This is the last session before the Spring Festival, so we have specifically brought in great deals to end on a high note.
Today, I’m introducing a fantastic visa-free offer, which is for a resort by the sea in Malaysia, closest to Singapore’s Changi International Airport. It’s perfect for combining a trip to Singapore with a stay here, especially since starting tomorrow, both Singapore and Malaysia will be visa-free.
Let me introduce the offer first.
At the Anantara Desaru Coast Villas Resort in Johor, Malaysia, you can enjoy a deluxe room for 3 nights including breakfast + 150 MYR hotel credit for 4,299 yuan; a luxurious sea view room for 3 nights including breakfast + 150 MYR hotel credit for 5,399 yuan. This offer is valid until October 13, 2024, with redemption available until April 23. Additional charges and blackout dates can be viewed on the page (available for Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, summer vacation, and National Day with minimal extra charges). This is Anantara!
Purchase code: 89￥ HU0854 q8oJWQQdMhC￥ https://m.tb.cn/h.5sIHpco/
Already on sale, from the official Fliggy store, safe and reliable. Moreover, this is flexible and refundable; it supports Huabei for lossless stocking. No redemption, no repayment required.
You can rest assured to stock up!
I know everyone is probably wondering, where is Desaru?
Anantara Desaru is located in Johor, Malaysia, which is one of the 13 states in Malaysia, with the capital being Johor Bahru, the second-largest city in Malaysia. However, this Anantara is much closer to Singapore’s Changi Airport than Johor Bahru Airport. A boat ride from Changi Airport’s terminal will take you to the pier near the hotel. I have mapped it out, and it should help clarify. The blue area is Singapore, the white is Malaysia, and the golden coastline is Desaru Anantara.
Desaru is a resort area right next to Singapore, featuring not only Anantara but also One&Only, Westin, Hard Rock, and more. The concentration of so many high-end resorts along one beach indicates how suitable this area is for vacationing. In 2021, Desaru was included in Time Magazine’s list of the world’s best travel destinations. The reason for its selection back then was its white sandy beaches and stunning sea views, along with a variety of activities available.
Singapore will be visa-free from February 9, and Malaysia has already implemented visa-free travel. Thus, trips combining Singapore and Johor, Malaysia, can now be easily planned. There are multiple flights to Singapore, making it convenient for round trips to Malaysia, where both directions are visa-free. Spending 2-3 days vacationing in Singapore followed by 3 days by the sea in Malaysia would be highly enjoyable.
In fact, we received the offer from Anantara quite some time ago, but we hadn’t promoted it sooner because we hadn’t visited yet. It wouldn’t be responsible to promote travel products without personal experience, which is why we postponed it. It wasn’t until last week that we spent two nights at Anantara Desaru and found it quite pleasant, which is why we are now confident to recommend it to everyone.
Anantara Desaru Resort opened in December 2019 and has been operational for just over 4 years, which is considered an optimal time for hotel stays. The hotel is quite expansive, but it only has 116 rooms, counting the villas as well. Just take a look at the image below—such a large resort yet only 116 rooms, and this number includes the villas.
The Deluxe Room (4,299 for three nights with breakfast) is between 49-50㎡, with options for either a king bed or twin beds (the king bed is slightly larger). Here are some actual photos of the room; Anantara is a Thai hotel, and the room gives off a truly Thai vacation vibe. Each room can accommodate a maximum of 2 adults and 1 child (under 11 years old).
All rooms come with a large balcony.
This price is quite attractive; if you check the calendar, the nightly rate is over 1,800+ yuan. This is essentially a 25% discount, which is considered a high discount overseas.
For the Sea View Room (5,399 for three nights with breakfast), the room is almost identical to the Deluxe Room, with similar room sizes. The main difference is that you can see the sea from this room. Here are some of our actual photos.
There is also a SKU for a two-bedroom lagoon pool villa.
The two-bedroom lagoon pool villa for 3 nights with breakfast (can accommodate 4 adults and 2 children) costs 25,500 yuan. This is a large villa by the beach, designed with duplex bedrooms and a private pool. We took some photos, and it’s an impressively grand villa.
The first floor features the living room and a secondary bedroom.
The second floor hosts the master bedroom, suitable for a family vacation.
All three room types’ packages include 150 MYR (approximately 228 RMB) hotel credit, just right for dining. Anantara Desaru offers two restaurants and three bars. We had the pleasure of experiencing all of these dining options as part of our site visit.
Turmeric is an all-day dining restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
It mainly features a buffet, with decent overall offerings and a good variety of seafood. There are also dishes with Malaysian and Thai flavors.
Sea.Fire.Salt. is a seafood barbecue restaurant located near the beach and pool, providing a sea view.
This restaurant focuses on seafood and grilled meats, also offering some light bites.
Infinity Bar is a beachside bar that serves cocktails as well as light snacks.
Observatory Bar is situated at the highest point of the resort, providing a 360° view. Here you can relax while enjoying the ocean view.
Lastly, there is the pool bar.
Now that we’ve talked about the dining and bar options, let’s discuss other public areas. It’s essential for resort hotels to have large public spaces and ample activities available to keep guests entertained.
Anantara Desaru’s outdoor pool is quite large, boasting a main pool plus a beach pool, which is sufficient for a hotel with 116 rooms.
The hotel features a private beach with good quality sand.
There are plenty of water sports available.
Anantara Desaru is very family-friendly, with an indoor play area for young children. The picture below shows the area for younger kids.
Older children can visit the teens’ club.
The hotel offers many activities; I grabbed a copy of the activity schedule from January, and you can see that daily activities are nearly fully booked. The upcoming months should be quite similar.
We also checked out the spa, which is reputed to be quite famous among Anantara resorts.
What to do around the hotel?
Fruit Orchard
There’s a fruit orchard nearby (about a 10-minute drive from the hotel) that spans the size of 70 football fields. You can pick a variety of fruits, including durian. It’s definitely a paradise for durian lovers.
Additionally, this fruit orchard also offers ATV rides and has a small petting zoo. You can spend a good half day there, and there are even restaurants available.
Adjacent to the hotel is a 27-hole ocean golf course, located right next to the hotel. Those who enjoy golfing can head over for a round.
There’s also the Desaru Water Adventure Park, which is about a 5-minute taxi ride away. This park features five zones: the Benawa Waterfall, Benawa River, shipwreck area, Giant Wave Beach, and a children’s area. Southeast Asia’s first water roller coaster is also located here, offering thrilling water fun.
A bit further away, in about an hour and a half by car, you can reach the LEGOLAND in Johor Bahru, which is quite famous and needs little introduction.
Regarding hotel transportation:
1) By boat
This is the most cost-effective method; you can take a boat from Changi Terminal near Changi Airport in Singapore, which takes about 90 minutes to reach the Desaru Pier near the hotel. However, the current schedule is limited (off-season), but there will be additional services during peak season. If traveling with a larger group, renting a car may be more economical than taking the boat.
2) By Car Rental
From Johor Airport/City Center Hotel to Desaru (one way for 5 people) costs 380 yuan/trip; from Singapore hotel/airport to Desaru (one way for 5 people) costs 800 yuan/trip. You can directly book this through Fliggy’s official store. Note that this transfer service doesn’t necessarily need to start from the airport; it can also begin from city hotels, allowing you to enjoy a few days in Singapore before heading to Desaru.
