Lankers

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Ahhhh Langkawi. What a delightful little place to have so conveniently placed near to my new home in Kuala Lumpur. It is a very popular holiday destination for residents of peninsular Malaysia and especially Kuala Lumpur. This is because there are many cheap flights operated daily and the island has a lot to offer. I have lived in KL for 6 months and have already been twice so I hope this makes me well qualified to write a decent blog!



KLIA2 is AirAsia’s brand new airport in KL and it really does improve the travelling experience. We arrived at the airport 1 hour before our scheduled departure. Cleared customs and made it to our gate in record time and were taking off before we knew it, on both occasions! After landing at Langkawi airport it was literally 20mins between touch down and sitting in our rental car in the carpark. Do not arrange a rental before arrival - there are LOADS waiting for you when you land.



On both occasions I stayed on Pantai Cenai, which is about a 10 minute drive from the airport. This is the main beach/area of Langkawi and has by far the most amenities and accommodation options. Kuah is the second largest place on Langkawi, but without a decent beach and as the main port of Langkawi, it does not offer as much beauty in my opinion. Pantai Cenai is busy, but it is massive so there is a little slice for everyone. Up by the end with the Hollywood style “Langkawi” sign the beach is very busy and full of jet skis and inflatables but the opposite end is quiet, clean and quite stunning. The water is clean and the beach offers great sunsets in the evening.



As for accommodation, most options along the beach are low to mid range. There are a couple of larger, more expensive outfits at either end but the majority fit into this category. On our first stay we stayed at a place set back from the beach as we were on a tight budget but it was great. Only 3mins to the beach and it was actually quite nice to be set back from it all. On our second visit we stayed at a larger hotel set on the beach. Both had their positives and negatives but one thing we learnt was that we only used the rooms to sleep in, so as long as the bed was comfortable, that was all that mattered. The high end accommodation options were bookended at each side of Pantai Cenai or on the opposite side of the island (Four Seasons, Tanjung Rhu Resort, etc.).



So what did we do? Hiring a car is a good option for this island, both times we got a decent little car for 100RM a day and 20RM in petrol was enough for a 3 day trip. It really does help to have a car on this island because a lot of the attractions are scattered in each corner of the island. There are also a lot of hidden beaches that are accessible by car. There are 3 waterfalls listed on the map to visit, a number of different beaches, a couple of mountain top attractions and many more. But my top 2 are the cable cars/skybridge and Tanjung Rhu beach.



The cable cars are located on the North Western tip of the island - about 20km north of Pantai Cenai beach. There is plenty of parking and the road is well signposted. You have to walk through the “oriental village” to get to the entrance to the cable cars (which is a bit of a strange place). It is 35RM a person to go on the cable cars and walk on the skybridge. I would say this is a bargain!! As soon as the cable car leaves the ground station an eerie silence surrounds everyone and the views instantly take your breath away. The last quarter of the trip is extremely steep and I believe it is the second steepest cable car ride in the world (they do claim to be the first steepest but the internet says differently). The views from the top are stunning and the skybridge is an almost impossible architectural feat.



Tanjung Rhu is a privately owned stretch of beach but they allow visitors as long as you don’t wonder onto the section reserved for the guests at the 4 seasons and Tanjung Rhu resort. There is plenty of beach to explore yourself regardless of this restriction and it is beautiful. The sand is sparkling white and the water is clear and calm. It is a beautiful place to spend a day and there are plenty of food and drink options around to keep you fuelled.



One thing that Langkawi is missing is some decent snorkelling. The island is not blessed with a coral fringe so although the water is nice and clear, there is nothing to see. To cater for this, there are about 100 different hawkers on Pantai Cenai offering snorkelling trips out to the national marine park. We thought we would give one a try on our second trip to Langkawi and it was a terrible decision. I don’t normally vent any anger on this blog but I would really encourage people to think before going on this trip. All the hawkers are offering the same trip, to the same stretch of beach so it is PACKED. I mean ridiculously packed. I have never seen so many people in a small cove snorkelling. The organisation is poor, the food was terrible and the snorkelling was bad. To top it all off, they were feeding the fish to encourage small black tips sharks and some larger shoals of fish to the area, which seemed to keep the locals happy. Such a shame because just 30km away in Koh Lipe I had one of the best snorkelling trips ever.





Overall, Langkawi is a nice option for a more “western” style holiday on an Asian island. Plenty of restaurants, shops, beaches, attractions and space but you will not be getting a very authentic experience. Just come for the sun, sea and fun.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Skybridge
Fantastic. Sometimes the western world creeps into Asia. Glad you had fun on the beaches.