Hidden Gems

Beyond the well-known islands and cities, Malaysia has a wealth of lesser-visited destinations that offer honeymoon couples something genuinely different — private island luxury, indigenous tribal culture, world-class diving and quiet coastal stretches where international tourism has barely made a mark. These are the places that turn a good honeymoon into an unforgettable one.

Pangkor Laut is a privately owned island off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, home to a single luxury resort set in ancient rainforest. The beach — Emerald Bay — is regularly named among the most beautiful in the world, and the sense of exclusivity and seclusion makes it one of Malaysia's most romantic hideaways. It's the kind of place where couples lose track of what day it is.

In Sarawak on Malaysian Borneo, Kuching is one of Southeast Asia's most underrated cities — a charming riverside capital with excellent food, a lively arts scene and easy access to orangutan sanctuaries, indigenous longhouse communities and the extraordinary Bako National Park, where proboscis monkeys, pitcher plants and jungle-fringed beaches are all within a short boat ride.

On the east coast of the peninsula, Cherating is a laid-back beach village with a long stretch of sand, turtle-nesting programmes and a surf break that's gentle enough for beginners. It has the kind of quiet, uncommercialised atmosphere that Bali had decades ago. And for the ultimate underwater adventure, Semporna in Sabah is the gateway to Sipadan — consistently rated one of the top dive sites in the world, with swirling tornado-like schools of barracuda and jackfish, reef sharks and sea turtles in extraordinary abundance.