Why Desaru Coast should be your next luxury golf vacation

Desaru Coast has been described as “a sparkling gem by the South China Sea” and also as “four thousand acres of paradise along the tip of southern Malaysia”. We would have to agree with both of these sentiments, having been lucky enough to visit on a number of occasions in recent years. Being home to The Els Club Desaru Coast, which is considered to be one of the finest golf clubs in the country, and also the luxurious Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, makes Desaru Coast the perfect choice for your staycation or luxury golf vacation. For those of you who do not consider a round of golf on a championship course to be the way you wish to relax, please worry not, as Anantara Desaru boasts an expansive golden sand beach, refreshing swimming pools and Anantara Spa, a true oasis of peace and calm where you can relax, revitalise and rejuvenate.

Stay in an Executive Sea View Room at Anantara Desaru

Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas is a luxury beachfront property at Desaru Coast that offers a selection of 116 rooms, suites, villas and residences to discerning guests. The sweeping sand beach and inviting ocean create a sense of natural wilderness despite being just an hour from the bustling city of Johor Bahru, whilst the first rate service and attentive hospitality combine to create the perfect stay.

Our Executive Sea View Balcony Room was spacious and luxuriously appointed, with a supremely comfortable bed that made early starts for yoga or golf a real challenge. These were the type of challenges we enjoyed, meaning our days would start watching the sunrise from our balcony over the South China Sea before one of us headed to yoga on the beach and the other to the adjacent Els Club for 18 holes of golf.

Play 18 holes at The Els Club, Ocean Course

The Ocean Course at Els Club Desaru Coast comprises 27 championship holes designed by four time major winner Ernie Els. Your 18 hole round is made up of 9 holes on two of the Coast, Lakes or Ridge courses, offering even more variety and challenges at the stunning Els Club Desaru. The iconic ocean front par 3 on the Coast Course measures only 150 yards from the white tees, but the vast bunker will catch anything short and the beach waits for any wayward shots left.

Combine this with the shifting ocean breeze and the hole is far more challenging than it looks. One of us found the green with ease and two putted for par, whilst the other found the giant bunker and managed to scramble a bogey with a long putt. Being able to include the Coast Course in your 18 holes at The Ocean Course will allow you to play this iconic hole yourself and hopefully avoid the sand that seems to be everywhere you look.

Dine at Turmeric

Turmeric is the all day dining restaurant at Anantara Desaru Resort & Villas where we enjoyed breakfast and a post round meal which impressed us greatly. For breakfast, our avocado on sourdough with pomegranate, rocket and balsamic was a light and delicious start to the day, but we also enjoyed dishes from the vegetarian Indian section at the buffet which were not as light but equally delicious.

The a la carte menu at Turmeric featured a number of vegetarian options that could be easily veganised, whilst the Wellness Menu included an impressive baked cauliflower dish on a bed of sweet potato with tempeh crumbles and mixed nut salsa that was not only already vegan but also creative and nutritious. Executive Sous Chef Eddie looked after us during our stay and ensured that we certainly did not go hungry. In fact, every time we visited Turmeric for breakfast, lunch or dinner he was always on hand with exciting suggestions for even more plant based delights. From pomelo salad to pad Thai noodles, pad krapow tempeh to green curry with tofu, we were taken on a culinary journey to neighbouring Thailand which we enjoyed immensely.

Stay in a Lagoon Pool Villa at Anantara Desaru

Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas boasts a selection of stunning private villas and residences ranging from one bedroom villas with private pools to their sprawling Four Bedroom Beach Residence which measures 380 square metres and comes complete with butler service, full kitchen, swimming pool and direct beach access.

This type of refined accommodation presents the pinnacle of luxury living on the Desaru Coast and is sought after by families who truly enjoy the finer things in life. Our Two Bedroom Lagoon Pool Villa was equally as luxurious and spacious, providing us with lavish living areas both inside and out. It was more than enough for us, offering a true luxury living experience. There is something special about relaxing on the day bed next to your own pool before slipping into the refreshing waters for a sunset swim as another wonderful day draws to a close.

Play 18 holes at The Els Club, Valley Course

The Valley Course at Els Club Desaru Coast was where we headed for our final round of golf, and it was also where all of our golfing experience was tested by this championship course designed by Vijay Singh in collaboration with Ernie Els. As a three time major winner including The Masters in 2000, the distinguished playing career of Vijay Singh is well documented, and this picturesque and visually inspiring course was no less than we expected. Small greens and undulating fairways made correct club choice and shot selection imperative, resulting in the ultimate challenge throughout the entire round. The ninth hole has water down the right to catch any wayward drives (one of us ended up there off the tee) whilst the scattering of fairway bunkers waited for anything long and straight (the other one of us ended up there off the tee). And if that was not enough, the green was surrounded by even more bunkers where we both put our approach shots. Despite the lost balls and frustration, we enjoyed our round immensely and cannot wait to return.

Dine at Sea. Fire. Salt

Sea. Fire. Salt is seafood and steak focused with limited vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. But the beachfront and poolside location should not be missed, so with the help of the excellent team at Anantara Desaru we made a reservation and headed there with high and hopeful expectations. From the main menu we selected the three vegetarian options and requested for them to be prepared vegan.

Our Edible Garden was a bountiful salad with baby sweetcorn, asparagus, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, pickled radish and potato puree. This was a fresh and vibrant, perfectly plant based start to our meal. We also enjoyed a Wild Mushroom Risotto and Eggplant Croquettes, both dishes packed with flavour and delicious. Our off menu dishes prepared by Chef Eddy and his team included more plant based delights such as an inspired dish of grilled jackfruit skewers and mango salsa which was quite possibly our favourite. The sweet jackfruit with smoky overtones from being grilled combined perfectly with the sweet and spicy mango chilli salsa. There was also a protein packed kidney bean curry, grilled vegetables served on a block of Himalayan sea salt and a vegan bowl with quinoa and a simple olive oil and lime dressing. All of our food at Sea. Fire. Salt was refreshing, healthy and light, which was just perfect for this refined beachfront dining destination.

These two visits to Desaru Coast showed exactly why it should be the destination for your next luxury (golf) vacation. Els Club Desaru boasts 45 holes of championship golf designed by the Masters winning duo of Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, we know you will most certainly enjoy navigating the fairways, greens and bunkers of this stunning golf club. With golf courses having such an impact on the environment, we were also impressed that Els Club Desaru are members of the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation and have made a series of sustainable commitments to lessen their impact. And where better to stay when you next visit Desaru Coast than the luxurious Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, which is quite literally next door to Els Club Desaru, meaning that none of your valuable time is wasted travelling between the two locations. The excellent hospitality, the varied dining options and the well appointed rooms, suites and villas make Anantara Desaru the perfect place to relax before and after your rounds.

Paul Eyers

Paul Eyers is co-founder of Vegan Food Quest who write about luxury hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia with a focus on sustainable travel, eco travel and vegan travel. Currently based in Malaysia, Paul also writes about sporting events and some of the finest golf courses throughout the region.