Just Back From Langkawi

by Roula Tsoukalis

Dreaming of a place where you can kick back, relax and just lay by the beach all day in amongst a beautiful rainforest, reading your book, having a snooze, staring at the eagles flying high above in the blue sky? Have I got the place for you!

Flying over Langkawi Island just before we landed, thanks to the Captain who took us on a scenic flight over the island, you can't help but notice how green & lush this place is. The main island is surrounded by small islets almost all of them with amazing little beaches.

Langkawi is located on the northwestern shore of Malaysia and contains 99 islands, all waiting to be discovered I'm sure!

We took a private car transfer from the airport to our resort, The Andaman on Datai Bay.What a breathtaking place! I started snapping photos with our camera straight away after we were seated and offered a cold towel & welcome drink. The lobby of the Andaman is amazing, the whole resort in fact is just beautiful . Malaysian style can be seen throughout the resort.

The staff were very welcoming, friendly, polite and helpful throughout our stay. The resort is surrounded by a beautiful 50 million year old rainforest. Every day you wake up and fall asleep to the sounds of it. A very calm & relaxing atmosphere. Wildlife abounds: monkeys (they are everywhere), monitor lizards (these guys may join you for a dip in the pool), squirrels, geckos, owls, eagles, hornbills & more…

We were warned 3 times before we even got to our room (by our driver, reception & the porter) to always lock our balcony door when we leave the room or else the monkeys will have a feast. They were right. They will come to your balcony door - doesn't matter which level you are on - and if it's not locked, they will open it and proceed to devour the minibar. These creatures will eat anything, from Pringles, to peanuts, to sugar/milk even m&m's (some had a preference for orange ones only?!). Needles to say 90% of our photos were of monkeys and scenery....

We stayed in a Deluxe Rainforest View Room. Nice & clean, spacious and a very good size bathroom. Only down-side is the balcony, with just enough room to stand on, not to sit and relax. However, you can upgrade your room if you wish, to one with a balcony. Those are located on ground level. The view from the Sea View room is breathtaking.

The pool is enormous & very inviting. The beach is beautiful…all I did was lay by the pool, or on the beach reading my book or listening to my iPod. Plenty of shade around (don't forget you are in the middle of a rainforest) & what I loved was the fact that staff would come around every couple of hours with cold water & a cold towel for everyone getting cooked under the sun, both at the pool & on the beach. It's these little things that make a difference.

The Spa is located high up in the rainforest with an amazing view of Datai Bay. I had an aromatherapy massage-bliss.

The food was fantastic, especially at The Gulai House where they serve traditional Malaysian/Indian cuisine. This restaurant is a 5 minute trek into the rainforest from the pool area. There is also a Japanese restaurant and the main restaurant where breakfast, lunch & dinner are served. The beach bar is perfect for a quick snack or drink.

There are courtesy cars to the golf course, tennis court, even the Gulai House if you don't want to walk through the rainforest to the beach. The Business Centre offers free use of internet & there is also a Games room with pool table, library and some board games.

The hotel offers complimentary morning & evening nature walks which are a must do. Tip: Wear long pants, you will be eaten alive by those pesky little mosquitoes!

The only time we left the resort was to do the Mangrove Tour & visit the town. We visited the fish farms - the little boy showing us around let me feed & pat the Stingray saying "it's ok no danger no danger." When we got to the Barracuda he screamed "danger danger...!". Also did eagle feeding, visited the caves & basically just enjoyed a nice river cruise. The only thing I regret is not stopping over in KL for a night or two for some real retail therapy because although Langkawi is a Duty Free island, not that much around in terms of shopping.

A very relaxing holiday indeed... Oh yes! I would go back in a heartbeat!