Desaru – a coastal town in Johor has been on my “To Visit” list for a while now. It is known for its pristine beach and is easily accessible especially if you stay in Peninsular Malaysia. So while doing some research for our family vacay, I came across Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, which recently opened its doors to the public in December 2019.

I’m familiar with the Anantara brand having visited their hotel in Seminyak and Ubud, Bali. From their great hospitality to amazing rooms and amenities, I knew I just had to make a visit to the brand’s first luxury hotel in Malaysia to see if they are child-friendly as well.

Anantara’s hospitality was immediately prominent the moment we arrived at the resort. We were greeted with sounds from the kompang accompanied by their staff singing the Rasa Sayang song (a beautiful Malaysian welcome, in my opinion!).

We were then led to a beautiful check-in lounge that overlooked their pool and the ocean – a truly breath-taking view that left us at awe. We were offered their signature welcome drink and a strawberry smoothie, which my boy enjoyed, and it was straight to our room for some much need rest.

Stunning Sea Views & Child-Friendly Amenities

It’s good to note that all of the rooms in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas’ main blocks are facing the sea. We stayed in the Deluxe Sea View Corner Room which has some extra balcony space – perfect for my boys to run around.

The rooms in Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas are also child-friendly. We were very happy when we saw that they had a cot set up in the room and also had a baby bathtub prepared in the bathroom together with toiletries for the kids. Definitely a plus point in my books! Besides that, they also provided a kite and some batu seremban – another very Malaysian element – for some good ol’ family fun.

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