Look Honey, a Honeymoon - Langkawi in Heaven?

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Thanks to a brilliant wedding gift from Jasmin, we found ourselves being gently felt-up by the velvety hand of luxury. We arrived in Langkawi at midday and headed straight for the Andaman Hotel Resort for 2 nights of accommodation diametrically opposed to our usual standards. Whether soaking up the sun on the perfect white-sand beach (see pic), lounging by the tropically-themed pool or sipping cocktails whilst taking in the sunset (see pic), we couldn’t help bit ask; ‘Where did it all go wrong?’

The hotel is a relatively new addition to a rainforest dating back millions of years and as a result, the wild life was spectacular. Birds of Paradise flocked around the pool, wild boar meandered around at night and windows had to be closed to keep the monkeys away from the fruit bowl.

Wildlife was also prominent when G went to play 18 holes at the championship course at Datai Golf Club, linked with the hotel. Not only did monkeys frequent the greens (notably more than G did! - see pic), giant snails and weird and wonderful insects were spotted. G hit one ball into the rough and after the recovery shot was soon dancing up the fairway, not because he had hit a great shot, but because he was being bitten by giant red army ants which had gone down his top! From then on, he did not look too enthusiastically for any wayward tee-shots. The course is easily the best G has ever played with perfectly maintained fairways and manicured greens set to the backdrop of mountains and palm trees (see pic). The course featured a signature hole which was a par 3 where your tee-shot onto the green had to clear 130 yards of the Andaman Sea (see pic).

Food at the hotel was exceptional. We ate at both the Japanese and Indian restaurants (where we were treated to proper wine for the first time in 3 months! - see pic). Nat spent nearly as much time in the bath as she did at the beach or by the pool!

It really was heart rendering to leave but we had a plane to catch. G has found the perfect flying t-shirt (see pic). We were headed for Kuala Lumpar on Air Asia, an Easyjet-esque set-up for low-cost travel. Whilst the airline was highly commendable, the airport security was laughable compared to know what is common-place in Western airports (see pic). As you enter the airport, your main luggage is scanned and then given back to you. 40 mins later they take it back from you and load it onto the plane. Only then do they scan your hand luggage!

KL is a great city. The Islamic influence on the architecture together with the backdrop of giant skyscrapers made for some great skylines (see pic). We visited an area of Islamic arts and education which was surrounded by some fantastic gardens, including a butterfly sanctuary which we visited. Not only were there some pretty cool butterflies hovering around (see pic) but the centre had some great displays of both live and mounted butterflies, insects, lizards, scorpions and spiders.

As we were leaving the butterfly sanctuary, the heavens opened. During the wet season, the afternoon ‘showers’ in KL are renowned. Refuge points are evident under glass domes on many streets and roads start to flood. We took a taxi to the central markets, a huge art-deco style warehouse that houses hundreds of art and craft shops. When the rain subsided, we hit the Petalin Street Markets for some (more!) shopping. We bought 2 pairs of branded trainers and 1 pair of shoes for 11 pounds! That night we sank a few in a bar and watched the Asia Games final of Sepak Takraw between Malaysia and Thailand. This is a cross between football and volleyball played with a small wooden, woven ball, very fast paced! Thailand won!

Thanks for your messages.

More pictures can be seen here.

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