REVIEW: 3D2N Anantara Desaru Luxury Seaside Resort Trip (RM3700) (2024)

During my previous trips to Desaru, I stayed at Hard Rock and Westin, both of which are new and 5 star resorts.

This time around, though, I knew that there was another luxury resort just walking distance from Westin calling out to me.

That place, ladies and gents, was the Anantara Resort Desaru.

For Hari Raya (Malaysian public holiday), I booked a 3D2N stay in the seaview room. For RM3700 (2 adults and 1 child), it was almost double the price of Hard Rock and Westin.

Now, that’s quite a lot to spend on a short stay. But in this post, I’ll give you the lowdown of my time at Anantara, and whether I think it was worth the price.

Note: All photos and opinions are 100% my own!

1. How To Go Anantara Desaru From Singapore

Typically, I would opt for a private car hire like SGMYTAXI for doorstep pickup and dropoff. It’s also what I always recommend to all my readers.

But for this trip, I drove my own car to Desaru. This was because I wanted to explore other areas in town, and having my own transport made that easier.

If you must know, there are 3 simple ways how to go to Desaru from Singapore. I’ll get into each and every one of them, including their pros and cons:

1.1 Private Car (SGMYTAXI.com) or Self-Driving

• This is the most popular and recommended way to travel for families.
• It is affordable (about SGD 160 for a private car), convenient, and more practical compared to public transportation.
• Direct private car from Singapore to Desaru.
• Flexible travel schedule and routes.
• You won’t have to get down with your luggage at the checkpoints or for customs checking.
• Way more comfortable than a ferry or bus.

1.2 Ferry From Tanah Merah Terminal

• This is a good option if you’re a solo traveller or a pair.
• Going by ferry means you can bypass the congestion at the SG-MY border!
• Ferry might get re-routed during monsoon season.
• Limited departure schedule.
• Doesn’t operate daily.

1.3 Public Transport

• While it is cheaper than the other two options, I wouldn’t recommend travelling by public transport AT ALL.
• There is just too much inconvenience, such as having to alight with luggage at checkpoints and customs.
• There is also the possibility of making too many transfers/stops.
• It is also impractical if you’re travelling with family, kids, elderly people, and more than 3 people.

2. Overview: Anantara Luxury Seaside Resort

Right off the bat, you can tell that this is definitely more upscale than Hard Rock Hotel Desaru and Westin Resort Desaru.

And that is clearly reflected in the price. At minimum, it can cost RM 1100 – RM 1600 per day for each room.

While the Premier Suite is more affordable, it lacked the seaview I wanted.

So I went with the “Deluxe Sea View Room”, which was RM 3700 for 2 nights, including all taxes. I was there from Wednesday, so it might cost more on weekends.

If you’re willing to fork out the extra cash, Anantara has 2 other luxe options you can consider:

Attached some of the surrounding photos of Anantara Resort during day time and night time.

3. 3D2N Itinerary Summary

Day 1:

11:00 am – Desaru Alpaca Farm

12:30 am – Yard & Co Cafe

3:00 pm – Checking-In

4:00 pm – Walking And Explore The Whole Resort

5:00 pm – Going To The Beach Side & Infinity Pool

6:00 pm – Get Back To The Room

7:00 pm – Going Out For Dinner At Yam 918 Kopitiam

9:00 pm – Cinema Under The Stars

10:00 pm – Get Back To The Room

Day 2:

7:30 am – Woke Up And Enjoy The Balcony Seaview

8:00 am – Get Ready For Breakfast At Tumeric

10:00 am – Going To Desaru Coast Public Beach

12:00 pm – Get Ready For Lunch At The Rasa Sayang Bandar Penawar

3:00 pm – Tea Time At Observatory Bar (Nice Seaview)

5:00 pm – Swimming At The Infinity Pool Beach Side

7:00 pm – Fine Dining At Sea.Fire.Salt (Booked In Advance)

Day 3:

7:30am – Woke Up

8:00am – Breakfast At Tumeric

9:30am – Relaxing And Swim At The Lagoon Pool

11:00am – Get Ready For Checkout

12:00pm – Bye Bye

The above is the full itinerary of my trip to Anantara Resort & Desaru.

But I’ll mostly focus on my experience in Anantara, which is the entire point of this article.

If you’re curious to know, I will post photos of Anantara Desaru Resort, including Turmeric, Sea.Fire.Salt, Infinity Bar, and Observatory Bar in another post.

Here is the post I have written:4 Restaurant of Anantara Desaru Coast Resort

4. Day 1: Get To Know Anantara

Heading to Anantara Desaru Resort

Anantara Desaru Resort Lobby

Park your car in the open car park; it offers a buggy car service to bring you back to the lobby.

Don’t forget to connect to the FREE WIFI at the Resort, the internet speed is extremely FAST!

It’s time to enter the room, the quality of the room’s ambiance and the sea view are amazing. I have compiled all the room photos below.

For Anantara Resort in Desaru, the selling point would be the surrounding environment is clean and luxurious. I have also compiled some photos for your browsing.

We spent the afternoon walking and chilling at the resort. Then, we proceeded to have dinner at YAM 918 Kopitiam (known for its Fish Head Curry) around 7:00pm. This is one of the recommended foods in Desaru, a must-try if you have your own transport to get there.

After dinner, we returned to Anantara Resort at around 9:00 pm and attended the Cinema under the Stars event. This is one of the signature experiences at Anantara Resort in Desaru.

5. Day 2: Spend Most Of The Time In The Anantara Resort

We’re having complimentary breakfast at the Turmeric Restaurant, located on the ground floor and overlooking the Lagoon Pool.

This is the view from the Turmeric Breakfast area; I like it so much.

After breakfast at the Turmeric, we took a beachside walk to the Westin Desaru Resort to burn some calories.

To have some personal time with my wife, I sent my daughter to the kids’ club for one hour.

If you want to see the details of the kids’ club, please browse the photo album below. I have compiled all the photos.

For lunch, we went to Bandar Penawar to try some local food at Rasa Sayang Kopitiam.

At around 3:30pm, the moment I’ve been waiting for arrived: tea time at the Sea View Observatory Bar (a must-visit).

Swimming time again! We went to the infinity pool at the beachside (Infinity Bar).

As I booked the slot for fine dining during check-in, I encourage booking early as there are only limited slots available.

Get ready for a fine dining dinner at the beach side: Sea.Fire.Salt.

For more information about the restaurants at Anantara Resort, please check out the post I’ve written

6. Day 3 – Last Day Enjoyment

Woke up at 7:30am; it seems like it’s not a sunny day. Having breakfast at Turmeric.

Last chance to swim at the Lagoon Pool.

I like the hanging bed by the pool so much, you can just lie down and sleep on it.

Get ready to check-out at 11:00am.

Lunch at Bandar Penawar and heading back home.

Conclusion: My Final Thought

Overall, I had a very pleasant stay at Anantara and I found that there was absolutely nothing to complain about.

From the moment I arrived at the resort, I could tell that the hefty price tag was going to be justified.

The staff were polite, including the bellboys, who were vibrant and energetic.

The bed, in particular, was exceptionally comfortable, and we had restful and rejuvenating sleep throughout both nights.

Lastly, the entire atmosphere was so peaceful and quiet. It felt like we were in paradise.