The Westin Langkawi
Located just minutes from Kuah Jetty and the nearby shopping malls, yet situated overlooking the Andaman Sea on its own private beach; The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa offers guests the best of both worlds. nWith a choice of 221 rooms and suites, many which have balconies and sea views or private pools and including a magnificent 5 bedroom villa, there really is something for everyone at The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa. We loved our one bedroom Superior Suite which was modern and contemporary in design and had a wonderfully large bathroom as well as a balcony and sea views. Westin Hotels and Resorts invite all guests to embrace their ‘Six Pillars of Well Being’ during their stay. You’ll have the opportunity to “feel well, work well, move well, eat well, sleep well and play well”. We did our best to make the very most of everything they offered to improve our well being, including sleeping well in our ‘Heavenly Bed’ and taking daily swims in the huge pool (with mesmerising ocean views).
The Vegan Food
Breakfast at Seasonal Tastes is a buffet with multiple hot and cold options, we happily started our day with coffee, a lemon, ginger and pineapple juice and a healthy salad plate complete with seeds, nuts, hummus and pitta bread, we then asked the friendly staff to help explain which of the buffet items were suitable for vegans. There were a number of mixed salads including a delicious beetroot based salad to choose from and the chef also prepared a vegan parata for us which was served with a vegetable packed lentil dahl and rice. It’s always fun to ‘eat around the world’ like this.
As The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa is located adjacent to St. Regis Langkawi we decided to dine at their speciality restaurant during our stay. Kayu Puti boasts an amazing location perched above the sea where we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks whilst lazing in cool over water hammock style seats as we watched the most glorious sunset.
Our memorable meal was a fusion of Malaysian and international flavours. It started with a delicate fresh spring roll and a beautifully presented, vibrant ‘Green Pea and Seasonal Vegetable’ starter. Ingredients including green pea puree, pomegranate, jackfruit chips, Thai basil and virgin lemon olive oil all came together to make an enticing start to our meal. The main course was a risotto with tamarind, chilli and ‘asam pedas’ flavours. Asam pedas is a traditional Malay fish dish with hot and sour flavours and our 100% plant based risotto combined the best elements of this dish whilst remaining suitable for vegans. Delicious. Dessert came in the shape of a Rubik’s Cube, made from tropical fruit and served with a mouth watering coconut sorbet; the perfect end to our vegan meal.
We also enjoyed dinner at Tide, the beachside restaurant at The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa. We ate freshly baked vegan bread with dips of pesto (made with no parmesan), olive tapanade, balsamic and olive oil. Simple vegan comfort food at its best. We devoured a delicious watermelon and avocado tower, topped with lightly fried rocket which was perfectly seasoned and added an extra texture to the dish. The avocado was dreamily smooth and creamy, the chilled watermelon brought just enough sweetness and the whole dish was finished with a drizzle of olive oil. Oh so good. Our next course was a clear soup inspired by Thai flavours, the light broth had a hint of chilli and was full of crunchy vegetables including multi coloured courgette ribbons which alongside the delicate tofu cubes, created a nutritious and filling dish.
Our main course was a clever courgette cannelloni with a rich tomato filling. The pasta was replaced with thin slices of courgette and a delicious crouton crumb finished it off perfectly. It was moist, silky, and full of flavour but surprisingly light to eat. Wonderful, really wonderful. We finished our vegan meal at Tide with a creative and interesting dessert which we can only describe as ‘Fruit Salad Plus’. As much as the tropical fruit in this region is delicious, a meal that ends with a simple fruit salad can be disappointing to dessert loving vegans (that’s us). However, our ‘Fruit Salad Plus’ was far from disappointing; other fruit salads take note. A bowl of finely chopped tropical fruit covered in their own juice and a little syrup was hidden below a vegan tuile which covered the whole bowl creating a lid. A refreshing lime sorbet topped with crushed pistachios and a drizzle more syrup sat upon the light and crispy tuile. As much as it felt like a shame to ‘break’ the tuile, the shards of crispy wafery biscuit mixed with crunchy nuts, icy sorbet and the syrupy fruit below was too much to resist.
The Vegan Essentials
We were unable to confirm whether the signature ‘Heavenly Spa by Westin’ bathroom amenities were suitable for vegans but were happy to find that our luxurious ‘Heavenly Bed’ was complete with an alternative feather free duvet and pillows for the perfect vegan sleep.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Make a reservation at The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa to be guaranteed amazing sea views, an uber friendly staff team, modern, well apointed rooms and suites and a lot of delicious vegan food. Be sure to dine at Tide for delightful vegan food in a beachside setting For that extra special treat head next door to their sister property, St. Regis Langkawi, and enjoy the stunning sunset whilst sipping a cocktail before dining at the extraordinary Kayu Puti. Be warned, the hardest thing will be leaving…
The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa
Jalan Pantai Beringin
07000 Langkawi
Telephone: +60-4-9608888
Cost From: £150 / $200 per night (Oct 2017)