Friday July 16, 2010
Water villas ready for tourists
By CHARLES FERNANDEZ
charlesf@thestar.com.my
Photos by DARRAN TAN
THE ambitious RM3bil Sepang Goldcoast-owned resort in Bagan Lalang, which has been touted as the biggest tourism project in Selangor and a world-class destination, has graciously opened its doors to receive both local and foreign tourists and buyers.
Stretching about 1.2km into the Malacca Straits, the 399 palm-thatched villas, dubbed the Golden Palm Tree Resort, is definitely not your typical resort.
Its architecture portrays a unique blend of three cultures — Malaysian, Indonesian and Thai but built with a workforce comprising Balinese, Bangladeshis, Vietnamese, Indians as well as the local community.
Idyllic setting: A row of palm-thatched villas at the Golden Palm Tree Resort.The coastal resort was launched by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen during a brief ceremony on Tuesday.
According to Sepang Goldcoast Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Yanki Regan, the alang-alang thatching has been used in Indonesia for hundreds of years and is the main attraction here as they are strong and resilient against natural elements.
Alang alang is found on the islands of Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Timor and Sumba. There are slight variations on each island but the neatest and strongest is found in Bali.
“They not only look neat but provide good insulation against heat and very attractive to look at, both inside and out.
“This could well be the selling point for the Sepang Goldcoast village as it has been successfully used in the Caribbean Islands,’’ added Regan.
Catching the light: This spot in the resort enables guests to enjoy the view of the sky even as they hide from the sun’s blaze.Visitors can choose from five different settings — the Palm Villa, Premiere Traveller Palm Villa, Canary Palm, Ivory Palm Villa and the Royal Palm Villa.
The resort, which has been entered into the Malaysia Book of Recordsas the longest Palm Tree Resort, complements the traditional setting of Sepang and maintaining the area’s pristine charm.
The smallest unit is about 500sq ft while the bigger ones measure up to about 2,000sq ft each. Prices start from about RM550,000.
The development has also been introduced to prospective buyers in China, Japan, Europe and Singapore and the Sepang Goldcoast is expected to rival the Queensland Gold Coast in Australia and Miami Beach in Florida once it is fully completed.
The Sepang Goldcoast is about 30 minutes’ drive from the KL International Airport, 45 minutes from Putrajaya and 75 minutes from the city centre.
