Our travel guide for visiting Langkawi with kids
Life is good in Langkawi. Whilst a collection of one hundred islands form the archipelago, the main settlement is Langkawi Island, a tropical masterpiece lifted straight from the highlights page of your guidebook. For anyone searching for a slice of paradise, you really must add Langkawi to your itinerary, especially if you’re visiting Malaysia with kids.
We know from experience that travelling with kids changes the way you experience a location and that not every minute can be filled with activities and sight-seeing. With that in mind, this is a relaxed itinerary, for the family who want to experience Langkawi, see the sights, but also have some all important chill-time. After all, a trip to paradise shouldn’t be about ticking off a to-do list, you can save that for the real world.
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We were provided with a 4 night, full-board stay in return for promotion across our social media channels and this blog post you’re reading. As always, we don’t shy away from an honest review and keep it real for our readers so you know exactly what to expect.
How to get to Langkawi
You’ll find Langkawi northwest corner of Malaysia, about 25km from the mainland of both Malaysia and Thailand. The Thai island of Ko Tarutao is only 10km to the north, with Koh Lipe 40km to the west.
Despite its seemingly remote location, Langkawi is well connected with several transport options available.
The most common way to get to Langkawi is on one of several flights servicing the international airport each day. AirAsia, Malaysian Airlines and Firefly are the most common operators, with several flights per day to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
There are also less frequent flights to Johor Bahru and Singapore. FlyDubai have a useful connection to Dubai, via Penang.
If you prefer a slower form of arrival, there are a few ferry options as well. The two main domestic routes from Langkawi (at the jetty in Kuah) are:
- Kuala Kedah: 1:45hrs (for Alor Setar and railways connections south)
- Kuala Perlis: 1:15hrs (near Kangar and closer to the Thai border).
Both of these options offer foot and car passengers, tickets can be bought online or at the jetty in each port. Keep in mind ferry tickets, especially for the car ferries can be sold out at busy times of year including Chinese New Year and Malaysian school holidays.
Note that the ferry to Penang is no longer in operation.
If your sights are set further afield, there are international ferries linking Kuah in Langkawi to Koh Lipe or Satun in Thailand, taking approximately 1:30hrs.
How to get around Langkawi
The quickest and most convenient way to get around Langkawi are Grab taxis. They are cheap as well; most short journeys will be less than RM10 and even a cross-island ride will be a maximum of RM50.
If you’ve already installed and used the app in Malaysia or Thailand, it’ll work in exactly the same way as you’ve become accustomed to. The drivers are usually friendly and polite, with good quality vehicles. Compared to the Penang and Kuala Lumpur, the roads are exceptionally quiet and are in good condition.
When you arrive at the airport, there’s a designated e-hailing pickup point outside the main entrance, making it easy to find your car and get on your way.
Some tourists do rent cars or scooters. Aside from the safety risks of the scooters (check your travel insurance), the cost-saving of hiring a vehicle versus Grab is so minimal that we’d not really recommend it, unless you’re planning to visit particularly remote locations or have a craving to get behind the wheel. Grab will nearly always be easier and more convenient, especially if you’re travelling with kids.
Best time to visit Langkawi
Langkawi enjoys a tropical climate which means the temperatures don’t fluctuate much throughout the year. For most visitors, the likelihood of rain is the main factor in deciding when to visit. November to March are generally considered the driest months, with most rain falling in September and October.
Don’t let the potential for rain put you off visiting at other times of year though, April and May are pleasant times to visit when you’ll find the island much quieter, with fewer tourists and accommodation prices much lower. You may get more rain in this period but, as elsewhere in the tropics, it never lasts too long and can be quite a magical event to witness whilst you nurse a cold drink under cover.
Our Langkawi with kids itinerary
As we mentioned at the beginning of this guide, sometimes less is more. There might be plenty of activities and sights to fill your schedule in Langkawi but, on this four day itinerary, we’ve selected just one activity per day, so you can still enjoy some downtime at the resort. The kids will appreciate the extra downtime and they’ll be on better form for when you do the activities.
Day 1: Chill at the resort
READ: Holiday Villa Resort and Beachclub Langkawi review
Honestly, sometimes a chill day needs to be booked in, otherwise it doesn’t happen. And trust us, you’re going to want to spend a full day relaxing and enjoying the facilities at Holiday Villa Resort and Beachclub Langkawi. We love this resort so much, that we’ve since returned again with the grandparents when they visited us in Malaysia from the UK.
After enjoying a filling and tasty buffet breakfast, wander over to the LaVilla beach club and enjoy the comfortable sunbeds and infinity pool before the sun gets too hot. The café bar and restaurant are only a short walk away for lunch and perhaps a cold glass of draft Tiger beer or an orange juice for the kids. If you’re still not tempted, remember that the duty-free status of Langkawi means alcohol is cheaper here than almost anywhere else in Malaysia.
In the afternoon, after your lunch has settled, the kids can enjoy the playground and kids indoor area whilst one of the parents perhaps enjoys a spa and massage session. After another swim in the pool, the beach area should have cooled down by now, perfect for playing in the sand and sea, which is thankfully protected by a jellyfish net, allowing you to enjoy the warm sea without constantly checking for our floating ‘friends’.
As sundown approaches, retire to the beach bar for a cocktail with the sunset, then back to the poolside restaurant for an evening meal. The Hot Lava Stone meat options are especially recommended.
Day 2: Island hopping
This is the tour we did: Langkawi Island Hopping Private Boat Tour
Click here to read our full review
The small islands that make up the archipelago are tailor-made for exploration by boat and the Langkawi island-hopping tours offered by all the tour operators all tend to follow the same itinerary.
You can expect the tours to last four or five hours, depending on how long you choose to stay in each spot. The usual routine is to jump on a speedboat and be taken over to an inland lake, where you can choose to swim, kayak or take a paddle boat out into the lake. You’re then taken to a pretty beach for water sports and relaxing, before ending watching sea eagles being fed. Ask if the kids can sit at the front of the boat for the best views and loudest screams (lifejackets are provided).
It’s a fun-filled day, although it can get busy with other tourists if you’re visiting at a popular time of year. You should be back to the hotel by mid-afternoon, just in time for another swim, sundowner and dinner.
Day 3: Langkawi Sky Cab and Bridge and Seven Wells Waterfall
Click here to book the Langkawi Sky Cab and Bridge
Moving away from the water for the day, the Langkawi Sky Cab and Bridge is one of the most awe-inspiring places to visit in the whole of Southeast Asia, let alone Langkawi.
Starting with the Langkawi SkyCab, the longest free span mono-cable car in the world, you’ll ascend 680 metres in fifteen minutes before reaching the top station. The cable car has one of the steepest inclines in the world (42 degrees) and it’s certainly an exhilarating moment when you emerge from the edge of the mountain and enter the steepest section.
The excitement doesn’t end once you reach the top as the Langkawi Sky Bridge is waiting for you, a 125m long bridge suspended high above the rainforest by cables. Watch out for the glass-bottomed sections as you walk along, they’ll give you a (slightly terrifying) understanding of how high up you are. On a clear day, the view across the Malacca Strait across to Thailand is incredible.
After your visit to the Sky Bridge, it’s a fifteen minute walk (or two minute Grab ride) to the beginning of the climb to Seven Wells Waterfall (Telaga Tujuh). Reached by climbing several hundred steep steps (take your time and rest at the regular benches and rest stops), the seven pools are ideal for a rejuvenating dip, although keep an eye on your belongings as a troop of macaques are always on duty.
Our kids loved dipping in and out of the pools but, even though we visited at the start of the wet season, they’re not quite deep enough for much of a swim. If you’d prefer not to take the plunge, the Seven Wells still offers an ideal vantage point to look out to sea and enjoy some time immersed in the rainforest. A bridge juts out over the top of the waterfall and is the ideal place to get a family selfie.
If you have any energy left, the trail continues here for a few hundred metres up to the summit. The Seven Wells site is open everyday from 8:30am to 7:30pm, entrance is RM10 for adults and RM5 for kids aged 4-12 (Malaysians pay RM5/RM3).
Once you’ve made your way back down the steps, the entrance area is home to a few cafes, shops and souvenir stands. Afterwards, order a Grab and contemplate another lazy late afternoon of pool, beach and swimming time back at the hotel.
Day 4: Mangrove Tour
This is the tour we did: Royal Mangrove Tour in Langkawi (we booked a private tour)
Click here to read our full review
For the final day, it’s back onto the water for the Mangrove Tour. Lasting slightly shorter than the island tour on day two, this two hour tour is more relaxed, providing the opportunity to visit a fish farm, floating restaurant, bat cave, sea eagle feeding, macaque-spotting, drifting alongside the mangroves and a final, thrilling race through the open seas with the Thai islands only a few hundred metres away (so close that your mobile phone will get confused and welcome you to Thailand).
At the end of the tour, it’s time to head back to the hotel for lunch before heading off to catch your boat or plane towards your next destination.
Final thoughts on visiting Langkawi with kids
Langkawi is perfectly setup for a four day visit with kids. In such a beautiful tropical location, it’s important to balance activities with relaxation and we’ve tried to get the best of both worlds here. The Holiday Villa Resort is an ideal place to stay and retreat to after your day’s adventures, especially if you plan in a sundowner and late afternoon dip in the sea.
The two tours we’ve recommended give you the opportunity to see the best of the island and its surrounding waters at an affordable price. You could happily spend a month in Langkawi and never want to leave; hopefully this four day itinerary will give you a taster of the island and have you booking your return trip very soon.
You may also like to read:
Malaysia with kids travel guide
Borneo with kids travel guide
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