Hooked On Asia

Tanjung Rhu

Tanjung Rhu on the Malaysian Island of Langkawi is, in my opinion, one of the best beach locations throughout South East Asia.

The long, white-sand beach looks onto limestone karsts rising from the sea and the adjacent river is bordered by mangrove forest. The area is a blissful oasis of solitude and a delicious slice of nature.

Situated within these 1100 acres of lush tropical greenery is the Tanjung Rhu Resort. My family and I had a great 3-day stay there (disclosure: the room was hosted by the resort) a few years back and really enjoyed the beauty of the place. Not to mention the huge room that would be a suite in most other hotels. The smallest rooms are around 50 sq metres compared to the 30/32 sq m that you would normally find as the standard.

I am a big fan and so, although not surprised, I felt more than a twinge of consternation when I read, in The New Straits Times, that a memorandum of understanding was recently signed between Coco International Ltd and AUF Properties Sdn Bhd to develop a 20 acre residential-cum-commercial centre along this beautiful stretch of Langkawi’s northern coastline.

I am not against development per se. I think it would be hypocritical if I were: I enjoy staying in comfortable hotels in stunning locations and as a travel professional, I made a living from sending other people to such places.

What for me is important is how that development is handled. Today, there is every reason why a development should be both responsible and sustainable. Fortunately, according to the Master Plan for Tanjung Rhu (N.B. the file is 3MB and might be slow to download) that is the approach the consortium responsible for this development is taking. They claim to be committed to retaining the four main ecological systems which are the key features that make the area so special: the forest, mangrove, the freshwater and the marine system.

Tanjung Rhu Resort

Given the increasing awareness of today’s ‘green’ traveller any developer that ignores these issues would risk creating a White Elephant. I doubt this consortium will make that mistake. There are too many examples in the region where over-development has diminished the intrinsic value of the destination.

I do not yet know when the development is scheduled to start but when it does there will be a big challenge for the Tanjung Rhu Resort to manage the disturbance to guests during the building phase. I shall endeavour to keep an eye on the project and provide reports as and when I have more information.

In the meantime if you know the Tanjung Rhu Resort Langkawi and would like to submit a review of it I would be pleased to hear from you: tony at hookedonasia dot org.