My family and I are planning a trip to Malaysia next August. We want to spend 5 nights in Kuala Lumpur and then spend 9 nights by the beach. We cannot decide whether to go to Langakawi or Kota Kinabalu. Can anyone help?

I preferred the beaches in Langkawi; I liked the limestone islands in the distance and the white sand.

The surf in KK was pretty heavy, and they also had the highest tides in recent memory (this was in 2003)which may have altered the beaches.

Please can you recommend a nice hotel in Langkawi which is family friendly.

Langkawi or Kota Kinbalu? That's quite a tough call. We went to Langkawi for our honeymoon in 2001 and loved it so much that we wanted to see more of Malaysia and went to KK last year - which we also loved!

I think if I had to choose, I'd go for Langkawi. It's so much more compact than Borneo - if you hire a car for a few days you can pretty much see the whole island. There are lots of beautiful places to visit, we particularly loved the waterfalls. I think Borneo just about wins on wildlife, for its orangutans and proboscis monkeys, but on Langkawi you'll come across macaques, huge monitor lizards, water buffalo and some fabulous birds, so

Ooops, pressed post by mistake - sorry.

I was going to say that Langkwi has plenty of wildlife of its own to look out for. I also preferred Langkawi's main town, Kuah to Kota Kinabalu for some reason, perhaps because it was smaller anf seemed more friendly.

We stayed at the Sheraton Perdana, near Kuah Town, but most families seem to stay around the Pantai Cenang area, so you could try searching for hotels around there.

Xenos,
I am going to Langkawi in two weeks and am staying at the Perdana can you please tell me about the resort. Also any Must Sees in Langkawi
Thanks
Jenny

KK vs Langkawi - interesting choice. I have not been to KK since '03, but loved it. There is so much to do and see - but also a lot of driving to get there. Tunku Abdul Rahman park is a group of island with some beautiful beaches ( the original Survivor was filmed here ) and snorkelling. KK offers many different animals that you will only find in Borneo.
Langkawi is much smaller and will force you to relax. There are 2 "groups" of hotels - the Perdana, Pelangi, and Berjaya. These are pretty popular and are about 400RM a night. The other 2 resorts are the Datai and Tanjung Rhu. Tanjung Rhu is on the north side of the island, Datai on the west. Both are pretty secluded and are ~ 1000RM per night. Tanjung Rhu has private BBQ on the beach - only 4 per night. Its pricey (225RM per person) but well worth it if you are looking for a romantic evening at sunset on the beach. Around Langkawi there is a boat tour to the islands & beaches to the south ( this was OK, but not quite the same level as Phuket/Phi Phi in Thailand), also a boat tour around Tanjung Rhu and into the mongrove forest - this was interesting. As for other places to visit in Langkawi - dont miss Dinner at Barn Thai. The food is good, but the atmoshphere in the Mongrove forest is neat. About 40 min boat ride toward Penang is Pulau Payar for snorkelling as well. The rest of Langkawi is rich in traditional Malaysian culture.

Jenny

We loved the Sheraton Perdana. It's set in its own quite extensive grounds and feels as though it could be miles from anywhere, but it's only a short taxi ride (or long walk) from town.

The grounds themselves are beautiful and full of wildlife, from fabulous tropical birds to lumbering monitor lizards. There's also a troupe of macaques that come down to the lawns to feed each morning and sometimes make it up to the hotel balconies, so make sure you don't leave anything tempting for them outside on your balcony!

Close to the hotel is the Royal Yacht Club, from where you can take snorkelling or diving trips, or eat in its restaurant in the evening. Kuah Town also has some great seafood restaurants and a wonderful night market which takes place twice a week I think - try the barbecued chicken from the hawker stalls!

I'd also recommend hiring a car for a few days - get a map from the tourist information centre in Kuah and just drive around and see as much of the island as possible. The whole island is so scenic that it's almost impossible to pick out any individual must-sees, but it's small enough to see virtually everything in about three days, so you don't have to.

Hope you have a brilliant time!

Hi Kevey-we're booked at www.sunsetbeachresort.com.my for a few nights, in Dec. Check out reviews on www.tripadvisor.com-not one negative and prices are great! They have private villas for families, I believe. Good luck.