EAST COAST’S BEST KEPT SECRET
by Lim Lay Ying
Property Times, New Straits Times
25th September 2004

This world would be a boring place without imagination, but that is a given. And if one had to identify a ‘Walt Disney’ in this era, many might name the inspiring legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki as a strong potential candidate. His 2001 animation feature, “Spirited Away”, won the Best Animated Feature Film at the 75th Annual Academy Awards Films Festival, as well as many other awards, honours and recognitions.

“Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi”, as it is known in Japanese, is a fantasy adventure with a ten year-old girl, which starts in everyday Japan but goes somewhere very different.  For young Chihiro and her family, a mysterious tunnel and haunted town lead to the Land of Spirits, inhabited by gods and monsters, and ruled by the greedy witch Yu-baba.  Hayao Miyazaki’s portrayal of the world in the film is nothing short of enchanting and magical.

As one critic described it, "Spirited Away has the quality of a dream: It takes you to places so foreign and fantastic [that] you have no option but to yield completely to it and be spirited along" (Don Irvine, GLOBE AND MAIL).

More art than real estate

The business of property development today bears some semblance to this. It no longer involves just building concrete structures – some, especially the more innovative ones, have gone the whole nine yards in an effort to create “a different experience”, with the hope of enticing people to their grand masterpieces. Sometimes even, artistic creations can take such a significant place in a property to the point that it can sometimes be more art than real estate.

Of course, this is only the beginning although some properties have even turned to masters and legends for the creation of their “other world” environments, ambiences, and landscapes. Take the following examples:-

• Sentul West and Lake Edge – creation of private secluded sanctuaries and prized enclaves
• KLCC Park – designed by the late legendary Brazilian landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx
• Armanee Terrace Condominiums’ landscaping – Balinese environment designed by world-renowned landscape artist Made Wijaya
• Mixed-use development along Jalan Binjai by Bandar Raya Developments Bhd – engaged the services of celebrated world-famous architect, Sir Norman Foster

In resort properties, creating “other worlds” is even more prominent as many try to outdo each other in presenting the most extraordinary experience – each splashing alluring and exotic slogans, taglines, and photos over their brochures and websites. Sometimes, more often than we’d like to admit, we are eventually led to believe in the existence of such places!

A fairy-tale world on our shores

One such enchanting resort can be found on the eastern shores of Terengganu, between Kuala Terengganu and Kuantan. Nestled on a 17-hectare site facing the vast South China Sea, the 5-star Tanjung Jara Resort is nothing short of extraordinary.

First opened in 1979, and originally owned by The Tourist Development Corporation of Malaysia (TDC), its management today has been replaced by YTL Hotels & Properties, which carried out an extensive refurbishment of the property to restore it to an upscale international resort, en route to its reopening in 1999.

The complex major refurbishment and renovation exercise was necessary to preserve Tanjong Jara's 17th-century traditional Malay architectural structures.

The elegant designs of the Tanjung Jara Resort are derived from the indigenous and exotic wooden palaces of Malaysian Sultans of long ago, also known as Istanas. Its triumphant preservation of an authentic and otherwise rapidly disappearing traditional architecture, together with its successful incorporation of modern demands into its designs and facilities, won it the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture (1983), an award that is only presented once in every three years. It is also the praiseworthy fruit of extensive research into the Malaysian culture, and historical architecture of the era – among other factors, which contributed to the unique aura of the destination resort.

The Malay culture and heritage are richly presented in every aspect of Tanjung Jara. From the way the rooms and suites are designed and the elaborate details in the woodwork, to the Gamelan music that is played every evening, Tanjong Jara Resort projects an experience that is "Unmistakably Malay", which coincidentally happens to be the resort’s main tagline.

“Other World” elements

The resort’s lavish accommodations are a luxury to behold, best experienced to be believed. All 96 rooms of the Tanjong Jara Resort feature rich local timbers such as Belian wood, and tasteful Teak furnishings upholstered with locally woven fabrics.

The resort has 3 types of accommodations, namely the Anjung (Single Storey Beach Room, 88 sq.metres in size), the Serambi (Ground Floor Room, 55 sq.m.), and the Bumbung (First Floor Room, 55 sq.m.). The Anjung in particular, is complemented by a beautiful large sunken outdoor bath set in its own private garden. A covered terrace leads to the gardens and the beach.

Figure 1: Tanjung Jaru Resort - Reception Area

Figure 2: Tanjung Jaru Resort - Anjung Room

Situated along the beachfront, the rooms are all positioned to offer panoramic views of the South China Sea and its daily sunrises, as well as the beautiful tropical landscaped gardens in the surrounds. All rooms have colour TV with satellite channels, IDD telephones, coffee/tea making facilities, in-room safe and refrigerator, toiletries, writing table, and hairdryer.

Figure 3: Tanjung Jaru Resort - Tanjung Club Pool Overlooking the South China Sea

Figure 4: Tanjung Jaru Resort - Teratai Pool

The award-winning resort houses a state-of-the-art gymnasium, as well as a therapy centre that features programmes for health, beauty, relaxation, and stress relief based on authentic and traditional Malay healing treatments. It is said to be a national treasure house handed down through generations, boasting a history of more than a thousand years, and believed to have originated from Malay, Arab, Indian and Chinese influences during the days of the Melaka Sultanate. To ensure that hotel guests do not forget their experiences at Tanjong Jara, a Batik Sarong is presented daily with the treatments.

The “Other World” experience

Apart from visual physical elements, creating “other world” experiences also involve many intangible gems of the surrounding life and environment. Take the following example descriptions by two distinguished travellers/writers who were guests at the Tanjung Jara Resort:-

• “… the resort blends seamlessly with the rainforest and indeed the local villages (kampung). I wandered beyond my cultivated hideaway to the nearest one and found life there to be every bit as serene. Terengganu villagers welcomed me into their lives and homes with the most gracious hospitality, proffering tasty comestibles of unknown origin and showing endless patience at their new guest’s botched attempts at the Malay tongue.” (‘Serene Palace’ by Stephen Rothwell; Postcard Magazine, Malaysia)
• “It is at Tanjong Jara that we learn about kampung (village) life, guided by Capt. Mok, the resident naturalist. One afternoon, Capt. Mok and a group of us bike to a village to watch fishermen cast nets. Peafowl strut the dirt roads, and the rambunctious jungle nearly chokes the tin shack homes. In yards, pigtail monkeys crack fallen coconuts. Another day, we float down the Pimpin River and disembark in a village where sugar cane is boiled into molasses in a rusty outbuilding, and where women weave palm fronds into roofs. Handmade rugs hang over laundry lines. Two giggling teenage girls sell us ice cream in a cramped village shop.” (‘Travel’ by Christine Richard; New Orleans Magazine, Vol.38, Issue 6; January 2004)

String of Awards

To date, the Tanjong Jara Resort has won more awards and honours since its first opening. Besides being listed in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, it has also won the globally acclaimed Five Star Diamond Award for three consecutive years, an award that is presented by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences for outstanding commitment to excellence and service within the hospitality industry.

In addition, it was also selected to be in the Top Ten list of the Overseas Hotel Spas Asia category in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers Spa Awards 2004 where Tanjong Jara Resort scored an impressive 91.83 out of a maximum of 100 points. The criteria in which the resorts were judged included accommodation, ambience/decor, amenities/products, body treatments, cuisine, exercise programmes, facial treatments, facilities, individual approach and last but not least, the quality of service and staff.

In a world where many seek a getaway from the normal daily hustle and bustle of life, these brilliantly engineered “other worlds” represent realms of comfort and rejuvenation, or in the case of our very own homes, they are our palaces as well as private sanctuaries – fairy tale worlds created by ourselves to feed our own vivid dreams and fantasies.