Hi Guys,

Just came back from Langkawi, went for anniversary to repeat our honeymoon last year . It's the 3rd trip in 2 years, and I have become quite familiar with Langkawi, so I tThought I should share with you about a few things:

Car Rental

There are a LOT of JPJ checks all over at the moment - (October 2009 in case you are reading this post in the future). The car rental guys try to use this to their advantage. They will tell you they cannot discount because they give you licensed cars which is costly. Just tell them thanks and that you will check with others first.
(In general, DO NOT take from the first guy who offers you. Always look around the adjacent counters if you are at the airport, or nearby offices if at Cenang Beach/Kuah. The car rental in Langkawi are not like Petaling street vendors -they are very friendly, you can always go back if you don't find a better price)

According to the guy that I rented the car from , JPJ will stop,
1. to check for license if you are/look like a foreigner.
2. to check for sticker, i.e. if the car is not licensed for rental. Too bad for those who go for the unlicensed cars. I got a licensed Kancil for 60 per day (unlicensed ones you can get 45-50 if you want to take the risk - strangely, from the same guys who give you licensed ones - i.e the ones with sticker).

If you have an unlicensed car, you should hope it temporarily rains while you are moving between places, as the JPJ will not stand in the rain just to see your beautiful car sticker . You should also pray for this temporary rain if you don't want to waste 4-5 minutes at the checkpoints.

Food

Food...a few of the places have increased their prices, and in some cases, the food quality has become worse. But most are still the same - I think.

The Indian restaurant at Malibest resort had an awesome Fish Biryani that we had twice in 2 days during our previous visit last year. This year, however, it is more expensive (20RM+), with less fish chunks. The quality is just ok (or maybe coz I saw the price it automatically affected my taste buds ). The portion is still quite big, and can feed one and a half person. I have not tried anything else on their menu.

Arabica Restaurant
I don't recommend this anymore. I have lost faith in them. We asked for one of the tables in the open air space which has a goood view, and it was dusty like it hadn't been cleaned in days. The quality was sub-standard. There is much better Arabic food in KL (PM me if you want more details).

Hole in the wall floating restaurant
Had to struggle with the fish that I got, was overcooked on one side and was too crunchy. But the Mantis prawn was awesome (though I felt bad seeing it alive and 15 minutes later dead infront of me). Prawn fried rice was yummy too - but I felt the prawns were kinda small

For those who want to see the playful stingray at Hole in The Wall restaurant, please note that they say that there is a 'Fish Show' for RM 5/3 per adult/child. This show is actually one of the guys throwing food at the fish and feeding the stingray and you can take photos.

Please note, you must spend a minimum of RM 50 there . If you fail to reach this (i.e for those 'romantic' couples who don't each much but just want to share one romantic meal and drink soft drinks only) you have to pay an additional RM 30 for the transport. Funny, in my case, the bill was initially about 49, so I just ordered extra white rice to make it over 50, otherwise have to pay 49+30 (which would have been stupid). My bill eventually ended RM 58.

Artisans Pizza (at Cenang beach) : Awesome, awesome, awesome! Highly recommended. Two people cost us RM 40, fresh juice only RM 4. Also have delivery services for free. If you would like a custom pizza, it's not stated in the delivery brochure but you can ask for it.

Let me add, the service at this place is top-notch. They are very generous,very friendly, and always smiling. Maybe I noticed this because they replaced my wife's meal for free after she spilled the entire salt shaker onto her plate - thanks to the previous customer who left the shaker open!

Forgotten name restaurant :
Also recommended for Italian food is the restaurant opposite Melati Tanjung motel at Cenang beach. Had the Chicken Kiev (not sure if it's really Russian or not) which was awesome. Similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu from Secret Recipe. Also cost about RM 40 for two.

USSR Restaurant (at Perdana Quay near Pantai Kok, just after the left turn at the T-Junction when you are going to Cable car):
Well, this was my wife's treat. An expensive one too. It cost at LEAST 40 RM per person to eat at this restaurant, and that's because I was cautious and didn't want wife to pay too much and she didn't want me to pay all (took away my wallet before we sat down). I had some funnily named food - something like Rayabushka or something. It was nice. Do not eat the Chicken Kiev here, terribly overpriced. The view here is nice, provided there is no boat parked infront of you. (Also saw a Western gay couple kissing on a boat docked nearby, one very hairy and the other very skinny. Couldn't tell if the skinny one was a guy or a girl until he passed near us and spoke)

Tomato Restaurant at Cenang beach.
Varierty similar to mamak restaurant in KL. Prices also the same. Good if you have a daily budget and you almost used it up Cost only RM 17 for two people, and we couldn't finish the food.

Airport Corner
Good for Malay food. Located at the roundabout near the airport, while coming from airport, take the first turn on the left and you should see it. If you order Nasi Goreng USA with chicken, be sure to specify that you want chicken, the default one is beef. Forgot to specify that I want chicken, but the beed was nice too. Don't get me wrong, am just sharing my experience this time, am not saying this is a 'we got a review in the papers' restaurant .

There is a Nasi Kandar place where we had 3 roti canai, 1 teh tarik and 1 milo ais for RM 6.2. It has photos of Dr. Mahathir visiting the place, but then I have seen many restaurants in KL with similar photos. The roti canai was very fresh and very yummy. This place is near The Field of Burnt Rice‎ (which is a 'sightseeing' place that you should never ever ever waste your time visiting)

(coming soon, sightseeing, if I get the time)

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Added on October 15, 2009, 11:17 amWhich hotel? goholiday.airasia.com allow you to book hotel only as well. Their rate is by far the cheapest. I work in a travel agency yet I myself booked through airasia

This post has been edited by bajaber: Oct 15 2009, 11:53 AM