LUXURY

3 bites of the sky.
With United Travel, you’ll have the chance
to get three times the Airpoints!
Buy
You choose whether you want
to get Airpoints or normal
Fly Buys points when you
purchase your trip with us.
Pay
Then, collect more
Airpoints when you pay
using your BNZ
Global Plus credit card.
Fly
Plus, get even more
Airpoints when you buy
a qualifying flight with
Air New Zealand.
99 islands of bliss
The island resorts of Thailand are justly famous, but how many diving are excellent, while the national parks provide ample
people are aware that the azure waters of Malaysia to the south opportunities to spot some exotic locals. Look out for monitor
hide some equally spectacular hideaways? The prime specimen lizards, swimming macaques and hairy-nosed sea otters. You can
is the Langkawi group in the Andaman Sea to the west of the take a boat tour through the lush mangrove swamps on the Kilim
Malaysian peninsula. Lush, tree-covered hills and craggy caves River and try your luck spotting sea eagles and kites. Or you could
rise above white-sand beaches lined with palm trees. This is the
head off for a day of island hopping and explore the undersea
tropical island getaway of your dreams.
coral gardens of Pulau Lembu. Make sure you bring plenty of
There are 99 islands in this boutique archipelago, with another batteries for your camera – you won’t want to miss a thing!
four visible at low tide. Fought over by Thai kings and Malay
All that activity should help you work up a healthy appetite,
rajahs and a notorious base for pirates in bygone centuries, the
which is just as well, because you’re in one of the culinary
islands escaped the first wave of tourist development in the
hotspots of the world. Malaysia’s position at the crossroads of
20th century. Life was quiet until 1987, when the Malaysian
South East Asia means you’ll find superb Chinese, Indian and
government decreed a duty-free shopping zone in this offshore
Malay dishes everywhere you turn. Spices range from subtle
territory. Visitors from nearby Singapore and mainland Malaysia
soon discovered the appeal of short breaks with plentiful
to fiery and the seafood is uniformly excellent. Langkawi’s
shopping, and the major hotel chains moved in. As a result, duty-free status means your ice-cold lager will be considerably
you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation, cheaper than you’ll find on mainland Malaysia too.
with everything from low-key Asian resorts to all-inclusive
Driving back at night, you may notice that your taxi driver keeps
international-standard luxury.
a wary eye open for water buffalo asleep on the road. Yes,
Fortunately, the islands are large enough to retain their natural
Langkawi may be the home to some very sophisticated resorts,
appeal away from the signs of modernity. The snorkelling and
but it still retains a touch of the old Asian country ways.
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