Fun in Langkawi, Malaysia

One of the scariest cable car rides I’ve ever had was the one in Langkawi.

The Langkawi cable car is located at the Oriental Village near Pantai Kok. The ride takes visitors all the way up to Mount Mat Cincang which is Langkawi’s second highest peak.

Look at that steep climb!

The ascent up Mount Mat Cincang was quite an unnerving experience for me. I thought the ride to be quite “bumpy”. Having a fear of heights did not help matters obviously so my knuckles were white by the time I reached safety … on the ground.

At around 600 metres up the mountain, the cable car stops at the first station where we disembarked to admire the views from the observatory deck before getting onto another cable car to get to the final station.

The view of the rainforest at the final station is simply magnificent. There is a steel bridge suspended across Mount Mat Cincang where visitors can enjoy the fantastic experience of literally walking “across” a mountain. As awe-inspiring as it is, it was still a mighty scary experience for me!

At the Oriental Village below, there are the usual souvenir shops that cater to the incessant tourist traffic. There’s a little rabbit farm at one end of the Oriental Village where kids can have fun feeding the rabbits. The hungry rabbits would clamour around for carrot sticks that can be purchased at the farm. Be prepared to buy lots coz the rabbits are too cute and hungry!
On our way back to Kuah, we made a stop at The Loaf Bakery at Telaga Harbour. The Loaf is owned by our illustrious former prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and serves Japanese style breads. As expected, the breads are premium-priced but then again, you get premium quality breads.
The many luxury yachts berthed at the harbour provides a picturesque view for photos! There are a few restaurants lining the harbourfront for al-fresco dining although it was relatively quiet when we were there in the afternoon.

We also visited Pantai Cenang on the last day of our holiday. How could we miss it? It has one of the most beautiful beaches in Langkawi. Imagine soft white sand and rolling waves. There were plenty of hermit crabs to keep the kids busy!

Adventure in Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

One of the highlights of our holiday in Langkawi was when we visited the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park which is a Unesco World Heritage site.

The Kilim Karst Geoforest Park features magnificently formed landscapes of limestone hills with pinnacles of various shapes and sizes.

We chartered a boat for a half-day tour of the mangrove. It’s comparatively cheaper to charter a boat if you have a large group compared to paying for each person.

A van came to pick us up at 9:00am and brought us to the jetty at Kilim river to board our boat. The boatman expertly steered us through the wetland mangrove where the kids spotted small crabs and monitor lizards.
Our boatman then steered us into the Bat Cave which was quite like a tunnel. The kids were very excited to find hundreds of bats hanging upside down above us.

Further up the river we arrived at a fish farm called Hole in the Wall for lunch. The farms were actually nets that go deep in the water. We were promptly given a tour for a farm staff. The first net we stopped at had stingrays that we were told we could feed. No one volunteered save for my husband. He was given a small fish and told to hold it above the water and all of a sudden, a stingray practically jumped out of the water for the fish! Whoa! I had no idea stingrays could do that! After the tour of the farm, we ordered our seafood from the farm and had them cooked it for us for our lunch.

Feeding a stingray!

After lunch, our boat proceeded up to the river mouth before taking us out to sea. It was beautiful here where we could see the smaller islands that surrounds Langkawi.

On the way back we stopped at a spot to watch brown and white Brahminy eagles circling overhead before gracefully swooping down to feed on the chicken parts thrown by the boatman. These regal birds are a joy to watch.

This tour offered one of the most fascinating and unforgettable sights of Langkawi. The kids especially were thrilled by their adventure!

Our own little slice of heaven ....

One of the most amazing and memorable holidays we had was in the island of Langkawi, Malaysia. The legendary island in Northern Malaysia has beautiful white beaches and a host of attractions including the Unesco World Heritage nominated Kilim Geoforest Park. However, the real reason for this incredible holiday was the resort we holidayed in.

We had booked two rooms at Westin Langkawi Spa & Resort for our stay. I was already awestruck by the lobby. It had one of the most fantastic views I’ve ever seen!

However, a bigger surprise awaits us at check-in. Apparently the Westin was running full and so we are now upgraded to our very own villa. To be upgraded is one thing, but to a villa of our own? I think I momentarily blacked out at the very mention of villa!

This is how a single room villa looks like ....

We were ushered onto a buggy and were driven to our villa, and lo and behold, it’s a 5-bedroom villa! I could almost feel my jaw drop to the ground!

This is how OUR VILLA looked like! Woo-hoo!

With 2 living areas downstairs ….
And a piano …. And a dining room with our own kitchen ... with specially made fruit jams in the cabinets and full service I might add!
And a patio upstairs ..... Isn't the view amazing?

And a room with a four poster bed that opens out to …..

Ta-da!!! OUR VERY OWN INFINITY POOL! This is beyond our wildest dreams!

All ours!!! All ours!!!

We were given two rooms because there were other guests occupying the other rooms but we hardly ever see them so it’s as good as having the whole villa to ourselves.

There is a private jetty within walking distance from our villa where a romantic dinner for 2 can be arranged.

The Westin Langkawi occupies a wide expanse of land near the Kuah Town jetty. It has its own stretch of beach, although not as pretty as the ones in Pantai Cenang, the facilities in The Westin more than makes up for it. I really liked the hammocks around the beach. Lying in one of these is way better than lazing on the beach chairs. Imagine swaying beneath the coconut palms with the sea breeze in your face.

There are 3 pools at The Westin’s main property, including a very nice rock pool and a bubbly pool that kids love.
The breakfast spread at Taste Restaurant was big, although I preferred the one at The Westin KL. But one thing sets this breakfast spread apart from the rest and that’s the bubbly champagne they serve for breakfast. Yes, that's right! How cool is that?

The Kids Club is a favourite for our daughter with their organized activities for such as cookie-making, batik painting, nature walks, henna tattoos and shell-collecting at the beach. All she wanted to do the 4 days we were there was to get to the Kids Club.

Baking cookies ....

Collecting seashells by the beach

The Westin also has a special Westin Lounge at the Langkawi Airport for their guests to relax before their flight. It is personal touches like this that adds to the memories!

We couldn’t bear to leave at the end of our holiday. For a few days, we lived the lifestyle of the rich and famous. It was a truly unforgettable holiday!