Situated on the country's less-traveled northeast coast, Tanjong Jara isn't quite as flamboyant as its popular west coast sister property, Pangkor Laut. It's more like an ultra sophisticated summer camp with spacious, minimalist rooms done up in dark wood and astonishing views of the pounding South China Sea. Anchoring the resort is a dramatic, open-air front lobby punctuated by elegant fountains. Tanjong Jara cuts a narrow swath along the ocean, with 100 cottages and rooms tastefully decorated with native weavings and paintings and sturdy, cream-colored linens and rugs. It's small enough to be quiet, but large enough to include a cozy gym and a sprawling pool tiled in rich blues.
Water sports are popular, as is biking along the almost-desolate coast.
If you're desperate for human contact, you can always try one of the thoughtfully organized day trips to local villages, where you'll get a real taste of getting away from it all, Survivor -style. And when we visited the secluded village of Panji Alam, our attention was split between local women weaving crayon-colored sonkets in the blazing heat and the dozens of giant spiders that spun their webs between nearby telephone poles. Maybe in another context. Fill in this form for your free trial issue. U.S. indexes are real- time.