langkawi magazine

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Langkawi, Malaysia - Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort

Langkawi is tucked into the northwest of Peninsula Malaysia on the Thai-Malaysian border. It is an archipelago of 104 islands collectively known as Langkawi of which only 3 islands are populated. Langkawi Island itself is very picturesque with beautiful mountains , jungles, rice terraces and beaches. The movie Anna and the King ( with Jodie Foster) was filmed there and we saw the set which is being preserved for tourist purposes on a very pretty little beach near the Berjaya Langkawi Beach Resort ( where we were told that Jodie Foster stayed).

We stayed at the Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort which we enjoyed. We had booked a family room ( 2 adjoining rooms) for a reasonable price and on arrival we found we had been upgraded to a suite which was bigger than the average Taipei apartment! The facilities were very good. The hotel is only about 15 mins from the airport. The hotel is set into a hill rising from the beach and is surrounded by trees. It has a very natural beauty about it with great views of the Andaman sea. There is a small beach next to the swimming pool which is very nice and great for small kids. The pool itself is set into wooden decking just above the beach. There is another longer beach which has suffered damage from the breakwaters that were built to protect the airport but the beach still offers a wide stretch of sand and has lovely beachside cottages next to it which would be worth requesting. This beach was a great place to watch the sun set over the Andaman sea with a glass of champagne ( we took our own!) and the kids occupied with buckets and spades! The hotel offers all the usual amenities and has 3 restaurants, a bar, health club and a children"s play centre. There is a great boardwalk that has been built over part of the coastline which was very pleasant for a casual stroll (with strollers!).

Cars were very easy and reasonable to hire and we did some exploration of the island. There are lots of beaches to explore, some good golf courses, a crocodile farm (worth a look), an aquarium ( also worth a look) , caves, waterfalls among other attractions.

Malaysia 8/8/2004