Langkawi, Kedah - Day 1 (Dataran Lang - Pantai Cenang

Langkawi is a duty-free island, and you can take a ferry from Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis or Penang to get there. This is our first family trip with his parents, brothers and in-law's family. There's a total of ten of us, and this trip was organized by his sister-in-law. My partner's hometown is in Alor Setar; hence the closest jetty to Langkawi is Kuala Kedah.

We left home at 7.45am and had our breakfast at Lee & Lee Noodles Delights. This shop is right opposite the Star City Hotel. I had kono noodle with shrimp and shredded chicken and it's best eaten with their curry sauce. I like their noodle texture, which is soft and chewy at the same time. My partner had the same kono noodles, but he added on the roasted pork. We also ordered wontons, but it wasn't that tasty.

We walked to the Star City Hotel after our breakfast to meet up with his sister-in-law's family. Five of us shared a car, and in total there are two cars heading to Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal.

Lee & Lee Noodles Delights

Teh C ping kosong

Kono noodles with shrimps and shredded chicken

Bean sprouts

Curry sauce

Address:

Lee & Lee Noodles Delights

No. 8A, Jalan Tengah,

Kampung Lubok Peringgi,

05150 Alor Setar,

Kedah

Opening hours: 8am to 2.30pm. Closed on Monday

My partner bought the ferry ticket online (www.langkawiferryline.com), which cost RM 26.50 per person. We reached Kuala Kedah Ferry Terminal around 9.45am. After dropping us at the ferry terminal, my partner and his brother went to look for parking. The parking fee is RM 10 per day. We were followed by a couple of motorcyclists who tried to steer us to their parking lot before we arrived at the ferry station. It's both annoying and scary.

Boarding starts at 10.10am and the ferry departs at 10.35am. It is a slow ride and in total there are three decks. The ferry ride to Kuah Jetty Langkawi takes around two hours, and the seats were cramped.

Terminal Feri Kuala Kedah

Ticketing counter

Terminal Feri Kuala Kedah

Walking towards the ferry

Ferry

Ferry seats

Kuah Jetty Langkawi

Our 14-seater van waited for us near the Starbucks at the Jetty Point Langkawi. Even though it's a 14-seater van, the last row can only sit one person if you have a lot of luggage, and it's very cramped. My sister-in-law rented the van with a private driver, and the charges are RM 500 for the first day, RM 550 for the second day, and RM 150 for the third day. Basically, the driver will take you anywhere, anytime.

Kuah Jetty Langkawi

Our van for the whole Langkawi trip

Our van (14-seater)

Cramped seats on the last row

We had our lunch at Weng Fung Seafood Restaurant. We ordered the asam prawn, onion egg, deep-fried squid, stir-fried kangkong, sautéed mantis prawn with dried chili, stir-fried spinach and nyonya steamed fish. Unfortunately, the fried squid was bland, and the asam fish, which should be sour and spicy, tasted sweet. Apart from that, the onion egg is burnt on top. Luckily the prawns are fresh, and the only dish I enjoy is the prawn mantis. We were charged for an additional pot of rice even though we only added a few spoonfuls, and a pot of rice costs RM 12. My partner's brother went and approached the lady boss, and she eventually refunded us RM 10.

Chinese pomfret - RM 16/100g

Live grouper and pomfret - RM 12/100g

Grouper and red snapper - RM 10/100g

Prawn (big) - RM 16/100g

Prawn (small) - RM 14/100g

Steam rice RM 2/plate

Pot rice - RM 12

(Total bill - RM 354)

Weng Fung Seafood Restaurant, 100 plus - RM 3

Fresh seafood

Restaurant ambience

Asam prawn - RM 70

Onion egg (large) - RM 15

Deep-fried squid (large) - RM 30

Stir-fried kangkong (large) - RM 24

Sauté mantis prawn with dried chili (large) - RM 30

Stir-fried spinach (large) - RM 24

Nyonya steam fish - RM 120

Complimentary fruits rojak

Address:

Weng Fung Seafood Restaurant

No. 26, Kompleks Cayman, Jalan Penarak Kuah,

Jalan Pandak Mayah Kuah,

07000 Langkawi,

Kedah

Opening hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm / 6pm to 9.30pm. Closed on Sunday

After lunch, our driver drove us to Dataran Lang, which is just beside the Kuah Jetty Langkawi. The Dataran Lang, or Eagle Square, is the icon of Langkawi. The square is just a 9-minute walk (650m) from the jetty. We checked in at the Wings by Croske Resort Langkawi around 3pm. The hotel is approximately a 25-minute drive (19km) from Eagle Square.

Dataran Lang

Since we have another two hours before the driver comes and picks us up to Pantai Cenang, my partner went for a swim with his niece while I chose to relax in the room. While waiting for the rest to gather at the hotel lobby at 5.30pm, I went and checked out the welcome drink section. They have complimentary chocolate muffins and they're good.

Pantai Cenang is around a 14-minute drive (8.2km) from the hotel. We decided to have our dinner at Yellow Beach Cafe, which is located right on Pantai Cenang. We made a reservation for 10 people at 6.45pm. While waiting for dinner time, we wandered around Pantai Cenang and checked out the duty-free shop. We were the only ones who didn't buy anything from the duty-free shop. Maybe as we age, chocolate becomes less appealing to us.

Yellow Beach Cafe has a perfect view of the beach and sunset. Unfortunately, the sunset was blocked by the clouds that day. We ordered eight dishes to share among us. My favourite was the chicken breast. It's tender, moist, and flavourful. The spaghetti aglio olio came last, and it's too salty for me. Besides that, the pizza was warm and not piping hot. Overall, the food was okay, but not outstanding.

(Total bill - RM 418)

Yellow Beach Cafe

Restaurant ambience

Warisan Duty Free Langkawi

Pantai Cenang

Yellow Beach Cafe

Iced water - RM 2

Tacchino (mozzarella, turkey ham, olives, mushrooms and tomato sauce) - RM 36

Beef nachos - RM 35

Salmon salad (lettuce, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, home-marinated salmon, blue cheese and balsamic dressing) - RM 45

Spaghetti polo (chicken, mushrooms, cream and parmesan) - RM 45

Poached barracuda fillet served with calamansi lime sauce - RM 50

Chicken breast served with mushroom sauce - RM 50

Pollo (mozzarella, chicken, corn, onions and tomato sauce) - RM 40

Spaghetti aglio and olio (Vegan) (fresh boiled vegetables, garlic and olive oil) - RM 40

Yellow Beach Cafe

Address:

Yellow Beach Cafe

Jalan Pantai Cenang,

Pantai Cenang,

07000 Langkawi,

Kedah

Opening hours: 5pm to 1am. Closed on Tuesday

After dinner, his brother bought the durian-flavoured ice cream roll from a stall outside the Choco Planet duty-free shop. I had a bite, and the ice cream has a strong flavour of durian since it's made using fresh durian.

Ice cream roll stall

Durian-flavoured ice cream roll

Address:

Ice cream gulung beside Choco Planet, Cenang Langkawi

Lot 2605, Jalan Pantai Cenang,

Kampung Lubok Buaya,

07000 Langkawi,

Kedah

While waiting for our driver, we walked to the nearby duty-free shop, and my partner bought a roll of Nutella biscuits. It's a crunchy biscuit with a creamy Nutella center.

Nutella biscuits - RM 13.50 bought from Eastern Duty Free Shopping Outlet

Address:

Eastern Duty Free Shopping Outlet

E-1 & F-1, Lot No. 2609,

Pantai Cenang Mukim Kedawang,

07000 Langkawi,

Kedah

Our driver came and picked us up at the Cenang Mall around 8.30pm and headed to Dream Forest. The journey took approximately 25 minutes. The entrance fee for adults is RM 68. If you buy online, you can enjoy a 5% discount. The park only opens at night from 7pm to 12am and opening hours are subject to change depending on the weather conditions.

It's a storytelling journey through the jungle with lighting effects about Tasik Dayang Bunting, Merong Mahawangsa, and the Giants of Langkawi. The trail is dark and has many rough pathways. It is advisable to wear shoes, and the walk is not suitable for the elderly. Halfway through the journey, there is a cafe and a bonfire to cook marshmallows. The journey took approximately 30 minutes to an hour. Our time slot began at 9.10pm and ended at 10.10pm. My partner didn't get to watch the last video since he had to accompany his dad, and they took a long time to complete the route. In conclusion, it's worth visiting once, but the ticket is a little pricey for me.