pineapple Curry

Tangy and spicy, this dish demands several
helpings of steamed white rice. A tip: if thepineapple is not as ripe as you’d like it, add
a little more sugar to take the edge off thecurry’s sharpness.
Ingredients A
300g prawns, cleaned and washed
200g fresh pineapple, cubed

300ml diluted coconut milk
2
kaffir lime leaves, torn
1stalk lemongrass, crushed slightly
to release its aroma
20ml cooking oil
300ml water
Salt and sugar to taste
Ingredients: B(to be blended together)
100g shallots
50g
garlic20g
turmeric
20g
ginger20g
galangal / blue ginger
50g
red chillies
50g
candle nuts
50g
haebi (dried shrimp)
50g
dried chillies, boiled and blended
Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok and add ingredients
B, including the lime leaves and thelemongrass. Sauté over a medium heat
until fragrant.
2. Add in the pineapple and the waterand bring to boil.
3. Add in the coconut milk. Cover andsimmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Add in the prawns and season withsalt and sugar.
5. Once the prawns are cooked, serve
immediately with steamed rice.

Telur Dadar Cincaluk

Cincaluk is a popular Malaccan condimentfeaturing fermented shrimps or krill. Pinkish
in colour, a little bit of this goes a longway in cooking. The shrimps are also
referred to as udang geragau in Malacca
and are seasonally available in Pantai
Klebang, Limbongan, Tanjung Kling andother coastal areas. Here, it’s used to
add a thoroughly Malaccan flavour to theclassic omelette.

Ingredients A
3large fresh eggs
1tsp cincaluk, drained of brine
Ingredients: B
50g onion, sliced
50g red chilli, julienned
50g carrot, julienned
50g shiitake mushroom, sliced
50g spring onion, sliced
1tbsp cooking oil
Method
1. Whisk ingredients A in a bowl and set
aside.
2. Heat up a non-stock frying pan and a d d
a little cooking oil.
3. Sauté ingredients B over a medium heat
until fragrant.
4. Add ingredients A and fry till cooked
thoroughly.
5. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Nyonya Nosh
A quick guide to some other Peranakan delicacies you might want to try while exploring
Malacca’s food culture.

Pie Tee – Also known as ‘top hats’, thesecrisp, delicate hat-shaped pastry shells(hence the nickname) filled with julienned
turnip and shrimp and topped with chilli sauce
are popular appetisers.
Chap Chye – A traditional dish of Nyonyastyle mixed vegetables, featuring cabbage,
mushrooms, dried lily buds and cloud ears.
Kangkong Belacan – Stir-fried water
spinach or water convolvulus with chilli, dried
shrimp and shrimp paste (belacan).
Cincalok – A popular Malaccan condimentfeaturing fermented shrimp or krill. Often
mixed with chilli, shallots and lime and eaten
as an accompaniment to piping-hot rice.
Ayam or Babi Buah Keluak – A thickchicken or pork stew made with black
keluak nuts. A true Nyonya delicacy
and specialty!
L a k s a – Unlike the Penang variety,which is fish-based, tangy and eaten withlashings of haeko (a black prawn paste
sauce), laksa in Malacca is essentiallya curry-based noodle dish, enrichedwith coconut milk, chilli and fish cake. A
must-try!

Otak Otak – Local fish or seafood mousse
enriched with spices and coconut cream,wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. Penang
Peranakans often steam it, in dishes linedwith kadok leaves.
Itik Tim – Duck soup with preserved salted
vegetables.
Terung Pajeri – Sweet and tangy brinjal
curry. Also look for Pajeri Nenas, made withpineapple.
Kuih – Peranakan cakes. These may comein a mind-boggling and a veritable Pantone
chart of colours! There’s the bright blue Pulut
Tai Tai (glutinous rice cake with coconutjam); Onde Onde (green dough balls filledwith palm sugar syrup and flecked withdesiccated coconut); Angkoo (bright red
glutinous rice flour cakes filled with green
bean paste or a similar sweet filling) andKuih Lapis (local layer cake in varying
hues, depending on the flavour), amongst
many others.
Tai Bak – An increasingly-rare Nyonya
dessert featuring little blue, white and pink
noodles made from rice, tapioca and wheat
flours, enjoyed cold with syrup or shaved ice.

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life’s moments
life’smoments////Horsing Around

English country life is sometimes best enjoyedon horseback. You can take a cue from
Her Majesty the Queen, who lives in nearby
Windsor, and saddle up for a casual canteraround the village. It’s great fun!

COUNTRYLIFE

The well-known film director Guy Ritchie may have proclaimed the English
countryside to be “the most staggeringly beautiful place” but he could
have also been describing the south-east county of Berkshire, in particular,
during springtime. Denise Ellis, who manages Bray House for YTL Hotels,
shares with YTL Life her favourite things to see and do while there.

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Our little village of Bray is just a short car’s ride from the famous and historical village of Eton, world-famous
for its college, of course. The little town is full of character and it really is very charming when the schoolboys
are out and about, walking in full school dress. Every visit to Eton should also be complemented with a cup ofdelicious cappuccino, best enjoyed at a café overlooking the famous castle of Windsor, just across the bridge.

THE PROFUMO MEMORIES

Many people remember Cliveden as the scene of the Profumo scandal. Today, it’s one of the prettiest
places in the area to enjoy a posh afternoon tea and, after, a long stroll in the grounds to burn off theclotted cream and scones. A little tip: ask for a table by the library window and always do try to book atleast two weeks in advance.

THREE MEN IN A BOAT

It’s incredibly scenic in Berkshire and you could well hire a beautiful boat to enjoy a Jerome K Jerome
kind of moment. The Thames flows through Bray and few pleasures beat a spring or summer’s day
picnic combined with a boat ride. It must also be said that my partner Kevin Snook puts together thebest gourmet picnic baskets!

FEELING BLUE  (BELL)

April and May are quite the ideal months to explore
the beech woods nearby. And it’s truly an English
marvel being able to see the dullness of wintertransform into a carpet of bluebells. Crookham Dean,a short drive away, is a particularly good spot to takein this quintessential English countryside picture.

IT'S A DOG 'S LIFEGONE FISHING

If you’re the sort who enjoys a day out on the river fly-fishing, nearby Oxford is a great
location in which to indulge. All Bray House guests need to do is let me know and we
can certainly arrange a day out for you with one of the best gillies around!

Walking in the English countryside is always agreat pleasure, and one of the favourite parts of
my daily routine would be a brisk walk with mylovely Labradors, Sambucca and Truffle, early inthe mornings while it’s still cool and dewy. This
picture is of Sambucca, together with Kevin.

BAR NONE

TIME FOR TEA

There’s no place like London when it comes to theart of afternoon tea. If you’ve got time to spare in
the midst of your Berkshire break, let us know and
we’ll set you up with Wayne, our wonderful, talkative
Cockney driver, who’d take you into London for theday, which includes a languorous stop at one of theiconic London hotels for a delicious afternoon tea.

Image from The Dorchester

Our pretty Bray House isconveniently located right nextdoor to the famous Hinds Headpub, owned by celebrated culinary
alchemist, Heston Blumenthal.
It’s housed in a listed 15th-century
building and is famous for its
inventive cuisine. It also has alarge range of lagers, stouts, ales
and ciders, but I think its new
cocktail list is simply wonderful!
Also, if you’re staying at Bray
House, you really can go ahead
and indulge – all you need to do
is walk a few steps home to besafely back in bed!

portfolio of life //Explore The Worldof YTL Hotels...
BY ORDER OF THE CROWN

There are four food and beverage
establishments in the village of Bray andtwo of them hold three Michelin stars
each! Everyone knows The Waterside Inn
and The Fat Duck, of course, but I’d also
heartily recommend a meal at the 14thcentury Crown Inn in the village, particularly
on a Sunday as it does the best Sunday
lunches, in my opinion. If you come when theweather’s cooler, you can enjoy its roaring
fires as well!

LOVE ALLI do enjoy a game of tennis now and then,and the village courts are a great place towork off some of the calories you’d inevitably
gain while visiting Bray!

THE MAJESTIC HOTELKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Sometimes the resurrection of a hotel can herald a second
Renaissance for an entire city district, explaining why in Kuala
Lumpur all eyes are on The Majestic Kuala Lumpur.
Located on a wide boulevard once known as Victory Avenue,
the property was built in the 1930s and, during its hey-day,ranked as one of South-East Asia’s grandest hotels. Re-opened
in December 2012, The Majestic Hotel is poised to reclaim
this former glory; its pièce de résistance is The Majestic Wing,
whose neo-classical details have been meticulously restored. An
annexe, housing the majority of the plush rooms, was designed
to complement the historic building. A spa has been designed in
Art Deco fashion.
Beautifully balancing old and new, The Majestic Hotel is Kuala
Lumpur’s most exciting hotel debut.

GOURMET STOCK-UPAs Bray House is essentially self-catering, it’s a good idea to pop by theWindsor Farm Shop to stock up on a variety of nibbles, just in case you gethungry in the middle of the night. From Sandringham Apple Juice, which is,by the way, served at Buckingham Palace’s garden parties and receptions, tointeresting local cheeses like Oxford Blue and Stinking Bishop, you can also
pick up other things to accompany your big English breakfast.

+60 3 2785 8000
www.majestickl.com

Denise Ellis is apersonal service
entrepreneur andmanages Bray House
for YTL Hotels.

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portfolio of life //GAYA ISLAND RESORTMALAYSIA

Set within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, off the coast of
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo’s latest luxury retreat sits gracefully
on Gaya Island, the largest of the five islands in the marine
park. Golden beaches and lush tropical rainforest beckon sunworshippers and those wishing to commune with nature, while
the island’s waters teem with marine life, including bamboo sharks
and enormous barrel sponges. Reconnect to a PURE world, theresort’s activities programme that vivifies the senses.
One hundred and twenty luxurious hill villas and one two-bedroom
suite invite you to embrace island living, while the resort’s two
distinctive restaurants, Feast Village and Fisherman’s Cove, as
well as a Spa Village allow for stylish indulging.

+60 3 2783 1000
www.ytlhotels.com

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portfolio of life //THE GREEN LEAF NISEKO VILLAGE
HOKKAIDO, JAPAN

Located in the heart of Niseko Village in Hokkaido, the newly unveiled
The Green Leaf Niseko Village is the premium contemporary resort
in Niseko, appealing to guests who want to enjoy a seamlessexperience of stay, snow and ski. The 200-room, ski-in, ski-out
resort is perfectly-placed for all activities and offers a variety ofdining options, including the Lookout Café and the hotel’s rooftop
bar, Altitude. Alternatively, relax in the forested onsen, a therapeutic
natural volcanic hot spring guaranteed to soak away tension
and time.

+86 (21) 6321 0021
www.thegreenleafhotel.com

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portfolio of life //HILTON NISEKO VILLAGE
JAPAN

Set at the foot of the Niseko Annupuri Mountain, the Hilton Niseko
Village is the perfect base from which to enjoy a huge variety ofoutdoor activities throughout the year. Ski on powdery slopes
during the winter season and enjoy family-friendly facilities such as
the Niseko Ski Village ski school, Niseko Kids ski programme , aluxurious spa, and five restaurants.
There are also two 18-hole championship golf courses nearby(one designed by Arnold Palmer), a tennis complex, an equestriancentre and a unique nature-based activity area called ‘PURE’,
complete with tree-trekking and beginners golf.

+86 (21) 6321 0021
www.hiltonniseko.com

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portfolio of life //CAMERON HIGHLANDS RESORTMALAYSIA

Set amidst tea plantations and rolling hills, this tranquil hideaway
promises visitors all the splendour, romance and nostalgia of
Cameron Highlands’ grand colonial heritage.
Cameron Highlands is Malaysia’s largest hill resort and is largely
unchanged since its colonial heyday, this ‘little corner of England in
Asia’ is still dotted with Tudor-style cottages, a place where scones
and afternoon tea will not seem out of place.
The resort, with its tall French doors, timber-beamed ceilings,
plantation shutters and a fireplace, add old-world charm to thesurroundings. It also houses a Spa Village as well as an 18-holegolf course and 56 luxuriously-appointed rooms and suites, which
weave in wondrous colours and textures of Jim Thompson’s
famous silks.

Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.cameronhighlandsresort.com

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portfolio of life //portfolio of life //PANGKOR LAUT RESORTTHE ESTATES AT PANGKOR LAUT RESORT

Pangkor Laut is a privately-owned island located three miles off thewest coast of Malaysia along the Straits of Malacca. This piece ofparadise has been two million years in the making, and it is here
you’ll find one of the world’s premier award-winning resorts nestlingin the shade of forest giants as old as the land.

In a small, secluded cove near Pangkor Laut Resort rests the eight
wonders that comprise The Estates. Each of these individuallycrafted enclaves is reminiscent of the traditional South-East Asianway of living of days gone by, when an ‘estate’ was made up of
a number of special purpose buildings placed amidst gardens ofastounding beauty.

MALAYSIA

There are no other resorts – just secluded bays curled aroundpristine beaches, evening skies woven with colour and a deep
sense of serenity reserved exclusively for guests. A combinationof luxury, natural beauty and age-old wilderness woven together toproduce an environment where peace and magically-memorable
moments are the currency.
Of the island’s 300 acres, only a fraction has been developed tohouse the resort and its eight estates. Wooden buildings blend
seamlessly with the forest, as if nature had been the architect
dictating how walls curve around foliage, and roofs open up toallow trees to continue on their journey to the sky.

Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.pangkorlautresort.com

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Comprising two, three or four bedrooms, each Estate offers a private
infinity-edge pool, as well as pavilions in various adaptations of Malayarchitectural traditions.
There is also a private vehicle and driver assigned to each Estateshould guests decide to leave the seclusion of their villa to dine at oneof the resort’s restaurants or to go for a treatment at the Spa Village.

Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.pangkorlautestates.com

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portfolio of life //THE MAJESTIC MALACCA
MALAYSIA

The historic city of Malacca is steeped in a rich tapestry ofmulticultural influences reflected in its heritage architecture, diverse
lifestyles and eclectic cuisine.
Located on the banks of the river which, in yesteryear, teemed with
Chinese junks and spice-laden vessels from all over the world, The
Majestic Malacca provides a glimpse into the splendid saga of an
extraordinary empire.
The Majestic Malacca is an integral part of Malacca’s colourfulhistory. The original serene mansion, dating back to the 1920s,
remains at the heart of the hotel, whilst a new building has beencreated, mirroring the original architecture, to house 54 spacious
rooms and suites.

portfolio of life //TANJONG JARA RESORTMALAYSIA

Located on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, Tanjong Jara
Resort is a sanctuary of luxury and well-being steeped in age-old
Malay traditions. Designed to reflect the elegance and grandeurof 17th century Malay palaces, Tanjong Jara is a 99-room resort
embodiment of the gentle Malay art of service and hospitality.
The philosophy of the Resort is as unique as the Resort itself.
Based on the Malay concept of Sucimurni, which emphasises
purity of spirit, health and well-being, Tanjong Jara encourages true
rejuvenation of both body and spirit.
Tanjong Jara is an opportunity to withdraw from the pressures ofthis ever-changing world by offering a chance to immerse oneself
in a sanctuary of serenity and beauty.

From the original porcelain flooring, teakwood fittings, intricate
artwork and antiques, to the finely crafted Nyonya cuisine, every
aspect echoes the history of the region, and offers a beguilingjourney through this enchanting heritage.

Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.majesticmalacca.com

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Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.tanjongjararesort.com

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portfolio of life //portfolio of life //JW MARRIOTT

THE RITZ-CARLTON

Guest rooms at JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur offer the ultimate in
comfort and convenience, designed with the discerning businesstraveller in mind. An ample work area, with adjustable desk lighting
and ergonomic chair, provides a comfortable environment for
executives. Desk-mounted electrical outlets, two-line speakertelephones with call-waiting facility, fax modem and voice mailmake for easy communication around the world.

Discover the exclusive Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur and experiencea place where ancient rivers converge and a modern city beckons
guests to explore the sights, sounds and flavours of Malaysia.
Located downtown in the Golden Triangle business district, this
distinctive five-star luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur is conveniently
accessible to upscale shopping, dining and entertainment. At The
Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, guests can indulge in soothing spa
treatments, delectable cuisine or simply relax in the exceptionalcomfort of their rooms and take in the best the city has to offer.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Accommodation comprises 561 guest rooms with 294 Deluxe
Kings, 172 Deluxe Twins, 25 Executive Deluxe Rooms, 19 Studio
Suites, 32 Junior Suites, 2 Executive Studio Suites, 2 Executive
Junior Suites, 8 one-bedroom Suites, 3 two-bedroom Suites, 2 VIP
Suites, a Chairman’s Suite and a luxurious Presidential Suite.
Marriott Marquis Platinum and Gold card members and guests
occupying suites enjoy access to the JW Lounge, with its
complimentary breakfast, light refreshments and evening cocktails.

Tel: +60 3 2715 9000
www.ytlhotels.com

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THE YTL LUXURY MAGAZINEKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIAThe Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur is the city’s first award-winning
full-butler hotel, featuring 365 guest rooms and suites. The freshstyle of The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur is influenced by a varietyof themes reflecting Malaysia’s diverse artistry of ethnic cultures.
The dark-toned woods with angular designs reflect masculinity,
while details like brass inlays add a touch of elegance. Rich earthy
tones in the carpet and wall coverings are used to create a cosy,
warm home-away-from-home ambience, while hidden modern
technologies add a modern yet subtle flair.

Tel: +60 3 2142 8000
www.ytlhotels.com

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portfolio of life //VILL A TASSANAPHUKET, THAIL AND

Set amidst a tropical forest on a craggy cliff overlooking thebeautiful emerald green of the Andaman Sea is a gem in the YTL
Hotels’ portfolio of luxury holiday destinations. Located just 15
minutes away from Phuket International Airport on the island’s quiet,
undeveloped north-western coastline, Villa Tassana offers guests
a vacation of modern sophistication married with Thai hospitality.
Spread over a generous 2,800 sq m, the villa features three large
bedrooms with ensuite bath and dressing areas, a 15m swimming
pool, separate living and dining pavilions, a kitchen and a maid’sroom. For those looking to get away from it all, Villa Tassana isstaffed by one dedicated attendant and a chef specialising indelicious home-style Thai dishes.

portfolio of life //THE SURIN

PHUKET, THAIL AND
The Surin Phuket is an exclusive beach retreat for discerning
travellers, families and couples seeking relaxation and indulgencein a serene beachfront setting. The Surin Phuket is located on
the tranquil Pansea Beach on the west coast of Phuket Island,
Thailand and a member of Design Hotels.
Offering a total of 103 hillside and beachfront cottages and suites
all discreetly built into a carefully conserved landscape, amidst
coconut trees and gently sloping down to meet a small coral
reef. The Surin, Phuket offers a contemporary Thai experience intimeless simplicity and modern sophistication.

Guests can also enjoy the first-class spa and sports facilities
located at the nearby Trisara Hotel. There are three excellent golfcourses nearby, including the exclusive Blue Canyon course, and arange of luxury motor yachts you can use to explore Phuket’s many
bays, islands and dive locations.

Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.ytlhotels.com

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Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.ytlhotels.com

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portfolio of
portfolioof lifelife ////

portfolio of life //SPA VILLAGE RESORTEASTERN &ORIENTAL EXPRESS

Dawn rises and an indigo curtain of stars is drawn back fromthe sky, exposing a dramatic landscape of soaring peaks thatsweep down across grassy lowlands to the black volcanic sandthat kisses the blue of the Bali sea. You are in Spa Village Resort
Tembok, Bali and the day has just begun.

The Eastern & Oriental Express is more than a train service:
the quarter-of-a-mile in length train is a haven of comfort,style and luxury, and the perfect vantage point fromwhich to tour the region. The Restaurant Cars, Saloon Car and Bar
Car are located at the centre of the train, while the Observation
Car, with its open deck area, is located at the rear.

TEMBOK, BALI, INDONESIA

Inspired by the award-winning Spa Village Pangkor Laut, Spa
Village Resort Tembok, Bali embraces the same healing ethos ofcelebrating local culture, honouring the ancient remedies of theregion and infusing each visit with the essence of the surrounding
scenery.

The interior walls of the compartments are panelled with cherrywood and elm burr, and decorative marquetry friezes and intricate
design inlays. The delicate embroidery work was done in Malaysia,
and the bespoke carpets hand-tufted in Thailand.

Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali is a place of peacefulness andcalm, combining the therapeutic value of its beautiful location withan ancient and rich cultural heritage. Reflecting the spirituality ofages, the environment here is soft and serene; its people go about
their days in a caring manner that brings calm to the harried andpeace to the stressed; here, at Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali, it
is possible to recapture one’s sense of self.

Chefs onboard the E&O Express are internationally-renowned fortheir tantalising variety of Eastern and European dishes, using thefinest seasonal ingredients. While guests dine at night, the steward
transforms the compartment from a living room to a luxurious
bedroom.

Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.spavillage.com

www.easternandorientalexpress.com

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portfolio
portfolioofof
portfoliooflifelifelife// ////

portfolio of life //MUSE HÔTEL DE LUXE

BRAY HOUSE

Bardot would no doubt approve of Saint-Tropez newcomer, Muse
Hôtel De Luxe, just minutes from the Place de Lices by car, situatedon the stunning Ramatuelle route de plages and set amongst an
ecological landscape of terraced gardens.

An elegant private home dating back to the late 17th century, Bray
House has been restored and transformed into an elegant, highdesign boutique home stay. Featuring an eclectic mix of interiors
spanning the Art Deco period of the early 1900s, Bray House is aunique experience of the gentrified English lifestyle, complete withbespoke service and intimate atmosphere.

FRANCE

Fifteen ultra chic suites (10 featuring private plunge pools) arededicated to famous muses such as ‘Edith’, after Edith Piaf,‘Catherine’, after Catherine Deneuve, and ‘Lauren’, after Lauren
Bacall. Each suite sports a unique interior but all blend seamlessly
with cool stone floors and marmorino wall finishes. Thoughtful
touches include a 42” Loewe plasma screen with over 100
channels, a PlayStation, iPad and iPhone.

ENGLAND

Designer furniture, vintage accessories and vivid splashes ofcolour create an atmosphere that marries the modern and theclassic. Each of the bedrooms has its own theme: a lullaby ofwhite in one, and a symphony of Tuscany red in another. Bray
House also features a private courtyard and a natural spring foundin the garden.

Designed with pure lines, a cool elegant reception area and outdoor
water cascades, the hotel is a reflection of architectural simplicity,
immediately stamping its original and stylish signature on the SaintTropezienne landscape.

The idyllic village of Bray, near Windsor, is quintessentially English,
with its period houses, traditional pubs with beamed ceilings andfireplaces, and a beautifully-restored church dating back to 1293.

Tel: +334 94 430 440
www.muse-hotels.com

Tel: +60 3 2715 9000
www.ytlhotels.com

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portfolio of life //portfolio of life //1. Spa Village Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

This unique retreat offers the world’s most sophisticated therapies
integrated with traditional healing practices of the region. Paying
tribute to Malaysia’s fascinating cultural diversity and rich healing
heritage, this most stylish of spas seamlessly blends ancient andmodern practices, using natural local ingredients to deliver blissful
relaxation and rejuvenation.

2.Spa Village Pangkor Laut
Malaysia

The Spa Village at Pangkor Laut Resort is a unique, ultra-exclusive
retreat that extols the healing tradition of Malaysia’s diverse
history of people and cultures and wealth abundance of exotic
natural resources. The abundance of Malay, Chinese, Indian andThai practices make this the ideal tranquil setting for complete
rejuvenation of body and soul.

1

3. Spa Village Malacca
Malaysia

The Spa Village Malacca is the world’s only spa to base its
therapies on the healing heritage of the Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan
culture – a unique combination of Chinese and Malay influences.
The spa is spread across the first two floors of the new wing andprovides a serene environment in which one can rest, recuperate
and rejuvenate in the care of some of the world’s best therapists.

4. Spa Village Cameron Highlands
Malaysia

Cameron Highlands Resort features the third wellness centreof the award-winning Spa Village brand with a wide range of
sophisticated treatments and healing therapies inspired by the
restorative properties of tea. Each guest luxuriates in a signature
tea bath before every treatment. Cameron Highlands Spa Village
offers tranquil indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, tea bath rooms
and a fully-equipped gymnasium.

5. Spa Village Tanjong Jara

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4

3
5

Malaysia

At Spa Village Tanjong Jara, time-tested health and beauty traditions
are revived in the most comforting surrounds. Guests can benefit
from a comprehensive programme of therapies, created using
unique ingredients from indigenous herbs and plants, along withthe skills of resident Malay healers.
Tel: +60 3 2783 1000
www.spavillage.com

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FEAST VILLAGEKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Feast to your heart’s content in our Feast Village, a dramatic andstylish dining haven with a village charm. Here, you will find 11
uniquely-designed restaurants serving a mix of world-class cuisineand providing a display of culinary skill embodied in a chic andcontemporary atmosphere.
Restaurants and bars at Feast Village include Fisherman’s Cove,
Luk Yu Tea House, Pak Loh Chiu Chow, Tarbush, Spice of India,
Starhill Tea Salon, Shook!, Jake`s Charbroil Steak, KoRyo Won,
Enak, and Village Bar.

The design of Feast Village is inspired by nature. Walls areasymmetrical and serve not to separate, but rather to provide
peaceful enclaves where people may relax.

portfolio of life //SHOOK! SHANGHAI AT THE
SWATCH ART PEACE HOTEL
CHINA

Perched on a space of symmetry and proportion, Shook!
Shanghai features the skills of four epicurean chefs with four
distinct cuisines. A show kitchen – dubbed the ‘Ferrari’ of kitchens– is where its signature dishes are created around the senses.
The menu flirts with seasonal trends with whispers of Chinese,
Japanese, South-East Asian and modern Western cuisines, yet
flexible enough to transport you anywhere your heart and palate
desire. Another highlight at Shook! Shanghai is the showcase of
the world’s finest wines and champagnes, including rare vintages
from 1945 through to 2000. Shook! Shanghai also houses The
Time Bar and The Swatch Art Peace Hotel Terrace on the roof top,
overlooking a stunning backdrop of the Pudong skyline.

Rice paper from Japan combines with slate and ikat fromIndonesia, granite from China, silk from Thailand and timber from
Myanmar to create the essence of Asia from a design perspective,
making Feast Village truly one-of-a-kind.

+86 (21) 6321 0021
Tel: +60 3 2782 3855
www.starhillgallery.com

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my life //More Than
Words

Celebrated author Tash Aw was long-listed forthe 2005 Man Booker Prize and won the same
year’s Whitbread Book Awards for a First Novel:
The Harmony Silk Factory. His recent return to
Malaysia heralded the debut of his third novel,
Five Star Billionaire, a story of five Malaysians
who reinvent themselves in new China.

I’ve always been very inspired by the American writers from thefirst half of the 20th century – Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner and
Fitzgerald. I can definitely try to pick my three favourite books ofall time – Moby Dick is definitely one of them, The Sound and theFury by Faulkner and, I would probably say, Pale Fire by Nabokov.

Five Star Billionaire came to me in the space of a year, maybe
18 months. I was travelling and living in China for about a year
and I was struck by the number of Malaysians that I kept bumping
into, many of whom were by the fantastic opportunities that China
represented and the chance for them to make a new life.
I don’t have a secret place that I go to escape from stuff, butboth my parents come from quite rural areas. My mom’s side
is from Perak and my dad is from Kelantan. When I visit theseplaces, it’s like stepping into a parallel world; there’s nothing therethat reminds me of my own life, so it’s like an escape.
There’s no ‘off’ switch on a writer, but I try very consciously tocreate one. Mobile phones get turned off and there’s no accessto the Internet. Thankfully, there are places in the world where thatstill happens.
To relax, I swim. I discovered yoga two years ago. And music,
which is too varied to say – it really depends on my mood. I
have a weakness for old Chinese love songs when I’m feeling
down... Tsai Chin, for example. Bad Chinese pop music is a guilty
Five Star Billionaire is published by Fourth Estate.

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pleasure. And I do lots of folk music; I’m listening to the American
band, Bon Iver, a lot now.
I travel with more than one book and my favourite way of readinga book is slowly, from start to finish, when I don’t have any work
hovering on the edge of my consciousness. So, it’s when I’m
totally free to devote myself to that book, which is more and morerare these days.
I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels... and one of the most important
things for me is that there should not be too much clutter in theroom. It has to have a big bed with very good bed linen andgood sound insulation – all of which, basically, adds up to a goodnight’s sleep.
For me, the most memorable places I’ve been to include theeast coast of Malaysia. I acknowledge there’s a sentimental link
for me, but it’s about the feeling of vastness when you look out
to the South China Sea – it looks and feels so perfect and thatplace stays in my mind. I also think the west coast of Bali feels
very magical – it retains a sense of real mystery and danger, andit’s not at all like Malaysia’s east coast. Here, the sea feels moreuntamed and dangerous. And I’m very attached to the south ofFrance. It was the first place I travelled to in Europe on holiday, asa backpacker, and I’ve been back virtually every year for the last
18 years. You know, the first place you go to as an adult, on yourown money, is very important.