Tips for Langkawi Trip

Langkawi is a very beautiful tourist spot in Malaysia and perhaps the most sought after destination by  locals as well as foreign tourists. Trip to Malaysia is incomplete without a visit to Langkawi. At the same time it is important to know certain facts/practical matters to make your Langkawi trip a memorable experience. The below mentioned information can be considered while planning a trip to Langkawi.

Travel Planning:

Plan well in advance (at-least one month ahead) as Langkawi in general is a very crowded place due to its high popularity.

If you do not have any specific requirements, avoid the peak holiday seasons and school vacation times. It may help you in cost saving as there are are differences in the rates (hotel) during the peak, normal and low tourist seasons. 

Plan your places of interest / activity chart so that the you can utilize the time effectively and accommodation can be planned accordingly. 

Mode of Transportation:
Decide your mode of transportation (road, train/air) before you  land in Malaysia. Langkawi is well connected from different parts of Malaysia.

If you are travelling from Kuala Lumpur (capital of Malaysia), by air will be the most convenient mode of travel. There are several low cost air lines such as Air Asia which has several flights (to and fro) to Langkawi from Kuala Lumpur & Penang. You may get the ticket for Just RM 50 also.

Accommodation
Book the accommodation well in advance in place like Pantai Cenang or Pantai Tengah. If you have more interest in shopping, book the hotel at Kuah Town.

Lot of hotels are available on Pantai Cenang. Find out the right one based on your choice to stay near by the beach or any specific location.

Do a search on the net for feedback about the hotel.

Most of the hotels/motels do accept a formal booking over phone or mail, without any advance deposit. However at the time of booking itself make sure that your room is booked and enquire about the advance payment.

Do not book the hotel far away from a common spot, provided you have a own conveyance for local transport. It may cost additional charges for taxi.

Food

Food items of all varieties (western/Malaysian,Chinese, Indian, Thai, Middle east etc.) are available in Langkawi for both vegetarians as well as non vegetarians.

A lot of food stalls/restaurants can be seen in Pantai Cenang. Try to experiment in different outlets so that you can find the best if it is long trip.

Food price in standard restaurants are much higher when compared to the food price in KL or Penang. However the quality, atmosphere and the taste will be good. Food price in normal shops/budget restaurants are very cheap. But the atmosphere may not appease you if you are so particular about it.

I had been to few restaurants and I found the following restaurants good in terms of price, ambiance and taste; 

• Taj Mahal, Pantai Cenang - provides Indian and middle east food. Atmosphere was good, good service, tasty food and reasonable price.

• Mumbai Palace, Pantai Cenang - Again  provides Indian and middle east food. Atmosphere was good, good service, tasty food and reasonable price.

I felt that fruits are costly when compared to cities like KL or Penang.

  
Local Transportation:

The best option is to hire a car on daily rental basis for you to drive. Search and negotiate well before deciding on it.

Some of the hotels also do provide this service.

If you are one or two persons, bike or cycle will also do.

Other option is to hire taxi from one point of attraction to the other. Usually it costs a minimum of RM 20- 24. 

Sight seeing:

Plenty of options are available.

If you search through net you may find advertisements that the advance booking price is less and on the spot booking is costly. However it was not true in my experience because of huge number of options available.

Do not book any sight seeing plan with the first agent/person you may contact. Enquire in two to three places and find out the differences in terms of price, number of spots included, duration of the trip, inclusion of lunch/dinner etc.

For boating, basically two options are available (most of the cases) i,e. exclusively for you and the other one for public. If you are not so keen about privacy, the public one is good as it is interesting to mingle with people of different backgrounds.

Do not miss the mangrove tour. It is fantastic.

Duration of stay:

Minimum two days will be required to cover the major spots/activities.  

If you are so much interested in nature, culture and willing to explore the entire island, even one week is not sufficient.

Shopping:

Shopping can be done in Pantai Cenang or in Kuah.

I was told by one of my friends that the items are cheap in Langkawi and I wanted to buy a shoe. When I checked with a local, it was told that Chocolate and Cigarettes  are the only duty free items. Rest all come from KL or Penang and hence price will be same as that of the other area. But I am not sure about duty free status of alcohol.

Shopping in Kuah is comparatively cheap than other places. For chocolates, I found that a shop named Haji Ismail group in Kuah was very good in terms of price and variety.

Do not forget to buy chocolates if you are fond of it.

Safety:

In general, Langkawi is a safe place.

Locals do mix with tourists and are supportive.

However need to take care of your belongings and safety as per the standard practice.

Note:

The information provided above is just for reference, help and guidance of readers, based on my personal experience. Please make sure that you verify the information personally for your satisfaction.