Chillin' in Langkawi, island of legends - Part 2

Infinity pool at Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort and the Andaman Sea.

 
Located not far from the cable car base station, Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort is a 5-star resort with 2 small private beaches. It offered the much sought after seclusion from everyday hubbub and a chance for me to forget about work, if just for a while. You know, it's been quite some time since I smiled with nature!

A room with a view.. of the bathroom!

Checking in was not as smooth-sailing as I thought it would be - they did not receive my online room reservation but thank God they got us our rooms at no extra charge (phew..). After an hour of rest, I decided to watch the setting sun over a nearby beach but unfortunately some unfriendly clouds were obstructing my view of the sun :(  So I drove further along the scenic seaside route to Cenang Beach to soak in the sights and sounds where most foreign tourists reputedly tend to flock. It seemed the whole stretch of the beach was occupied by hotels, resorts, rows of shops, et cetera hence no free view of the beach unless you're spending the night in one of their rooms, I guess. Oh well, today's decidedly not the best of days :( 

Luckily, there was that newly opened Cenang Mall for a shopping stint (the Muslim prayer room could benefit from some better up-keeping). A saunter amongst the shops and a cup of good coffee with some Turkish kebab by the roadside later, I found myself driving back to the resort tired and looking forward to a better day...

A private sunrise at the private beach.

After 5 hours of blissful sleep, I woke up early expecting a beautiful sunrise to compensate for yesterday's disappointment. I hauled myself out of my comfy bed and into the bathroom for a quick shower, and went down to the resort's private beach with my family. At this hour, it's practically deserted and we had the whole area to ourselves ;) The sorely missed sounds of soft sea breeze whispering in my ears and of waves lapping up against the shore were welcoming enough. But it must have been the unexpected encounter with a shy crab popping out from its burrow that really made me smile that morning :) With its elongated eyeballs sticking out from its head, it duly reminded me of Spongebob Squarepants' friend, Mr Crab :) Unnoticed at first glance were other well-camouflaged crabs basking on rocks, scurrying into the crevices once I got too near to them. My investment in a good superzoom camera definitely paid off as it is invaluable at a time like this ;) A great start to a lovely day, I would say!

Mr. Crab! How lovely to see you this fine morning :)

We opted for an early check out because I planned to spend some at Tanjung Rhu Beach, which looked fantastic in photos I found on the internet. Along the way, we managed to stop by at Black Sand Beach for some quick sustenance (they serve local food). You have to pass through a number of stalls selling souvenirs before you can feel the sand under your feet, though. Not much to see here except for some colourful fishing boats; even the sand is not so black anymore, huhu.

You can read about the legend of how Black Sand Beach came to being. Not so black anymore, though...

For me, the best beach on the island must be the one at Tanjung Rhu. The entrance to Tanjung Rhu Beach is guarded by a personnel from Tanjung Rhu Beach Resort, the more upscale accomodation in the area (advanced booking is needed to get a room here). If you want to enjoy the beach, it is best to come here before 7 p.m., after which it is closed to public access. That being said, there is a budget motel in the vicinity of the beach too.

If you want to lie on a deck chair, a resort is next door. I'd prefer sitting on a mengkuang mat and have picnic instead ;)

So nice!

Being located north of the island away from the main town Kuah and the tourist hotspot Cenang Beach makes Tanjung Rhu Beach a real gem for people looking for relative solitude and privacy. The expansive pristine white beach with tiny islands dotting the seascape left me breathless for a while; it exceeded my expectations by miles :) We didn't spend much time here but next time, I'll bring a mengkuang mat and have a nice picture perfect picnic by the sea!

Tanjung Rhu is home to many casuarina trees (Malay: rhu). That's the tallest blooming bougainvillea I have ever seen!

We then headed to Kuah jetty, passing by some villages and tourist attractions that we might stop by on our next visit to Langkawi. At the jetty, we caught a ferry to Kuala Perlis where I parked my car (RM 10 per day, unshaded). Of course we did not visit Mahsuri's Tomb, Pulau Dayang Bunting (Island of the Pregnant Maiden) and other places of legend. Well, all that can be reserved for future visits, I guess ;)

Chillin' in Langkawi, island of legends - Part 1

The mosque next to Kuala Perlis jetty.

Pristine beaches, world class accomodations, a laid back atmosphere, the genuine friendliness of the locals -  reasons to set foot on the blessed island of Langkawi are multiple. It is also number 4 on Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards for top 10 islands in Asia (not bad at all). And oh yes, the number one reason for most Malaysians to visit Langkawi - the duty-free goods!

For you guys with deeper pockets, you can get there by air. For the rest of us, the island is also accessible by ferry. There are 3 jetties to choose from: Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis, or Penang Island. We boarded a ferry from Kuala Perlis as according to my brother, the ferry ride is the shortest i.e. 45 minutes using the newer vessels. The jetty area itself is pretty well-developed with a modern ticketing complex and ample car parking spaces (the ferries are not built for carrying vehicles). Nearby, you can find an air-conditioned mosque, a couple of decent-looking hotels, and many seafood eateries (which typically open from 5 p.m. onwards).

Hotel for first night, De Baron Resort in Kuah.

After a tiring 5-hour northbound drive from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Perlis and the ferry ride, we finally managed to check-in at our hotel for the night, De Baron Resort in the main town, Kuah just after sunset. The 3-star resort is a short RM 6 taxi-ride from Kuah Jetty. From the resort, you can walk to a large duty-free shop called Ramps and the positively-rated Saji Restaurant (and other food hangouts) within 5 minutes. Very convenient indeed! The rooms are spacious and clean, and the breakfast exceeded my modest expectations in terms of selection and quality. Definitely worth your money ;)

Big room, big beds, and big breakfast selection for the relatively low price ;)

Nice panoramic view from the deck.

Unless you're on a holiday package of some sort, it's quite difficult to move around the island without hailing for a cab or renting a car. There are quite a number of companies offering car rental on Langkawi Island if you're thinking of it. My advice: rent a car online. We didn't and ended up renting something less than agreeable (sad but true). You may have to pay a bit more, but at least it's worry-free.

Langkawi, here we go!

Dataran Lang is the main square on the island. Lang (as in the first part of the name Langkawi) is essentially the Malay word helang, which means eagle - hence the giant statue of the bird. It's pretty much a compulsory spot for a photo once you set foot on the island :) Afterwards, we headed for some stalls selling trinkets, drinks and titbits, bought some ice-cream to ward off the heat before hitting the duty-free shops in Kuah town. Yey! 

Sorry no pictures of the shops - too busy shopping for chocolates, hehe. I think the more popular shops include the ones labeled Haji Ismail Group. Unfortunately, my chocolates have an unavoidable tendency to melt once they leave the shop, huhu. Just so you know, there are other things on sale as well, of course.

After a quick lunch, we hopped into our car and sped off to experience the other popular attraction on the island, the cable car ride up Machinchang Mountain. You've not officially been to Langkawi if you've not been here! You pay RM 15 per person and have a ride to the top to witness breathtaking panorama of the whole island from 708 metres above sea level, or better still, lay your eyes on a gorgeous sunset around 6.30 p.m. 'on a fine day' (as claimed by a signboard at the top station). Just be reminded that the cable car ride is closed at 7 p.m. and brace yourselves for the 45-minute long queue (on a weekend) even before stepping into one of the cable cars, huhu. And if all that queuing up and cable car ride gets you hungry, there's a small cafe at the peak to satisfy your needs ;)

A birds-eye view of the yacht-filled Burau Bay down below.

Your 45-minute long queue for the cable car is rewarded with a sumptuous 360-degree view of the island.

The Sky Bridge is currently closed to the public (sigh).

I left Machinchang Mountain feeling refreshed by its crisp cool air (also by another bout of ice-cream courtesy of my brother) and off we went to check-in at our second accomodation for this trip. Needless to say, it's bigger, better, and of course a tad more luxurious :) See you in the next entry!