Langkawi Travel Guide

Back to guides overview

Introduction

by Frommers Travel Guides

Where the beautiful Andaman Sea meets the Strait of Malacca, Langkawi Island positions itself as one of the best emerging island paradise destinations in the region. Since 1990, the Malaysian Tourism Board has dedicated itself to promoting the island and developing it as an ideal travel spot. Now, after a decade and a half of work, the island has proven itself as one of this country's holiday gems.

Its biggest competition comes from Phuket, Thailand's beach-lover fantasy to the north. However, Langkawi was far luckier than Phuket when the tsunami struck the shore in December 2004. Although Phuket suffered massive casualties and collateral damage, Langkawi only reported one casualty, and while most of Langkawi's beach resorts did suffer water damage, it didn't take long for them all to make necessary repairs and get up and running again.

This small island also claims a Hollywood credit, starring in the 1999 film Anna and the King. Langkawi played the role of Thailand to Jodie Foster's Anna Leonowens and Chow Yun-Fat's King Mongkut (Rama IV). The Thais wouldn't allow the filmmakers to shoot on location in their kingdom, so Hollywood turned to neighboring Malaysia. The palatial Thai-style buildings constructed for the set have never been torn down, and you can still hear all kinds of local gossip about the film's stars.

Technically, Langkawi is a cluster of islands, the largest of which serves as the main focal point. Ask how many islands actually make up Langkawi and you'll hear either 104 or 99. The official MTB response? "Both are correct. It depends on the tide!" On Langkawi Island itself, the main town, Kuah, provides the island's administrative needs, while on the western and northern shores, the beaches have been developed with resorts. The west-coast beaches of Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah are the most developed; however, the concept of "development" here is quite low-key. To the north, Datai Bay and Tanjung Rhu host the island's finest, and most secluded, resorts.

One final note: Malaysia has declared Langkawi a duty-free zone, so take a peek at some of the shopping in town, and enjoy RM4 ($1.05/50p) beers!

Compare Prices

for Langkawi

Langkawi Travel Experiences

Dataran Lang & Lagenda

Dataran Lang (Eagle Square) is Langkawi's most prominent landmark for visitors arriving by sea. Situated near the Kuah jetty, the main at... Continue reading »

by Real Traveler Red Scoot
Island Paradise? Part 1

On arrival to one of Malaysia's well known beach retreats, we find ourselves in a rain storm. This shall be the theme of our beach... Continue reading »

by Real Traveler Bill & Michelle DeKeyser
Langkawi!

After a few days in Penang I was happy to be moving on to another location. I took the ferry across to the island of Langkawi. This is a... Continue reading »

by Real Traveler Gypsy Girl
We just couldnt leave!

This place has totally blown us away, we think it's the first place we ahve been where we could happily stay. The island is tiny - only t... Continue reading »

by Real Traveler Si & Scarlett
Langkawi Green Island

Before we left for Langkawi we booked ourselves into a 5 star resort as a treat for 2 nights....arriving at the 'Berjaya Langkawi Beach &... Continue reading »

by Real Traveler ladycarmelkent