Pulau Langkawi will be the focus of this post. =D It is a cluster of 99 islands in Malaysia and famous with its fascinating legends, duty free shopping and beautiful beaches. (quoted from tourism.gov.my - click here for more information)
What's the legend? There is a tragic story of a beautiful young lady named Mahsuri, and it is a tale of love, jealousy and a curse that was placed upon the island by her for seven generations. Second, did I just said duty free shopping? Yes! Langkawi is where you can have cheap wines and chocolates, and also other imported items. A mug of beer here is cheaper than a cup of fruit juice. A bar of chocolate can cost RM5-10 cheaper than supermarkets. Definitely a place for alcoholics and chocolate lovers. Thirdly, you can't miss the beautiful beaches here! From tourists' favourite hang-out spot Pantai Cenang to Pantai Tengah to Tanjung Rhu. You can visit all of them if you want to, because Langkawi is a small island. Looking for an island getaway? Pulau Langkawi will be a good idea for you =D
Today, I am gonna share some experience and also my compile what I've missed out during my previous trips to put it into my wishlist. Hope it helps!
Don't know how to get there? Don't know what to eat? Don't know what to see? Don't know what to buy? Don't know where to stay? This post will help you. =)
THINGS TO EXPECT BEFORE GOING TO LANGKAWI
#1 How To Go To Pulau Langkawi
There are 2 modes of transportation to Pulau Langkawi. You can either take ferry, from multiple ports in Malaysia (Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis, Pulau Pinang aka Penang), or catch a flight to Langkawi. If you manage to get a cheap flight ticket, my suggestion would be, just fly to Langkawi. Nowadays, Malindo, Firefly and AirAsia always have promotion. Just grab one and fly. It would save you from sea sick and also a lot of traveling time.
#2 Mode of Transport in Pulau Langkawi
Please bring your driving license to Langkawi as the main mode of transport here mostly by self-drive, either a car or a motorcycle. I would recommend a car as it can carry your luggage and also it can protect you from excessive sun exposure and also heavy rain. Another point is, some roads in Langkawi get real dark at night and it might not safe for you to drive a motorcycle that time. But if you are adventurous enough, go for motorcycle! That would be a whole new chapter of travel experience. =)
Price for car rental can hike up a lot during peak season. I've got mine for RM140 for 48 hours, a small car (Proton Savvy).We picked a counter in the airport and got the car. Few months back, my friend came here on Labour Day, the people charged RM250 for 24 hours, which is almost 4 times our price. Crazy! So, best time to come to Langkawi would be off-peak season. You can enjoy the not-so-pack beach and also avoid overcharge for everything (food, car rental, hotel). Save money $$ to shop!
#3 What to See in Pulau Langkawi
I would like to recommend some place of interest for you in see in Pulau Langkawi. Hope it will help in your planning.
(a) Eagle Square (Dataran Lang) is like a significant tourist spot. If you never take a photo with this eagle, you don't seem to visit Langkawi. It is located in Kuah Town, walking distance from the Jetty. Eagle Square is the place that reflects origin of Langkawi's name. It is marked by a massive 12-meter sculpture of a reddish brown eagle which is poised to take off. Langkawi's name has been derived from reddish brown eagle (In old Malay Language, Helang means Eagle, and Kawi stands for reddish brown). This complex is open 24 hours everyday with free admission. So you can drop by anytime for a photo with the reddish-brown eagle. =D
Eagle Square
(b) Oriental Village -- This is where Langkawi cable car, 3D Museum and much more other activities. It is located at the foothills of Mt Machincang. If you are Malaysian, please show them your IC upon purchasing ticket to get discount (50% or more). The cable car is pretty scary as it is quite steep compared to the cable car in Genting Highlands. But, the view on the way up is amazing!
Beautiful view taken from the cable car.
(c) Sky Bridge is another must see. I had a hard time walking there on my first trip in April 2015. Second time is better! They shorten the trekking distance but it was still pretty tiring. You need to walk for about 10 minutes from the cable car platform in order to reach the bridge.
(d) Have a drink/dinner by the sea. During our 3D2N trip, we had lunch and dinner at Pantai Cenang and Tanjung Rhu, respectively. Island getaway is about chill and relax. So this is how you do it. Enjoy the sound of the waves, watch sunset, enjoy the blue sky and fresh air, enjoy life.
Beer and sunset. Awesome match.
Sunset at Tanjung Rhu. Though it isn't a perfect one, but I enjoyed.
Things wouldn't be perfect all the time, right?
(e) Duty free shopping. There's Coco Valley, The Zon Shopping Paradise (near Aquarium), Cenang Mall, Haji Ismail Group, Saga Duty Free Shopping Mall, etc... We went to a few of them to do price comparison. In my opinion, the price for chocolates are pretty much similar. For alcohol, each of the shopping place has their cheap items, in my opinion. Whether if you compare it one by one or not, it is still cheaper than in mainland. So, 1-2 bucks difference? Just buy and drink! On the spot! haha...
Our girls night in the hotel =D Smirnoff is too sweet!
(f) Island Hopping. This is a must do! Till Dec 2015, I have been to Pulau Langkawi for the third time and this is my first time joining island hopping tour. I regretted for not going previously. The tour is so reasonable and I enjoyed it so much!
We didn't do much homework before the trip and hence we went to the hotel reception to ask about island hopping tour. We read in some travel blogs saying that the jetty for island hopping tours isn't just the jetty at Kuah. We were confused and went to ask the receptionist. She immediately help us to call and book for an island hopping tour for RM35 per person, with free hotel pick up. Lucky day! Luckily we didn't drive all the way to Kuah without doing any booking. And true enough, the jetty for island hopping is at Pantai Tengah, only 10 minutes away from our hotel.
Dayang Bunting Marbel Geoferest Park.
You need to walk some stairs in order to reach the beautiful lake.
Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. This is a must-stop of an island hopping trip. It is believed that any woman who has difficulty conceiving will be blessed with a child if she drank the water from the inviting lake.
After the first stop at Dayang Bunting, island hopping tour continue with eagle feeding session and last stop at Pantai Beras Basah. RM35 for such scenery and boat tour, I would say it is worth the money. Must go island hopping!!
#4 Where to Stay in Pulau Langkawi
You can pick a nice resort or a cheaper boutique hotel. There are plenty along Pantai Cenang beach. If you love the beach and some nightlife, I would suggest you to book a hotel at Pantai Cenang area. If you love shopping and probably wanna catch a movie at night, Kuah may be a good choice. If you prefer a private island getaway, hotels at Tanjung Rhu area would be more suitable as it has nice beach and a distance from the town.
The Green Savvy that we rented with our hotel at the back.
We booked The Villa at Pantai Cenang area, which is quite a nice place to stay. It has a nice pool but the breakfast is quite disappointing (we didn't even eat, not many options)
#5 What to Eat in Pulau Langkawi
We had western food and also Thai food in Langkawi. There are too many types of cuisine in Pulau Langkawi. If you are hoping for awesome food like in Penang, Langkawi may disappoint you. But I enjoyed my food with the nice environment. Oh, not to forget, you might wanna try seafood here if you are from places where seafood is rare.
We had fish & chip by the beach at Scarborough Fish & Chips Restaurant at Tanjung Rhu beach. We had burger and pizza at Yellow Cafe at Pantai Cenang. We had Thai food at Wan Thai and Rose Tea 2 Restaurant. We had brunch at Red Tomato Cafe. Had so many food in 3 days! You can just google for top restaurants in Langkawi and try out. =D
Our lunch at Fat Cupid, Pantai Tengah.
It is a hidden gem where you can enjoy your lunch with pool view. =)
This is a summary of my experience in Langkawi. Hope it would be helpful ^_^
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