Langkawi - Malaysian Bounty Island

The island of Langkawi, located in the Andaman Sea on the border with Thailand, is rightfully considered the pearl of Malaysia. This is a true paradise island, which has all the conditions for a wonderful beach holiday. It is always warm here, beautiful clear sea, delicate white sand, beautiful mountains covered with impenetrable jungle, and calm measured life. What else do you need?

Langkawi is an island archipelago in northwestern Malaysia that includes about 100 islands. True, almost all of them are very small, and only 4 are inhabited, the largest of which is also called as the entire archipelago - Langkawi.

This is a beautiful tropical island, a kind of neighboring Thai Phuket, only on a slightly smaller scale. There are no major cities, there are no plants, the environment is beautiful, and it is an exclusively tourist destination for a measured beach holiday.

In Malaysia, Langkawi is positioned as a holiday destination for wealthy tourists, because of the 30 hotels on the island, more than half are expensive five-star hotels, including well-known chain brands like Ritz and Four Seasons. Prices here start at $ 150 per night and go up to several thousand in secluded luxury eco-bungalows.

But a budget tourist can have a good rest here. The beaches of Pentai Chenang and Pentai Tengah are full of affordable and affordable B&B hotels where you can relax without extra luxury, enjoying the beach and nature. After all, a room for an active tourist is needed only in order to wash and sleep. So why overpay? Especially since most of the island’s entertainment and shopping are located on these beaches, and expensive 5s are scattered around the island and, as a rule, offer their customers a more secluded holiday away from the mass get-together. For some reason, there are no mid-range hotels in Langkawi (at least I have not found). There are either fives from $ 150 ++ per night, or treshki for $ 20-40.

Pentang Chenang is somewhat reminiscent of the popular beaches in Thai Phuket. Something like Karon, only in Malay and without trance and masseuses. The same sandy beach, the same inexpensive street cafes with fresh seafood and Asian cuisine, but there are only fewer tourists here than in Phuket. And that's great!

If Pentai Chenang is a party place, then the nearby Pentai Tengah beach is more secluded. We spent a couple of nights there in a modest (but very cool three-ruble note) and it was fun! There are only a few tourists, and no annoying merchants and staring onlookers!

There is a sea, there are sunbeds, there is wifi on the beach (!), But there are no people! And for food and drinks you just need to leave the hotel and cross the street!

Speaking of drinks! Langkawi Island is a “duty free zone”, a sort of duty-free island. There are tons of shops selling alcohol and I haven’t seen such low prices anywhere! True, there is one BUT. Everything is sold strictly according to the passport, and the amount of alcohol purchased is entered into the database, and it is strictly limited. During your stay, you can buy up to 5 liters of strong alcohol, 3 packs of beer and 3 blocks of cigarettes, and you can take out from the island no more than 1 liter / bottle per person. I don’t know why, but the prices for Langkawi are much lower than, say, in the same duty-free in Kuala Lumpur (prices in ringgates, for example 49 ringgit = $ 12).

The average annual temperature in Langkawi is + 27 ° C, the average water temperature is also + 27 ° C, so the season on the island lasts almost the whole year. The only thing is that it rains in the fall, and the restless sea in spring and summer. The best time on the island is from November to March. This is an ideal time for a beach holiday when the sea is very calm and practically without waves.

The water here is clear. True, there is enough living creature in it, including nippers. Yes, these are jellyfish, which are called "jelly fish" here. They clash quite strongly, and you can even get to the hospital with a burn. She stung my wife like that, but nothing happened, although the wound did not go away for a long time. So it is better to swim near the shore, or wear a protective suit for swimming.

In expensive hotels on the beaches they install special nets from jellyfish, so you can swim there calmly. Service!

By the way, if you want to look at these very jellyfish, and at the same time fish and other marine inhabitants, go to the local underwater aquarium Langkawi (UnderWater World Langkawi).

Although small, it will appeal to both adults and young travelers. The oceanarium is located between the Pentai Chenang and Tengah. It is inexpensive, and a couple of hours in the midst of the heat there you can perfectly pass.

The island itself is covered with dense tropical thickets, and this is essentially a large national park, which is home to a huge amount of living creatures, and you will certainly meet some of them. For example, on the beaches you need to carefully monitor the bags, since the monkeys living here love to rummage through the things left behind in search of something tasty. And even in expensive hotels with these beggars they can do nothing.

In general, in my opinion, everything is fine here - and the sea, and the air, and beaches, and the jungle, and hotels, and food, and indeed everything!

And what are the sunsets here ...

Just super! Your Instagram will definitely like it here)

For travelers traveling on their own who like Southeast Asia, I highly recommend relaxing at least once in Langkawi. This is an amazing place that I already miss ...