AN EXAUSTIVE HOLIDAY
Langkawi reminds me of Phuket. Geographically, there are many similarities. A hilly main island with beautiful beaches and surrounded by many smaller islands. Winding hilly roads crisscross the island linking the beaches and the main town. Then there are the tourist belts along the mains beaches lined with hotels, inns, eateries, restaurants, shops, spas and tour agencies. The only glaring difference is there is no pub in sight in Langkawi!
A simple 3 stars hotel in Langkawi will cost anything from RM200+ a nite and most are fully booked with the start of the year end school holidays to the end of Feb 2008. Despite trying to book 2 weeks in advance, we ended up staying at 3 different hotels on the 3 nites we were there.
Sunset Resort is a smallish boutique hotel along Pantai Tengah. The 40 odd units of semi-d chalets were laid perpendicular to the beach connected by a winding beautifully landscaped path leading from the small reception to the Dining pavilion fronting the sea. The small private beach front is lined with deck chairs under the idyllic and swaying coconut trees. The beautiful gentle sunset that day simply took my breath away. Despite the peril of Dengue, as I was swamped by mosquitoes, I stayed on to capture the postcard perfect scene for posterity.
The trade off for having an intense landscaped garden is that the chalet’s door and windows have to be closed at all time. Fortunately, the mosquitoes are not present on the beach during the day. I could spend a whole day lounging on the deck chair in the balmy shade under swaying coconut palms, but it was not to be with an over active, extremely loud and easily bored 11year old yanking you around. The concept of holiday and fun for an 11 year old is decidedly different from that of her middle aged parents. This is ultimately the reason why a supposedly relaxing holiday turned into an exhaustive affair.
After spending 2 hours walking on the beach, picking sea shells and frolicking in the water, it was off to Telaga Tujuh waterfalls. There is a climb of 150 odd steps up a 45 degree steep incline and a 500m walk along a jungle path to reach the lower waterfall. Climbing 150 steps early in the morning when still fresh will be a breeze. However, at mid day with a bag loaded with drinks, food, camera, video cam, hand phone, etc. it was a struggle. The unfit mother was panting, out of breath and looked very pale. To continue to the top of the waterfall is another 500 steps! So we put off the climb to the top to the next day. After lunch at the waterfall, we drove to the Geopark Cable car near by. There is a panoramic view of the whole island from the top. Kuah town is clearly visible. There are also various vantage and viewing platforms at different levels and a sky bridge somewhere in between. So from one point to another it is again up and down the steps. All in including the long stroll at the beach, I must have walked at least 15 km that day.
The mother claimed (or feigned) to be unwell to wiggle out of the next morning’s itinerary to Telaga Tujuh. The replacement was a trip to the Underwater World which turned out to be more mediocre than the last time I visited. On the last nite we stayed in Bayview Hotel in Kuah town and whole day was spent shopping for chocolates. The mother bought a few hundred RM worth of chocolates. Shopping under the scorching sun was equally exhausting. On the taxi trip from the airport to the house the three of us fell fast asleep in the car. What an exhaustive but nevertheless memorable holiday.
A simple 3 stars hotel in Langkawi will cost anything from RM200+ a nite and most are fully booked with the start of the year end school holidays to the end of Feb 2008. Despite trying to book 2 weeks in advance, we ended up staying at 3 different hotels on the 3 nites we were there.
Sunset Resort is a smallish boutique hotel along Pantai Tengah. The 40 odd units of semi-d chalets were laid perpendicular to the beach connected by a winding beautifully landscaped path leading from the small reception to the Dining pavilion fronting the sea. The small private beach front is lined with deck chairs under the idyllic and swaying coconut trees. The beautiful gentle sunset that day simply took my breath away. Despite the peril of Dengue, as I was swamped by mosquitoes, I stayed on to capture the postcard perfect scene for posterity.
The trade off for having an intense landscaped garden is that the chalet’s door and windows have to be closed at all time. Fortunately, the mosquitoes are not present on the beach during the day. I could spend a whole day lounging on the deck chair in the balmy shade under swaying coconut palms, but it was not to be with an over active, extremely loud and easily bored 11year old yanking you around. The concept of holiday and fun for an 11 year old is decidedly different from that of her middle aged parents. This is ultimately the reason why a supposedly relaxing holiday turned into an exhaustive affair.
After spending 2 hours walking on the beach, picking sea shells and frolicking in the water, it was off to Telaga Tujuh waterfalls. There is a climb of 150 odd steps up a 45 degree steep incline and a 500m walk along a jungle path to reach the lower waterfall. Climbing 150 steps early in the morning when still fresh will be a breeze. However, at mid day with a bag loaded with drinks, food, camera, video cam, hand phone, etc. it was a struggle. The unfit mother was panting, out of breath and looked very pale. To continue to the top of the waterfall is another 500 steps! So we put off the climb to the top to the next day. After lunch at the waterfall, we drove to the Geopark Cable car near by. There is a panoramic view of the whole island from the top. Kuah town is clearly visible. There are also various vantage and viewing platforms at different levels and a sky bridge somewhere in between. So from one point to another it is again up and down the steps. All in including the long stroll at the beach, I must have walked at least 15 km that day.
The mother claimed (or feigned) to be unwell to wiggle out of the next morning’s itinerary to Telaga Tujuh. The replacement was a trip to the Underwater World which turned out to be more mediocre than the last time I visited. On the last nite we stayed in Bayview Hotel in Kuah town and whole day was spent shopping for chocolates. The mother bought a few hundred RM worth of chocolates. Shopping under the scorching sun was equally exhausting. On the taxi trip from the airport to the house the three of us fell fast asleep in the car. What an exhaustive but nevertheless memorable holiday.
19 November 2007
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