First Time Visiting Langkawi

by Mr.Pestonjamasp
(Mumbai, Maharashtra, India)

Me & my family (3 adults) expect to have a vacation for 3 nights at Langkawi...some time mid November 2007. As regards hotel accomodation I am unable to decide which would be the ideal hotel ( not a expensive / grand 5 **** hotel / resort). The more I go through the internet sites and reviews I get confused. Finally i have shortlisted these hotels:

1) Berjaya Beach Resort
2) Mutiara Burau
3) Casa Del Mar
4) The Lanai

Please suggest which one would be ideal in terms of beach locations, natural surroundings, good food and full buffet breakfast, good near by local restaurants and shops and of course clean and functional rooms with clean toilets. Though most part of the day we should be out of the hotel looking at Langkawi.

From Langkawi we intent to spend 2 nights at Penang. I understand that there is a ferry service to Penang from Langkawi and it takes almost 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach Penang and the ferry leaves at about 1430 hours. What I am not aware is the safety and comfort aspects of the ferry. Are the ferry vessels new and modern with air conditioning?

Mid November how would the weather be ? Do we need to carry wollens and / or rain gear?

In the holiday package should I opt for Island Hopping tour or Half day city tour on sit in coach basis. Since we shall be going to Penang by sea ferry can the island hopping tour be avoided?

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Comment from Roszs:

Hotel Accomodation

Berjaya Beach Resort
Location:Kok Beach
The hotel area is very (very) huge that you need to take a small bus provided to go from your room to the lobby/pool. But, the service is very quick. Just dial 4 from your room phone, go outside to wait and it'll come.
Rooms: Great rooms!

Mutiara Burau
Location: Burau Bay, a really secluded area in the north of the island. Far from mostly everything. Better rent a car if staying here.
Rooms: Neat and tidy.

Casa del Mar
Location: Cenang Beach - the most popular and liveliest beach in Langkawi.A wide selection of pubs, restaurants, shops, island hopping service, car rental etc within a walking distance.
Rooms: Beautiful rooms, welcoming staff, great food!

The Lanai
Location: Tengah beach - with a beautiful beach front. Within walking distance from shops and some really good restaurants.
Rooms: Clean and quiet.

Recommendation: Casa del Mar - close to everything that you need.

Ferry from Langkawi to Penang

There are two ferry schedules available from Langkawi to Penang. At 2.30pm and 5.15pm. All ferry are air-conditioned , safe and comfortable.

Ferry dock at Swettenham pier in Georgetown - close to Fort Cornwallis.

You can check out their website for further information.

http://www.langkawi-ferry.com

Langkawi Weather in November

Firstly, there will be no heavy rain all day, no terrible thunderstorms or any sort of torrential rain storms.

Sometime you could see sun shining during the rainy season and sometimes it rains during the sunny season. So, you don't have to worry about the weather at all as our rain is not like other country that will keep on raining for days, weeks or months. It comes and goes in just a few hours.

The rain can be pouring down from no where for 30 mins - 1 hr. Then the sun will start shining again.

Island Hopping

Go for Island hopping. Depends on the package that you choose, you'll be drop to visit the islands such as Pulau Beras Basah, Tasik Dayang Bunting and Pulau Singa Besar. There are different things to see on each of the islands. The boat operator will usually brief you about the tour.

Half day city tour - again it depends on which package that you get. Usually you'll be taken to visit some of the Langkawi attractions such as the Underwater World, Eagle Square, Mahsuri Tomb, Atma Alam Batik etc.

For city tour, I would say you can always do it yourself (just rent a car). This way, you can choose where to go, when to go and how long you want to spend on each location. You see, you control the time.

Taking ferry from Langkawi to Penang will get you to enjoy the view of the sea. There is no stopping at any of the small islands around Langkawi.