Villa Samadhi – A Samadhi Retreats Property

It seems impossible, but smack in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, a city that gives new meaning to the word “bustling,” is a serene, luxe little hideaway called Villa Samadhi. Plenty of hip hotels seek to put their patrons in the metropolis’s glittering, garish nerve center. Here’s where to stay if you’d rather see trees than towers, hear coos rather than honks, be sedate rather than stimulated.

Most of the accommodations ring a lovely lagoon. Some have kitchens, some have gardens, some have balconies that extend over the courtyard and Jacuzzis similarly open to the elements — examples of the villa-within-a-hotel concept Villa Samadhi is aiming for. Some have double-wide showers and personal plunge pools. All are temperate and restrained. Interiors feature polished floors and elaborately carved screens, among other indigenous details. And atop the hotel’s thatched roof sits a private lounge, with views of the upscale neighborhood that surrounds, serving drinks and the occasional bite.

Because you’ll be close enough to get to the major shopping and attractions for which the city is known, and because it’s run by the folks who operate several highly regarded restaurants around town — FOOK, Tamarind Springs, and the award-winning Tamarind Hill — Villa Samadhi essentially gives you two vacations for the price of one. It’s easy enough to experience the buzz of city life, if that’s what you’re after; it’s even easier to bask in the calm of Villa Samadhi itself.