Laid-back Langkawi

Spot wildlife, catch local shows and stay in restored heritage homes on the Malaysian resort island

- Leslie Koh

LANGKAWI, Malaysia - Stepping into the gargantuan colonial-era Straits House at the Temple Tree boutique resort that will be our home for the next few days, my wife and I are faced with a firstworld dilemma: Which of the four bedrooms should we sleep in? As it turns out, this dilemma is a metaphor for our trip to Langkawi, the resort island off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Over the next five days, we discover that despite its fame as a beach getaway and duty-free haven, Langkawi offers an array of activities and experiences that leave us spoilt for choice.

The island might come across as a 1990s-era tourist destination of yesteryear. But that gives the Jewel of Kedah even more of a sparkle.

It is quieter and more laid-back than beach hot spots like Bali and Phuket. Just a five-minute drive from Langkawi's most touristy area, Cenang Beach, lie swathes of paddy fields, lush rainforests and idyllic village life.

Wooden homes, fishing ponds and the odd farmer tending to his buffaloes add to the rural feel, keeping the island's kampung vibes strong in the midst of modernity.

At roughly 25km long and wide about two-thirds the size of Singapore and with a population of just 100,000, the island has retained much of its natural greenery since the 1980s, when former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad turned the backwater into one of Malaysia's top tourist destinations.

Here are some highlights.

WHAT TO DO

At the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park in the northern part of the island, we get a glimpse of Langkawi's flora and fauna on a late-afternoon cruise through a mangrove swamp.