LANGKAWI GUIDE

1 WEATHERAIRPORT TRANSFERSSIM CARDS ANDDIALING PREFIXESGETTING AROUNDCURRENCYTIME ZONEELECTRICITYIMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERSBook online or call us at +60 (3) 2302 GUIDEYOUR FREE LANGKAWI GUIDE FROM THE ASIA TRAVEL SPECIALISTSAn archipelago of 99 islands, LANGKAWI is the country's most enthusiastically promoted tourist destination. Away from the main island'sdeveloped areas, LANGKAWI is rural with mountainous interior, villages, rice paddies and jungle-covered hills. A duty-free location, LANGKAWI is also the perfect place to buy cheap luxuries and it's recognized for its excellent dive sites and what some say are the mostbeautiful beaches in Malaysia. Besides all that, sightseeing attractions that range from the Underwater World and the Cable Car & Skybridge to natural draws such asLangkawi's offshore islets and the Telaga Tujuh waterfalls make LANGKAWI Malaysia's most popular tourist an equatorial climate, LANGKAWI issuited for year-round travel.

2 Shielded frommajor winds and storms by the mainland onone side and Sumatra on the other, the islandhas two prevailing seasons - dry season(November to March) and wet are fairly consistent during theday, ranging from 30 C to 35 C, while atnight they drop to 28 C or 29 C; humiditylevels remain high at about 80% throughoutthe year. The most rainfall occurs inSeptember and October, as a result of themonsoon doesn't have a comprehensivepublic transportation system. There are only afew ways to get to your hotel from theLangkawi International Airport (or the Kuahjetty) - the best of which is to hire aninexpensive airport transfer at are another option but they don'toperate on a meter system so fares arerelatively high - a trip will cost you RM10 andRM20 to Padang Matsirat and Pantai , from the Kuah jetty it costs RM5to Kuah Town and RM26 to Pantai 's three main cell phone serviceproviders are Celcom, Digi and Maxis.

3 Youcan obtain prepaid SIM cards almostanywhere - especially inside large-scaleshopping malls. Digi and Maxis are the mostpopular services, although Celcom has themost widespread coverage in Sabah andSarawak. Each state has its own area code; tomake a call to a landline in KL, dial 03followed by the eight-digit number. Calls tomobile phones require a three-digit prefix,(Digi = 016, Maxis = 012 and Celcom = 019)followed by the seven digit has no trains so the best way to getaround the island is to rent a car. Roads areeasy to navigate and traffic is almost non-existent; you can rent a car when you exit thearrival hall of the LANGKAWI InternationalAirport or book one in advance If you'rearriving via the Kuah jetty, touts from travelagencies will approach you upon arrival -rates start at around RM60 per day, but dropswith bargaining.

4 The bus service that departsfrom the stand opposite the hospital runs onlythree routes out of Kuah - to Pantai Cenang,Padang Lalang and Pantai Kok. Alternatively,cabs are a good option - fares are a littlepricey and taxis aren't exactly ubiquitous - butthey're convenient. They don't operate usinga meter, rather with a set fare - a journeybetween Kuah and Pantai Cenang will costyou around RM24. There's a taxi station at theLangkawi Fair mall and at the Ringgit (MYR). US$1 =approximately MYR +8 (the same as China, Hong Kong andSingapore).Main voltage in Malaysia is 220 volts. Connectto the reliable electricity supply (220V-240V,50 cycles) with a UK-type three-square-pin ortwo-parallel-flat-pin (British BS-1363) Stop Crisis Centre+603 2615 3333 Tourist Police+603 2164 0522 Civil Defence991 Customs+603 6201 6088 Directory Enquiries103 Emergency Call FromMobile Phone112 Fire994 Foreign Affairs+603 8887 4000 Immigration+603 2093 9181 Flight Info KLIA+603 8776 2000 MAS Airline1 300 88 3000 AirAsia Airline+603 7651 22221 PANTAI CENANG2 PANTAI TENGAH3 KUAH4 PADANG MATSIRAT5 PANTAI KOK6 DATAI BAYBook online or call us at +60 (3) 2302 AREA GUIDES An archipelago of 99 islands, LANGKAWI is a west-coast island that's home to 64,792 inhabitants and its interior has remained largely untoucheddespite tourism development along the coast.

5 LANGKAWI 's main road runs a circular route around the island, but there's another road that connects northand south, effectively 'cutting' the island in two; the main island's (476sqkm Pulau LANGKAWI ) sheer size can make it hard for you to find your way aroundand that's where our Area GUIDE comes in Dubbed LANGKAWI 's main vein, Pantai Cenangis not as rowdy as Bangkok's Khao San Roadbut it's still the island's most popular km west of Kuah and 500 metres north ofPantai Tengah, the bay forms a white-sandbeach strip, and the area is crammed withunobtrusive budget and mid-rangebeachfront accommodation. Mostly due tothe burgeoning package tour clientele,Cenang has plenty of places that offer watersports and boat rentals. Good restaurantswith an emphasis on Westernised local dishes,and the best nightlife in LANGKAWI , results inan odd jumble of backpackers, expats, Asiantourists and families crowding the restaurantsand bars come first of LANGKAWI 's western beaches,Pantai Tengah is situated just around thesouthern bend of the Pantai Cenang road.

6 Afamily-friendly strip, with some low-keychalets as well as a few all-inclusive resorts,Tengah has the longest stretch of beach onthe main island. The bay's out-of-the-waylocation means that the water isn't renewedby the tides and as a result looks quite 's not much sightseeing here, but thereare quite a few spas, and tour operators areabundant. Eating out used to be limited tothe various restaurants attached to the motelsand resorts along the strip, but lately localenterprise has begun to hit Tengah's foodscene. The nightlife isn't as prolific as Cenangbut it's popular with the an estimated 11,000 inhabitants, Kuah iseasily LANGKAWI 's largest town. The arrivalpoint for most ferries, it features a strip ofmodern high-rise hotels and duty-free shopsalong the main road, which hugs what littlebeach there is.

7 Sitting on reclaimed land, it'smore of a fishing beach than a recreationalone. Kuah's not an unattractive place in fact,the whitewashed Al Hana Mosque, whichdominates its waterfront, is one of LANGKAWI 'smost popular sightseeing attractions. Thetown will probably be your first view ofLangkawi and it's the place to settle anybusiness matters as it's one of the only placeson the island for banks, post office, policestation, a hospital and fast food towards the northern end of theisland (skirting the airport), a right turn off themain road brings you to Padang Matsirat (TheField of Burnt Rice). It's only a few kilometresoff the road that leads to the west coastbeaches, and it offers many sightseeing spots(Makam Mahsuri, Snake Sanctuary and more).

8 You're going to need to rent a car to get tothem as most of these spots are located farfrom each other. That being said, it takes thetop spot as one of the best places to stay,especially if you'd like a quieter atmospherethan Pantai Cenang or Tengah. There are afew good restaurants and attractions in thevicinity but if you're looking for nightlife thenstick closer to less provincial areas Kok is on the far western stretch ofLangkawi. Hands down it's the best beach inLangkawi it's quieter and more secludedthan Cenang or Tengah and enjoys a veryintimate feel. Major sightseeing attractionsinclude the popular Oriental Village plus itsonly 2 km from the Telaga Tujuh resorts like the Sheraton andTanjung Sanctuary dominate lodging optionshere, but there are also a number of attractivechalets along the beach.

9 The beach itself isbeautiful with clean sand and clear waters, athoroughly modern marina (Telaga HarbourPark) with a string of good shops, bars andrestaurants, plus a petrol station, bank andpost along Pantai Kok's main road, there'sa right turn that takes you down a narrowstretch of road leading to the north 10km, a road to the left leads to DataiBay home to some of LANGKAWI 's mostexclusive resorts. The site of Datai Bay GolfCourse (one of Malaysia's top-ten golf clubs),the area's crowning glory is located at theend of the curving road that takes you pastthe headland, where a couple of secludedcoves afford great views of several Thaiislands in the distance. Back-tracking fromDatai Bay, there are a couple of reasonablestretches of undeveloped beach; you'll findPantai Pasir Hitam (Black Sand Beach) here a strip of beach with sand that looks as if ithas been sluiced with at DATAI LANGKAWI , DATAIBAY 1 THE ANDAMAN A LUXURYCOLLECTION RESORT 2 THE WESTIN LANGKAWI , KUAH 3 TEMPLE TREE RESORT, PANTAICENANG 1 THE FRANGIPANI LANGKAWIRESORT & SPA 2 VILLA MOLEK LANGKAWI ,PANTAI TENGAH 3 Book online or call us at +60 (3) 2302 LUXURY HOTELSJust beside the top-notch Golf Club DataiBay, the award-winning The Datai - a five-starresort that's located some distance off themain road around the island - is LANGKAWI 'smost exclusive beach resort.

10 Its 112 air-conditioned lodgings feature views of thebeaches and jungle surrounding Teluk Datai,plus each unit is outfitted with all-naturalfurnishings, a separate living area, day beds, aprivate veranda, bathroom, flat-screen TV,DVD player and free Wi-Fi. Hotel facilitiesinclude a health club, water-sports facilities,tennis courts, five restaurants and bars, a spaand two past the Golf Club Datai Bay, the five-starAndaman is an opulent wooden Malay-styleresort. One of our Top 10 Best LangkawiHotels, it is set within the rainforest andfeatures 186 air-con rooms with fans, espressocoffee machines, flat-screen TVs, DVD players,Wi-Fi, attached bathrooms and privatebalconies. Offering babysitting services, theresort has excellent amenities including agym, tennis and volleyball courts, a kids' club,billiards and games room, a private beach,swimming pool, five restaurants and well-established name in Kuah, The WestinLangkawi Resort & Spa is a five-star typical Southeast Asian luxury resort withAsian-style architecture and modern accents -hotel facilities include a state-of-the-art gym,three pools, an on-site spa, a private beach,two tennis and squash courts and a kids' of our Top 10 Best LANGKAWI Hotels, thehotels has 222 air-con rooms with itssignature Heavenly Bed, Heavenly Shower,Wi-Fi, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, DVD playersand private Now!