Langkawi after Covid

It's been.. quite some times since my husband and I have not been travelling. May I say... since Covid? Not to say that we have not been to anywhere.. Because, we are still attending few wedding ceremonies in Johor Bahru and Penang. We still have our weekend getaway, or you can called it 'staycation' at Mandarin Oriental, Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Cyberview Resort & Spa. And, we went to Hard Rock Hotel Desaru last September for my husband's company Family Day.

But compared to those days before Covid.. you know, I was a frequent traveler back then.

Honestly, being a full time student and at the same time you are an employee to a big organisation, it is no joke. You won't have time for yourself. When your weekdays are packed with meetings, programmes, events (you name it).. and your weekend are tight with classes, group discussion, assignments, research paper.. I am happy that it's over now. For 20 months (from May 2021 to December 2022) journey for a MBA scroll, with 14 subjects.. there were 88 coursework need to be done! including 36 individual assignments, 22 group assignments, and 30 presentations, plus 13 exams and 1 project paper. I am glad that I pass with flying colors. Thanks Putra Business School, UPM.

Well, Work Hard Play Hard!

Although it was just a domestic trip, but for us, the Langkawi Trip in March was so wonderful and memorable. Well, for us.. we considered this trip is to celebrate my mini achievement and marks myself as a MBA graduate! And at the same time, me as a 'covid survivor'. I've been infected with Covid-19 last 22nd February 2023.

3 - 6 March 2023

Although this is my 9th time to Langkawi, yeap I've been to this island quite a lot. Been to many attractions in this magnificent island. But, you know what? This is the first time I step my foot at the Chenang Beach. no kidding! and Alhamdulillah, even it was a school holiday but it's not a peak season in Langkawi. 

Of course I enjoyed myself with the parasailing, jet skiing, sunset cruising with saltwater jacuzzi, and many other beach activities that I never experienced before. And at night, Pantai Cenang now has fire dance performances. Seeing that fire dances, it reminds us with the one in Boracay. 

... about the cost, we spent almost RM4k for the whole trip. By taking MAS, we paid for RM 426 per pax, but seriously it was wayyy cheaper than Air Asia. we stayed at Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang (4*), it is a new hotel in LGK @ RM 415/room/night without breakfast. and with RM 350, we managed to have a 'private' Parasailing trip that take-off directly from the boat, instead of taking off from the shore. The boat took us 2x rounds for more than 10mins. we also booked for a 4hrs shared Sunset Cruise with saltwater jacuzzi for RM 99 per person (we added RM 30 for packed grilled chicken) which departed from Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. we had a perfect photo with the big Eagle and the beautiful sunset as the backgrounds during the cruise ride. Other than that, we spent the rest of our money on FOOD!!! totally worth it

Langkawi lagiiii......

ini adalah closing entry for the Langkawi trip. Pasni nak concentrate kat JB & Legoland as well as Melaka Trip plak. Coming soon, bakal ada entry pasal Gambang ^^

aku suka sangat kat Tugu Lang ni - landmark of Langkawi. even though this Eagle Square (Dataran Lang, next to Kuah Jetty) ni tersangat la panas, dan kalau naik bas tu terpaksa parking jauh, menapak jauh... tapi kalau takde bergambar dengan Helang ni macam tak complete trip ke Langkawi. katanya, government has spent about 3.8million untuk mencantikkan area nih. so, since dah spent banyak sangat duet rakyat marhaen, kita as rakyat nih jom la datang ke sini 'merasa' kemana duet2 kita dah pergi. *sinis ke? dok eh!*

Good news for those yang nak bawak masuk kenderaan korang ke Pulau Langkawi. sekarang dah boleh dah. please click here and here for more info ye. setahu aku, dorang dah start beroperasi awal bulan December aritu. rasa-rasanya dah dengar pasal ni dah lama dah, setahun lebih camtuh. finally... berjaya jugak Langkawi Auto Express Sdn Bhd ni buat service nih - walaupon dengar-dengar cerita ada yang tak puas hati pasal harga; ikut CC kereta camtuh. All d best!

masa aku pergi Langkawi Mar 2013, bangunan Haji Ismail Group (HiG) ni belum siap lagi. la ni, dah siap dah!... mai mai mai!!! some said shopping kat kedai2 kecik lagi best dari shopping kat his own building ni. eh yeke? ntahlah... bagi bukan-seorang-shopper macam aku, tak de beza nya shopping kat mana2 pon. sama je perasaan nye. mungkin ada barang yang dorang carik kat HiG building takde stok or takde design or takde flavor or takde brand yang macam dorg nak, tapi ada kat kedai2 kecik kat Kuah Town tu. FYI, setiap hari Jumaat, HiG ni tutup 2 jam time Solat Jumaat (12:30pm - 2:30pm). yang datang naik kereta, boleh park kat basement. yang datang naik bas, bas akan stop and park kat sebelah kiri bangunan - ada entrance kat situ. 

Besar kan bangunan HiG ni, siap ada hotel lagi... room rate aku tak tau, sila jangan tanya. at first aku ingat kan bangunan HiG ni nak buat macam Idaman Suri. walaupon besar, tapi bukan kedai HiG jek kat dalam kompleks ni, ada jugak kedai2 / stall2 lain tumpang meniaga kat dalam tu. Since aku takde plan nak shopping, so aku just spent less than RM100 for chocolate jek. beli Daim Snax, Hershey's Kisses, Whittaker's and a small box of Ferrero Rocher for Mr Boyfie. ngade jek... macam la kat Key El takde jual Ferrero Rocher tu. RM100 tu consider sikit tau, sebab selalunya orang datang Langkawi ni akan spend at least RM1000 sorang. siap beli set pinggan mangkuk, set sudu garpu.. barang2 dapur lah senang cakap. for those yang plan nak datang hari ke Pulau Langkawi nih (tak overnight), or nak stay 1 malam jek... jangan la shopping bagai nak rak. kang kena cukai kang, sia2 jek. slalu nya for minimum 2 nights stay pon, kena hati2 time shopping. barang2 yang dikenakan tax contohnya macam cigarette (max 1 karton sorg - rokok Dunhill 1 carton still RM70), kain batik, liquor (max 1 bottle / 1 liter sorg); ada lagi 2-3 barang... tapi aku dah lupe. sowieee -.-". tolong jangan buang ferry or flight tickets sebab nanti masa nak keluar dari Langkawi, pihak kastam akan check bila tarikh korang masuk ke pulau tu. Personally, aku lebih suka shopping (or window shopping) kat Rams (kat Pekan Rabu, opposite of de Baron Resort, not too far from Al-Hana Mosque or Kuah Jetty) sebab barang dapur kat situ lagi banyak pilihan dan cantik2. =)

Daim Snax RM11.50 ni pack baru.
aku beli kat Billion masa tgu HiG bukak lps solat Jumaat.
sama je manis dia macam gula2 Daim tu... 

meh aku tlg compare kan harga.
standard price for 50g Whittakers is RM 4.90
tp kalau kat duty-free, 3 packs at RM 8.90; sila ngaku murah
tapi... very limited flavor, and expiry date very soon. pls take note

ape laiieee nak cite yek? 

the other day, buffet lunch (8 dishes) kat Langkasuka Hotel, Kuah. kat coffeehouse dia - sebelah lobby yang connected with Langkawi Parade. Lunch kat Kampung Siam, Pantai Cenang. Kampung Siam ni tak pernah jadik favorite place aku (officemate yang buat booking). dulu aku rasa masakan dia pedas ya ampun, tapau for unwell client depa pii bungkuih nasi putih 3 dan telur dadar sekeping jek. aritu aku rasa seafood depa tak fresh plak. cam gini ha food presentation depa:

Tomyam Seafood, Soy sauce Prawn, Chicken Mango Salad,
Fried Squid with patper sauce, Fried Vege etc

last but not least, sebab nk jimat masa (shopping time for cokelat lagi berharga dari shopping gamat); kitorang singgah kat Sireh Lagenda Gamat Factory, jalan nak ke Makam Mahsuri. Selalunya kami ke Nusantara (tepi jalan besar) - kat Nusantara best lagi, sebab ada demonstration masak minyak gamat, dan boleh try celup jari ke dalam kuali yang tengah masak minyak gamat. mendidih tau! panas tu memang panas, tapi tak melecur pon. and then, kat Nusantara ada minyak Suruntun - officemate cakap minyak ni terbaik, cepat sembuhkan luka... kata dorg la....

yang lain semua aku dah duk habaq kat previous entry................

click here

click here

click here

here and here

Holiday Villa Langkawi

Holiday Villa Langkawi

Seperti yang aku pernah canang kat entry aku setahun setengah yang lepas, kat Langkawi ni aku pernah stay kat Langkawi Lagoon – Kuala Muda, Meritus Pelangi – Pantai Cenang, The Andaman Resort – Datai dan Century Suria Condominium – Kuah.

Last November, I stayed at one of Langkawi hotels at Pantai Tengah area. Pantai Tengah ni tak jauh dari Pantai Cenang. Kalau pergi public beach kat Pantai Cenang (famous with the water-sport activities), perasan tak Aseania Resort kat junction tu? Alaah, 3 star resort yang besar macam castle tu – which have the longest swimming pool in Malaysia (154.4m long)… ok, masuk simpang ke arah Selatan – itulah Pantai Tengah. Apparently, pantai tu bukanlah berada di tengah2 Pulau Langkawi ye.

 

‘long story short’, aku duduk kat Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa; next to its ‘sister’ resort - Federal Villa. Besides these 2 hotels in Langkawi, Holiday Villa has another 7 hotels in Malaysia; and coming soon akan tambah lagi 3 hotels kat KLCC, Selayang dan JB. As for international, there are more than 15 hotels worldwide. Banyak nyer…. So, I expect high for their standard.

Well, I expected too high. Agak terkejut dan frust sebab… it’s an old hotel (old room, old lobby, old building) and doesn’t reflects 4 star hotel at all. Tolong la renovate kasi cunn and modern sket – like what other hotels did. Ok, bersangka baik – even though they don’t have an up-to-date design, but it looks classic and traditional. Haaa positive nye mak jemah arini. I tried to check when their last renovation was, but I didn’t find any information about that. Some said, last time they did renovated the lobby area.
second thought, if one day dorg renovate hotel ni, of course the room rate will be increased. contoh macam Meritus Pelangi, last time aku stayed sana last April 2012. masa tu Meritus tengah renovate hotel phase-by-phase. room rate time tu, still RM400++ per room per night. soon after they has done full renovation, price boom jadik RM700++ per room per night. 

Lobby @ Holiday Villa

belanja satu gambar aku kat lobby =)

and my Deluxe room :

personally i like the bathroom, got a lot of mirror in every angle

Dekat dengan lobby, ground floor, mine with sofa bed… garden view, tapi takde balcony; cause only Premium Room has. Plus, nearby Lagenda Restaurant too. For me, I don’t like the breakfast on our first morning. Below average. Know why? Because that day, we were planning to leave the hotel for Pulau Payar at 7am, so we had our breakfast as early at 6am. Thus the food was not ready. Roti canai keras, dressing for nasi lemak bersepah-sepah, apa pon tak sedap! Dan… tak banyak choice. Tapi, dinner and breakfast on our last day there were better. Especially for the dinner, ada grill and other hot selection. Itu saya bagi 4 bintang! They said this Holiday Villa has the best Omelette ever! For me, “ok lah, dia ada letak cheese yang sedap”. Not to forget, the mushroom soup is yummeyh!!

Lagenda Rstn

Warning signage bout the jellyfish..

Best nye! Best nye!… sebab ada Private Beach. But sadly, aku tak berkesempatan nak lepak-lepak pantai & mandi laut.. sebab schedule quite tight during that visit. Musim hujan pulak tu (year-end kaannnn). Hujan pon hujan lah, aku redah jek sebab memang suka bab2 exploring nih. Aku pergi area swimming pool, and I saw the open-air Jacuzzi. 

swimming pool and the jacuzzi

Plan nak pergi ushar the new La Villa poolclub & restaurant tu, but the rain gets heavier. So aku berteduh bawah pokok. Yang ni kot orang duk complaint pasal kena bayar additional RM25 for this private pool. Then, nak explore pantai pon tak boleh, sebab tak nak seluar jeans aku yang dah basah ni berpasir. Nak view sunset pon tak dapat, sebab tengah hujan. Nak tanya hotel staff pasal Ladies Indoor Swimming Pool, tak pulak nampak staff dorang time hujan2 tuh. Apatah lagi nak tanya pasal water sport activities. Teringin sangat nak try parasailing tau *mengidam*. Tapi nasibbaik jugak tak mandi pantai cause here’s a testimony from one guest (staying at Holiday Villa 2 days after my visit), in tripadvisor she wrote : “I would said this is not the right time to get in the beach. A lot of jellyfish and in fact they are really active at this time. Please avoid the beach”. Phew!! In addition, in tripadvisor other guest also complaints about the old design as well as about mosquitoes. Mungkin masa tu bukan musim mengawan, so aku takdelah kena serang dengan nyamuk walhal tengah “darah manis” nih.

water sport xtvt takde time hujan

kan da cakap time tu tgh hujan lebat... sempat lagi nk selfie

Last but not least, we requested to have a telematch game at the hotel. The hotel offered 6 games which are Turtle Egg Thief, Waterbag Pitcher, Egg Race, Kangaroo Cucumber, Gunny Sack Race and Tug of War. Those who are interested to have telematch at this hotel, no worries; as they won’t use the real eggs. By the way, they have their own instructor. The original plan was to have the game on the beach. Tapi nak buat macam mana, hujan lebat… so, we moved to the hall (jadik la indoor game) behind the Lagenda Restaurant.

gambar ni jek yang clear sbb less movement

kalau tak hujan, telematch buat kat sini

Oh ya, I heard that this hotel also have a Salt Cave. Bagus ke salt cave ni? Selalu nampak kat groupon or streetdeal. Spa and massage at this hotel is quite expensive. We would suggest you to have the better and cheaper nearby Underwater World, Pantai Cenang. Dekat je dengan hotel, 20mins walk or take a taxi which will cost you around 10 ringgit. 

UPDATE : Thanks for the Christmas Cake!

Baby Shark @ Pulau Payar

This is Pulau Payar jauh ke tengah

A Marine Park, situated in between of Langkawi and Penang. Closer to Langkawi, 30km away from Kuah Jetty (approximately 1 hour) and 2 hours from Port Swettenham Pier, Penang (port yang sama dgn Star Cruise). Cluster of islands with another 3 smaller islands called Pulau Kaca, Pulau Lembu and Pulau Segantang.

We are using the service of Langkawi Coral. They are offering 2 options; either Beach package or Platform package. FYI, Beach is cheaper than Platform. Want to know why?

Cause if you choose to have the Beach Package, around RM 130 – 150; you only will get the pick-up/drop-off transfer from/to your hotel in Langkawi to Kuah Jetty, return ferry transfer from Kuah Jetty to Pulau Payar, lunch box (ada nasi, 1 jenis lauk dan sandwich) dan mandi kat tepi pantai or jetty jek.

In case you do have more budget, I would recommend you to spend on the Reef Platform package, around RM 245 – 265. I know it is quite pricey, but it’s totally worth having. We also get all the land and ferry transfers, in addition they served buffet lunch (about 5 main dishes, spaghetti, soup, fruits, cold & hot drinks and some desserts), underwater ‘aquarium’, open-sea snorkelling (terjun dari platform – love it!), free return boat transfer to the Beach, and glass bottom boat (yang ni aku tak sempat nak try dan aku dah lupa boat tu pergi pulau mana). For divers, ada pakej menyelam dalam RM 100- RM 150 camtuh. Other services, first aid and time dalam ferry pon staff ada provide sea sick pills for free. Rescue team pon ada

this is the Platform - ferry dari Langkawi pon stop kat tepi belah kanan tu

luncheon

underwater tank, located right below the platform

eh, apo bondo tu?

ce kira ada byk banyak ikang?

ni pulak ikan yang kita nampak dr atas. besau besau

jom snorkeling! saya ada roti, sape nak???

bantuan tiba!

boat ke Pantai Pulau Payar

facilities on the Platform

Kalau ambil Platform package tu, price already includes mask, life jacket (blue for small size, red for medium and orange kot for big size), marine fee and insurance. But I’m not sure Beach package also includes those 4 things or not. At the platform, both changing/shower room and the toilets are clean and convenience. Tapi yang kat beach tu kalau tengok dari luar tak nampak bersih, maybe nampak kotor sebab pasir basah. Silalah masuk pakai slipper. Back to the Platform, they do provide 2 toilets (unisex) and 4-5 changing/shower rooms. Bear in mind, please do NOT spit or urinate and NO shampoo / soap usage while showering – cause the shower is actually above the sea, time mandi boleh nampak ikan berenang-renang kat bawah tu - mati kang ikan2 tu terminum sabun korang. NO littering and NO cooking are allowed at the Marine Park. The management bring all the meals from the mainland and re-heat at the platform. In addition, there’s NO accommodation at Payar Island. Jangan nak berangan-angan nk bermalam kat pulau tu yek, ini bukan Phi Phi Island, bukan Manukan Island. Yang macam rumah kayu kat Pantai tu it is a Gallery actually – aku tak sempat nak masuk sebab sibuk ambil gambar huhu but I saw the “Gallery” signage – Gallery apakah?

crystal clear

Ikan-ikan kat Pulau Payar ni seriously memang cantik, colourful dan besar-besar. Freaking big and quite aggressive. Dan yang paling menarik, at the Beach area ada BABY SHARK! Plenty of them, hmmm light brown color dan kat hujung sirip dia kaler hitam setompok. Baby shark ni jinak, boleh berenang2 dengan manusia. Tapi dorang cakap JANGAN feed baby shark with bread by using the same way we feed other those fishes. We can hand-feed from the bridge only, campak dari atas la kaedah nya. I’m not sure they are from which species (ikan yu yang makan roti??); the Wikipedia has stated that there’s more than 505 shark species. UPDATE : i think this is BlackTip Reef Shark. Please do NOT kill those sharks just to get their fin.

 

snorkeling with baby shark

Alhamdulillah, the weather was nice since morning till in the late afternoon, but the storm came around 2pm. Seriously angin kuat gila, rasa tak selamat pulak duduk lama2 kat platform while waiting for the departure time. Masuk ferry jek, I took the sea sick pills dan terus tidur – tidur mati sampai nak dekat dengan Kuah Jetty. My colleague told me that most of the passengers were sea sick, ada yang pengsan, muntah2, hujan lebat, kapal terumbang ambing (kata dia ye). And the worst part; 2 from 3 boat engines rosak plak. Nasib baik sampai jugak ke Kuah Jetty dengan selamat. Alhamdulillah~~ if we were stranded in the middle of the sea, what do you think will happen to us? 

dark skies

muka puas hati dapat snorkeling kat Pulau Payar. TERBAIK!!!

Siapa cakap during monsoon season (tengkujuh) tak boleh pergi ke laut? Selat Melaka ni consider laut jugak la ye. kalau ke Pangkor, air laut dia tak sejernih dan sebiru/sehijau ni. highly recommend you to go to this Payar Island! best macam pergi Redang or Tioman. tapi yang buat tempat ni lagi special is because of the baby shark - Phuket/Krabi pon tak de tau. saya bagi 10 bintang!

Laksamana Cheng Ho Cruise @ Langkawi

Asal nya aku tengah semangat nak cerita pasal trip JB & Legoland yang aku pergi last 15-16 Nov, taip punye taip, mood tu hilang tetibe bila teringat banyaaak sangat kisah TAK berapa nak best happened in JB, maka dengan ini aku postpone dulu la ye. Jangan risau, ada gantinya. Siapa nak dengar cerita pasal Langkawi aku pergi 21-23 Nov aritu??? … well, anyone?? Aku janji post kali ni lain sket dari entry2 sebelum ni. Excited tak? …. (macam aku excited sorang2 jek)

Yang best nya kali ni….

 

Aku naik Kapal Laksamana Cheng Ho! Bajet kalau naik kapal ni dapat belayar sampai ke Negara Cina? Oh itu tidak mungkin. Cause this Laksamana Cheng Ho Cruise is sailing around Langkawi Island ONLY… I guess it is. Mula beroperasi last year, 2013 – baru lagi la nih. Embark and disembark at Kuah Jetty, the same place kalau nak naik ferry ke Kuala Perlis / Kuala Kedah / Penang / Pulau Payar / Koh Lipe etc. It’s a Majestic Chinese junk, and served HALAL buffet of Asian Fusion meals. Specialnya, it was made for Sunset Cruise, boarding time from 6:30pm sharp, till 9:00pm. How to book? You may deal with My Hotel, please contact Ms Zilla 04-9666666 / 010-7791272/ 017-4080966. Standard rate @ RM 100 per person inclusive with dinner. The cruise is suitable for company dinner cause they provide a stage, with PA system and their own DJ. We also can request to have a projector and white screen.

Ok, part yang kurang menarik…. Here are my comments: their local DJ was good and entertaining tapi dia suka pasang music kuat sangat. And then, in term of food – the food presentation was nice but kureeng sedap and the food served was not sufficient for the group – since kat tengah2 laut, those yang tak cukup makan tu, terpaksa la tahan lapar. Kesian sangat! They said they have “Surau” at 3^rd floor, but for me the surau doesn’t look like a surau at all. It’s a small room with window, dark, and there’s no place to take the Wudhuk.

In addition, but this one is beyond human’s control. The weather was not good on that evening, kitorang tak berpeluang tengok matahari terbenam… mendung berarak gitu. So, actually aku pon x sure betul ke kapal ni pusing satu pulau….

Overall : It’s something new & unique. Great cruising experience (if we managed to view the sunset is much better). I love the idea and love the design.

P/s : ever heard about S.T.S Puteri Mahsuri? This particular ship is special for Teambuilding, organize by Wilderness Malaysia. Suitable for adventurous person who wish to experience one-day working on the ship. Oh ya, not recommended for those pregnant women or fear of height and of course, those with sea sickness.

Coming up next à Hand-feed baby SHARK @ Pulau Payar