The Datai Langkawi review: 121 rooms, suites, and villas set in 10-million-year-old rainforest above Datai Bay, the Canopy Collection versus the Rainforest and Beach villa categories, and who should book each before choosing a room type.
The Datai Langkawi has 121 rooms, suites, and villas set within rainforest the property dates to 10 million years old, roughly 300 metres back from Datai Bay's beach. 66 units are rooms and suites in the main Canopy Collection (including 35 Canopy Deluxe rooms at 63 square metres each); the remaining 55 are split across the Rainforest Collection's stilted villas and a separate Beach villa strip.
The verdict
The Datai Langkawi Review: Rainforest Ridge Versus the Villa Collections
The Datai Langkawi is built on a forest ridge inside rainforest the property dates to 10 million years old, roughly 300 metres back from Datai Bay's beach — 66 of its 121 total units are rooms and suites in the main Canopy Collection, versus 55 across the Rainforest and Beach villa collections, a room-versus-villa trade-off worth confirming before booking.
Who should book
In favour
- Travelers who want rainforest immersion with beach access nearby rather than a beachfront-only resort layout
- Guests weighing the Canopy Collection's larger room-and-suite inventory against the Rainforest Collection's stilted villas before booking a category
- Groups considering the 3,500-square-metre, five-bedroom Datai Estate Villa, one of the largest villas of its kind in Asia
Worth knowing
- Travelers who want one unbroken beachfront villa row — this property's villas split between an inland rainforest bluff and a separate beach strip, not a single contiguous line
- Anyone assuming most rooms are villas — just under half the property's 121 units are villas; the Canopy Collection's rooms and suites are the larger category
- Guests who haven't confirmed their specific unit's outlook — river, rainforest, and Andaman Sea views vary by category and building position
Setting and room-versus-villa split
The Datai Langkawi is built on a forest ridge inside rainforest the property dates to 10 million years old, roughly 300 metres back from Datai Bay — a beach National Geographic has rated among the world's top ten. Of 121 total units, 66 are rooms and suites in the main Canopy Collection and 55 are villas split across the Rainforest and Beach collections — just under half the property, which travelers expecting an all-villa resort should weigh before booking.
Canopy Collection rooms and suites
The Canopy Collection includes 35 Canopy Deluxe rooms at 63 square metres each, with an outdoor balcony overlooking the rainforest — the larger room-and-suite category on property.
VIAIVE image set for this Journal guide.
Rainforest and Beach villas
The Rainforest Collection's seven Rainforest Premium Villas are 123 square metres, raised on stilts with balcony views of the Anak Datai River and surrounding rainforest. Larger villas at roughly 175 square metres are also elevated on stilts beside a stream, adding a private 10-metre pool, an extended deck, and an outdoor living area. The Datai Estate Villa, at 3,500 square metres with five bedrooms, is one of the largest villas of its kind in Asia. Beach-facing villas sit on a separate strip rather than one contiguous row with the rainforest villas.
Frequently asked
How many rooms does The Datai Langkawi have?
121 total rooms, suites, and villas. 66 are rooms and suites in the main Canopy Collection — including 35 Canopy Deluxe rooms at 63 square metres each — and the remaining 55 are villas across the Rainforest and Beach collections.
Are The Datai Langkawi's villas on the beach?
Not all of them. The Rainforest Collection's villas are raised on stilts inland, overlooking the Anak Datai River and rainforest — the Rainforest Premium Villas are 123 square metres, and larger villas at roughly 175 square metres add a private 10-metre pool. Beach-facing villas sit on a separate strip, not a single contiguous row with the rainforest villas.
How old is the rainforest at The Datai Langkawi?
The resort is built on a forest ridge within rainforest the property dates to 10 million years old, about 300 metres back from Datai Bay — a beach National Geographic has rated among the world's top ten.