Last year after posting a blog about Satun, Thailand, I received a comment from a woman who basically said that I shouldn’t romanticize the place. “It’s nothing but a border town,” she stated. I’m not even sure why she took the time to tell me that. Did she think that her opinion is the general […]
The Bella Vista Langkawi Hotel
Arriving to Langkawi without an accommodation pre-arraigned is like anywhere else; you might get lucky with a deal-of-the-day walk-in rate or you might end up in an inexpensive recommended guest house that may not be as convenient as you had hoped. But just a short 5-minute ride from Langkawi International Airport you’ll find the Bella […]
Restoran Seri Serai
Malaysia has an abundance of small restaurants, food and fruit stands dotting the sides of the roads throughout the country and Langkawi is no different in this regard. Yet sometimes finding one of these local restaurants that stands out from the rest can take perseverance and diligence. But the hunt for a good local establishment […]
Cba, Langkawi’s Seaside Gem
The widest and most pristine part of Pantai Cenang is at the north end of the beach in front of the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa. Most people generally keep to the southern end of the beach and maybe that’s because the resort seems to be exclusive and ‘off limits’. But if you wander […]
Malaysian Tradition at Fox Hill Resort
There is a large selection of options as to where to stay when visiting Langkawi. The most popular are near one of the long expanses of beachfront or in the major town of Kuah. But unbeknown to most visitors to the island, there are a few options that take you away from the touristy areas […]
Spas: the Good, the Bad & the Just Plain Rediculous
My own personal experiences with spas are limited to massage ‘parlors’. That’s probably an archaic word, but somewhere along the line many establishments have decided to slap the name ‘spa’ on their signs and crank up the prices and those lines have become a bit blurred. Since coming to Southeast Asia, I have a greater […]
Jet Skis: the good, the bad & the just plain fun
Jet Skis are present everywhere these days and many only see them as the loud crafts that speed up and down the waterfront invading erstwhile swimmer’s space. Some would like to see them banned from certain areas all together due to the noise, pollution and potential danger to wildlife (and people). But there’s another side […]