Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PENANG AFTER DARK
Visitors to Penang have to experience the E&O H otel, even if they're not staying there.
Farquhar's Bar
(
&
04/222-2000;
daily 11am-11pm) may be as close as many will come
to exploring the hotel. Liv e the life of a colonialist, enjo y pub gr ub and cool drinks.
Possibly the most notorious bar in P enang is the
Hong Kong Bar,
371 Lebuh Chulia
(
&
04/261-9796
), which opened in 1920 and was a r egular hangout for militar y per-
sonnel based in Butterworth. It has an extraordinary archive of photos of the servicemen
who have patronized the place throughout the years, plus a collection of medals, plaques,
and buoys from ships.
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LANGKAWI
Where the beautiful Andaman S ea meets the S traits of M alacca, Langkawi I sland posi-
tions itself as one of the r egion's best island paradise destinations. S ince 1990, Tourism
Malaysia has dedicated itself to promoting the island and developing it as an ideal travel
spot. Now, after almost 2 decades of wor k, the island has pr oven itself as one of this
country's best holiday gems.
This small island also claims a Hollywood credit, as it was the backdrop for the 1999
film
Anna and the King.
Langkawi play ed the r ole of Thailand to J odie Foster's Anna
Leonowens and Cho w Yun-Fat's King M ongkut (Rama IV ). The Thais wouldn't allow
the filmmakers to shoot on location in their kingdom, so Hollywood turned to neighbor-
ing Malaysia.
Technically, Langkawi is an ar chipelago of islands, the largest of which ser ves as the
main focal point. Ask ho w many islands actually make up Langkawi, and y ou'll hear
either 104 or 99. The official r esponse? “Both ar e correct. It depends on the tide!” O n
Langkawi Island itself, the main town,
Kuah,
provides the island's administrative needs,
while on the western and northern shores, the beaches have been developed with resorts.
The west-coast beaches of
Pantai Cenang
and
Pantai Tengah
are the most dev eloped;
however, the concept of “ development” here is quite lo w key. To the nor th,
Datai Bay
and
Tanjung Rhu
host the island's finest, and most secluded, r esorts.
One final note:
Malaysia has declar ed Langkawi a duty-fr ee zone, so take a peek at
some of the shopping in to wn, and enjoy RM1.50 (45¢/25p) beers!
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
BY PL ANE
Malaysia Airlines
(
&
1300/883-000;
www .malaysiaairlines.com) and
AirAsia
(
&
03/8775-4000;
www.airasia.com) make Langkawi v ery conv enient fr om
either mainland Malaysia or Singapore. In addition,
Silk Air
(
Singapore)
flies to Lang-
kawi International Airport (
&
04/955-1311
).
The best way fr om the airpor t is to pr earrange a shuttle pickup fr om y our r esort;
otherwise, you can grab a taxi in front of the airport. To Pantai Cenang or Pantai Tengah,
the fare should be about RM20 ($5.80/£3.60), while to the r esorts at Tanjung Rhu and
Datai Bay, it will be RM45 and RM55 ($13/£8.10 and $16/£9.90), r espectively.
BY TRAIN
Taking the train can be a bit of a hassle because the near est stop (in Alor
Star) is quite far fr om the jetty to the island, r equiring a cab transfer. Still, if you prefer
rail, hop on the overnight train from KL (the only train), which will put y ou in to Alor
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