THE motor on the fisherman's canoe slowly cut through the jungle noises, briefly interrupting the feeling that the paradise island was all ours. The sun sizzled down on the forest canopy, but the fisherman was wearing a thick woollen balaclava above his T-shirt and shorts.

"He is protecting from the heat," our captain pointed out helpfully as the canoe whirred past and the man waved.

Malaysia is hot and steamy, a country carved out of the jungle. Out in the Malacca Straits, with the sights and sounds of the Spice Islands filling your senses, it seems a much more exotic hideaway than the Caribbean.

Pankgor Laut is an award-winning resort on its own island, three miles from the mainland. It is a village of jungle villas and bungalows on stilts in several glittering bays.

This is where Joan Collins honeymooned with latest husband Percy Gibson last year. "The most incredible water," she said when she got back. "Completely blue and warm, and just utter heaven."

A speedboat takes you up to the resort reception, set above a beach studded with granite monoliths. The crossing is fantastic, but Joan may have taken the offer of a helicopter from Kuala Lumpur.

The island is small -- you can walk across it in 20 minutes. On the other side of a jungle teeming with hornbills, macaque monkeys and lizards lies Emerald Bay.

Turquoise waves roll hypnotically into a perfect, sheltered bay -- white sand edged with swaying palms and bright flowers. As the waiter brings your drink you could spare a thought for someone who had it a bit rougher than you -- the British hero of the East, Sir Spencer Chapman. Sir Spencer led a unit of commandos that harassed the Japanese throughout these islands during the Second World War.

It was from Emerald Bay in 1945 that he escaped from a very tight spot, swimming out under cover of dark to a British submarine, the HMS Statesman.

No submarines rose out of the warm water's gentle currents as I paddled about. Back on the beach, waiters in crisp white aprons served a wonderful lunch of red snapper, squid and steak.

Pavarotti fell in love with Pangkor Laut, and no doubt enjoyed the incredible seafood too.

"I almost cried when I saw how beautiful God had made this paradise," the Tenor said after singing at the resort's opening in 1994.

The newest part of the resort is the Spa Village. Relaxation and pampering are everything, and children under 16 are not allowed.

I had a Japanese shiatsu massage in a pagoda scattered with frangipani petals, as the sea rolled onto the beach under my head.

Bathing is a crucial part of the experience: refreshing Malaysian baths, warm Japanese rockery pools, Shanghai scrubs and Chinese foot pounding (actually quite gentle) are all tucked away amid the palms.

Consultants can advise on what aromatherapy or ayervedic treatment will make you forget your worries most effectively. There are body wraps, seaweed baths, and couples can even be taught to massage each other.

And the food is fantastic, whether you eat at the new Fisherman's Cove, the Royal Bay Beach Club, or one of the other resort restaurants.

At Uncle Lim's, a circular Chinese place overlooking the bay, you can discuss your meal with Uncle Lim himself.

In fact, there is no menu. Uncle Lim's specialities are Nyonya and Hockchew home cooking, but you tell him what sort of wonderful, fresh and aromatic dishes you want, and he will whip it up.

Dinner here, followed by a moonlit walk back to your bungalow with the surf breaking below your feet is not quickly forgotten.

We went on a day trip on the resort's Chinese junk to a string of jungle-studded beaches rising out of the Malacca Straits.

The four-man crew transports you to your very own Robinson Crusoe island, where you can fish, explore, go snorkelling or just lie around in the surf.

As you sip a drink and watch the sea eagles flap out of the jungle rising above you, the crew prepares a traditional curry (in fact, several curries, with delicious vegetables and chutneys), served on a banana leaf.

We were finishing lunch as the fisherman buzzed past in his canoe -- the first person we had seen all day.

As he would tell you, much of Malaysia is poor. But you could easily forget that when you first arrive in Kuala Lumpur, the most ambitious of capitals and home of the world's tallest buildings.

The steel minarets of the twin 1,480ft Petronas Towers were put up before the Asian economic crisis hit the so-called Tiger economies hard in the late 1990s. But the country has started again, and most signs point to a continued recovery. Kuala Lumpur is great for shopping, and much more fun than Singapore.

Plush designer malls, crafts and electronics boutiques compete with the noisy market stalls and fakes of Chinatown.

Malaysia is great value. Where else could you buy a £3 Rolex, or a Nike T-shirt for £2? They are all "genuine replicas," just like the DVDs of Attack of the Clones and Spider-Man.

As a genuinely multi ethnic country, the smallest city street can reveal a Sikh temple, a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple, a Christian church -- or a mosque, because Malaysia is officially an Islamic state.

Everyone seemed wonderfully tolerant, and hospitality is a big part of all beliefs here.

Crime is not a problem compared with other Asian cities.

It is an exciting city that makes a great introduction to the East for first time visitors. It also represents great value as a stopover for shopping, eating and going out -- or just breaking a journey Down Under.

The finest meals in the city cost no more than £20 per head for food from all over the region. Alternatively, sticks of traditional satay meat and cold beers cost next to nothing on the street.

Golfers should take a tip from the Japanese businessmen who regularly fly seven hours to play weekend rounds in Malaysia, enjoying low green fees, challenging courses and even night tournaments under floodlights.

Manchester United fans will feel at home in Kuala Lumpur's Red Cafi, or hanging out under one of the many Man Utd bus stops.

The best address in Kuala Lumpur is a long one. Carcosa Seri Negara is the former British resident's twin colonial mansions, now converted to a world-class hotel with just 14 suites and more butlers than guests.

Almost as opulent is the Shangri-La, which has recently had a multimillion pound facelift. From the pool you can gaze up at the Petronas Towers on one side, or the 900ft KL Tower on the other. Have the hotel book your dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top.

Kuala Lumpur is a great place to have fun and spend money, but it may still not make up for leaving glorious Pangkor Laut.

So as you watch the sunset from the huge, open-air bath that completes your perfect water bungalow, just think -- where would Joan have chosen for dinner, that is, if Percy let her out of the villa.

TRAVELFACTS

Daniel Wallis went to Malaysia as a guest of Kuoni Travel (01306 747008) and Tourism Malaysia. He stayed at Pangkor Laut resort and the five-star Shangri-La hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuoni twin centre stay- three nights' room-only in de luxe room at Shangri-La and seven nights' room-only at Pangkok Laut resort, incl economy flights with Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow, domestic flights from Kuala Lumpur, and transfers to resort, starts at £1,236 per person (two sharing).

Economy flights to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Airlines start around £450. Reservations : 020 7341 2040.

Tourism Malaysia, 57 Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DU (020 7930 7932, www.malaysia.org, www.tourismmalaysia.com).

Contact your local ABTA travel agent for more on Malaysia

MALAYSIA SIDEBAR

If relaxing in Malaysia is the last thing on your mind, have no fear.

Kuala Lumpur's nightclubs and bars are lively, with places like Warp and the Backroom keeping thousands of local youngsters jumping to house music all night.

If you are passing through on your way to the more-common backpacker spots of Bangkok and Singapore or Bali, remember, there is a mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking in this country. Don't say no one told you.

They can also take a urine test from you at the border. If you test positive for drugs, a judge can jail you, put you in hospital, or deport you.

So perhaps extreme sports are safer. Everywhere offers bungee jumps and whitewater rafting, but Malaysia doesn't mess about - it is one of the only places to allow base-jumping.

Base-jumping is throwing yourself off a very tall building or cliff, with only a parachute to stop it being a unique experience. In Malaysia, you can do it off the tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers.

OK, so not off the very top, but from the 73rd floor the other skyscrapers look pretty tiny down below. More than 50 jumpers from 16 countries took part last year. If you fancy the ultimate thrill to go with your ultimate trip, check out the date of the annual competition.