Getting there
Langkawi is one of the best Malaysian islands for families. It is an island off the north west coast of Malaysia, easily accessible via flight from major Malaysian cities, Singapore or even a hop over from Penang. We recommend the flight from Penang as the ferry can apparently get very choppy! The other option is to access Langkawi from the Thai Island of Koh Lipe (2 hours) if you are travelling south through S.E.Asia.
We spent a week in Langkawi with the kids and there are a lot of things to do with kids. Staying a week gave us the opportunity to explore slowly which is always key for us with the children, and we opted for a self-catering villa rather than a hotel. We were joined on this trip by my parents so having a house for 6 with plenty of space was a real treat and meant we could hang out in the evenings when the kids were in bed. More details on where we stayed are below.
Langkawi was also our first beach destination of our time in Malaysia so we were ready for some time on the sand and in the sea, but that’s not all we did. Read on for some super child-friendly activities, and also a few tips on how to avoid the crowds!
Langkawi Cable Car
Langkawi cable car – this is the worlds longest free-span monocar which travels up the mountains for more than 2km taking around 15 minutes. ¾ of the way up there is an intermediate station which is worth getting off at the explore the sky bridge (see next point), and then do ensure you travel further to the top station, if for nothing else the steep decent on the return journey.
The views from the cable car and the stations are incredible, looking out over the rain forest below, the old rock faces and both Langkawi island and all the smaller islands off it’s beautiful coastline. Even if it is a misty day, there’s something quite mystical about emerging through the mist and fog. You can fit 4-6 people comfortably in each cable car and there are VIP and glass bottom versions if you wanted to upgrade! The standard cars are £10-£15 per person but this also includes entry to the Sky Dome and also the 3d art museum (see later post) so it is very worthwhile.
3D Art Museum
The 3-d Art museum in Langkawi is a wonderful few hours of fun for all the family and is the biggest 3-d interactive art museum in Malaysia. Entrance is free with a cable car ticket and there are several rooms to explore and snap photos of with over 100 art and scenes to create a 3-d imagine. We spent a few hours here, but word of advice don’t go too close to closing time as they turn the lights off which can lead to a few stubbed toes!
Exploring the Unesco Geology Park
The highlight of our Langkawi week was definitely a day with our villa host to see the eagles and dolphins. There are a lot of tourist packages and trips that offer this and you end up on beaches with hundreds of other people as they all follow the same route (we spotted them from our boat). We opted to hire a private boat for the 6 of us and it was so worth the extra expense, about £100 for the whole day.
We were taken around the Unesco site at our own pace, exploring various beaches with no one else in site. This gave time for exploring and swimming as if we were on a deserted island and the longest time in the boat was around 30 minutes between locations. We visited two different areas, one where the eagles were diving for their food, and another that graced us with wild dolphins swimming alongside our boat and jumping out of the sea to the huge amazement of Alicia, and my mum!
Where to stay
Sari Villa was our home for the week. There are around 6 different homes and there was a pool to share although we were the only ones in it! The highlight was sitting on our balcony and watching the monkeys scurrying over the rooftops whilst we enjoyed the incredible views over the bay. We also hired a car, so having parking here was very handy. Driving in Langkawi was really straight forward and not at all stressful and it meant we could properly explore the island easily and at our own pace.
The best beaches in Langkawi
Beaches….Langkawi is full of them and it is very much worth exploring several. These are our favourites.
Tanjung Rhu Beach, located in the north of the island away form the tourists and very quite. There are not many / any shops except the odd coconut vendor and you walk through the trees to open up onto a huge expanse of sand. The sea can get rough up here and currents are strong, and very little shade, but still a very worthwhile visit for the serenity and solitude! You can combine a trip here with a visit to Scarborough Fish and Chips – a small restaurant on the main road located on the beach front so the kids can play whilst you enjoy some great food. We even spotted a hornbill from the beaches here.
Pantai Cenang is a busier beach with restaurants and bars, and even some beach bars with large bean bags for chilling out. There are palm trees along the edge of the beach to provide some shade. Swimming here is also great and the shore slopes gently into the sea.
Tengah beach is just along from Cenang and has a very similar vibe but is perhaps a little quieter than it’s big sister to the north.
Langkawi is also a gateway to get to the most southern Thai island of Koh Lipe which features elsewhere in this blog.
