Langkawi is a group of 99 islands off the West coast of Malaysia and is a popular vacation spot for Asian and Middle Eastern people. Two of the biggest things Langkawi is known for is marble (kawi) and eagles (helong), hence the name Langkawi!
Less than 20% of Langkawi is developed, it’s the first UNESCO Geopark in SE Asia, and there is loads of reserve forest and mangroves making it natural and unique. Let’s get started with a little travel guide to Langkawi.
Quick facts about Langkawi
- Money: 1 USD is equal to 3.77 Malaysian ringgits. Some prices for example: you can rent scooters at about 35 rinngits (9.30 USD) and use a public toilet for 1 ringgit (.25 cents USD), while most basic meals come in at 10 ringgits (2.7 USD).
- SIM card: You can get SIM cards easily at little shops. The best for this area is Celcom.
- Tourist Area: 10 minutes from the airport is Cenang (Patai Cenang) which has many hotels, tourists, western fast food along side Malay street food, spas and a nice beach with all kinds of water sports.
- We used Naam tours, which cater to luxury or comfortable travel. We didn’t have any issues with this company and our driver, Azmann, was really cool.
- Duty Free shopping: Langkawi became a duty-free port in 1987. There are many duty-free shops, so you’ll be able to get great deals on imported things you may need. If you’re here on vacation it’s still not cheaper than home but for us, it’s cheaper than India.
- Monsoon season: The rains are in the months of March until November, but it is not a big monsoon like I have in India. It may rain a couple of hours each day or not at all.
- Beaches: You have many options but Datai Bay is a “don’t miss”- ranked #9 of 10 best beaches in the world by National Geographic.
- How to dress: practice what I preach, not what I do. I wore tank tops but really you should probably wear a t-shirt (although most tourists and some younger local girls wore tank tops). It’s mostly a Muslim country and most tourists are from Saudi so you don’t want to wear clothes that look revealing. For swimming, I wore a swimsuit with shorts overtop and kept my lifejacket on to keep covered more.
Where to stay in Langkawi
- For high-end check out Andaman Langkawi which is on the nicest beach in Langkawi & Top 10 beach in the world from Nat Geo. Also, the Vivanta Taj which is on its own island.
Aseania Resort – mid range budget
This is a nice 3 star huge resort with good food and nice pool. We recommend Aseania for those reasons and because it’s in the popular Cenang area and within walking distance to SO much. We stayed 4 nights. There is an awesome show I’ll explain more on later. The rooms have comfy beds and there is a pool and games like pool table, darts, and fooseball.
Berjaya Resort – 4 star
We LOVED our stay at Berjaya. This is a really cool resort and great option if you can’t afford somewhere like the Andaman. It was so relaxing being in the “jungle side” but if we went back I’d go for on the huts on stilts in the water “beach side”. Breakfast was a big ordeal with people dotted around making everything you can image fresh for you. It’s got beach access and a pool.
I have so many blog posts about Langkawi that are linked below. Click through to what interests you – make sure to read all the fun activities!
That resort looks great! I’d love to go to Langkawi one day… you’re really selling it well :)
I really liked Langkawi. I never did get to see those stunning views from the sky bridge though. Actually I think that bridge is still closed. Such a bummer! Anyway, the duty free thing was a welcome change from the rest of Malaysia!
Oh really, Yeah they were doing construction while we were there and 1 tier was closed off – some sightseeing stand.
looks like one very awesome spot of the world
Wow! What a beautiful area… and what an unbeatable view from the gondola. How was your experience parasailing? Looks like a blast and I love the big, bright smiley face parachute.
We missed Langkawi during our trip to Malaysia last year. From the pics and article looks like we did miss something.
Well, there can always be a second time.
BUmmer, but hopefully you’ll get a chance to come back.