Better known as the the Duty Free Island, the 45 minutes plane ride is surely worth it to the shopper's haven to of course take home a reasonable amount of tax free goods.
A 4D 3N trip would be ideal to enjoy the virgin white sand beaches with crystal clear water and of course have some drinks by the beach accompanied by mesmerizing sunset.
Traveling to the magical island is made easier with AirAsia tickets going for as low as RM20 two ways which we booked in May and enjoyed recently (August 5, 6, 7, 8). However, be prepared for delays, as our flight scheduled for 10am only took off at 11.30am. Once at the airport, taxis are at your disposal to take you to your hotel. If you're staying in Cenang (which is highly recommended), your fare should be nothing more than RM20 (for two passengers and luggage).
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| Sandy Beach Resor in Cenang beach |
One hotel I would suggest is Sandy Beach Resort in Cenang. Per night would cost you about RM150 (or less for other rooms) and the resort does not require you to pay a deposit. Another plus is the food, grill stuff (starts from 3pm) is really good and priced reasonably (dinner for two from about RM40).
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| Delish grill candle light dinner by the beach at Sandy Beach Resort |
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| Spa in Sandy Beach Resort |
A tip I would like to share, is not to get hotels that are beautifully advertised online. For example, Tube Hotel is a unique one but the location is a little off. It's not only far from Cenang but situated where you don't see it from the roadside. And according to a cab driver (this was the day before we rented a bike) the hotel is not located by the beach but facing the sea, so what a waste! Besides there are no businesses around the area, what more nightlife. So instead of getting a hotel far from the heart of Langkawi, it is better to stay where everything is. This way you don't have to spend on transportation.
However, don't expect to see clubs, perhaps that's why I fell in love with the island. It's the kind of far away island where you pick up some bottles from the duty free zon and just enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle. The island to relax is it!
Not forgetting the joy of a good massage after a stroll at the night market. If you get hungry, there are food trucks waiting for you along the street. Some of the things you could also do at the night market are hand art (henna), temporary tattoos, souvenirs including customized magnets, key chains and phone cases.
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| The Breakfast Bar in Cenang |
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| The best sign I've seen! |
My favorite place to have breakfast on the island, is the Breakfast Bar. You are not going to have a hard type looking for any of this places as they are all along Cenang. But if course, you could also go for your Malaysian breakfast of roti canai and nasi lemak, which we did the next day! The Langkawi breakfast is pretty wholesome for RM11 with coffee or tea. It was more of the ambience I fell in love with.
If the person in charge is around, you could also get your personalized board designed and put up along with lovely signs by guest from all over the world who have visited the nature inspired cafe. I was looking at having Journalist2Jabber among the many signs, the next trip perhaps.
Near the entrance, there's a little hut like stall selling handmade accessories (dreamcatcher earnings!), bags, bracelet, t-shirts and more.
I got myself a first handmade dreamcatcher earing. Looking forward to show it off!
If you're a happy feet fan, go over to the Underwater World. I had an enjoyable time watching the penguins show off their swimming skills and lay on the rocks after stuffing themselves. The best time to visit, is 'feeding time' at 3.30pm.
It was really relaxing to watch fishes swim so close while ur in a tank, an experience similar to being under the sea! Located next to the duty free mall in Cenang, it 's a short walk from any of the hotel you've checked in at.
SCONES & COFFEE/TEA?
Right opposite the Underwater World, is where you get the best scones served warm with jam and cream! I also had their signature caramel coffee, a perfect marriage in my mouth while it was drizzling outside.
There's a number of nice restaurants to suit your taste buds from Arabian, Indian, Chinese to Mexican. Some are only open for dinner though. Most restaurants can cafes also offer lovely accessories. Paradise Craft (opposite the Underwater World) has nice bangles at RM10. The overly advertised restaurant Tomato is just next to it.
Not much is mentioned about small businesses that cook up own recipes. One such is the Hainanese Chicken Rice shop two doors away from Tomato. it was delish! Simple meals always make the best comfort food.
All that walking and eating can be tiring, so why not enjoy fish spa, cause the fishes need to eat too!A 20 minutes fish spa cost RM10 while you could add a RM5 to make it 30 minutes at Ratu Maya Spa, Cenang.
If you are planning to travel out to take some pictures at the iconic Helang, it's best to rent a car or bike. Cars are available from RM50 while bikes while cost you RM30 per day. This is a cheaper option instead of cabbing to the town located about 20 minutes away from Cenang. the Chinese uncle we rented our bike from, who was fluent in Malay was such an amazing person. We even got a discount for the second day bike rental! Contact him at 012-4538218.
Renting a vehicle is also best if you are planning to get on the cable car (tickets are prices at RM25 per person) also about 20 minutes away from Cenang. We rented a bike and it was an enjoyable experience with nature on both sides of the road along the journey. This places of interest are easily wazed and there's enough signs along the way.
But of course the other best thing to do, is island hopping! All you got to do is walk around and book a slot for RM30 each. There's usually two sessions, one in the morning at 8am or at 2pm. The whole trip takes about 4 -5 hours, inclusive of a visit to Pulau Dayang Bunting (one hour), eagle feeding pit stop and another hour at Pulau Beras Basah. A heads up if you are going in a group of say 10, don't buy the tickets separately (10xRM30=RM300) instead, book the whole boat for just RM250! Look for HBS EVERGREEN TOURS in Cenang.
Be sure to bring extra clothes on this one, cause you are sure to get wet. Also, bring along some drinks and snacks. I would just caution you about carrying any plastic bags, do bag pass instead, cause as you walk on the trail to the lake in Dayang Bunting, monkeys await you and they stole my ribena! Keep some small change in hand, there's a RM1 entry fee per person there as well.
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Tattoo lovers..if you are thinking travel tattoo, there one cute little cottage place with a great artist, Jay. You won't miss this one in Cenang as well. See, there's so much happening there! To mark my trip to the land of duty free, I got myself one sponsored by the husband! What better could I have gotten other than one that says 'Wanderlust', personalized with an anchor and paper plane. Do check out this place, great work at a reasonable price. See you soon Jay.
Before leaving, we managed to mark our trip mirroring the Love Padlocks on Pont des Art, Paris. Till we see you again Langkawi and soon Paris!
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