Upcoming 'hot' TAR&H projects in Desaru, Johor

By Sharen Kaur
Published in NST on April 25, 2016


       THINGS are heating up at Desaru Coast, a 17km-long integrated beachfront destination in Johor with luxury resorts, hotels, golf courses, residences and entertainment offerings.
 
  Over the next 18 months, Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotels (TAR&H) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, will be opening parts of the development starting with two championship golf courses - the 27-hole Els Club Desaru Coast and the 18-hole Els Club Desaru Valley.
 
  The Els Club Desaru Coast's Ernie Els signature-designed 27-hole golf course, with a 45,000 sq ft clubhouse, is scheduled to open in the third quarter of the year.
 
  Operated by the world's leading luxury brand golf management company, Troon Golf, the championship golf course is designed with the plan of hosting international professional tournaments.
 
  Meanwhile, the Els Club Desaru Valley's 18-hole golf course is designed by world-renowned professional golfer and former world No. 1 player Vijay Singh in cooperation with Ernie Els Design.
 
  This facility was scheduled to open by the end of the year or early next year, said TAR&H Group managing director and chief executive officer Tunku Datuk Ahmad Burhanuddin.
 
  "Next, we will open the hotels."
 
  Desaru Coast will have four branded resorts, namely Aman-branded Resort & Aman Villas, Westin Desaru Resort, Anantara Desaru Resort & ; Villas and Desa Hotel (the working title of the development and not the actual name).

Anantara

  Ahmad said the Aman-branded Resort would open either late this year or early next year.
 
  The other properties slated to open next year are Westin Desaru Resort, Desa Hotel, an 8.4ha water park, a conference centre and a retail village.
 

Artist impression of Desaru Adventure Park

  "We will open these properties at one go next year. Anantara Desaru Resort is not under construction yet. They (Minor Hotel Group) are building that for us and it would probably open after 2017," he said.
 
  "Apart from that, we are working on getting all the normal attractions done in Desaru Coast, such as the beach attractions, extreme park and sporting activities similar to Sentosa Island in Singapore.
 
  "We will ramp it up to ensure there are enough for families and all the different markets. We will have a lot of activities but they will be skewed towards big boys' toys like boats, cars, 4x4 drives, go-karts and archery," he said.
 
  Ahmad said the other developments in Desaru Coast would open progressively from 2017 to 2022.
 
  In total, Desaru Coast will be built on a 1,667ha site. The Phase 1 (golf courses, hotels, waterpark, conference centre and retail village) will take up slightly over 625ha.
 
  It was reported that the gross development value for Phase 1 was about RM5 billion.
 
  "On the plans for Phase 2 up to Phase 5, we are looking at over five years from 2017 to 2022. We don't want to build everything in one go.
 
  "But we are happy with what is happening around Desaru Coast. If you look at Pengerang and the refinery and petrochemical integrated development project, we think we are in a good location to capitalise on the expansion of oil and gas projects over there.
 
  "There will be a lot of professionals living there or wanting to live around that area. We think we can be the fun capital.
 
  "We are also quite happy with what is happening in Forest City where a lot of developments are happening in the west coast of Johor. We believe many investors are going to buy houses there. They would need a place to go and have fun so we are gearing ourselves for that.
 
  "Obviously, the most important market is Singapore. The pristine skyline and beach views will be a great attraction to Singapore investors. This is our concept."
 
  Ahmad said there would be landed residences in Desaru Coast, developed by UEM Sunrise Bhd.
 
  The exclusive resort lifestyle residences will feature bungalows and semi-detached and super-link houses, which will be built around the two golf courses.
 
  "The whole idea of Desaru Coast is we don't want to build a concrete jungle. We do not want to build skyscrapers and such things. We are trying to keep it low.
 
  "The tallest structure in Desaru Coast will be about four to five storeys. We want to create this oasis where people want to be in," he said.
 
  TAR&H serves as a catalyst for the leisure and tourism industry by bringing premier world-class hotels, resorts, golf courses and attractions to the region.
 
  Its current key investment portfolio includes Legoland Malaysia - the sixth Legoland in the world and the first in Asia; KidZania Kuala Lumpur and KidZania Singapore - indoor family education and entertainment centres; Puteri Harbour - a quay-side lifestyle retail and family entertainment complex; and Sanrio Hello Kitty Town - the first of its kind outside of Japan.
 
  Others include Thomas Town - an indoor theme park that features the famous Thomas & Friends characters on multiple themed rides; The Datai Langkawi and the first Els Club in Southeast Asia - Els Club Teluk Datai in Langkawi.