Parker Family Adventure: Beached on Langkawi

Leaving a location early in the morning is a good thing in hot countries; our 1km walk to the Langkawi ferry terminal in Georgetown was much more pleasant before the heat of the day. We were still sweating by the time we arrived though.

The 2 hour 45 minute ferry ride was smooth and comfortable. We even had a James Bond movie to watch on the boat's TV, although we preferred chess, ludo, stories and a little bit of iPad time. The ferry terminal at Kuah is a busy place. Fortunately(?) there was a Starbucks so we retreated there for a much-needed coffee before catching a taxi to Pantai Cenang, our home for the next few days.

As our apartment wasn't ready for check in, we dropped our bags and went to Little Lylia's, a beach bar run by the owners of the apartment. We had booked a table there for New Year's Eve dinner, and to watch the fireworks (if we made it to midnight). It is simple and right on the beach with reasonable food and a terrible toilet. The food at Cenang isn't as cheap or good as at our previous stops, but there are loads of restaurants and it isn't expensive ($NZ20 - $25 for a meal for the four of us rather than $15 - $20) and you could definitely find some tasty options.

The owners are a very friendly English/Malay couple. Nikki comes from just outside London and she first visited Langkawi in 1999 when it was considerably less developed. They were amongst the first to serve western food on the beach when they opened 12 or so years ago. There is apparently some talk of removing all the little bars/restaurants along their stretch of the beach and a possibility that they would be replaced with a big hotel. That would be a great shame! Nikki was fascinating to chat to and had some interesting thoughts on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight too. Naturally it's a conspiracy...

After checking in to the apartment and a swim we headed back to Little Lylia's for dinner and to watch the sunset. We thought we'd see how the kids went, but were expecting to see the new year in at the apartment rather than on the beach as they were pretty tired. As it turns out, they met an Australian boy and an English brother and sister and had a fantastic time playing with them and cheap plastic light-up toys, so it was only about 20 minutes short of midnight when we left to put a new year message on a lantern and watch it drift away out to sea on our way to bed. An excellent end to 2015!

One thing we like about our seaside stops is that they all have common features: warm sea, restaurants on the beach and lovely white/golden sand, but are culturally different. We also fall into the same routine leisurely breakfast, swim, lunch, rest, swim, dinner. That is certainly how it went on New Years Day.

The beach at Cenang is lovely, about 2km long with white-gold sand. it doesn't get deep too quickly and is calm, so is perfect for swimming with kids. Although, you do have to watch out for the jet skis some of which are towing banana boats or large inflatable chairs. Having jet ski lanes would make it a more relaxing experience when swimming with young children, but not every day is busy and generally it seems to work okay. There are also a few vehicles on the beach, mostly motorbikes and SUVs, but they drive slowly. It is a big beach so there is plenty of room for everyone and the drivers are very considerate.

On 2 January we went on a snorkelling day trip to a reef about an hour on a boat from Kuah. We saw 100s of fish, including clown fish and angel fish, much to Eleanor and Leo's delight (finding Nemo fans here!). Eleanor was determined to snorkel without a life jacket, despite the depth and did very well. Leo absolutely loved it and they've since decided they want to be marine biologists. We loved introducing them to one of our favourite pastimes, and watching them fall in love with it too. Nothing like getting an underwater double thumbs up from your madly grinning 5 year old!

The following day we went to Panorama Langkawi, a gondola and sky bridge in the hills about 30 minutes from Cenang. The gondola is quite an experience, you go along at a reasonably gentle incline until you reach the cliff, then it is almost straight up to the middle station with a more gentle incline again to the top station. I have to admit to being a little nervous, but didn't want to scare the kids, so was mostly brave outwardly. They loved it and the views are amazing. The sky bridge is a walking bridge built over the forest with a few clear tiles so you can see the canopy several metres below. From the end of the bridge you can see all the way to Thailand. We then had a 30-minute guided walk through the forest to the middle station. It was hot, so lovely to be in the shade and the guide was impressed by Leo who walked quickly and didn't complain at all. Eleanor needed a little more coaching, but did well too.

We also visited a batik arts centre, Atma Alam, where the kids could colour their own pictures. They really enjoyed the experience and have very colourful eagles to show for it. They'll look wonderful on their bedroom walls.

Our final day on Langkawi was a bit of a luxury one for me. We swam in the morning (of course!) then after lunch I had a body scrub and facial at Furusato, a local spa (highly recommended by me!). Adrian and the kids relaxed at the apartment as Eleanor and Leo didn't feel like a swim... a sure sign they're getting plenty of time in the water!

Wow! A coffee and white rice scrub leaves you feeling incredibly clean and a cucumber wrap is so refreshing. Of course I had an itchy ear while all wrapped up but was so relaxed I couldn't be bothered scratching it. Follow that with a jasmine bath and facial and walking a 1.5km in the heat, dust and sand to the apartment doesn't appeal. Although I didn't really walk, I floated. I'm sure I haven't been that clean since Anna and I had a hammam in Marakesh seven years ago or as relaxed since the flotation tank experience in Amsterdam. Must do it more often!

That evening we went to the amazing Pahn Thai restaurant at Berjaya Resort, where Alli and Rach stayed when they visited. It is an outdoor restaurant on stilts at the end of a pier and beautifully positioned for the sunset. And the food is delicious. What a fantastic way to end our time on Langkawi and in Malaysia. Thanks so much Rach for all your recommendations, this one included!