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Lazy Days in Langkawi

Langkawi today is what Bali was like 30 years ago, before it was invaded by package holidaymakers," went the travel agent's spiel. This was what enticed us to go off and explore the archipelago of 99 largely uninhabited islands scattered off the west coast of Malaysia. It's not just a case of being able to find a secluded beach on Langkawi, we hired a boat for the day and claimed a whole island for ourselves.

Langkawi is, however, fast becoming a must-see tourist destination, and the Bali bombing has boosted its popularity. The race is on to visit before Starbucks opens its doors.

Langkawi is the largest of the islands, where the majority of the populace live. We used it as our base from which to explore the neighbouring isles. Most of the hotels offer boat trips to the surrounding islands, but they leave you little choice about which ones to visit or how long to stay on each one.

We wanted more control over our island hops, so we chartered our own boat. You can do this from Pantai Cenang beach, Langkawi Yacht Club, or the Jetty by Kuah town. We found this worked out cheaper and we were able to spread the cost by persuading another family we met on the beach to come along for the ride.

Tourists are encouraged to visit the islands of Pulau Dayang Bunting, Pulau Singa Besar and Pulau Beras Besar. There is, however, nothing to stop you dropping anchor at most of the other islands which the locals, understandably, like to keep to themselves.

Although marginally more commercialised than the other satellite islands - we saw one makeshift shop - and sprinkled with tourists, it was worth stopping off at Pulau Dayang Bunting, the Island of the Pregnant Maiden. A crowd of bemused monkeys watched us scramble up the jetty and then followed us on the short, but steep trail through the rainforest to the huge freshwater lake the island is famed for.

Legend has it that the lake is inhabited by Langkawi's equivalent of the Loch Ness Monster - a big white crocodile - and that it will enhance the fertility of any woman brave enough to take a dip in it. After the sweaty climb, nothing looked more appealing than its emerald waters, so we plunged in. We didn't catch a whisker of the mythical croc, but the schools of moustachioed catfish were no figment of the imagination. It was the monkeys, though, that made off with the real catch of the day: our lunch.

Pulau Beras Besar is also a great place to hop off at as it is the archetypal desert island. The sand on its beaches felt as soft as flour and the sea that lapped it really was turquoise. It was great for snorkelling and the ideal spot to eat what the primates had left of our picnic. You have to take food and drink with you on these island trips, as there's not a beach bar in site.

Pulau Payar, about an hour south of Pulau Langkawi, is situated in a marine park housing the largest number of coral species in Malaysia. The island has a reef platform with an underwater observation chamber and diving facilities. We spent a whole day there. If you are feeling adventurous, you can camp overnight, providing you get approval from the Fisheries Department in Alor Setar or from the head office in Kuala Lumpur.

On another trip out from the "mainland", we stopped at a tiny island, whose name we never discovered, but "no man's land" seems fitting. I felt a strange sense of ultimate freedom tinged with fear, knowing that we were the only people on that little piece of paradise left as nature intended it.

Back on the main island of Pulau Langkawi, we spent our days lying back on our sun loungers watching the resident red eagles swoop overhead. At dawn and dusk, we spotted hornbills fluttering between the fronds of the palm trees. Down on the ground, a regular piercing scream signalled that the newest hotel guest had caught their first glimpse of one of the monitor lizards, some up to six feet long, that regularly amble across the lawns. Little brown monkeys are everywhere on the island, and they've been known to sneak into hotel bedrooms via the balconies and help themselves to the mini-bar.

Pulau Langkawi is quite commercialised. We steered clear of anything with a hint of a Disney-style treatment - Crocodile Adventure Langkawi, and Underwater World, for instance. And, since we didn't need any ideas for what to buy the prime minister of Malaysia for his next birthday, we gave Galeria Perdana a miss, too. This is where the PM displays all the gifts he has received during his time in office.

We did succumb to the cable-car ride, however, which took us to the top of Machincang mountain range, 708m above sea level. From the peak, we could see all 99 islands and look down at the forest canopy, which resembled a giant broccoli in every possible shade of green.

Where to stay

Langkawi is home to the ultra exclusive and expensive Datai Resort, but travellers with a limited budget will find plenty of lovely places to accommodate them - just steer clear of anywhere right in Kuah town.

Without doubt the coolest place to hang out on Langkawi is the cheap, but ultra chic Bon Ton Coconut Village . The five restored century-old Malay houses are decorated with antique furniture and textiles. They are surrounded by coconut palms and look out on to a deep-blue oblong pool with a Jacuzzi at one end. You can sip a mango margarita at the bar or take a class at the onsite Langkawi Cookery School. The Bon Ton also houses one of the best restaurants to be found on the island. The barbecue rock lobster was wonderful, as was the baked snapper served on mango rice. A three-course meal costs around 20 a head, including wine.

If you're looking for a family resort, the Sheraton Perdana manages to do what few large hotels can these days: show that big can be beautiful and make you feel special. Our room looked out over a Japanese-style stream that ran through a tropical garden, leading to a palm-fringed beach. The staff were attentive and friendly and didn't hesitate to recommend alternative restaurants when we found those on site too pricey.

Where to eat

The restaurants in the large resort hotels are expensive - between 15 and 30 a head. But a 10-minute walk or a short taxi ride away from any hotel on the island will lead you to some great meals for less than 10 a head.

The food at the Barn Thai was excellent, but it was the journey there that made this night one of the most memorable of our holiday. A taxi dropped us at what we thought was the entrance, but it wasn't until we'd ventured 450m down a dimly lit, wooden walkway through a mangrove swamp that we came across the restaurant itself. It was pitch black and it felt as if the surrounding sinewy trees with bulbous trunks and visible roots were reaching out to grab us. Most of the restaurants patronised by the locals make our local greasy spoons look enticing. But we took a deep breath and tried a few of the busy ones and were pleasantly surprised.

At the Sri Indah Cafe , we didn't just get a taste of our first seafood steamboat - a selection of raw fish and vegetables that you cook yourself in a pot of broth on a tableside stove - but also a taste for what life was like on Langkawi when the owners told us all about their preparations for Chinese New Year. "Chop and wok" is also a speciality of Langkawi - where the menu is a fish tank. The sweet and sour seabass at Prawn Village was worth the mental anguish - the special fried rice had many "special" things in it, which we felt it was best not to enquire about. Tasted good though. Way to go Getting there: Malaysia Airlines (0870 6079090, malaysia-airlines.com) flies to Langkawi, via Kuala Lumpur, from 587 return, plus tax of approx 55.

Further information: Malaysia Tourism, 57 Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5DU (020-7930 7932, malaysiamydestination.com, tourism.gov.my). Country code: 00 60. Flight time: London-Kuala Lumpur 11hrs; Kuala Lumpur-Langkawi 55mins. Time difference: +8hrs. 1 = 5.95 ringgits.

For information & booking visit www.langkawi-insider.com

Langkawi 7/7/2003