Langkawi

We wanted a birthday trip like last year. I also wanted it to be less buzzy and toddler-friendly. So I started searching for a holiday place within 8 hours of travel time and a single hop. Langkawi turned up in the search results. I didn't know about it, but the more I read, the more I liked it. It seemed like a perfect place for us.

Indigo had the perfect flight (3 hr and 20 mins), though at odd hours. We reached Langkawi at 10:30 AM. The small airport reminded me of HAL airport. We caught a Grab taxi to our stay at Frangipani Langkawi Resort. My first impression of the island was that it was small, silent, traffic-free, and had friendly people. Apparently, you can drive a self-drive car or bike with an Indian license. I saw lots of boards advertising car and bike rentals. For now, we decided to take Grab everywhere. But looking at the traffic, I could see myself driving.

For now, you don't need a visa to visit Langkawi (Malaysia). You just need to fill out the arrival card before landing in Langkawi.

Frangipani Langkawi Beach Resort

We planned a week-long vacation, so we wouldn’t have to do multiple things in one day, allowing Uma enough rest. We booked and stayed at Frangipani for the whole week. If you are experimental, you can split your stay across multiple parts of Langkawi. But I found staying in one place useful, especially with a toddler. Frangipani is a beach resort close to Cenang Beach, with its own beach and beach restaurant. You can spend your day in the water or sitting by the restaurant. It's also a good place to watch the sunset.

The cottage we got was big enough, though it didn’t come with a kitchenette. The internet/WiFi across the resort was surprisingly stable and seamless. The staff was helpful and generous. There are grocery stores, car/bike rental places, and restaurants nearby, making it convenient.

Langkawi Wild Park

I didn’t think Uma would enjoy it, but she loved it. It was a great success. We did too.

Langkawi Underwater World

Uma didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought she would. Maybe because she still can’t differentiate between one type of fish and another. A slightly older kid would have loved it.

Dinner at Rimba at Ambong Pool Villas

We had most of our breakfasts (included in the room cost) and dinners at the resort. But one day, we went out for dinner at Rimba at Ambong Pool Villas. The restaurant has amazing sunset views. The service was impeccable—attentive without being intrusive. The staff genuinely cared about our experience. The food was great, and we loved every dish. They even dropped us back at our resort. It was a memorable evening. Thank you, Prem. I gave them five stars.

Mangrove Tour

We mostly did this for ourselves. We wanted to see the geoparks and the mangroves. We took an organized tour. It was comfortable, covering the popular itinerary. However, I would have loved to spend more time just watching the mangrove forests.

Langkawi Night Market

Langkawi has night food markets every day in different parts of the city. They sell a variety of street food at very affordable prices. We went to one, packed food, and ate a lot.

SkyBridge - SkyCab

A standard visit to SkyCab and SkyBridge. Almost all tourists go there. The views are good. The tickets are quite expensive, but I think it’s okay for one visit.

Citizen Science

I couldn’t do much OSM this time. But I did report a couple of observations to iNaturalist and GlobeAtNight. I also submitted many reports to BeaconDB using NeoStumbler. I will write about BeaconDB in a separate post, but if you're interested, check out their website or read about the now-shutdown Mozilla Location Services, which it replaces.

End Note

We couldn’t go on a hike; it was too hot, and with a toddler who can’t walk much, it would have been difficult. We also missed visiting other geoparks in Langkawi. Maybe we can come here again in a different season, drive around, hike, and watch mangroves. We loved how we spent this week. I’m sure we would love to be here again.

---