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About Langkawi Langkawi is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Malaysia. There is so much to see and do here, that I need a whole section to fully present Langkawi to you. On the following pages, I put together detailed tourism information, travel tips and visitor guide on Langkawi, providing you with everything you need to know to plan your visit, whether you are going there for the weekend, or you are planning to stay longer.
Introducing LangkawiLangkawi is an archipelago on the northwestern tip of Peninsular Malaysia. It belongs to Kedah, and is regarded as a separate district of the state. Langkawi comprises the main island, Pulau Langkawi, and close to a hundred surrounding smaller islands and islets - some no more than rocky outcrops jutting out of the sea. Some tourist brochures say that at high tide, there are 99 islands while at low tide, an additional 5 emerge above the water surface. How much this is true remains to be ... well, calculated.The whole Langkawi archipelago is steep in legend. Many of the place names in Langkawi recall past historical events, legends and myths. This includes the capital, Kuah, as well as the names of mountains and islands in the archipelago. The most famous legend of Langkawi is the one of Mahsuri, a woman who was put to death for allegedly committing adultery. She was said to have put a curse on the island to last seven generations. Incidentally, just a few years after the death of Mahsuri, a Siamese attack laid waste the island (that same Siamese invasion resulted in Kedah itself being annex into the Kingdom of Siam, remaining so until 1909). Langkawi remained a desolate place for much of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century - with many holding to the belief that the curse was in effect. To brush away any links to their unhappy past, Mahsuri's descendents moved to Phuket, where they can still be found today. True enough, Langkawi only began to blossom after what would be seven generations had passed. To be more prosaic, Langkawi was fortunate in the fact that both the first and fourth prime ministers of Malaysia hailed from Kedah. And both, namely Tunku Abdul Rahman and then Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have an eye for Langkawi's potential. Langkawi is their favourite child. Of course they are not along. Other far-sighted individuals including the late Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew recognise what could become of Langkawi, and proceeded to acquire Langkawi land, at that time costing little more than a song, until he became the biggest landowner on the island. Langkawi certainly has much to its side. It has plenty of land, beautiful sceneries, and although its population is low, it is near enough to Penang to bank on the latter's human resources. As a result, it grew at a furious pace between the early 1980's to the turn of the 21st century. Today you can find hotels of every class and category on Langkawi, from the basic to the luxurious. On the whole, the island is expensive, when compared to the Kedah mainland. But this is something to be expected of a resort destination. As you embark on your visit, I want to wish you a great time at Langkawi. And I also hope this website does justice to everything that Langkawi has to offer.  Pantai Cenang, Langkawi |
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Malaysia Hotel Room Price CheckerBefore booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations! |
Flight CheckerFlying somewhere? Say you're going to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Penang or Kuching to Singapore, which airline gives you the best rate for the date and time of your trip? Instead of visiting each airline website one by one, use our Flight Checker on the right to find out.Just enter you trip details: where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search. Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website. |
Return to Exploring Malaysia homepageMy message introducing God to all the world: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO TIM  Copyright © 2003-2010 Exploring Malaysia. All rights reserved. |
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 Exploring Malaysia is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Content and articles in Exploring Malaysia are provided in goodwill and are believed to be correct at time of writing. While every reasonable care is taken to check and verify the information shared, Exploring Malaysia disclaims responsibility for its use. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. Photographs appearing in Exploring Malaysia are available according to the licensing terms specified in its caption. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses. Contact Tim at the following email address:  |
