Absolute splendour of Langkawi

Sitting back in a cable car to admire the beautiful and stunning views all around as we ascended Langkawi’s Mount Mat Cincang, Langkawi’s second highest peak, was simply breathtaking. This was unlike our everyday routine at home with work and university, and so, hovering above the turquoise sea, we took the time to relax and enjoy what we saw. 

Reaching the top of Mount Mat Cincang by cable car, we jumped out one by one as it circled around the platform then woosh, off it went back down the mountain. We walked across the Skybridge, such an amazing piece of architecture, at 125 metres or 700 metres above sea level, to soak in more spectacular views. It felt quite scary as we walked across it, looking down into the thick, lush undergrowth of forest, but trying not to think of it collapsing, we did just fine.   

The Oriental Village is just a splendid place to visit within Langkawi Permata Kedah translating to be the ‘Jewel of Kedah’, surrounded by its beautiful sea, paddy fields and jungle-clad hills. So many people came to be amazed by the beauty which it had to offer, and like us, were in awe with its wonderful setting and welcoming locals in their little, quaint shops, happily going about their day selling items like wooden candle sticks and wooden ducks. As we were leaving the village, we bought a delicately hand-crafted wooden duck for my grandad, as he’s always feeding the ducks around the lake at Lymm back at home. My mum came up with a great idea to wrap up a piece of bread with the duck to give to my grandad as a joke, an ingeniously clever idea I thought. This particular shop was across a bridge with a little stream running underneath, and was surrounded by autumnal coloured trees which gently swept their leaves from side to side in the cool, refreshing breeze.   

Kayaking in the Andaman Sea was sheer bliss, so we went on a kayaking tour which was out of this world. We saw animals of all sorts, monkeys swinging from tree to tree: the Macaque and the Dusky Leaf Monkey, as well as birds like the Brown Eagle soaring above us to shore. Dipping our hands into the sea, but not immersing them in too deep in case of what lay beneath, to feel the coolness of the water or on other days, to feel how surprisingly warm it was. My brother happened to drop his sunglasses in the sea, so dove in after them to shortly realise it was best to come back to the surface without them, thinking of what sea life could be lurking around. Having kayaked to shore, we laughed at the thought of something deep below us wearing his Persol sunglasses, and how many people must have dropped items into the Andaman’s turquoise sea full of exotic marine life.    

We were intrigued learning about the mangroves and how they helped to stop the tsunami. Visiting Langkawi Geopark where we walked around and learnt about Langkawi’s fascinating legends and myths was astonishing as we felt much more knowledgeable than before. Walking along to Datarn Lang (Kuah), also known as ‘Eagle Square’, was also amazing to see a 12-metre tall monument of a sea eagle preparing for flight whilst standing by the Kuah Jetty. Although the heaven’s opened and it seemed as though there were thousands of little, annoying, pesky midges that bit us galore, we were determined to find the Eagle. Other tourists could be seen doing the same, walking around in the rain, which is quite funny when you come to think of it, as you wouldn’t necessarily go on an adventure in the rain back home, yet abroad you have an urge to do so! 

What also made our holiday so wonderful was the utter luxury of our hotel and the absolute splendour of the island. Sheer bliss and extreme tranquillity were all wrapped into one, in the archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea. I love researching information about the holiday destination we choose to visit, and so I found that Langkawi is 30km off the mainland coast of north-western Malaysia. I’d sell you Langkawi as a destination, but then it’d be as if you’re reading a brochure, so will just say that it offers so many ways to relax and at the same time, be involved in adventurous activities depending on what you’re looking for. 

Its beauty will easily help you escape your everyday routine back at home, helping your mind unwind and chill when you sip the welcome drink of Malaysian special tea which The Andaman Hotel provides guests with on arrival.  

The hotel was simply luxurious, with its beautiful setting of being tucked in the 10 million year old rainforest, its  location on the Datai Bay and having an 8,000 year old coral reef, made our stay at the resort such a splendidly, wonderful experience. Its private beach is recognised as the 9^th best in the world by the National Geographic, as well as the National Geographic filming the flying lemurs there, which I thought was amazing. We were told by one of the hotel’s staff who took us on a nature walk, that: "The National Geographic came to film the flying lemurs at The Andaman Hotel because of its rich diversity and abundance in wildlife". He then went on to say to their surprise, the flying snake was also captured on film. Wow, I thought!  

Since I’m not selling you Langkawi in a brochure but am being a travel writer, it has to be said that Langkawi is a place you ought to visit. Its magical essence and lush foliage including the 300 species of butterflies, lures every visitor and adds to the tranquillity and luxury which the island has to offer.