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A little secret shining star on an island of grand dames. Fix up, look sharp and hurry here. It’s a heartbreaker: the eight antique Malay houses perched at the edge of the wetlands sway and creak and make you fall in love with them. In the morning, mango, watermelon and papaya await you in your fridge – left there overnight by the breakfast fairies. There’ll also be a wedge of chocolate cake, or a Rice-Crispie cupcake. Everything here is perfectly timed. Rick Stein is a noisy fan of the prawn and pineapple curries. There’s no beach, but who needs one when views across the lagoon encompass egrets, herons and the odd sea-eagle, the peak of Mount Mat Cincang on the horizon and the most perfect sunset you’ll ever see.
Langkawi, Malaysia
Turquoise (tel: 01494 678400)
Double, from £95