Langkawi Island and Rebak Island Trip 2015
In July 2015, after spending 3 nights each at Kuala Lumpur and Penang Island, we went to Langkawi. We stayed at Vivanta by Taj, Rebak Island. It is about 20 minutes drive from airport to Port Cenang and 7 Minutes motorboat ride from Port Cenang to Rebak Island. The resort staff picked us from the airport. The motorboat ride to Rebak Island was a nice experience; the afternoon high waves had made the ride more enjoyable.
Rebak Island, being a private island resort, is away from the main Langkawi Island. Every time we needed to visit the mainland, we had to make use of the boat transfers. The boat transfers were not a concern at all for us because they were well scheduled and the service was good. Also, at Port Cenang, the taxis were readily available. The last boat back to the resort was at 7:30 PM. We had to plan our time at mainland around this schedule. If one wants to spend evenings at mainland there are 2 options: pay 160 MYR for a boat back to Rebak Island after 7:30 PM or spend a couple of nights in a resort on main island and then check in to Rebak Island.
We had a different expectation of a private island resort due to our trip to Maldives in 2014. Most of the time we were revisiting memories from our stay at Sun Island, Maldives. Rebak Island is very small in comparison. Nevertheless, it is a great place in Langkawi to indulge in tranquility. It has its own charm and we had a lovely time during our stay there. 😊
We had booked Deluxe Allure Suite Sea View room. Our accomodation in the first floor was luxurious with the balconies overlooking the sea.
On Day 2, we went to explore the main island of Langkawi. We visited Eagle Square (Dataran Helang) located in Kuah Town. According to one of the interpretations, Eagle Square is the place that reflects the origin of Langkawi's name. The square is marked by a reddish brown eagle which is poised to take off. In old Malay, language Helang means Eagle, and Kawi stands for reddish brown. This is one of Langkawi's best known man made attractions.
We then walked to Legenda Park (Taman Legenda) which is a recreational area. It has many sculptures. It is dedicated to Langkawi's legends and myths.
We then took a taxi to Langkawi Parade Mega Mall and shopped for a few hours there. After this we headed back to Rebak Island. We spent the afternoon in the swimming pool, one of the cleanest pools I have seen so far. There is a sunken pool bar.
The sea beach is not that great for sea lovers like us. Only a small stretch of the sea is actually accessible. We found it to be lifeless without much waves while we were there.
There is a beach side bar named Lepak Bar where we used to spend our evenings. They had happy hours and it is a great place to chill and observe the sea. However, one has to be prepared with mosquito repellant to sit back and relax.
On Day 3, we went to Oriental Village to take a ride in Langkawi Cable Car also known as Langkawi SkyCab and to visit Langkawi Sky Bridge.
There is a SkyDome, a 360° panorama screen dome theatre located at the Base Station of Langkawi Cable Car. The cable car ride from Base Station to Top Station through Middle Station was exciting. 😊 While on the ride, we saw a beautiful waterfall at a distance.
The slope between the Base Station and the Middle Station is said to be the steepest in the world at 42°. The journey from the Base Station to Middle Station covers 1700 meters in length. The Middle Station is at an elevation of 650 metres above sea level; The top station is located 708 metres above sea level is about 5° C cooler than the lowlands.
We spent some time at the Top Station. It provides an amazing view of the sea and cliffs overlooking the sea. The wind here is tremendous. Then we walked to Sky Bridge which can be reached after a 15 minute trek from Top Station through a temporary mountain track. One should not miss experiencing the Langkawi Cable Car ride and Sky Bridge on visiting Langkawi.
After walking through the length of Sky Bridge a couple of times we headed back to Top Station for the ride back to the Base Station. We spent some time tasting delicacies at the Oriental Cafe.
Then we returned to Rebak Island. Our trip to Malaysia was coming to an end. We had a scrumptious dinner. The food at the resort was good throughout our stay with a variety of Indian and Malaysian items on the menu. They also had a wide spread breakfast buffet while we were there. There is a moon deck. The resort arranges dinner at the moon deck on request.
Next morning, we returned to Bangalore with lots of memories from Malaysia and plans to take more trips in future.
