Langkawi - the "Jewel of Kedah"

22 December 2024

 

We decided to visit Langkawi after watching a YouTube video while in Kuala Lumpur. A Dutch blogger had stayed there recently with his family. It all looked very compelling as they toured around a huge mangrove forest with stunning limestone formations in a speedboat, visited a cave of bats, fed captive fish, got up skin-close to a horde of monkeys and observed a soaring colony of eagles. They also drove a cheap rental car on immaculate and largely empty roads to pristine (and quite deserted) white-sand beaches.

If the reality was a little different (for example, to attract the eagles and please their camera-toting customers, many tour operators churn chicken fat or other foodstuff into the water behind the boats, disrupting the birds’ natural feeding patterns and damaging the ecosystem), the mangrove forest tour was still worthwhile. And to be fair, the four speedboats carrying our group did indeed bring us to a deserted beach, complete with white sand, turquoise-blue waters and craggy cliffs.

Langkawi was a cool place to escape to after the hubbub of Kuala Lumpur. Yes, you can spend your time traveling around the island to visit the landmark sites and attractions, such as the Langkawi cable car with its hanging/ suspended skybridge or the nearby seven waterfall trek with its steep steps but also refreshing rock pools. There is also Kuah, a very laid back capital with its imposing tower and Eagle Square.

We did that for a few days but then we spent the rest of our time there in a rather expensive but wonderfully relaxing resort called La Villa. The type of place where you can access the pool directly from your room. It was close to Cenang Beach (which felt more like being in Bali and not in a good way), with its strip of restaurants and busy malls offering duty-free goods (indeed, the whole island is duty-free). However, we only went there once, preferring the peace and quietness of our little resort.

Langkawi may not be to everyone’s taste, some may find it rather boring compared to Bali for instance, but if you are after a quiet place to chill, on an island boasting an array of impressive rock formations surrounded by ancient jungle and rainforests, vast caves with stalactites and stalagmites, winding mangrove reveries, sea caves and tunnels, wildlife and waterfalls, tasty Malaysian seafood and an unhurried, family-friendly atmosphere, this is the place for you.