A couple of weeks ago I was once again invited by the lovely PR team @Berjaya to review another of their luxurious island resorts. This time I was very excited to learn that it was going to be an extended 3 Days 4 Night trip to Langkawi with some familiar friendly faces from the Media Fam again. I had never been to Langkawi before in all my time spent here in Malaysia, so I was looking forward to seeing another popular part of this enchanting and diverse tropical country. Langkawi is a popular tourist destination located about 30km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. Known as the Jewel of Kedah, it is an archipelago of 104 islands rich with natural beauty, history and culture surrounded by turquoise waters of the Andaman sea, picturesque paddy fields and jungle-clad hills.
I had already heard many great things about Langkawi Island from some friends I had met while backpacking in Australia, vlogs on youtube and also from friends here in Malaysia. I had heard one of the most popular reasons a lot of tourists visit Langkawi is to indulge in and take advantage of the cheap duty free alcohol that's on offer (being an Irish man who naturally enjoys the odd tipple from time to time, I'm not gonna lie I was already getting excited by this!)
The trip began this time with a fairly early Sunday morning 8.30am meet up with the media fam for breakfast @ Subang airport and check in with Firefly airline for a 10.30am departure flight to Langkawi International Airport. This was my 2nd time flying on a small propeller plane compared to flying numerous times on much bigger Boeing 747(AirAsia) and Airbus A320 commercial airplanes (Etihad, Emirates) so luckily I wasn't feeling too apprehensive about boarding the unknown. Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism and service from Firefly as they offer passengers complimentary light refreshments of drinks (mango or orange juice) and snacks (curry puff or peanuts) for such a short flight as opposed to a much bigger and popular Asian airline who don't offer their passengers anything! On arriving at Langkawi International Airport, we were picked up in a minivan by a driver from Berjaya resort and transferred to Langkawi via Kuah town where we stopped off to enjoy lunch @Arts Cafe and some duty free shopping before arriving at Berjaya Langkawi Resort, which is located about a 20 minute drive from the airport.
On 1st impression driving through the resort to my room on the shuttle, after checking in at reception and a welcome drink at the Lobby Lounge, I was impressed by the layout and planning surrounded by the lush tropical rainforest environment. On entering my room which was a Premier Chalet, I noticed that although the interior was a bit dated, it was also quite spacious 56 sqm with a King-sized bed, bathtub and a balcony with breathtaking views of the Andaman seafront overlooking Burau Bay. One look at the spectacular scenery and view of the sea with the mountains in the distance immediately puts you in a relaxed holiday mode. Truly a picture-perfect view straight out of a postcard, definitely worth getting up out of bed at the crack of dawn to catch the amazing sunrise. You can easily spend hours on the sunlounger relaxing reading a book, listening to music, meditating or looking for some creative inspiration. For me, the balcony view is the USP of this room and I indeed did spend a lot of my free time out there. All of the amenities work well, the rain shower is of adequate pressure, the bed is comfy, equipped with a range of cable TV channels and the wifi signal is pretty decent. A/C works best at its lowest setting temp of 16℃. Best available rate is Rm935 per night late deal or alternatively, book a 3D2N Romance Package @Rm1,144 which is better value.
After checking into our rooms and freshening up, we had a short tour of Taaras Spa and some of the other rooms available at the resort. There are over 400 rooms ranging from the most affordable Rainforest Chalet to the most exclusive and expensive Presidential Suite.
Soon, it was time for dinner a media review @ Pahn-Thai Restaurant, which is uniquely built on stilts over the ocean water and serving exquisite Thai cuisine in a fine-dining setting. Guests can enjoy a relaxing open-air dining experience here surrounded by the beauty of the Andaman sea and the Mat Chinchang mountain range while feasting on authentic Thai specialties. For starters, we were served with Tom Yum Tha Lay Sai Nom Soup (Spicy Mixed Seafood Soup with Coconut Milk) and Sum Tum Thai & Tod Mun Goong (Papaya Salad & Deep Fried Shrimp Cake). Both starters full of flavour, not too spicy and tasting of fresh quality ingredients. Main courses consisted of Pla Kao Yum Ta Khrai (Deep Fried Garoupa Fillet with Lemongrass, Chilli & Lime), Kaing Khiew Wan Gai (Green Curry Chicken with Eggplant), Brocolli Pad Hoi Shall (Stir-Fried Brocolli with Scallops) Goong Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan (Stir-Fried King Prawns with Cashew Nuts & Dried Chillies) and also Khao Pad Sub Pa Rod (Fried Rice with Pineapple). Again all were perfectly cooked with fresh quality ingredients and bursting with flavour, I recommend the Green Curry Chicken it's one of the best I've ever tasted. For dessert to finish everything off we had one of the most famous and popular Thai dishes, Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango.
As there was a packed itinerary for the next day, breakfast was earlier @Beach Brasserie (Located right on the beachfront where you can watch the sunrise) or Dayang cafe, a traditional Malay style and themed restaurant serving authentic local and international gourmet dishes made with local ingredients. All meals are served here in a buffet style for breakfast lunch and dinner with a diverse menu range catering for all tastes.
After breakfast, we had a fun activity with Dev (tour guide) on his nature walk throughout the resort. We learned a lot of interesting and fascinating facts about all the different types of trees, plants and animals that are native to Langkawi. I definitely recommend it to all of you nature lovers out there as it's very educational, you are encouraged to ask questions and get involved.
Next on the itinerary was an opportunity to experience the exclusive Premier Suite on Water. With a modern and contemporary interior design of 65 sqm and a Semi-Outdoor Lounge & Jacuzzi Hot Tub facing the Andaman sea, this room is the perfect luxurious room choice for a honeymoon. It's also an ideal location for that picture perfect Instagram post, which is sure to get many likes for that wow factor!
In my opinion, one of the most fun activities of the trip was next and that was to experience the facilities of the resort including the swimming pool and sea activities. The sunken pool bar serves reasonably priced cocktails and tasty bites while you relax on a seat under water. Among the sea activities you can try at the Boat House Bar are the banana boat, kayaking, windsurfing and stand-up paddle boarding. The banana boat is the most fun as it's a fast and exhilarating ride with others on board and you never know if or when you're going to fall into the water.
A short walk from the Boat House Bar lies the Mangrove walk, I recommend to go for a short tour with the volunteer guide Abang Shah you learn a lot about the significance and importance of the mangrove in protecting and conserving the environment. He's very informative, clearly passionate about his job and has a lot of interesting stories to tell you about the mangrove, as well as, the local environment and the island in general. Don't worry you don't get wet or dirty, as there is over 500m of PVC tubing laid down to walk on.
Later that evening, we had another fine dining media food review this time @Beach Brasserie. I was happy to learn from reading the menu that not only was it all seafood but also my favourite fish, Salmon! For starters, we had Salmon Salad, then Seafood Chowder served with Garlic Bread. For main course Pan-Fried Salmon and for dessert homemade red velvet cake.
The next morning we travelled to the Seven Wells (Telaga Tujuh) Waterfall, which is a popular tourist attraction in Langkawi a short drive from the Berjaya resort. It was quite a sweaty work out climbing 600 steep steps to the top, with most of the team too lazy or unfit to proceed any further than the shop at the entrance serving drinks and snacks! haha Anyway, when the few of us reached the top we took some pics and enjoyed the spectacular views of the surrounding jungle with the mountains and sea on the horizon. There's also an opportunity to go for a dip in one of the natural pools to cool down, as I could see there were quite a few people enjoying that. You can't really see much of the waterfall at the top I only found out when I reached the bottom from one of the team that the best views were about halfway up. Other popular tourist attractions nearby include Langkawi Cable Car and the Sky Bridge.
For Lunch, we were treated to a complimentary meal of our choice from the a la carte menu at The Red Sky Bar & Restaurant when we stopped off @Pantai Cenang. I ordered the Beef Rib Eye Steak very tasty washed down with a fresh mango juice. Do go check it out it's one of the recommended restaurants in Pantai Cenang.
The next morning we enjoyed one last breakfast before it was, unfortunately, time to check out and leave for the airport to catch our flight back to KL. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and had a great time @Berjaya Langkawi Resort, hoping it is possible to come back again someday.
As always, a big thank you to Shyan & Sophia from the PR Team for inviting me once again and indeed to everyone involved in making this trip a memorable experience. Jumpa Lagi!
Berjaya Langkawi Resort Malaysia
Phone: 04-959 1888
Email: langkawi.rsvn@berjayahotel.com
Website: https://www.berjayahotel.com/langkawi