The Datai Langkawi
Jalan Teluk Datai, Langkawi, Malaysia
Location
Datai Bay, Langkawi
The resort sits on the northwest tip of Langkawi, where a ten-million-year-old primary rainforest tips down to the sheltered white sand of Datai Bay on the Andaman Sea — a National Geographic top-ten beach, with Tarutao Island on the horizon.
Transfer
A Langkawi transfer
Fly into Langkawi International Airport (LGK), about 40 minutes by car, with connections via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. The resort shares the bay and golf course with the Els Club Teluk Datai.
Villas
Around 121 rooms, suites & villas
Around 121 rooms, suites and villas across three collections — Canopy rooms among the treetops, stilted Rainforest villas over a stream, and beachfront Beach villas with private pools — up to a five-bedroom estate.
Best For
Who it suits
Couples, honeymooners and families who want rainforest and beach in one unhurried, design-led resort — with resident naturalists, Ernie Els golf and a National Geographic top-ten beach.
Board Basis
B&B
Booked on bed and breakfast, with five restaurants on site — from kampong-style Malay at The Gulai House to canopy-top Thai at The Pavilion.
About the Resort
The Langkawi nature icon
On the northwest tip of Langkawi, where a ten-million-year-old rainforest tips down to a National Geographic top-ten beach, The Datai is the resort that made this island a luxury destination. It opened in 1993 to a Kerry Hill and Didier Lefort design — timber, marble and silk threaded through the canopy — and after a ground-up restoration it remains Langkawi's defining address. The 121 rooms, suites and villas spread across three settings: Canopy rooms up among the treetops by the Main Pool; Rainforest Villas raised on stilts above a jungle stream; and beachfront Beach Villas with private pools opening onto Datai Bay. Days move between the bay and the forest — guided walks with resident naturalists tracking dusky langurs, great hornbills and flying lemurs; the conservation work of The Datai Pledge; Thai dinners on a platform thirty metres up in the canopy; and the Ernie Els-designed golf course laid out between the trees and the Andaman Sea. It is unhurried, deeply green and quietly grand — a rainforest resort that wears its luxury lightly, and the most destination-in-itself of Langkawi's three great resorts.
Accommodation
Rooms, suites & villas
Three collections, three ways to wake up in the rainforest. Canopy Rooms and Suites sit in the main building among the treetops; the Rainforest Villas stand on stilts above a stream deep in the jungle, some with their own pool; and the Beach Villas open directly onto Datai Bay with private pools and butler service. At the top is the five-bedroom Datai Estate Villa, a 3,500-square-metre retreat with two pools and its own chef.
Entry
Canopy Deluxe
Sleeps two. Around 62.5 square metres in the main building among the treetops, with a balcony over the rainforest and an easy walk to the Main Pool and The Dining Room — the classic way into The Datai.
~62.5 sqmRainforest view
Villa
Rainforest Villa
Sleeps two. A free-standing villa raised on stilts above a jungle stream, wrapped in dense greenery and birdsong — about as deep into the forest as you can sleep.
On stiltsRainforest view
Pool Villa
Rainforest Pool Villa
Sleeps two. The stilted Rainforest Villa with a private plunge pool and sundeck among the canopy — just eight of them across the property.
Plunge poolRainforest view
Apex
One-Bedroom Beach Villa / Datai Estate Villa
Sleeps two to ten. A beachfront one-bedroom villa with a private pool, open-air lounge and butler service, steps from Datai Bay — up to the five-bedroom, 3,500-square-metre Datai Estate Villa with two pools, a private chef and complete rainforest seclusion.
Beachfront poolBeachfront
Food & Drink
Dining
Five restaurants, each with its own setting in the forest or by the sea.
Thai
The Pavilion
Authentic Thai cooking on an open-air platform thirty metres up among the treetops — the resort's most theatrical table.
Malay
The Gulai House
Malay and Indian curries and grills served kampong-style in a timber house in the rainforest, reached by a short buggy ride after dark.
Western
The Dining Room
Contemporary Malaysian and Western menus from breakfast to dinner, overlooking the Main Pool and the bay.
Beach
The Beach Club
Fresh seafood and Mediterranean plates on the sand at Datai Bay, with wines exclusive to The Datai.
Lounge
The Lobby Lounge
Cocktails, afternoon tea and light bites with a wide view over the Andaman Sea.
Wellbeing
The Datai Spa
The Spa sits in open-air pavilions beside a rainforest stream, built around ancient Malay ramuan healing — herbal blends prepared from rainforest plants. There is a Bastien Gonzalez studio for hands and feet, VOYA marine facials, and a daily programme of yoga, pilates and sound bathing.
Ramuan spa
Treatments built on centuries-old Malay ramuan herbal medicine, gathered in the surrounding forest, with a Bastien Gonzalez studio for hands and feet.
Trio of pools
A trio of pools — an adults' Main Pool over the bay, a beachside family pool and a toddler pool.
Els Club golf
The Ernie Els-designed Els Club Teluk Datai — eighteen holes between the rainforest and the sea.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
What sets The Datai apart is the rainforest at the door — and the naturalists who help you read it.
Datai Bay
Snorkelling, kayaking and sailing from a National Geographic top-ten beach, with Tarutao Island on the horizon.
Nature walks
Complimentary morning and evening walks with resident naturalists, tracking dusky langurs, great hornbills and flying lemurs.
Canopy dining
The Pavilion's Thai cooking thirty metres up in the canopy, and kampong-style Malay at The Gulai House.
Els Club golf
Eighteen holes, par 72, laid out by Ernie Els between the rainforest and the sea.
Ramuan spa
Ancient Malay ramuan herbal rituals in open-air pavilions beside a forest stream.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By road
About 40 minutes from LGK
About 40 minutes by car from Langkawi International Airport (LGK), with flights via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
On the bay
Datai Bay
On the northwest tip of Langkawi, in primary rainforest above the white sand of Datai Bay.
Guest Reviews
What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
“The most extraordinary place I have ever stayed. Nothing prepares you for the depth of the silence, the beauty of the reef, or the sheer generosity of the experience.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“We’ve stayed here three times now. The house reef has no equal. The stargazing was, genuinely, one of the most moving experiences of my adult life.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“I had stayed at Four Seasons, One&Only and Velaa before visiting The Datai Langkawi. They are all magnificent. But this is different in a way that is hard to articulate.”
✓ Verified via feefo
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- Booked on bed and breakfast, with five restaurants from kampong-style Malay to canopy-top Thai.
Setting
- In a ten-million-year-old rainforest above Datai Bay — three room collections, from Canopy rooms to stilted Rainforest villas to beachfront Beach villas.
Nature
- Resident naturalists, a marine lab and The Datai Pledge conservation programme are woven through the stay.
Getting there
- About 40 minutes by car from Langkawi International Airport (LGK), with flights via Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
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Adults
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Budget per person (flights + hotel)
£4,500
£500£50,000+
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Flights
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