The last time I went to Langkawi (the beautiful island near the Andaman Sea & Thailand) was about 10 years back with my wife, the place held a serene feel to it. Last week we went there again for our summer vacation, this time with our Son & a friend’s family with their little boy. When we landed we were surprised by seeing a lot of new developments in the island – bigger new airport, huge Police Academy, new buildings, shops, wide ring roads, what a difference 10 years have brought to the island. Still, the resorts on the island were beautiful and relaxing, the people continuing to be very friendly.

Langkawi Airport

Langkawi Airport – Curb side

Shops in Langkawi Airport

Shops in Langkawi Airport

When doing our booking for the stay after much selection we opted for The Andaman Resorts which is on the North-West of the Langkawi Island, inside a Million-year-old Rain Forest and on the shores of The Datai Bay (formed by a Meteor hit) in the Andaman Sea (hence the name). It turned out to be a good choice. But remember the Resort to City centre and shops are a good 25 Kms and you certainly need a car to commune. And that’s what we did, we rented a car. Since we were a group of 4 Adults and 2 Kids we opted for Toyota Innova – which costs about RM 600 for 48 Hours plus fuel (which is much cheaper in Malaysia compared to India). Your way within the island is easy, there is an outer ring road like structure (not a full circle and overall around 75-80 Kms) and few main roads – all neatly marked in the Tourist Map. All points of interest are dotted around the island.

The Datai bay from “The Andaman (resort)” - A panoramic view

The Datai bay from “The Andaman (resort)” – A panoramic view

Inside the Resort itself, there was nice little 1 Hour Nature Walk tour twice every day conducted by a trained nature guide, bird watch tours and more activities. I took one of nature walks in the morning and enjoyed it thoroughly. In the evening we went for a small trek into the nearby forest cover, the trek in the cleared path takes about 30-40 minutes and you reach a nice little stream and a lovely pond. After few minutes of hesitation, I jumped (I should say got pushed by my wife) into the pond and it felt great. No man-made swimming pool can come closer to mother nature!

Before the plunge into cool waters

Before the plunge into cool waters

Fresh water stream

Fresh water stream

Before the trip I saw this program in NDTV GoodTimes by gorgeous Arlette on a Boat ride in Langkawi & got impressed with it, so we did the same. We took a boat to go into the river and then to the open ocean to see the Mangroves, Crocodile Cave, Bat Caves & the Kilim Geoforest Park.

Langkawi Kilim Geoforest Boatride - Eagle feeding

Langkawi Kilim Geoforest Boatride – Eagle feeding

Langkawi Kilim Geoforest Boatride

Langkawi Kilim Geoforest Boatride – Crocodile Park

Apart from the great food in the Resort itself we dined outside in two Indian Restaurants – one day at Tulsi Garden North & South Indian restaurant for a great lunch, my son loved the large fish pond they had in the pathway to the restaurant. On the second day we went for a great dinner at Papadam Ria (we remembered this place from our earlier trip 10 years back and the friendly owner).

Langkawi Indian Restaurant - Papadam Ria

Langkawi Indian Restaurant – Papadam Ria

Next, we went to the famous Underwater world in Langkawi. This has one of the large collections of marine animals in Malaysia and over the years seems to have grown bigger. Overall a memorable trip, I just wish we stayed longer in Langkawi.

Langkawi UnderWater World

Langkawi UnderWater World

A parrot in Langkawi UnderWater World

A parrot in Langkawi UnderWater World

Read here about our trip to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. My experience of eating Lebanese cuisine and mock vegetarian in KL.

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