After 2 nights in Kuala Lumpur, we left for Langkawi. This is the second part of my Malaysia Diaries. We chose Langkawi over Jenting Highlands primarily because of the beaches. Langkawi has some of the finest beaches in Asia; with water that is aquamarine in color. Langkawi is an archipelago of around 100 odd islands of which Pulau Langkawi ( the island most tourists go to ) is the largest. In the Malay language, Langkawi is called Langkawi Permata Kedah ( Langkawi the jewel of Kedah ) - And trust me, the islands are truly jewels ! The islands are separated from the mainland by the straits of Malacca, the northern tip is very close to Thailand. The island was believed to be cursed till as recently as 1986 ( Who knew ! ) until of course the govt. started promoting tourism. It is now a duty free island that encourages tourism.

To Langkawi, there are many flights from KL (most with an interval of 1 hour each ). The flight takes less than an hour and costs around 5000 – 6000 INR. Flying over these islands is truly a beautiful experience! On the flight with us were around 50 women from Australia who had been awarded a holiday to Langkawi for reaching the sales targets of their company (think it was a lingerie company). They were as excited as we were.

The Langkawi International Airport was one of the smallest I have seen (and also one of the closest to the sea). We had booked 2 nights at the Four Points by Sheraton (Compare for deals – you can save at least 500 INR by applying coupons or comparing). We knew the hotel was very close to the airport, but landed up paying the minimum cab fare of Rs 500 INR. No negotiation here!

The swimming pool by the beach, Four Points by Sheraton

In the short drive to the hotel, we got a pretty good idea how beautiful Langkawi actually is. The hotel was impressive at first sight. The huge lobby overlooked the swimming pool (which is supposedly the biggest in Langkawi) which in turn overlooked the water. We were thrilled. Checking in was easy – the rooms were comfortable and clean. No complaints! We didn’t do much on the day we landed – lazed around in the pool and walked on the beach.

The next day, we had taken a full day tour of the island – this included a boat ride via the Kilim Geoforest Park, mangroves, eagle and monkey feeding, fish feeding (this was totally new for me), lunch on a floating restaurant, a walk through the bat cave, some time on one of the most pristine beaches I have seen and a cable ride. We paid around 4000 INR. It was totally worth it. For a vegetarian like me, I was apprehensive to eat lunch in the middle of the sea. But I must say, the clear veggie soup and the veg fried rice were amazing. If you get a chance, do hold the bloat fish (I know there are probably plenty of floating restaurants – but while signing on a tour, ask if you can see the ray and the bloat fish). If you have more days at the island, you can do a lot more – for example, island hoping tour (which we did consider), Snorkeling, Kayaking etc.

Lush green roads

Fish feeding, part of our tour

Entrance to the bat cave

Hundreds of bats lined the cave

The weather got really wild for a while, the waters got rough

The bloat fish !

We touched the ray :)

The beautiful pristine Thanjung Rhu beach

The top most point of the cable ride

Mangroves

The Pantai Cenang area is filled with small eateries. We tried out the Breakfast Bar – I would recommend it to anyone going to Langkawi. This was again a cab ride away. I suggest you try hiring a car / scooter – the island is beautiful – and you may feel more mobile if you have your own vehicle. 

At the breakfast bar !

The amazing holiday was made better by the company.


Of the colorful fish and the bats, Of caves and mangroves, Of green waters and white sand, Langkawi is a multitude of colors that’s a feast to the eye.

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