langkawi magazine
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Pre-Honeymoon in Langkawi
Weddings are grand and festive occasions but unfortunately they are also very stressful and taxing - particularly to the main couple, as Yvonne and I discovered.
Our honeymoon was to come later, but we needed a break to recuperate, so a pre-honeymoon was in order.
The Isle of Langkawi was chosen - an idyllic tropical paradise and Island of Legends, where mythical folklore and colourful tales abound. Happily, the choice of destination was also within close proximity to Penang and easy on the budget.
Much of Langkawi's charm is natural. Except for the excellent road that connects the entire island, most of it remains undeveloped - flat paddy fields and buffaloes, attap houses, rolling hills and white sandy beaches at the coastline, every bit a picturesque Malay countryside from a black and white P. Ramlee movie. Having said that, Langkawi is not alien to development and has a high concentration of hotels and resorts.
Surprisingly, most of them seemed to have settled in well with its natural state, unobtrusively tucked in a cove somewhere or nestled cosily between the hills. We stayed at Paloma Beach Resort, a new and competent resort located between Kuah town and the main beaches. It wasn't an exceptional venue but it had all the standard 4-star facilities and the room seemed to have decently thick walls, so we could howl, scratch, claw, toss and scream all we like and not be booked. When we were not screaming, we ate.
Dinners were particularly sumptuous and romantic. Highly recommended is the Barn Thai Restaurant, a jazzy, back-to-nature themed Thai restaurant built right in the heart of a mangrove swamp. Entrance was through a 15-minute walk across the mangrove swamp - definitely an A+ for ambience. The food itself won equal ratings - authentic Thai cuisines sizzlingly spicy, aromatic and fragrant.
One of the trip's highlight was in meeting Ibrahim Hussein the artist (picture right). Arguably the most successful (from a financial point of view) and respected Malaysian artist ever, this man had in his distinguished career, rubbed shoulders with the likes of the late Andy Warhol.
He now runs his own art gallery and studio in Langkawi and was not too proud to rub shoulders with us when we visited the place. I personally admire his works for the freedom and originality they embody.
In line with Dr Mahathir's vision, Ibrahim Hussein's base in Langkawi was a step towards establishing the island as a cultural centre as well. We also visited all the other tourist spots but much of it was a blur as we focused more on exploring, discovering and rediscovering each other. On hindsight, we didn't get as much rest as we wanted but we were rejuvenated all the same.
Langkawi
