When studying the Relais & Chateaux catalogue from 2012 we saw the Villa Samadhi and thought this would be a unique property worth staying at. Of course we knew by 2013 most Asian Relais & Chateaux properties had left and joined Secret Retreats, local competition to Relais & Chateaux. Villa Samadhi was not an exception. We were still interested, though, and booked it for one night via Hotels.com.

Secret Retreat could be the right name for this property. We took a taxi from the Grand Hyatt (see also review). Our driver had a general idea where the hotel was located, but had difficulties finding it. We had to ask for directions. Finally we arrived after ten minutes searching. Lesson learned. My advice would be to go to the website and print out the directions to avoid any problems.

Samadhi is Sanskrit and means journey. We definitely entered a different world. The compound was completely walled in and had a high gate with a discreet Secret Retreats plaque. There was a security hut with a guard. The guard had a list of guests and only those on it were allowed into the sanctum. Having established we were rightfully there, the gate opened.

Check In

The taxi parked right in front of the entrance. The hotel was stunning and completely different of anything we've ever seen in a city location. The building was completely made out of bamboo, salvaged timber and dried grass for the roofs. The hotel states on their website it's modern Asian design, I thought it was Chinese inspired, while my better half thought Thai.

The security guy was adamant he needed to take our backpacks and suitcase. Amused we humoured him. Inside we were greeted by the manager Cherrie. She is very capable, making sure guests are well taken care of.

We were invited inside. which meant using a few steps up. Underneath them was flowing water, leading to a small pool with Koi. There were also large vases as decoration at the side of the steps. Cherrie didn't ask us to sit down at reception, but brought us to the outdoor terrace, where we had beautiful views over the stunning pool scape, cabanas, loungers and the Mandi Mandi, the restaurant.

There were magazines on the salas waiting for us and soon Cherrie served us cold ginger tea as welcome drink. We relaxed while she took care of the check in formalities. She also brought us to our room, a Luxe Crib - there are only 21 rooms in total. Cherrie explained how to lock the door from the outside and inside (There are real keys, a lock and a key card for the air conditioning), how to use the TV, which drinks and snacks were for free and which ones weren't. She showed us the Jacuzzi on our large balcony and advised that we could use the bath salt in the Jacuzzi if we wanted to, but not the shampoo or the liquid soap/shower gel. If using them it would foam like mad and cause chaos, so it's understandable not to put any of those in the bubbling water. After having explained all the features, she left us alone.

Room

The room was huge. There was a throne bed, a rocking chair, a very large wardrobe (suitable to move in permanently), a TV on a credenza in front of the bed, a mini bar and a safe. All the furniture was antique or second hand and made from dark wood.

There was a remote control for the air conditioning, another one for the TV and one for the receiver. There was a lot of zapping involved to find a program and it was only a small selection of channels but it was sufficient.

There were some holistic magazines, but no telephone.

The mini bar wasn't filled with your usual things. It was stocked with organic soft drinks and snacks. They were very good. There were also dried fruits, bottled water and biscuits for free.

The bed was super comfy and we had a restful sleep.

The bath room was as large as our room with toilet, bidet, the largest shower ever - I would say there fit in four people easily - with a huge rain forest shower head and double sinks.

Our balcony was long and narrow. We could overlook the upscale residential area and an embassy. Access was possible through the bedroom and the bathroom. We had two seating areas; one was a bench, the other two chairs with a coffee table.

After we had settled an employee knocked on our door to deliver an afternoon snack. It was sticky rice and tasty. It was a surprise and not expected.

Of course we used the Jacuzzi and enjoyed it tremendously.

Amenities

The amenities were made in house and were ginger based. We liked the smell and that it didn't dry out the skin.

The Property

We also went to explore the grounds.

While exploring we met the gardener, who noticed we were interested in the sign at one of the ponds with a warning not to put in hands or feet, because a snapper turtle lived in the pond. He asked if we wanted to see T-Rex as the turtle is named. Naturally we wanted, so he stuck his hands in the murky water and soon he was struggling with T-Rex, who had reacted to the movement. We were surprised how big and aggressive the turtle was. He had his mouth wide open, made hissing noises and tried to bite. We thanked the gardener, and T-Rex was released again.

We loved strolling along the pool and spying into Madi Madi, which means dip in Malay.

We encountered our favourite security guy again. I told him I liked watching the Koi, so he offered to show us what they eat. He went into the security hut and returned moments later with fish food.

Dining

Later we went down for dinner. A new employee was at reception and suggested: "Why don't you go up to the top floor to our bar Bumbung? We serve complimentary drinks... I'll also let the restaurant know you are on your way." We followed her advice.

The climb up was worth it. The Bumbung bar is directly under a grass roof and offers stunning views over KL and the Petronas Twin Towers. The Villa Samadhi is on the one side very secluded but on the other hand not too far from the action. Taxis can be easily arranged.

The space was open air, made of wood and offered a small bar with bar stools in the centre and a seating area along the walls.

We were handed a menu by Cherrie and advised we could order as many drinks as we liked. My better half had an alcoholic cocktail. I choose an alcohol free, because I took medicine against my cold. Both were very good.

We then moved on to dinner at Mandi Mandi. There was a selection of three or four starters, main courses and one dessert.

The decor was minimal and the tables were widely spaced, so it was very private even though everyone was visible.

We had fillet steak in cream sauce and chicken fricassee. Both were extremely delicious. We shared the cake as only dessert available on the menu. It was very large and satisfying. The restaurant and bar are not open to the public.

The staff was very attentive, ready to give advice and interested in the guests. There was no bill to sign. The dessert was free, so we had to pay only for our drinks and the main courses, which came in at 150 MYR (ca. 33 Euro or 45 USD).

After a good night’s rest we went to breakfast at the Mandi Mandi. It was included in our rate. All cold items, tea and coffee were served buffet style, while hot items were made to order. Nothing was signed, so it was a bit difficult to make out what was coffee and what was tea. Both were in the same pots and had the same colour. We wanted coffee but ended up with tea. It wasn't a big problem since we like both and this one was really strong black tea. There was a wide selection of fresh fruit, cheese, pastries, yogurt and others. We choose French Toast and omelette from the a la carte menu. It was delivered promptly, hot and with a smile.

Tips

We went up the stairs, since there weren't any elevators. The property might not be suitable for fellow travellers with walking difficulties or breathing problems.

The hotel also recommends to bring children from 12 years. I personally believe it is best for adults only as it is more of a retreat - very peaceful and quiet - and doesn't offer any amenities children might be interested in.

Staying here with small children could also pose a danger to them, like drowning, since some rooms have direct pool access and nearly all have a Jacuzzi. During our stay we encountered only couples (One was same sex.) of different ages and nationalities.

Checkout

Soon it was time to check out. The check out was pleasant and Cherrie and I chatted about how we found out about the hotel and other guests. It seems to be rare that first timers of Kuala Lumpur are staying at the Villa Samadhi and most stay only for a few days. Cherrie recommended that we should stay next time at the sister property Japamala. She also encouraged us to write a trip advisor review. She was very personal and friendly. This was our third visit to Kuala LUmpur.

Our taxi arrived on time as ordered and brought us to KL Sentral, where we took the KLIA Ekspress to the airport and checked into our last hotel the Sama Sama KLIA was was known in an earlier time as the Pan Pacific KLIA.

Overall

The stay at the Villa Samadhi left us relaxed and calm. We loved that every employee had time for us and was responsive to what we told them, i.e. showing us T-Rex or feeding the fish, recommending hot ginger tea for my cold and other things.

We also like that it was totally different from anything else we had ever experienced in a city location, the good food and the comfort of the room, plus the overall resort setting. Next time we are going to stay one or two nights longer.

Would we stay again at this hotel in the future? YES!

Would we recommend this hotel to a friend? YES!

Thank you and Safe Travels.