During our travels around the small island of Langkawi, we mainly passed through settlements and villages. The only two larger towns are Cenang and Kuah.
Kuah – Capital of Langkawi
Langkawi Shopping Paradise – Duty-free Zone
In the southeast of the island lies Kuah, the capital of Langkawi. Kuah means "stony" in Malay, and legend has it that the city arose on this new land after a battle between two giants using boulders. Here you'll find parks and recreational areas, but above all, shopping malls where you can shop tax-free. All of Langkawi is a duty-free zone, which makes alcohol, sweets, and clothing particularly inexpensive. Kuah and Cenang both have several large shopping malls where you can shop to varying degrees. It's important to note that you can't bring alcohol into Singapore from Malaysia. Since our return flight to Germany departs from Singapore, this unfortunately means no bargain on Absolut Vodka for us. :(
Dataran Lang – 12 m high eagle statue
The landmark of Langkawi is called Dataran Lang is a 12 m high eagle statue that greets guests arriving by ship in Kuah. The eagle taking flight from a rock represents Langkawi, as the island's name is derived from the Malay word for eagle. The adjacent Eagle Square is located right next to the ferry port and, with its terraces, bridges and ponds, is a beautiful place to linger. Unfortunately, the fountains were not working during our visit. not switched on and the pools were half dried out. We think the whole place will look much friendlier otherwise.
Cenang
Cenang is Langkawi's tourist capital. Most of the island's hotels, numerous restaurants, and countless souvenir shops are located along the main shopping street, Kuala Muda Road. We would compare Cenang to the party scene in Mallorca, as there's always something going on, day and night! If you're looking for hustle and bustle and a party atmosphere, this is the place for you. Be prepared for all of this when choosing your hotel in this town. Hotel categories range from simple backpacker hostels to 5-star beach resorts with spas.
Laman Padi rice plantation (Cenang)
We had come across a mention of the Lama Padi rice plantation in several blogs and wanted to see rice cultivation for ourselves. Entry is supposed to be free, but we can only partially confirm that. There's a small building at the plantation entrance with ticket prices. However, since there was no cashier in sight, we simply explored the plantation on our own. The rice cultivation process is quite interesting and nicely presented. So, if you're in Cenang, a short stop is worthwhile. You won't need more than half an hour here, though.
Are you still looking for a suitable hotel on Langkawi?
You can find a hotel to suit your budget via various online travel agencies such as Agoda, Booking.com, ebookers.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, lastminute.com, opodo, otel.com or Venere.com.
