I'm Rebecca Duckett- Wilkinson, Malaysian of British and Chinese parentage. I spent my happy childhood growing up on palm-oil plantations all over Peninsular Malaysia before I went overseas to study woven & printed textiles at the Parsons School of Design in New York.

After my return I decided to set up a design company, Owen Rebecca Design, with my husband Owen David Wilkinson, a Malaysian with British parentage. We designed and retailed printed resort wear using the wonderful Flora and Fauna of Malaysia as our main source of inspiration.

At the end of 1995, with our 2 young boys, we made the conscious decision to move out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's wonderful capital city. Having grown up running wild in lots of space, climbing trees, & nature at our doorsteps we wanted the same for our children.

We decided on Pangkor Island in the state of Perak. For David it was like revisiting his childhood, having spent every family summer holiday on the island for 21 years! In addition David's grandfather had a house on the island in the 1920's. He had been based just across the channel on the mainland and David vividly recalls his grandmother telling stories of tigers in the garden, & pirates coming ashore!
        
We purchased 12 acres of jungle on the southern end of the island, & while basing ourselves in Lumut, the ferry point for Pangkor, we built our wonderful rambling Malay style house, and the Hill House, our private guesthouse. We named our home Tiger Rock.

It was at this point that I came up with the idea of setting up Straits Estates, a parent company that would give selected travelers the opportunity to see Malaysia through the eyes of the people living in the various communities, rather than through a standard hotel room. By staying at these owner hosted private homes and retreats the visitor gains a true and varied account of what makes Malaysia such a special place for these people. They can experience a truly local experience and what every Malaysian is proud of - the fantastic food.

The homes available through Straits Estates are lived in by my friends and acquaintances; by descendants of the royal families, artists, architects, historians, plant collectors, experts in their fields of interest, all of whom are stylishly house proud. This is what makes Straits Estates such an exciting and satisfying option for the sophisticated traveler. We had many wonderful guests at Tiger Rock, several who have become firm and fast friends and who have returned over and over again. It is my great hope that guests of Straits Estates go away with a wonderful experience and great memories of Malaysia.

Rebecca Wilkinson
Straits Estates Sdn Bhd

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