The island where monkeys steal from your minibar

A short flight from Kuala Lumpur, the island of Langkawiis a wise choice for anyone seeking to shake off the woes of city life. The odd bit of tourist tackiness on roadside advertising signs aside, there’s no escaping the sheer, virtually unspoiled natural beauty of the place.

Even my hotel, The Datai — which recently underwent a year-long $60 million refurbishment — feels like a traditional rainforest villa. When I step out on to the veranda, I revel in the ancient jungle just beyond the sun loungers.

I’d heard before arriving that Langkawi was teeming with wildlife but that’s nothing to prepare for actually being there and experiencing nature in its full. Give or take, that is, some air-conditioning, room service and other modern conveniences.

‘It’s safe to leave the door to the terrace open when you are in your room but close it when you go out,’ the hotel manager warns me. To keep the snakes out, or perhaps the insects I wonder. ‘No’, he says. ‘The monkeys.’

The monkeys have apparently become experts not only at stealing fruit from rooms but even plundering the minibars. I can already see a family of what I later discover are long-tailed macaques playfully lurking outside, eyeing up this newcomer to their territory.

It’s this intriguing mix of modern sophistication and raw jungle, unchanged for perhaps millions of years, which makes Langkawi so attractive. Add some excellent beaches, near-perfect weather and friendly locals and you can see why the island is revered by those who know Asia well.

Langkawi, or Pulau Langkawi to give it its correct name, is just 30km off the coast from Kuala Perlis at the very northwestern tip of the Malaysian peninsula; only an hour’s ferry trip away from the border with Thailand.