Not quite paradise, but still quite nice – travelling Langkawi on a budget

Langkawi is undoubtedly a spectacular place. We wouldn’t go as far as calling it a paradise, as most travel sites do, but it’s worth stopping off there to refresh your soul as you make your way around South East Asia, especially if you’ve just come from the crazy urban hotbox of Georgetown.

We arrived a little baffled as to the best way to spend our time there. It’s not the kind of place you can just hop on a bus and hope for the best, mainly because there are no buses (it seems public transport is illegal here) and the taxi fares are extortionate. Langkawi is crying out for Uber, but that’s another story. Here’s a few ways to get the most out of your stay and keep within your budget.

How to Get There

Langkawi is an archipelago of over 99 islands, and most backpackers arrive by boat, taking the 3 hour ferry from Penang for 80RM. The ferry leaves at 8:30am and 2:00pm each day. Tickets are available online, or from the ticket office which is a 2 minute walk from the ferry terminal. We took this one way, but the sea was so rough that Nick spent the entire time outside, spewing up 3 full sick bags. On the plus side, they did show Ip Man 3 on TV.

If you prefer not to make this gut wrenching trip, you can get pretty cheap local flights from within Malaysia, as well as some international flights via Air Asia. We found that flying from Penang was about the same price as taking the ferry, and only takes 20 minutes. You do the maths.

If you’re coming to Langkawi the other way, from Thailand, you can take a speedboat from Koh Lipe. It’s a little pricey at 140RM each, but it only takes an hour and the sea was pleasantly calm for our trip. Plus, you have an excuse to visit Koh Lipe with it’s crystal clear waters and quality pancake scene.

Where to Stay

Langkawi can seem a bit anti-backpacker with it’s overpriced resorts and stately hotels lining the coast. Yet it is possible to have a good night’s sleep on a tight budget here. We strongly recommend that you stay at the cosy, clean and welcoming Soluna Guesthouse near Pantai Cenang. Tucked away amongst gorgeous rice paddies, complete with white heron and water buffalo, the main shopping strip and long sandy beach is only a 5 minute walk away, through some fields, past clucking chickens and cats lazing in the sun.

Check their website for current prices, but when we stayed it was only 20RM for a dorm bed, or 45RM for a double room with a fan. They also have private A/C options, but Langkawi gets cool at night so we didn’t go for this. They’re not on booking.com, so you can just turn up. However, to avoid disappointment we advise you call or email them to book in advance. Oh, and they have hot showers too, in case you weren’t convinced already.

What to Eat

As you’ve probably noticed by now, food is a priority for us wherever we go. Langkawi definitely loses a few paradise points for the lack of hawkers and it’s overpriced and uninspiring restaurants, especially on the main Pantai Cenang strip. Most blogs push the bbq seafood here, and we have no doubt that it tastes great. However, when the live seafood is priced per kg, it isn’t going to be kind to your wallet.

Yet you can still get some great meals here, and if you’re strapped for cash, we urge you to visit Bella Restaurant at Pantai Cenang. Here you’ll find mostly local food at fair prices. Breakfast here is a must – sip teh tarik and tuck in to  some nasi lemak, or order a kopi and treat yourself to some roti canai (Malayisan style pancakes) with a variety of flavours, including the winning banana and nutella. All for about 5RM too!

If you find it a cop out to eat in the same place all the time, explore the main strip for something that takes your fancy, and there sure is plenty of choice. A reasonable price per dish is 10-15 RM, although this is definitely unreasonable compared to elsewhere in Malaysia. It’s easy to get ripped off here, so always check the menu before taking a seat.

You should also try to visit a night market during your stay – check Travelfish for days and times. Here you can stock up on satay, pancakes, murtabak and that Malaysian delicacy, the deep fried burger! These markets, with their hawkers and hustlers, are bad for your health but great for your budget with each dish costing around 1-2RM.

You’ve probably heard that Langkawi is duty free, and this is correct. However, don’t go expecting bargain booze on every corner (actually, the best corner for cheap beer in Malaysia is Georgetown’s Beer Corner). Remember, this is Malaysia, not Calais in the 90’s, so alcohol is frowned upon in most places. The majority of Malaysians come to Langkawi to avoid paying taxes on kitchenware and chocolate, which is interesting but doesn’t exactly scream ‘PARTYYY!’. Drinking out will cost about the same as anywhere else in Malaysia, and the discount on alcohol in shops is usually quite disappointing. Anyway, if you want to get tipsy, your best bet is to have a few tinnies on the beach and avoid the bars.

What To Do

So, you’ve arrived, settled in to Soluna and checked out Pantai Cenang. We know what you’re thinking – the beach is ok, fairly long with off white sand, certainly better than England (although Langkawi often feels a lot like Cornwall). Still, you don’t want to pay to rent a deck chair and a parasol, and the watersports are lacklustre and overpriced. It’s probably raining too, just like Cornwall,  so the beach is not looking like a viable option for the next couple of days. Yeah, we’ve been here too.

Think you can tell the difference between Langkawi and Cornwall? Take our quiz!

What you want to do now is go back to Soluna and hire a scooter (usually about 35RM per day) or a car for about 60RM per day. We chose to hire a car because of the constant rain, but scooters are also rather nifty for exploring some of the smaller villages. Now you’ve got some wheels you are free to explore the interior of the island, which is where Langkawi’s true beauty lies.

First off, head out to the Langkawi Sky Cab for some awesome views of the island. It’ll cost you 45RM for the Sky Cab entry fee, plus an extra 5RM to walk the iconic Sky Bridge. But for 50RM, you get to travel on Malaysia’s longest mono-line cable car (it’s never been made clear if there are any others in the country) to the top of Machincang Mountain. Up there, you’ll be 708 metres above sea level, affording views of the entire archipelago, and even some of the Thai islands on a clear day. We admit that waking the Sky Bridge sounds a bit cheesy, but it was a fantastic experience and our friend Tugce absolutely loved it – except for the lengthy climb back up to the cable car station!

If you visited the Sky Cab at the weekend and it’s crammed with tourists, the best thing to do is to come back another day. But don’t head home just yet – keep going past the Sky Cab site and follow the signs to the Seven Wells Waterfall. Here, you can hike up to the various stages of the waterfall and swim wherever you want. We found that it wasn’t too busy, and as most people forget to bring their swimming costume, you’ll have the pools to yourself! Just watch out for the monkeys because they stole our crisps.

There are two other notable waterfalls on the island that are definitely worth a visit. Temerun Waterfall is a sight to behold, with several rapid courses flowing over the side. It’s an easy climb up to the main basin, and here you’re likely to find the local lads daring each other to jump from the rocks. Join them if you’re feeling brave – we weren’t. Before you leave, make sure you try the beef rendang burrito from the shack in the car park. Mexican-Malayisan fusion at its finest!

Durian Perangin Waterfall was also a majestic wonder, although the lack of durians there may disappoint some visitors – not Flic though, she detests the king of fruit. We found this to be a quiet spot to refresh after a humid day of hiking, and there was plenty of space to have a picnic and even a few hawkers selling cheap hot corn and noodles.

The next place you should visit is Air Hangat Village for the salt water hot springs. The salt water, present thanks to the area’s low water table, is renowned for its health benefits. The locals claim it will ease your arthritis, boost your immune system and increase your general wellbeing. Whether this is medically verifiable or not, it’s rather satisfying to sit knee deep in a hot spring amid the lush green plains of the island. There’s also a reflexology path made of small stones, arranged to inflict maximum pain and discomfort. Walk what may be the world’s only homeopathic gauntlet if you dare.

If you still have more time with your moped, we recommend visiting Mount Raya (also known as Gunung Raya) in the middle of the island for a superb view of the archipelago. It will take you about 30 minutes to drive all the way to the top, past cheeky monkeys and fallen trees, an adventure in itself. At the summit, you can pay 10RM to take a lift to the viewing tower, and you get a free drink with this too. With the low clouds and our stingy temperaments, we didn’t do this, but we have heard from other travellers that it’s well worth it on a clear day.

Of course, if the weather is fine and you have more time on the island, Langkawi’s beaches are worth a look. Whilst we believe that the word ‘paradise’ is used far too often in connection with Langkawi, there are some cool coves to consider. We recommend visiting the section of Tanjung Rhu Beach by Teluk Ewa Jetty. To get there,  you have to drive through Tanjung Rhu Resort and agree to their terms and conditions, but entry is absolutely free. When you reach the beach, you’ll have a cracking view of a few atolls rising from the waters and it’s usually fairly quiet there. Surprisingly, the Malaysian restaurants there offer delicious meals at some of the lowest prices we found on the island.

We had a great time just driving around the island, through the tiny kampongs, past highlighter-pen-green rice paddies and thriving woodlands. Just like a day out in Cornwall, you’ll come across tourist attractions that may take your fancy every few kilometers. Usually they have low entry fees so you may as well check them out. Just a final word of warning – avoid the Langkawi Buffalo Park because it was awful. Little more than a walk through a cow shed, we were deeply underwhelmed by this rural ‘attraction’, although Flic enjoyed taking photos of the photogenic buffalo.

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