48 Hours in Langkawi: #SSBD Cheat Sheet

You may know Langkawi as an island getaway and duty-free retail heaven. However, once you look beyond the ordinary, you’ll find the myth and magic of Langkawi fascinating. In the next episode of #TravelSSBD, our intrepid host Sonia Chew discovers there’s a lot more to Langkawi than beautiful beaches and snorkelling.

The legends of Langkawi are numerous. The most well-known is the story of the beautiful and maligned Mahsuri, who was wrongly accused of adultery by her in-laws, the rulers of Langkawi. According to legend, her blood ran white when she was executed, showing that she had been innocent all along. She cursed the island for seven generations, and Langkawi was invaded by Siam shortly after Mahsuri’s death. There’s also the legend of fighting giants which gave rise to the name of Kuah town; kuah means gravy, and apparently some very large cookware and spilled gravy was involved in the giants’ brawl!

On Pulau Dayang Bunting (Island of the Pregnant Maiden), there is a lake said to grant pregnancy to women who drink from it. As the myth goes, a fairy princess once married a mortal man and they had a child, but the infant died soon after birth. The fairy then buried the infant in the lake and blessed the lake, giving it some impressive powers of fertility — if you believe the legend, of course! Pulau Dayang Bunting is also home to the dreaded banshee cave, or Gua Langsuir, which some people still avoid for fear of running into the female vampiric creatures known as langsuir.

What’s a traveller to do when you only have a short time on such a magical, myth-filled island? Make the most of it! This is Langkawi in 48 hours, #SSBD style.

Day 1

Photo credit: Tom Sawyer

Start your Langkawi adventure with a trip to the magical Telaga Tujuh waterfalls, also known as Seven Wells. It’s believed that fairies used to bathe in these waterfalls, which are supposed to be very lucky due to the fairies — lottery tickets, anyone? Forget man-made water parks: zipping down the natural rock slides into deliciously cool water is the real deal.

After lunch, continue your water-bound discovery of Langkawi: hop into a kayak to explore mangroves, the Kilim Karst Geopark, and bat caves (sorry folks, Batman's not included). You’ll be ravenous by the end of your first and full-on day in Langkawi, so why not treat yourself to a decadent seafood dinner? Wonderland Food Store in Kuah comes highly recommended and serves a perennial favourite: chilli crab. Nom nom nom!

Day 2

Photo credit: Farhana Haque

You’ll be up bright and early for a cable car ride taking you through the misty heights of Langkawi for a view that will be etched into your memory forever. Head to Siti Fatimah for lunch; this family-run restaurant is a local favourite and serves fantastic Malay food. Try the salted fish curry or the coconut chicken curry. If you still have space after lunch, La Chocolatine at Pantai Cenang serves beautiful (and delicious) tarts, croissants and éclairs. The coffee is excellent and they have a decent selection of teas, too. You’ll want to carbo-load, because you’re going cycling after lunch! Ditch the clichéd afternoon of duty-free shopping and join a cycling tour to get a sense of the real Langkawi. Appreciate the brilliant emerald hues of the padi fields as you learn about local herbs and spices, then drink in the turquoise of the ocean during your visit to a fishing village.

Wrap up the day with a cold drink on the beach at Pantai Cenang as you watch the intense hues of the sunset. When dinnertime rolls around, Brasserie is worth a visit. This restaurant on the beach serves Mediterranean food and offers ocean views. If you can move after dinner, the night markets are worth checking out. There’s usually a night market on any given day of the week, but check with your hotel as the locations are different, depending on the day of the week.

Alternately, just ask a local where the pasar malam (night market) is. The Kuah night market is the largest and is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Note that the night markets mostly sell food, so if you’re aiming to score some clothes, you may want to visit the stores before dinner instead. Say goodbye to the island with a little quiet time on the beach before it’s time to head back to your hotel.

Just like that, your 48 hours in Langkawi are almost up and you have a plane to board the next morning. The great thing about Langkawi is that it’s relatively easy to get to. Until next time, this is your #SSBD (same-same but different) cheat sheet to 48 hours in Langkawi.