LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA - Greg Pirkle remembers the day his Four Seasons bosses offered him the post of general manager at their recently opened property on this island of mountains and myths.

“I told them I’d get back to them,” remembers the engaging Pirkle, a New Jersey native who was GM of the Canadian brand’s award-winning Hualalai property in Hawaii at the time.

“I went straight home that night and looked up where Langkawi was located because I had never heard of it before.”

That was four years ago. Now, Pirkle hates leaving this tropical Malaysian paradise of 99 islands that juts out of the Andaman Sea just south of Thailand, even for a few days on business.

Helena Sedoh, the charming public relations co-ordinator at the Four Seasons Langkawi, shares her story about how she got here:

“A friend who was working at the resort invited me to come here for a vacation,” says the delightful Helena, a Borneo native who was an employee of British Airways in London at the time. “When I arrived and saw how beautiful it was here, I decided to return to London, quit my job, and come back to Langkawi to work.”

It was love at first sight for Helena on several fronts — she met the man who would become her husband at Langkawi, and they now have a beautiful baby daughter. They, too, dread ever leaving this heavenly outpost.

It’s funny to hear how people arrive at the Four Seasons Langkawi and never want to leave.

Left: Everything about Four Seasons Langkawi is first class. Right: The sunsets one sees on Langkawi are truly stunning.

Oh sure, the island’s captivating beauty and the welcoming warmth of its people have something to do with it. But for most visitors, it’s the natural splendour of the five-star Four Seasons Resort that really sells you on Langkawi.

Picking a favourite among Four Seasons’ outstanding inventory of spectacular tropical retreats in places like Hawaii, Bora Bora or the Maldives is never easy. They’re all special in their own way. But the Four Seasons Langkawi is just that little bit more special.

Maybe it’s because the resort looks out on several of Langkawi’s more beautiful islands just offshore, where each evening guests enjoy some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. Or maybe it’s the botanical beauty the resort comes wrapped in that charms visitors. Or the jagged limestone mountains that surround it.

Or it could also be the magnificent accommodation the Four Seasons provides, along with a world-class spa, lots of water sport activities, a family-friendly atmosphere, stunning infinity pools . . .

Obviously, there’s a lot to like about this resort — starting with its spa.

Surrounded by 15,000 square feet of serene gardens and hidden behind limestone cliffs, the Four Seasons Langkawi spa features six thatched treatment pavilions that look out on a calming reflecting pool.

Each double pavilion comes equipped with dedicated soaking tub, private change room, private steam room, outdoor rain shower and your own yoga bale.

Most importantly for guests, though, is that spa director Martin Hilton has assembled an all-star team of therapists who have few equals when it comes to technique.

That means after traditional Malaysian and Indonesian massages, or specialized treatments like the recently introduced Green Glow — a rejuvenating massage consisting of long, rhythmic strokes and gentle kneading applied with soothing, nutrient-rich virgin coconut oil — you enjoy physical ecstasy for many days afterwards.

Most of the spa treatments, like the refreshing Malaysian Mist, are inspired by the island’s rich cultural diversity. The Malaysian Mist involves a hot steam bath, a traditional Malay massage, a body scrub of organic lemongrass and coconut oils followed by an outdoor rain shower rinse.

Oh, that’s not all folks.

A soak in an outdoor tub infused with more special oils and tropical flowers follows and the Malaysian Mist treatment ends with the serving of a hot pot of Pandan herbal tea.

It’s pure heaven!

Left: The family pool area at the resort is amazing. Middle: The spa at Four Seasons Langkawi is one of the best in the business. Right: The pretty gardens at Langkawi help get you relaxed.

Yoga classes are conducted both at the spa and on the beach each morning. The resort also invites children to yoga classes where they are taught the benefits offered by the 5,000-year-old Indian practice.

The five-year-old resort is young and also young at heart. The kids’ program is among the best in the business. It uses entertaining hands-on instructions to introduce youngsters to the island’s delicate eco-system and mangrove, located not far from the property.

No wonder you see so many families occupying rooms and villas at this kid-friendly resort, which features a family infinity pool and activities designed specifically to entertain and educate young guests.

One of the special activities all members of the family enjoy is a tour of the nearby mangrove, the lifeblood of this treasured island. It’s fascinating to see youngsters’ expressions when they come face-to-face with monkeys, vipers, eagles and dolphins in the animals’ natural habitat.

The three-hour tour is led by the Four Seasons’ resident naturalist, Aidi Abdullah, a charming man who makes the eco-outing a fun experience for all members of the family. (Note: go to www.travelife.ca for another story on the mangrove tour).

The Four Seasons Langkawi and its staff are dedicated to protecting the island’s ecology; more than 150 of the resort’s permanent workers, including Sedoh and other senior staff, volunteer annually to clear the mangrove of litter that drifts in from the Andaman Sea.

“It’s a great experience which involves both staff and locals and helps us all bond while doing something very important,” says Helena.

Accommodation at the resort comes in several forms — all equally plush.

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi is modelled after Malaysia’s traditional kampongs (villages) and the 20 romantic beach villas that line the resort’s shoreline rank among the most luxurious in the world.

The beachfront villas feature nose-bleed-high ceilings and 2,369 square feet of luxury living space stuffed with amenities like outdoor and indoor showers, a plunge pool, walkout to the beach, reflecting pond, huge bathtubs, Thai-style beds dressed with the best linens, manicured gardens and breathless views.

Oh, and did I mention that each of the beach villas comes with its own spa room equipped with two massage tables and other accessories so you never have to leave this opulence.

The 68 equally impressive two-storey guest pavilions, hidden amid the resort’s botanical splendour which is lovingly looked after by a staff of 300 villagers, also feature indoor and outdoor showers and are accented with handmade batiks, Malaysian art and Arabesque details.

The bathrooms in both the pavilions and villas are sanctuaries where time soaking in over-sized bathtubs is time well spent.

You never need to go too far from your room or villa, unless, that is, you’d like to sample the culinary treats offered at one of the three superb dining spots at the Four Seasons Langkawi.

Ikan Ikan, a Malaysian-style eatery quickly jumped to the top of our favourites’ list thanks to the delicately-spiced Malay, Peranakan and Thai dishes served there. Plates of cinnamon-infused rending beef and green curry chicken in coconut milk water made our taste buds dance with delight our first night at the resort. The second night at Ikan Ikan was spent savouring pan-fried grouper (caught just offshore) served on a pillow of egg noodles.

The Italian dinner we enjoyed at Serai and the lunches at the Kelapa Grill next to the family swimming pool were also delightful, but the exotic offerings at Ikan Ikan were hard acts to follow.

Most of the ingredients that spice up evening dinners are picked fresh from a Gourmet Garden cared for by executive chef Billy Akunna, who leads guests on daily walks of the garden and explains the importance of each ingredient used in Malay cooking. The resort also offers cooking classes that introduce guests to centuries-old cooking techniques. The cooking classes cost about $75 CDN and are worth every cent.

Each of the restaurants at Four Seasons Langkawi offers guests breathtaking sea views and pre-dinner drinks at the open-air Rhu Bar allows us to snap pictures of sunsets that rank among the best we’ve ever seen.

Tearing yourself away from the Four Seasons Langkawi is never easy, but there’s so much to see and do here and the resort can arrange trips to:

• The island’s geopark, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the first of its kind in the world where you can see rare gems embedded in 550-million-year-old rocks.

• Guning Raya Aerie, Langkawi’s highest peak at 880 metres and a great place to spot rare birds.

• Matcincang Peak, where a cable car takes you on an exhilarating 2.2-kilometre ride over a forest canopy and features breathtaking views of the island;

• The Lake of the Pregnant Maiden, one of Langkawi’s many mythical places where legend has it one drink from this magical freshwater lake will help a woman become pregnant.

• The night market, where you can buy local crafts made by Muslim villagers who are some of the most welcoming people in Asia.

Once back at the resort, you can wander around its manicured landscape punctuated by Garden of Eden settings where even Adam and Eve would feel at home. Or, you can enjoy a few hours lounging around the adults-only infinity pool where three cans of Carlsberg cost just $11 during beer promotion days — hey, I told you this was paradise.

Shopping in one of the lovely boutiques on site, or curling up with a good book in the well-stocked library/business centre are other options you might consider.

But since the island is a sportsman’s paradise, I would certainly encourage you to take advantage of the resort’s complimentary windsurfing boards, Hobie Cats, kayaks or sailing dinghies for some fun on the calm waters of the Andaman Sea.

Or maybe you’d just like to lie on the sugary beach, which is combed daily of debris washed ashore the night before. The villagers who care for the beach like to chat with strangers.

From the moment you arrive at the welcoming entrance of the Four Seasons Langkawi, which is defined by five-metre-high rich-red Ayuthia walls imported from Thailand, Moghul Indian-style windows, rich woods from Borneo, and a traditional wooden gazebo floating on the reflecting pool just off the main lobby, you feel like you’ve arrived at a special place in your life.

The accommodation, the restaurants, the activities and the welcome at the Four Seasons Langkawi Resort quickly make you understand why, once here, it’s hard to leave.