I thought I'd add to the information presented by Tboudrot (since we were on the trip together) with my own $.02 (OK, I know it's more like $2.00). If you have any questions about the place, I'd be happy to address them.

The Arrival

After a quick trip from KL, we were in Langkawi and on our way to the resort. It was a quick drive (15 minutes) to the place. The resort itself is not very far off the main road, but is pretty well hidden. Upon the arrival to the resort, 5 employees greeted us – it was the most complete and welcoming greeting I have ever had at any resort. There is a check in desk, but we bypassed it – they check you in at a separate seating area – nice touch. My first impression of the resort was that it was very Arabian-inspired, very well done and flashy. After the check in, the same driver that picked us up from the airport drove us around the resort and took us to our room in a buggy.

The Room

We stayed in one of the Beach Villas and wow – easily the nicest room I have ever been in. The square footage listed on the 4S website was for indoor space only – the room is easily 2000+ sqft (and there is a LOT of outdoor space too). The room is right on the beach. There is a huge covered outdoor area with dining table & chairs, a day bed (easily big enough for two). There is also a separate area with two chaise lounges right on the beach and a gigantic plunge pool (more on the pool below). The back outdoor area is very private – if someone were on the beach they could see you, but it would be hard to see from one beach villa to the other from the back area. In general, the entire villa is very private and well designed so that your neighbors cannot see you (nor are you that close to your neighbors either).

The entrance to the villa is actually a floor to ceiling sliding glass door (like 10 feet high). Actually, three of the four walls of the villa were all sliding glass doors – very nice to let in light and one could open all of them at the same time and have a completely open space. The main living area consisted of a living room/bedroom combo with couch, table, chairs and a huge king sized bed. Just a note on the bed – I’ve stayed in a lot of 4S beds, but this was the nicest I’ve ever been in. The wood-beamed ceiling of the place peaks at around 30ft high. There was a wide screen plasma TV and surround system. All of the lights and AC were controlled via a remote by the bed. Around the corner were the office, private spa room and bathroom. The bathroom was huge – easily the same size as the living/bedroom area. There were his/hers sinks, a huge (really huge) tub, sliding glass doors to the rear garden, walk in closet, giant rainshower (the shower was especially nice with doors that opened to the back garden and a skylight above) and a wc. The rear garden was also very large and had another rainshower.

The room was a mixture of Arabian and Malaysian influences. I thought it was very nicely done. The attention to detail was amazing – it’s obvious that they took no shortcuts there. The Beach Villa is worth the splurge if you are going to be here – the pavilion rooms are nice, but are just rooms. The Beach Villas are really special.

About the plunge pools – they are not all created equal. Ours was free form and was easily double the size listed on the 4S website. It was, however, pretty shallow (3 feet). Other villas have pools that are smaller (and rectangular) but deeper.

We were at the south end of the resort, which has fewer trees. Toward the north end of the resort, there are more trees and it felt more jungle-like to me.

The Cement Factory

Yes, it is there. It was to the SW of the resort, across the bay. We were about as close to it as you can get and it did not bother me at all. From the villa it was looked to be about the size of my thumb (it was still well off to the SW of us and not really in our field of vision unless we looked that way). I never heard or smelled anything from it. Toward the north side of the resort, you would actually have to walk out onto the beach to where the water meets and land and look to your left to see it.

The Resort

My first impression was that it was big. The thing sprawls along 1.5km of the beach. It does not go back into to jungle and hills. Walking from one end of the resort to the other using the trails was actually pretty exhausting given the heat and humidity. I’m not much of a buggy person, but did call for one a couple of times until I discovered that the easiest way to get from point A to B was just to walk up and down the beach.

They have really done some amazing landscaping here – everywhere you look is green. Having said that, note that the resort is new, so while there are lots of plants, very few of them are very big – it’ll take a little time for everything to grow.

As noted above, the southern end of the resort is sparser. As you go farther north, there are more trees and it has a slightly more jungle feel. This is not a jungle resort, however, so if you are expecting that you are probably better off at the Datai.

The general styling of the resort is a mix of Malaysian, Thai and Arabian (with a little Bali thrown in at the spa). Some have said that this is too much of a mish-mash, but I really liked it. I thought the Arabian styling was completely appropriate, given that it is Malaysia.

The Pools

I love a good pool and this place has two of the best I’ve ever seen. The adult pool is 55m long, with three infinity edges. They call it a lap pool, but that really is an understatement. The main pool is really made up of three interlocking pools, each with infinity edges. All of the pools (including the pool in the villa) have seats with jets built into the walls. Both of the pools are right on the beach. Both have a depth of around 5 feet (the main pool has some more shallow areas, but not many). I can’t actually see that either pool would be suitable for young children.

The Spa / Gym

It had just opened the day before our arrival and it was fantastic. Each massage room is a separate pavilion with all of the facilities you could imagine – shower, pool, steam room and changing room. The style of the place is a little bit Balinese and a little bit Malaysian. It really was one of the nicest spas I’ve ever seen. The gym was also in a separate pavilion and had a good selection of high tech, top-notch equipment.

The Service

The best I’ve ever had. Better than the service at the Jimbaran property and much, much better than the service at the Sayan property (which is not saying much). Better than the service in ANY 4S in the States that I’ve been to. An amazing feat, in and of itself, and even more so considering the resort was only open 6 weeks when we were there. By the second day, everyone greeted us by name. Service was efficient and warm. I really felt like I was being welcomed into a home rather than a resort.

The Beach and Ocean

The beach is very wide and long and white. The sand however is not very fine. The water was blue-green and while it was pretty to look at, I didn’t feel an overwhelming desire to swim there. Oh, well, spoiled by the Caribbean, I guess.

VS the Datai

Sorry, I didn’t go there so cannot really give a comparison. The original plan was to split time between the two. I emailed both resorts with questions and received emails and phone calls from the GM at the 4S; from the Datai I received nothing. So I just assumed they were too busy with customers to address my questions and moved on – and I’m glad I did.

In general though, the Datai looks like a jungle resort that happens to have a beach. The 4S is a beach resort that is in a jungle setting (but not in the jungle). The Datai seems to be peaceful and in harmony with the jungle. The 4S is flashy and showy and I would not call it peaceful (although it can be very relaxing sitting on your private day bed looking at the sunset and listening to the ocean).