Spa Review: V Integrated Wellness, The Andaman, Langkawi

V Integrated Wellness is the award-winning wellness centre in The Andaman, Langkawi, with signature offerings such as V Botanical Spa, V Salon, V Fitness and V Healthy Cuisine. It is inspired by the "Tree of Life",  an ancient metaphor for interconnectedness of all life.

V Botanical Spa takes "being one with nature" to a whole new level, as it offers open-air spa villas perched on a hill with breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea. Each villa is tucked away in the lush tropical rainforest, hence providing guests with utmost privacy.

We were booked in for the V Signature Couples Romance Getaway package (RM888 per couple). You can choose from either the Ocean Awaken Delight (9am to 1pm) or Twilight Delight (6pm to 9pm), the difference being the times they are offered at. We went for the Ocean Awaken Delight, a morning spa and dine package, which include a 80-minutes Signature Kahuna Wave Massage and uplifting foot bath at V Botanical Spa, followed by a healthy 3-course V Healthy Cuisine lunch at The Restaurant.

Upon arrival at the Spa, we were presented with a welcome drink and cold towel. It has been a while since Hubby and I went on a couple spa, as our past few vacations have been with the kids and we would take turns to look after the kids while the other enjoys their spa time.

Five essential oils to choose from for our massage

Our therapists arrive and usher us to our spa villa. After changing into the sarongs provided, we were given a foot bath to scrub our feet. At the same time, we took a moment to enjoy the great views from our villa.

This gorgeous view from our spa villa!

This was followed by the Kahuna Wave Massage; this massage mimics the waves of the ocean by using gentle rhythmical strokes and perpetual flowing motion to reach your core. Using mainly their fore arms for the massage, it was both invigorating and relaxing at the same time. We both enjoyed it thoroughly. The fantastic ambiance coupled with soothing sounds of the sea really adds to the whole experience.

After our massage session, we were led back to the reception area and served jamu, a traditional herbal medicinal drink. After a short rest back in our suite, we then went to Jentayu Lounge (as The Restaurant was under renovation during our visit) for our 3-course V Healthy Cuisine lunch.

V Healthy Cuisine showcases vegetarian, gluten free and macrobiotic menus using local produce. We started with healthy V Juices, made using a slow juicer. Hubby had the Steamed Asparagus salad with fava beans, tomato and rocket while I had the Japanese Rice Paper Roll for appetizers.

For mains, we both had the Char Grilled Tenderloin Steak with sauteed creamy spinach. The dish was supposed to come with polenta chips, but they swapped it with mashed polenta which we didn't care much for. However, it was still a very tasty dish overall - we enjoyed the steak and spinach combo very much.

Finally, for desserts, Hubby had the raw chocolate tart with cinnamon and yacon sauce while I had the cashew orange tart with orange spice white tea sorbet and agave.

The V Signature Couples Romance Getaway package is priced at RM888 per couple.For bookings and enquiries, please contact V Botanical Spa at +604 959 1088 (ext 591).


Opening times: 9am to 9pm daily.



Location: V Botanical Spa, The Andaman, PO Box 94, Jalan Teluk Datai, 07000 Pulau Langkawi, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia.

Tel: +604 959 1088 (ext 591)

Website: http://www.theandaman.com/cuisine-jala

GPS Coordinates: 6.429376, 99.675843


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Breakfast @ The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, Ipoh, Malaysia

How would you like waking up to this view every morning?

After a good night's rest in our beautiful water villa, we woke up early the next morning and headed straight to the hotsprings. There was noone else around, it was so serene as all we could hear were the birds chirping and our own voices. We watched the sun rise and soaked our stress away in the hotsprings. What a wonderful feeling! I certainly wouldn't mind doing this more often.

The hotsprings is surrounded by limestone caves and beautiful nature.

After a relaxing and rejuvenating soak in the hotsprings, we went to The Pomelo Restaurant for breakfast. This time, we sat at one of the gazebos outfront.

Gazebos

Main dining area

To start, we shared a tropical fruit platter (RM16), a variety of fruits in season - we were served some mango, orange, green apples, plum, honeydew and dragon fruit.

Freshly squeezed orange juice - too much pulp!!

While we were waiting for our breakfast to be served, we spotted a giant lizard just by the edge of the gazebo! We were literally dining with nature!

I had the spinach egg benedict (RM33) prepared using three organic eggs. The poached eggs were nicely cooked with a beautiful runny yolk, served with grilled tomato, sauteed mushrooms, spinach, hash brown, chicken sausage and hash brown.  The only thing missing was the hollandaise sauce but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Hubby had the Scrambled egg with smoked salmon (RM35), the egg was slightly overdone. It was served with hash brown, spinach, sauteed mushrooms, chicken sausage and hash brown.

See previous reviews here: Madam Lawrence Aboucaya organic event, Lunch at Pomelo Restaurant, Hotel Review: The Villas and Dinner at Pomelo Restaurant. 

Full set of photos available to view here. 

Opening times: Breakfast (7.00am-11.00am), Lunch (12.00pm-2.00pm), Dinner (6.00pm-10.00pm).

Location: The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 05-210 7777

Website: http://www.thebanjaran.com

GPS Coordinates: 4.63082, 101.15617

Dinner @ The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat Ipoh, Malaysia

At The Banjaran, dining options are limited unless you drive out to Ipoh city for some food. The only restaurant in the resort is The Pomelo Restaurant, to cater for your breakfast, lunch and dinner needs. Other than The Pomelo, there is only a juice bar and Jeff's Cellar (one of the most unique wine cellars in the world.... why? Cos it's located in a 280-million year old cave!). 

So it was dinner time, and we were too lazy to leave the resort and hunt for food after lazing in our gorgeous villa all afternoon. We ended up in The Pomelo again for dinner. In the evenings, the restaurant is dimly lit (no good for photographs but romantic lah!). 

For starters, Hubby had the green gazpacho soup (RM33) from Madam Aboucaya's dinner menu. The soup was made from avocado, granny smith apples, cucumber and mixed herbs topped with some raw dehydrated crackers. The vibrant colour of the soup was lovely and it tasted very refreshing as well. This was definitely the best thing we ate for dinner here.

Love the pretty presentation, mimicking a garden 

I chose a starter from their regular a la carte menu, the poached prawns citrus (RM38). There wasn't really much to choose from, 2 starters, a soup, two mains and two desserts from their regular menu compared to their lunch menu. I found the salad to be ok, the prawns could have been fresher (meat was a little soft). The salad was made up of citrus segments, avocado, and rocket salad with lemon vinaigrette.

I think I mentioned the mocktails in the last post, this time I had the Lift-Me-up (RM20), an energy booster drink made from banana, strawberry and soya milk. It was good!

For mains, it was either the salmon or grilled grain fed beef fillet (RM78). Since I do not like cooked salmon (I only eat them smoked or raw), I went for the beef and so did Hubby. We both ordered our beef medium rare, but one came out medium and the other well done. I was lucky to have gotten the medium one as the meat was quite tender and succulent, whereas the well done piece was well.. a little dry (but saved slightly by pouring on the natural jus). I did swap some of my meat with Hubby.

I do like the pairing with pumpkin puree (pumpkin and beef seems to go well together), and Portobello mushroom. This was supposed to come with French beans but there wasn't any in sight.. maybe they ran out.

For desserts, we wanted to try some of Madam Aboucaya's creations but unfortunately the waiting staff forgot to tell us that last orders for the other menu was at 9.30pm. We just ordered off the regular menu, trying both desserts on offer - the flourless chocolate cake (RM26) and chilled soy panna cotta with beetroot compote (RM26). Sad to say, I didn't like either - the cake was too dry and the panna cotta was not silky smooth. Maybe someone who likes healthy dessert may enjoy this more... it's just me.

Flourless chocolate cake

Chilled soy panna cotta with beetroot compote

And after our meal, we lounged around in our beautiful water villa once again! Ah... bliss. 

See previous reviews here: Madam Lawrence Aboucaya organic event, Lunch at Pomelo Restaurant, Hotel Review: The Villas. 

Next up, will be the facilities / things to do around The Banjaran.


Full set of photos available to view here. 

Opening times: Breakfast (7.00am-11.00am), Lunch (12.00pm-2.00pm), Dinner (6.00pm-10.00pm). 

Location: The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 05-210 7777

Website: http://www.thebanjaran.com

GPS Coordinates: 4.63082, 101.15617

Lunch @ The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat Ipoh, Malaysia

Back in October last year, we visited this beautiful resort in Ipoh - The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat to attend a special event called "Some Like it Green by Madame Lawrence Aboucaya" where we were exposed to delicious, vegetarian organic cuisine. We were also invited to stay the night in one of their gorgeous villas which I shall blog about soon. 

Since we arrived around noon, we went straight to The Pomelo Restaurant for lunch. Diners get the choice of sitting in the main dining area or one of the gazebos out front. We picked a spot in the main dining area but with a view of the herb garden and the limestone caves. Have to say it was a beautiful view. 

Main dining area

Gazebos

Facing the limestone caves and herb garden

The restaurant's name is inspired by the pomelo fruit, that Tambun, Ipoh (where the resort is located) is famous for. The Pomelo serves spa cuisine, hence food here is lighter and healthier i.e. low fat, low salt and low cholesterol Their cooking philosophy here is S.L.O.W. (Seasonal, Low-Fat, Organic and Whole) method of cooking. A range of organic fruits and vegetables (from local markets and retreat's own vegetable/fruits garden) as well as premium fresh seafood and poultry is used. No artificial flavouring or seasoning is used in cooking or preparation of the food. Even kitchen utensils are green and environmentally friendly.

For what it is, I found the food to be pretty tasty and certainly felt healthy.

Bread basket

During my 2D1N stay, I tried several of their mocktails and they are very enjoyable. During lunch, I had the Pomelo Mojito, the Banjaran signature mocktail made from pomelo, lemongrass, fresh lime juice and fresh mint.

Pomelo Mojito Mocktail (RM23)

If there is ever scallops on the menu, I will not hesitate in ordering it. The Grilled Scallop Skewers (RM36) came with three large, juicy scallops. The scallops must been grilled with very little oil (or none at all) as it tasted really healthy and almost steamed. Still, I enjoyed it. It came with a side of pumpkin salad wrapped in rice paper and red pepper aioli.

Yummy scallops and the pumpkin offered a nice crunchy texture to this dish

Hubby had the roasted pumpkin soup (RM24) with Japanese tofu and cilantro oil. Very creamy, rich and hearty.

For mains, I had the oven baked organic duck breast (RM45) served with okra ratatouille, nai pak, caramelised mango and ginger sauce. The duck was nicely cooked, still juicy and the mango and ginger sauce complemented it well. However, I didn't really care much for the okra ratatouille (too much onions) and the asparagus topped was slightly undercooked for my liking.

Nicely prepared duck

Hubby had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin (RM65) which he requested to be cooked medium rare (when asked about his preferred doneness). However, it was quite frustrating for us, as different wait staff came over to ask us three times what doneness we wanted (not sure why) and eventually the beef came out cooked well done anyway. I'm not sure if it's part of their S.LO.W. cooking philosophy to cook the beef well done or not, as during dinner we also experienced the same thing.

Luckily, the beef tenderloin was still tender and quite enjoyable and Hubby finished it all. It was served with asparagus, zucchini, scrambled bean curd and whole grain mustard sauce.

Since we were already quite full, we skipped dessert and returned to our beautiful villa. Stay tuned for the hotel review as well as a review of our other meals in The Pomelo restaurant. Have a good weekend all!

Hotsprings 

Full set of photos available to view here.

Opening times: Breakfast (7.00am-11.00am), Lunch (12.00pm-2.00pm), Dinner (6.00pm-10.00pm). 

Location: The Pomelo Restaurant, The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat, 1 Persiaran Lagun Sunway 3, 31150 Ipoh, Perak.

Tel: 05-210 7777

Website: http://www.thebanjaran.com

GPS Coordinates: 4.63082, 101.15617