Langkawi is one of the largest islands in Malaysia and is a centre for tourism and Thai visa runs. We stayed in the north west in a small guesthouse on Pantai Tengah. It was cheap, clean, had AC and was only a 5 minute walk (through a resort) to the beach.
The beach area is a quite a bit quieter than the main beach at Pantai Cenang and the sand not as fine, so we wondered up the coast to check it out.
The walk from where we were staying took about 20 minutes or so, but as we were stopping lots, it took a good hour. We stopped along the way to check out a fruit stall, as we had not actually done so so far. The chap was lovely and gave us a taster of pretty much everything. Durian stank and, even though it tasted a little better, still wasn't to our taste. Our favourite was the Mangosteen, which had sweet white/clear pulp and was really nice, similar to a peeled lychee but larger - we'll definitely pick some up next time we see some.
The town of Pantai Cenang was very touristy. Langkawi is a duty free island so there are quite a few shops of this nature - not that the stuff in them was any good, but still. There are many places to eat and few bars and quite a few money changes (non of which had Thai Baht (THB)), oh and a Starbucks!
The beach at Pantai Cenang has very fine sand which is lovely and powdery on the toes, but there were a lot of cars, jet skis and people on the beach, which compacted the sand so it was harder under foot than the beach at Pantai Tengah. We actually decided we preferred the beach where we were staying as it was a lot less busy, sand was softer (even though it was not as fine) and there were no cars. Anyways, after a nice sunset with some beers, we decided to go for an Indian - we had had a lot of noodles and local cuisine so thought it was time for a change - for our first Indian since India, and we settled on a rather nice but unassuming place, which had tables on the beach.
With two days left we decided to have one on the beach and one driving around the island. The day on the beach, was, well a day on our local beach, just sitting relaxing - you get the picture. We also thought we would 'accidentally' go for a swim in the Holiday Villas resort pool.
On our final day we picked up a car (80 MYR), which, how can I say, had a character, and headed off around the island to explore.
Our first stop (after sorting our ticket to Koh Lipe, finally finding some Thai baht and breakfast) was the SkyCab/SkyBridge. They seem to have added 'Sky' to the front of most pieces of entertainment or even shop. There was SkyRex (something to do with dinosaurs), SkyShop, SkyCamera - you name it there was Sky[enter name]. We however were only interested in getting up to the top on the SkyCab to access the SkyBridge. It seems that they have got a little carried away with the whole 'Sky thing' and built lots of other pieces of 'entertainment' which, in our eyes, were a little pointless and not what everyone there was there to see.
You have lots of combo options, but funnily enough not one for just the SkyCab (a gondala) and the SkyBridge. We had to buy a ticket for the SkyCab, SkyDome and SkyRex for 45MYR (local proce 30 MYR), even though we were not interested in the latter two. Oh and they also don't allow you to take bottles of water or drink in (even though you can buy them in there), but you can take them in a bag or take a flask (strange...) and after all the other things you have to pay for you also have to pay to pee!
The SkyDome was completely pointless. It is a round dome with projections on the ceiling. You are then shown a film of a roller coaster... and that is it! Quite bizarre.
Anyway, we proceeded to the SkyCab and headed up the mountain. The views from the top are spectacular and the platforms give you a 360 degree view of (most) of the island. You need to pay an additional 5 MYR for the SkyBridge if you walk down to it on some rather rickety steps, or 15 MYR if you want to take the SkyGlide (aka the lift). The bridge is worth the extra money, as it is quite spectacular (if a little smaller than we thought) and has sections of glass floor so you can see the drop beneath your feet!
After a few hours, we decided to miss SkyRex, and head to other parts of the island.
Next up was the seven wells waterfall, which was nice and we went for a quick dip to cool off in the pools at the base (we couldn't be bothered in the heat to head up to the top).
This was swiftly followed by stop at Scarborough Fish and Chips (yum yum) and a few hours on the beaches. The Tanjung Rhu Beach had a particularly nice outlook, even if the water was a little cloudy) and there was nice shade at the back (just watch out for jelly fish).
On our trip back the scenery was beautiful, we stopped at some interesting temples, picked up some beers and got back just in time for sunset.
Our pick of the places to eat was Cactus opposite the Holiday Villa resort. Their specials were to die for (Rendang and the Squid curry!) and beer was a reasonable 3.50MYR. There was a good vibe and lots of expats on visa runs who knew the owner and staff, so it must be the pick of the bunch!
Next up Thailand - Koh Lipe - check out our blog on getting from Langkawi to Koh Lipe.
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| Pantai Tengah |
The walk from where we were staying took about 20 minutes or so, but as we were stopping lots, it took a good hour. We stopped along the way to check out a fruit stall, as we had not actually done so so far. The chap was lovely and gave us a taster of pretty much everything. Durian stank and, even though it tasted a little better, still wasn't to our taste. Our favourite was the Mangosteen, which had sweet white/clear pulp and was really nice, similar to a peeled lychee but larger - we'll definitely pick some up next time we see some.
 |
| A mangosteen |
The beach at Pantai Cenang has very fine sand which is lovely and powdery on the toes, but there were a lot of cars, jet skis and people on the beach, which compacted the sand so it was harder under foot than the beach at Pantai Tengah. We actually decided we preferred the beach where we were staying as it was a lot less busy, sand was softer (even though it was not as fine) and there were no cars. Anyways, after a nice sunset with some beers, we decided to go for an Indian - we had had a lot of noodles and local cuisine so thought it was time for a change - for our first Indian since India, and we settled on a rather nice but unassuming place, which had tables on the beach.
 |
| Pantai Cenang |
On our final day we picked up a car (80 MYR), which, how can I say, had a character, and headed off around the island to explore.
 |
| Nice wheels! |
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| The lift up... otherwise known as the SkyCab |
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| Chris carrying Jules across the SkyBridge |
Anyway, we proceeded to the SkyCab and headed up the mountain. The views from the top are spectacular and the platforms give you a 360 degree view of (most) of the island. You need to pay an additional 5 MYR for the SkyBridge if you walk down to it on some rather rickety steps, or 15 MYR if you want to take the SkyGlide (aka the lift). The bridge is worth the extra money, as it is quite spectacular (if a little smaller than we thought) and has sections of glass floor so you can see the drop beneath your feet!
 |
| The SkyBridge |
Next up was the seven wells waterfall, which was nice and we went for a quick dip to cool off in the pools at the base (we couldn't be bothered in the heat to head up to the top).
This was swiftly followed by stop at Scarborough Fish and Chips (yum yum) and a few hours on the beaches. The Tanjung Rhu Beach had a particularly nice outlook, even if the water was a little cloudy) and there was nice shade at the back (just watch out for jelly fish).
 |
| Tanjung Rhu Beach |
Our pick of the places to eat was Cactus opposite the Holiday Villa resort. Their specials were to die for (Rendang and the Squid curry!) and beer was a reasonable 3.50MYR. There was a good vibe and lots of expats on visa runs who knew the owner and staff, so it must be the pick of the bunch!
Next up Thailand - Koh Lipe - check out our blog on getting from Langkawi to Koh Lipe.
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