Pulau Langkawi is in Kedah, Malaysia. i.e, quite far away from Singapore. So, going there for just a weekend trip from Singapore is overkill. But the turn of events demanded us for a weekend trip.
Being stingy while paying for transport is one of my traits. So, my ideal itinerary is to go to Penang (bus, train, cheaper flights, or if 4+ people rent a car from Johor and hit the roads), Spend a couple of days enjoying the Malay and Chinese cuisine. Take a ferry to Langkawi and roam around for 2-3 days.
With just the weekend in hand, there is no point wasting time. Be wise and book the cheapest flight ASAP and get going!Both Air Asia and Jetstar flies to Langkawi. Our flights were so delayed that its
another funny story.
Pentai Cenang & Kuah, both places have loads and loads of budget stays. If you are going with a gang of friends, Pentai Cenang is your place to stay. Malibest, AB Motel, Aseania resorts are right on the beach!
AB Motel is where I finally got the bookings. The staff are quite co-operative and prompt in replying to e-mails. By far, the best budget hotel I have ever stayed!
Right by the beach, Spacious rooms, clean sheets & towels, hot shower, A/C, Un-intrusive staff and good price(120RM for beach side room with 2 Queen beds). What more can I ask ? :-)
Reserve the place at the earliest as it can get fully booked a bit early. Remember to ask for the rooms on the beach side. They have few rooms across the road as well.
Rent a car from the airport or ferry terminal. Bargain as shameless as you can. We got a new, well conditioned 7-seater for ~60SGD/night. Drive around the whole place, you might get lost but since it’s a relatively small island, you will soon find yourself back on familiar roads. We came across many beautiful beaches & ideal sunset view during the drives.
Newzzz ... Go around shopping, for the Duty-Free! The Zon duty free shop is right at the intersection of Pentai Cenang & Pentai Tengah. Enjoy! Also, there are many road side shops selling jewellery, clothes and many cute things. But they are touristy shops and obviously over-priced. My friends who are good at bargaining did buy some nice stuff for good price.
The pubs and restaurants are quite good. Most crowded time at pubs is around 12-1. We went to
Debbie's place by 1.30 and the whole place was ours for a few hours!
The beach offers lots of water activities - Parasailing, Jet ski, banana boat rides. If you want to play all of these, try to bargain as a package. It will come in for ~50SGD. At least, do the parasailing. The view is breath taking!! I was super thrilled as it was my first experience on a parasail :-)
I guess anyone could get that!
Do take a ride up the fantastic cable car. You go as high as 2300ft above sea level. The sky bridge and the deck themselves are awesome sights. The view from there need not be explained, right?
View of the Skybridge, from the upper deck.
And, if you turn around you see this!
You are not allowed to take any drinks/food up there. Obviously, they want you to buy it from their stalls!
There is a POS-Malaysia post box also at the top, for travelers who prefer the lightest souvenir possible - post cards.
Try to visit the famous Eagle square before 9.00. It’s quite magnificent and you have a port view from there. By the time we thought about the eagle and had our fun-ride there, it was midnight. With many pro-photographers in tow, we still managed to get a good picture :-)
Copyright Photo Courtesy :
Dragonfly
