Cuti-cuti Malaysia: LANGKAWI

Dah lama simpan harapan nak re-visit pulau lagenda ni...last vacation kat Langkawi was in 2003...tengok balik photos masa tu saya kurusssss lagi....haha!  So since its school holiday, propose kat boss & bila boss kata good to go, saya pun apa lagi - book flight ticket ke Alor Setar (sebab direct flight ke Langkawi dah mahal giler coz book last minute), check ferry schedules, taxi, car rental, tours, survey hotels and prepare itinerary..Fuhhhh!!! Memang dah presume sejak kawin kerja-kerja ni semua di bawah bidang kuasa saya, the wifey a.k.a.secretary.  Boss (being the boss) will just review jek nanti.   So, camni lah rupa itinerary yang dah siap.

Hotel yang mana satu???

Dilemma sungguh bila nak pilih hotel ni. Lamaaaaaa belek Agoda, Tripadvisor etc etc..nak cari the best rate available la konon..and torn between being patriotic (and choose Holiday Villa since its my co's property) and the more luxurious & secluded Berjaya Resort.  Fikir punya fikir, finally boss kata Berjaya pun ok...harganya agak gulp la but tutup mata & key in jer credit card no. Ingat dah settle...rupanya hati masih belum tenang.  Sebabnya, Berjaya tu letaknya nuuuuunnn kat hujung pulau..area Burau Bay...dekat cable car sana..tempat jin bertendang...45 mins dari jetty Kuah. Tanya colleagues yang selalu pegi Langkawi katanya Cenang la best...happening...banyak restoran, banyak kedai, banyak pub (eh, tak relevan!) and the beach is landai & banyak water sport. Okeeyyyyyy....so I consulted my 8 y.o daughter & she said, ok la mama, janji pool besar...haha..senang jek dia... Hence, I cancelled my reservation at Berjaya & proceed with Holiday Villa yang letaknya right next to Cenang Beach.  Bismillah...i hope this is a no regret decision. So, ini lah dia hotelnya...

Gambar dalam website Holiday Villa

and here's the real deal...

Alhamdulillah, HV ni not bad at all, beyond my expectation actually. We stayed at their deluxe room. It was clean, spacious (even with an extra bed) and clean (have i mentioned that?) despite the furnitures yg agak old school.  The room has a balcony overlooking the pool, the pool is huge and they have a private beach.   Their Manja package is RM760++ for 3D2N including breakfast for 2.

What we did?

Hmm...rented a car.  We got a car from this guy - Yahya (T: +6012-4130036).  He has all sorts of cars..Price is negotiable. Most importantly, he's trustworthy.  Since we all pegi time cuti sekolah, Wira/Saga BLM costs RM100/day and Nissan Almera costs RM120/day. Katanya kalau bukan peak season, lagiiiii murah. Dia pun arrange for trips gak...island hopping, snorkeling trips, semua ada...price is negotiable.

1st agenda - isi tangki @ Restoran Wan Thai @ Jalan Pokok Asam, Kuah.  Restoran ni sentiasa full house. Lunch from 11am-3pm. Dinner 6pm-10pm.  Waiter n tukang masak ramai yg Siam mari.  Tokey pun Siam boleh cakap Melayu & cun!!! Tomyam sedap & yang special is soft shell crab - goreng with garlic n pepper.  The kids loved it.

A Thai lady preparing Leng Chee Kang

Perut kenyang hati senang..head straight to Oriental Village, Burau Bay - naik Cable Car. Queued for 1 hour...ramai betul orang! Cable car naik sampai peak of Gunung Mat Cincang.  Gayat la jugak tapi kalau tak naik rugi wooo...the view of the bay was magnificent from up there.

View of Burau Bay at 700m above sea level

Tiket for Malaysians is RM15(A). Beli open ticket kat En Yusof Yahya dapat discount singgit.  Kat Oriental Village ni jugak ada deer feeding, elephant ride and Bolaven Cafe where u can dine with the tigers.  Unfortunately, kami tak pergi, coz tak sempat.  Instead, the kids chose to ride the Langkawi DuckTours (amphibian).  Ronda2 kat Perdana Quay tempat orang park luxury boats. My boy fell asleep masa ride ni.....boring katanya :P

By then dah petang..masuk hotel, check-in,  keluar dinner @ Artisan Pizza, Cenang.  They have a few outlets & do deliveries, since Dominos takde kat Langkawi ni.  Boleh tahan la pizza dia although its nothing to shout about.  Reasonable priced too.  Selain pizza ada gak western food lain dalam menu dia.

Day 2 - we decided to go for a mangrove tour @ Kilim River.  Charter boat RM200, boleh naik up to 8 people.  Cantik sungguh paya bakau ni - hijauuuuu jek semua.  Tenang mata memandang.  Mula2 boat tu berenti kat Bat Cave - bila suluh pakai lampu suluh yg disewa ngan harga RM1, eyouuuuuuu...banyakkkkk nyaaaaa bat kat ceiling cave tu....geli den! Jangan sesekali amik gambar pakai flash, mau bats tu terjaga & terbang beramai2 ke arah korang..jadik citer dracula lak kang..argggh!

Inside the Bat Cave - those are sleeping bats!

 Next, stop - fish farm.  Kecik je tempatnya, but educational.  The kids gotta pat a stingray, belangkas & tengok ikan yang boleh sumpit makanan dia as far as 3 meter dengan tepat sekali...cayalah!

Kids patting Husin, the stingray

Next stop, Crocodile Cave - mulut cave ni ada sikit2 rupa muka buaya.  Pastu pi Eagle Feeding plak...tapi boat driver kami tak bawak food to feed the eagles pun...tapi banyak la helang dok terbang2.  Last sekali, bot speed up ronda2 kat Andaman Sea..tengok Pulau Kasut (Bata patut sponsor logo satu kat situ!) & rock formation lain..ni la namanya geoforest yang makan masa beratus ribu tahun to form.

 The trip took 2 hours.  U can extend lagi kalau nak lunch kat floating restaurants kat sungai tu. Boleh book tour ni ngan tokey car rental tadi. Bot2 ni semua selamat, ada permit & insurance coz semua governed by  LADA for tourism industry kat Langkawi ni.

On the way nak balik hotel singgah Hospital Langkawi (tiada dalam agenda asal)...boss sakit gigi daaa....singgah ambik ponstan & antibiotic...sebab kat farmasi cuma ada jual panadol jek! Hospital Langkawi ni was built by a Swedish company ye...jgn tak tau...design dia not like a typical hospital tau!

Day 3...hmmm, nak balik dah. Since I'm not a fan of pinggan mangkuk, beli 1 barang je - non-stick double pan..sesuai utk bako ikan...hehe..cari brand Happy Call tapi takde, last2 beli kat Haji Ismail brand Haji Ismail @ RM69 seketul size kecik. yang besar sket RM79 (nama Haji Ismail terpampang atas pan ni wehhhh!) Super liking it...masak ayam, ikan kejap jek...10 minit siapppp...sebab dia non stick, cantik jek masaknya.

Ni bukan gambar sebenar, tapi lebih kurang cam gini la rupanya .

And highlight untuk hantu coklat is  BORONG COKLAT! Tengok ni!

Memang betul Langkawi is a chocolate heaven. Daim 300g - RM15 per pack.  Ritter Sport RM4 seketul..yang dah nak expired lagi la murah.  Milka 3 for RM10.  Cadbury Australia RM8.50.  Kinder Bueno, pack of 16 - RM18. Celebration Mix 400g RM29. Cote D'or RM10. Lindt mini / praline mix - RM70 per pack 300g (ada discount lagi but tak ingat berapa). Hersheys Kisses / Nuggets - RM12.50 per pack.  Whittakers  Peanut/ Almond Slab - 3 for RM8.50....senang citer, price kat KL is at least 30%-50% more. Choices are abundance kat Haji Ismail (Kuah) & The Zon (Underwater World, Cenang).  Idaman Suri (Kuah) pun cam tak banyak sangat. Price ada sedikit berbeza.  Punya banyak la borong bila angkut naik feri, otomatik tenaga Badang keluar...haha..coklat punya pasal.

Tips on Langkawi Ferry
Beli tiket sehari lebih awal..sebab kalau lambat dapat seat kat bawah (perut ferry), yang takde window & memang berbuai lebih la...especially kalo ombak kuat...silap2 seasick wehhh! Siapkan beg plastik muntah ye. Ferry available hourly.  Dari Kuala Kedah journey dalam 1.5 - 1.75 hours.  Dari Kuala Perlis journey dalam 1.15 - 1.5 hours. Refer harga tiket kat sini: https://langkawi-ferry.com/

Conclusion:  Banyak tempat menarik kat Langkawi ni...especially for kids. 4D/3N baru best kot...3D/2N agak rushing sebenarnya. Accommodation pun berlambak, dari homestay cap ayam sampai lah ke posh villas. Ada yg tepi laut, tengah bendang, belakang rumah orang...Ikut la budget korang camne. Next time, nak gi Pulau Payar lak!  ~KD: Pix credit to Cik Ya, 8 y.o~