Top things to do on Langkawi Island? Our list includes Hiking trails, beaches, waterfalls, seafood, night markets and more, to name a few, all on a budget!

We flew with Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi for $323.32 myr for 2 persons or €34 pp., with a luggage upgrade.  A sandwich and water were included in the price. Flight time was approximately 1 hour.  Currency is Malaysian Ringgits or rm.

The taxi from the Airport to our guest house, which was near Pantai Tengah beach was rm25.  We booked Hotel Aurora Damai for 5 nights with a total cost of €86.14 or an average of €17 per night through Booking.com.  Our duplex had a big room with a queen bed, desk, night table, Asian bath area, small tv, daily bottle of water, fresh towels day 3, water kettle in room (noodles!), and a patio with table & chairs; just 2 km to the beach and offering Moped rental.

We took a walk down to the Pantai Tengah beach (about 1/2 hour), people watched and then decided to search for a place to eat. After looking at menus of many restaurants, we decided to treat ourselves and eat at the Isländischen Seafood Restaurant at Cenang Beach.  They have tanks filled with all kinds of seafood and you simply pick what you want and they cook it for you.
We ordered
– 600 gram lobster rm22/100gram
– 400 grams tiger prawn rm12/100gram
Both prepared steamed garlic
– Thai fried chicken rice
– 1 Heineken draft
– 1 can Tiger beer w/ side can of sprite (to make radlers)
Total: 280 rm  ?
The prawns and rice were very good, the lobster not so good. We grabbed a taxi from the beach to our hotel for 20rm

Day 2 – We started our morning with Cup of Soup made in the room and consumed on our patio. (rm2 x2) with a big 5.5 liter water for rm8 which we had picked up the night before at a corner store.  Then we rented a moped for 3 days at a cost of  rm90. (€19). We ended up adding one more, see total below. It was a little tricky driving at first, as they drive on the left side of the road!  We filled the 1/2 full tank to full with gasoline for rm4 (€0.84).

On our way down to the beach, we dropped off our laundry at Langkawi Laundry to be washed.  They weighed it in front of us and told us to pick it up in 5 hours for a total of 3.7 kg for rm16.65 .  We stopped at the convenience store to pick up some canned vanilla iced coffee rm2.50 ea. and proceeded sightseeing on the bike.

After some time at the beach, we continued on and stopped at The Cliff on Cenang Beach where we had 2 tiger beer and 1 sprite for rm23.10. After a bit more sightseeing, our next stop was at Sugar, a little bar restaurant on Tengah Beach where a sign advertises Happy Hour from 4pm to 7pm. We discovered it was always happy hour if you asked!?  We enjoyed 3 Tiger draft beers – rm5 each, a Singapore Sling – rm12, 1 sprite -rm5 and a serving of chicken and beef satay rm22 throughout the afternoon and early evening for a total of rm59.40.

We stopped at the grocery market and picked up a package of 5 spicy Mamee Noodles rm 7, 2 iced vanilla coffees rm2.20 ea., 2 chiang beer rm3.50 ea. and 1 Red Bull 3.30 for a total of rm22. Note : can buy beer! Big bonus as it is complicated in so many places off the beach due to religious beliefs.

For Dinner we chose Zhong Hua Lou Seafood Restaurant at the Tengah Beach area.  Again, you pick your seafood, get it weighed, agree or disagree on the price and they prepare it for you.  We had:
– Heineken rm5
– Coke light rm2.50
– Water rm n/c
– Prawns 510 grams @ rm22/100gram rm112.20
– Chicken fried rice rm20
– Noodle Chicken Soup rm6
Total: rm145.70 – Still expensive, but very price worthy for what you get. The food was delicious and the service was great.

Day 3 – We got up early, at our breakfast noodles and decided to do a self directed Island Tour. Sights we saw included the Eco Village, Oriental Village,  Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park, beaches including Kok, Datai Bay, Teluk Yu and Tanjung Rhu,  and the beautiful fish farm, all free to see.  We passed by the tourist attractions of a crocodile farm, bat cave and horseback riding stables, but did not go in. The monkeys hanging out at the sides of the roads were free of charge, as were the Mangroves.  I am horrified of heights, but I believe if you visit the island, you must ride the cable car up the mountains for the best views.

The Night Market is in a different location every day, but on this day the night market was in our area, so we decided to go. It was wall to wall people, a lot of them were tourists. I do not know where they hid during the day, but the market brought every curious body to one place.  So many food stalls with a huge variety of local delicacies and drinks to choose from. Our choices were:
– a Shawarma style sandwich x 2 rm5 ea.
– Orange drink rm2 (this is how we secured a sitting area)
– Noodles x 2 rm3 ea.
– 3 fried chicken pieces for rm5
– 6 spring rolls rm3
Total rm26 – and every last bite was delicious!

Other costs throughout the evening included a Big water (5.5 liters) , Lychee Juice, Fuel, 2 Coffees and a coke. (added in costs below)

Day 4- After our Breakfast Noodles chased by 4 ice coffees, we headed back to Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park to continue exploring!!!? We parked our bike and did the short hike up to the Seven Wells Waterfall locally known as Air Terjun. It is incredibly beautiful; don’t forget to take your swimsuit!!! There are free washrooms, but no vendors, so take water with you. After enjoying cooling off at the falls, we continued the hike up the mountain to Telegah Tujuh or Seven Wells where seven pools run into each other above the falls, creating little slides and basins to chill in. Cost: 0, nothing, nada!

Back at Pantai Tengah beach, I decided I had to try the Durian Fruit Ice cream, otherwise known as Stinkfruit; I am not sure what possessed me to do this stupidity, but did and it was horrible. Does anybody truly like this stuff? I would love to meet that person! The craziness cost a whopping rm10 – cheap lesson.  My more reserved husband stuck with a Carlsberg beer for rm3.30 and found my situation amusing. At least the show of how they handmade the ice cream was good!

Our favorite cocktail bar Sugar helped wash the foul taste from my mouth as we sat on the beach sipping Singapore slings and Beers, watching the gorgeous sunset. (rm40.70)

Zhong Hua Lou Seafood Restaurant enticed us back for dinner; by now they make us feel like part of the family!
– Spring rolls rm15
– Red snapper ,fried w/ garlic rm60
– Tiger prawns rm66
– Large chicken fried rice rm20
– Coke rm2.50 and Sprite rm2.50
Total: rm166

Day 5 was just a relaxing Beach Day, but here is a rundown of our costs: Singapore slings x 2, Beers x 4 Total: rm22
Supermarket: Beers x 2 rm7, Coffees x 1 rm2, KFC ?for 2 rm36
Laundry: rm9
Dinner: Zhong Hua Lou Seafood Restaurant
Rice, tiger prawns & sesame chicken rm120
Beers x 2 rm7 (for both) & Coke rm2.50

On Day 6 we grabbed a Taxi in the morning to the Airport for rm20 and took a flight from Langkawi to KLIA for myr323.32 (for both).
The flight delay 2 hours. Our next destination is Bangkok.

Total Costs for 2 persons:
Flight €34.00
Lodging €86.14 (5 nights)
Motor bike €25.33
Fuel €3.17
Food & drinks €256.96
Taxis: €13.72
Laundry: €5.40
Grand Total for 5 nights: €387.36 for 2 persons (excluding flights)

DO: rent a scooter/moped! It is the only way you can see and try everything at an affordable price (budget); but drive careful, at your own risk.
DO: interact with the people. They are very friendly and helpful
DO: show respect for their culture
DO: understand sometimes they do not understand- make sure you are clear

Click for more photos from our visit to Langkawi Island

Next stop: Ho Chi Minh via Bangkok!

Note: Our dinner prices were WAY higher than we would normally spend, but  this was a destination which demanded eating seafood and it was a fraction of at home costs. ?

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Two Days in Kuala Lumpur, Backpacker Budget, Visit the top sights, Eat some good Food.  Here is how we did it!

Kuala Lumpur, a bustling city showcasing the famous Petronas Twin Towers, the KL Tower, Bukit Bintang luxury district, Asian Fusion Foods and shopping with great prices for those on a budget.  Chinatown was our hotel destination, Hop On Hop Off Bus helped us discover!

We booked our flight with Air Asia from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur for SGD$178 for both of us – Euro €118.50 or €59.25 pp. The flight was approximately 30 minutes.

Chinatown is an approximate 1 hour car drive or 38 minute train ride; the train is directly at the airport. It was cloudy and raining lightly on our arrival. A friend who lives in the city picked us up with his car, so we did not need transportation, however we did learn that taking a Taxi would have been cheaper than train!

The Currency is Malaysian Ringgit (myr or RM)

On our way to the City, we stopped for some food at a highway stop. (Like a truck stop) Our friend told us the best place to eat is the booth called Satay Kajang HJ Samuri. He recommended the Beef & Chicken Satay with peanut sauce & sambal (spicy)sauce, rice and cucumbers, explaining it is authentic Malaysian food.  We ordered a large water with it and our bill came to a total of 35 myr = €7.43 / 3 People.  The satay was very good with a strong barbecue flavor and a rich sauce.

We stayed at the Hotel Rain Forest for 2 nights with a cost of €46, booked through booking.com. It was a very simple, but clean room with single beds, small tv, desk, and a separate room with toilet, sink and in toilet shower with hot water.

Very friendly staff, especially the young lady at the front desk. Included in price is free water and of course, internet. Bring adapters and be forewarned, electricity works with key only; if you leave, devices quit charging.  You may take gadgets to front desk while you are gone and they will charge them for you. The hotel is a perfect location for the bus station, food stalls, market & shopping. Hop On Hop Off bus picks up and stops around the corner at Hotel 5th Element.

Do not miss the crazy shopping at the Jalan Petaling Street Market where everything is for sale, bargaining is a must and food is your end reward!

Day 2 we bought a ticket for the Hop On Hop Off bus around the corner at the Hotel 5th Element for MYR 45 pp. In retrospect, perhaps we should have checked into booking a taxi driver for the tour? Make sure you check that and let us know! Unlike past experiences, the stops are long (sometimes 15 minutes), allowing people the time to hop off, run and take pictures and hop back on. There are 23 stops with supposedly 70+ attractions.

We stopped for lunch under the KL Tower, where assumedly the prices are higher as are the shops fancier. At the restaurant Fathima Food Corner, we ordered: 
– Teh 3 Layer 3.80 myr (iced coffee tea) yum
– Green Apple Juice 3.80 myr good
– Goreng Ayam 8.80 myr (chicken noodles wit fried chicken leg) yum
– Sup 8.80 myr (soup) ok
– Char Kuey Teow 6.50 myr (broad noodle with seafood) ?not so good
Total Cost: $29 myr for 2
Side note ladies: the toilets are standing toilets

For Dinner, we were recommended Kedai Makanan Lim Kee chinese restaurant with plastic stools, wooden tables, pots & bowls topped with chopsticks sanitized at the table and an open kitchen.
Food style: Chinese / Bakut Teh
Food we ate:
– Dumplings Fried (side) 4 myr
– Soy dumpling (side) 6 myr
– Soup 1.50 myr
– Butter Prawns 38 myr
– White rice 4.50 myr
– Sweet Potato leaf 15 myr
– Pork rib soup 32 myr
– Sides of fresh chopped garlic and hot green chilis
– 2 large Tiger beer 18 myr ea., 1 tiger radler 5 myr
Food for 3, too much leftover: 140.50 myr
Excellent Food!!!

Day 3 and already we are on our way out the door.  Quick stop at trusty McDonalds for:
– 1 spicy deluxe chicken burger 8.95 myr
– 1 Big Mac w/ fries & sprite 13.44 myr
and a Coke from the convenience store for rm1
Total: 23.39 myr

For Formula 1 fans, the F1 track is very close to airport KLIA and it is worth a quick stop for a look around. Entrance is free and there are often events going on.  While we were there, they were racing motorbikes.  Our Taxi from Chinatown to Airport KLIA was 90 myr + we offered an extra 30 myr to go to F1 track.

We at at the Airport: Dim Sum Restaurant
– Steamed Honey Glazed Chicken Bun rm8
– Steamed Vegetarian dumpling rm8
– Egg Noodle Won Ton Soup rm17

How to sum up Kuala Lumpur? Where old meets new, an Eclectic mix of fancy, trashy, rats and glamour. Definite must see!

Costs (Euro/per person):
Flight from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur: €59.25 per person (pp)
Highway food: €2.47 pp
Lodging (Rainforest Hotel): €33 per night
Hop On Hop Off: €9.55 pp
Fathima Food Corner lunch: €3.08 pp
Kedai Makanan Lim Kee Restaurant: €9.95 pp
McDonalds: €2.50
Taxi to Airport KLIA: €19.12 + €6.37 for F1 Track
Airport Food: €4.35 pp
Total Cost per person for 2 nights: €84.02 plus the flight

Next Stop: Langkawi Island, Malaysia

Rainforest Hotel: Address: 122, Jalan Petaling, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kedai Makanan Lim Kee Restaurant – No. 54, Lorong Haji Taib Satu, Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03-2692 6915

Kuala Lumpur Hop On Hop Off Map

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