My Langkawi

Image: Chan Shu Kai/ Corbis

I consider Langkawi to be the Kauai (the oldest Hawaiian island) of the East. An untouched community in Malaysia with its beautiful sandy beaches, soft sun, afternoon rains and the tremendous rain forest qualifies it to be termed “Heaven on Earth”. Officially it is known as the Jewel of Kedha, Malaysia.
Once there in Langkawi, one immediately notices the lush greenery, serenity and the silence.

Recommendations
The Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort, a 5-star luxury hotel, and Mutiara Burau Bay, a quaint resort, are among the best hotels there. If I am travelling alone, I prefer the Sheraton, but if I am with my family, I prefer the Mutiara Burau.

The Sheraton is also the best place to have a business meeting. Another option is Westin, which is pretty relaxed and laidback and the business conducted in such a surrounding turns out to be effective.

One of the favourite eateries in Langkawi is Spice Traders. It has an assortment of Thai, Indonesian and Indian cooking. I personally love Thai food and the food here is out of this world.  

Tips
Though the easiest way to get around is on a four-wheeler, closer locations are best seen on a bike, which you can rent. A few places are only accessible by boat and that has a charm of its own.
The island offers a lot of avenues for entertainment from eagle feeding and scuba diving to visiting a crocodile farm and a snake sanctuary. On a clear day one should go for a boat trip and see the fish farm, go snorkelling and also go up on the cable car to the Sky Walk.

Be wary of packaged tours. It is better to go to your hotel and discuss the places to see and select the tours by yourself. This will make the tours more economical as well as more personalised.

Though the nightlife is nothing to boast about, live bands play your requests and people dance, making it romantic. 

You can buy duty free items in the shopping centre in the city of Kuah. The name ‘Kuah’ comes from the Malay word for ketchup, and legend has it that the town arose from a cup of gravy spilled on the land by two giants fighting!