Langkawi: Worth a Second Look

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Our Langkawi Story (19 - 22 March 2008)

Our March 08 vacation was memorable as it was the first time I'm travelling with my best friend of 16 years for an extended period of time. Together with G and C, we planned our vacation way ahead in January when Silk Air was offering her $98 air fare promotion.

Our flight to Langkawi Island took longer than usual today due to a delay in taking off @ Changi Airport. The flight itself was comfortable. However, given the short flight, there was a mad rush for the stewardess to quickly serve and remove the food trays onboard.

Touching down @ the near empty Langkawi International Airport was happy as "Welcome to Langkawi Geopark" greeted the 4 of us. It was a status accorded by UNESCO for recognising the island's efforts in preserving the natural heritage.

A short taxi ride to Pantai Cenang brought us to Sunset Beach Resort in the late afternoon of 19th March. This small resort commanded excellent views of the Andaman Sea. After a friendly encounter with the receptionist Mas, it was time to check out our accommodation. Our home for this holiday was the Garden View Chalet which C affectionately calls them “The Smurf House”.

Our room was huge and comfy with an equally spacious bathroom. The minor drawback was that there were only 3 local channels available for our pleasure, RTM 1, 2 and TV3 (Oh My God). And staying within the confines of a garden meant that mosquitos were part of the "guests" in our room. T and his wifey stayed in another chalet a couple of blocks away.

Many people who had been to beach resorts holidays would certainly associate Langkawi as another inferior cousin of Thailand or Maldives. It does not have the bustle of Phuket notorious nightlife nor Maldives luxourious villas stays. Still, the island does boast her fair share of attractions to keep the average visitor satisfied. Beautiful sunsets, thrilling cable car rides and probably the friendliest locals in Malaysia kept the 4 of us impressed.

With top beach resorts mushrooming up in the region, Langkawi have gradually lost its shine since tourism business started on the island some 21 years ago. However, for travellers seeking a place of sand and serenity in a shoe string budget, the island is certainly worth a second look.

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