Utter Relaxation on Langkawi Island

Last weekend we spent 4 days on the idillic Island of Langkawai for my 33rd birthday and wow, what a treat!! We had so many plans to be active- we even brought work out clothes (did we use them?, no way!) but instead we just treated ourselves to some much needed R&R from the craziness of trying to set up our lives in another country. We also tossed around participating in various tourist outings but alas, we did not do any of those either- oops:). Our days were too busy with activities such as: sleeping in, pool time, swimming, reading books, ocean kayaking, mid-day refreshments, naps, and wine & seafood dinners- what can we say? We just plain ol’ ran out of time- LOL.

That being said, there are some amazingly cool things to do on Langkawi Island so yes, we will go back. We want to go up the Panorama cable car ride to the top of the peak and walk across the suspension bridge. We want to go to the waterfalls, the snake sanctuary & crocodile farms (maybe). We would love to golf and of course want to try our hand at some horseback riding & boat to a neighboring island for some snorkeling….sometime within  the next 3 years it will happen and we will blog about all of it then:).

As for this trip, here is what we did:

We found a screamin’ deal online for the Westin Resort (a Starwood property) so we jumped on that and enjoyed our time there. The Westin sits at the SE corner of the island and is 30 minutes away from both the airport as well as the Cenang Beach area where many of the restaurants, bars, shops, and bigger beaches are located. The resort itself was beautiful! It sat perched on a cliff of sorts and was completely surrounded by lush greenery. It was secluded & quiet looking out onto the ocean & the neighboring islands. You literally could not see an ounce of life, housing, etc outside of the resort- heaven.

The entry, the pool area, the rooms, the drinks & food, and the staff were all top notch. Plus David must have let them in on a little secret because they surprised me with chocolate birthday cake in the room- so sweet! Our only complaint (ok 2 of them) were that first we had some noisy neighbors….the walls are pretty thin between the rooms and secondly the beach was nothing to write home about. That being said, they did offer kayaking, which we did, and various other options but the sand was not pure white and the water was not crystal clear blue. The resort pool however, was AMAZING so that made up for the lack of beach. Next time we will plan to stay either near Pantai Cenang or in the North end of the island where we hear the water and the sand are amazing!

Our first day we arrived in the morning so after touring the grounds, we headed to the pool bar/restaurant for some lunch. We dined on some asian style nachos (they were ok) and some delicious Malaysia Satay (my favorite). Later on in the afternoon, we met some Aussies at the pool who recommended to us that we head into the Pantai Cenang area to check  out a restaurant there by the name of Orkid Ria Seafood Restaurant. Wow, simply amazing!! The seafood was either still alive or sitting on ice. We got to pick out the exact prawns that we wanted….here are some pics showcasing the meal- mouthwatering!

After our meal we walked the streets of Pantai Cenang to the Langkawi night market and wandered around with some ice cream, browsing through the knick-knacks. A perfect start to the weekend:)!

On our second day we got adventurous and took one of the sea kayaks out for a spin. It was windy and choppy so we got quite a bit more excerise than we were expecting but nonetheless enjoyed our time on the water. The rest of the day was lazy, lazy….

To continue on with the trend for the day, we stayed at the resort for the evening and dined at their italian restaurant on site. It was good- steak for David and Penne pasta for me, washed down with some red vino!

We finished the night at the hotel bar where they had a trio of ladies singing American cover songs- both past & present….hilarious to watch but they were actually quite good. Take a listen by clicking on our YouTube page here.

Our final day we relaxed yet again at the resort, then headed into Cenang again to check out another hot restaurant called La Sal, located in the Casa Del Mar boutique hotel. Um wow. We want to stay here next time. Absolutely stunning views from the tables perched in the sand at the beach and even better food….we dined on calamari, seared Ahi tuna, and the Malaysian platter of favorites…plus we toasted to Cinco de Mayo with a margarita:).

 Of course we finished that off with some warm molton lava chocolate cake….delicious!!!

Another perk about Langkawi is that although it is still Malaysia, its considered a duty free island so we were able to grab a couple bottles on our way through the airport (since Malaysia is a muslim country, alcohol here is pricey!). Anyway, all in all it was a wonderful weekend away…

Until next time, happy & safe travels!

Kimbra