Lankawi G H on arrival in September?

thaibeachlovers · July 15, 2016

Have to do a visa run ( cross border only ) and hated Penang. Lankawi seems better.

Thought I'd take the ferry from Satun as easiest.

My questions are:-

Is it possible late September to just arrive and find a G H, and are there many, ? any cheap ( think Thai prices ) G Hs available, and if so on the beach or just in town?

Is there a bus service that runs to the beaches, or just taxis/ tuk tuks?

Thanks for any help.

gandalf12 · July 15, 2016

Not sure what you mean by GH so I am assuming you mean Good Hotels. Yes there are good hotels on Langkawi. If money is not a big issue the Sheraton is a very good one.

There is a bus service but I am pretty sure it is only around town. There are taxi's though not that the beach are outstanding but ok

anotheruser · July 15, 2016

I am guessing he means guesthouse.

Diplomatico · July 16, 2016

That time of the year you should be able to find a room at a guesthouse or a motel for under $20 US per night. You can book a lot of them in advance on booking.com, no pre-payment required and free cancellation.

I didn't find a lot of public transportation other than taxis. (You can rent a scooter for a pretty low price.) Taxis are all fixed price so at least you'll know in advance how much you'll pay.

thaibeachlovers · July 17, 2016

^^ Thank you.

keeniau96 · July 18, 2016

Once ashore at the ferry terminal there are many taxis in very orderly queue outside. Get Malaysia money before leaving the terminal, have several exchange booths and many ATMs. Taxis are quite good, no meters so agree on fare beforehand. All will speak some English and fares are comparable to BKK. Beaches are on the western side, ferry on the east so about 1/2 hour ride, very orderly traffic not Thai style at all.

thaibeachlovers · July 18, 2016

^^ thanks

kbelyeu · July 23, 2016

What was it you hated about Penang? I am planning to go there instead of Savannakhet this year for my Non-O.

Kurt

siam2007 · July 25, 2016

when you arrive by ferry you will be VERY far away from the beaches. only the guest houses in Kuah town (which is ugly and uninteresting, particularly for a non-Muslim) are within walking (15 minutes or so) distance. check googlemaps for that.

unless what someone said here, there is virtually no public transport on the island.

Taxis are available but very expensive, particularly compared to Bangkok.

small cars are VERY cheap to rent (starting at 50RM per day, many companies at the jetty, just shop around) and this is the easy way to go - cheaper than a return trip from the ferry to the nearest beach, such as Pantai Tengah or Pantai Chenang.

Been to LGK many times and my latest trip was as recent as May 2016.

thaibeachlovers · July 25, 2016

What was it you hated about Penang? I am planning to go there instead of Savannakhet this year for my Non-O.

Kurt

Mainly the beaches, which are all lined with huge hotels, except Feringi, which was ruined by those revolting jet skiis. Also, everything is very expensive, and the cheaper accomodation is inferior to what is available in Thailand for less.

However, the bus service is fairly good and reasonably priced.

No night life of course.

Food is way more expensive.

Think Pattaya without any fun.

thaibeachlovers · July 25, 2016

when you arrive by ferry you will be VERY far away from the beaches. only the guest houses in Kuah town (which is ugly and uninteresting, particularly for a non-Muslim) are within walking (15 minutes or so) distance. check googlemaps for that.

unless what someone said here, there is virtually no public transport on the island.

Taxis are available but very expensive, particularly compared to Bangkok.

small cars are VERY cheap to rent (starting at 50RM per day, many companies at the jetty, just shop around) and this is the easy way to go - cheaper than a return trip from the ferry to the nearest beach, such as Pantai Tengah or Pantai Chenang.

Been to LGK many times and my latest trip was as recent as May 2016.

Thanks for your reply.

Just how much are the taxis one way to the beaches, and if I was going without a booked hotel, which is the best beach to look for one? In your opinion, which is the best beach overall, for scenery, ambience, walking around?

Would it be OK, in your opinion, to stay in Kuah and rent a car for a couple of days to drive around? . I don't intend staying more than a couple of days.

Do the car prices include insurance? Do I need a credit card to rent a car ( I don't have one )? I take it a Thai driving licence is OK.

Thanks again.

Diplomatico · July 25, 2016

Thanks for your reply.

Just how much are the taxis one way to the beaches, and if I was going without a booked hotel, which is the best beach to look for one? In your opinion, which is the best beach overall, for scenery, ambience, walking around?

Would it be OK, in your opinion, to stay in Kuah and rent a car for a couple of days to drive around? . I don't intend staying more than a couple of days.

Do the car prices include insurance? Do I need a credit card to rent a car ( I don't have one )? I take it a Thai driving licence is OK.

Thanks again.

I think I paid 30 RM each way to go from where I was staying - Pentai Cenang (beach area) - to Kuah. Kuah is pretty much set up for shopping and that's about it. I wouldn't stay in Kuah if/when I return.

Beaches in Pentai Cenang were relatively nice....I stayed approx 10 minutes walk from a pretty decent beach that offered parasailing and it was fun to sip drinks on the patio of a local establishment and watch the parasailers. Pentai Cenang has a number of restaurants/bars so it's easy to find somewhere to eat/drink.

As far as I could tell (I was walking, mostly) Pentai Cenang is basically one long major street that connects to Pentai Tengah. Seemed to be fewer restaurants and more hotels in Pentai Tengah.

thaibeachlovers · July 26, 2016

Thanks for your reply.

Just how much are the taxis one way to the beaches, and if I was going without a booked hotel, which is the best beach to look for one? In your opinion, which is the best beach overall, for scenery, ambience, walking around?

Would it be OK, in your opinion, to stay in Kuah and rent a car for a couple of days to drive around? . I don't intend staying more than a couple of days.

Do the car prices include insurance? Do I need a credit card to rent a car ( I don't have one )? I take it a Thai driving licence is OK.

Thanks again.

I think I paid 30 RM each way to go from where I was staying - Pentai Cenang (beach area) - to Kuah. Kuah is pretty much set up for shopping and that's about it. I wouldn't stay in Kuah if/when I return.

Beaches in Pentai Cenang were relatively nice....I stayed approx 10 minutes walk from a pretty decent beach that offered parasailing and it was fun to sip drinks on the patio of a local establishment and watch the parasailers. Pentai Cenang has a number of restaurants/bars so it's easy to find somewhere to eat/drink.

As far as I could tell (I was walking, mostly) Pentai Cenang is basically one long major street that connects to Pentai Tengah. Seemed to be fewer restaurants and more hotels in Pentai Tengah.

Thanks for that. It helps to know what the starting point is if having to negotiate taxi prices.

Diplomatico · July 26, 2016

Thanks for that. It helps to know what the starting point is if having to negotiate taxi prices.

There's no negotiating taxi prices. Everything is fixed price, dependent upon the area in which your trip originates and your destination.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Diplomatico

thaibeachlovers · July 28, 2016

Thanks for that. It helps to know what the starting point is if having to negotiate taxi prices.

There's no negotiating taxi prices. Everything is fixed price, dependent upon the area in which your trip originates and your destination.

Thanks for that, but I posted based on what post #6 said.

siam2007 · July 28, 2016

when you arrive by ferry you will be VERY far away from the beaches. only the guest houses in Kuah town (which is ugly and uninteresting, particularly for a non-Muslim) are within walking (15 minutes or so) distance. check googlemaps for that.

unless what someone said here, there is virtually no public transport on the island.

Taxis are available but very expensive, particularly compared to Bangkok.

small cars are VERY cheap to rent (starting at 50RM per day, many companies at the jetty, just shop around) and this is the easy way to go - cheaper than a return trip from the ferry to the nearest beach, such as Pantai Tengah or Pantai Chenang.

Been to LGK many times and my latest trip was as recent as May 2016.

Thanks for your reply.

Just how much are the taxis one way to the beaches, and if I was going without a booked hotel, which is the best beach to look for one? In your opinion, which is the best beach overall, for scenery, ambience, walking around?

Would it be OK, in your opinion, to stay in Kuah and rent a car for a couple of days to drive around? . I don't intend staying more than a couple of days.

Do the car prices include insurance? Do I need a credit card to rent a car ( I don't have one )? I take it a Thai driving licence is OK.

Thanks again.

I am not sure how much they charge to the beaches nowadays (because I always rent a car which is cheaper than even a single return trip per day), but as another member stated, it is probably 30 RM one-way.

Why would you want to stay in Kuah town, when you rent a car? After you take over your car at the jetty, you are free to roam around and find a nice place to stay (and the guest houses that are a few hundred meters away from the beach are of course cheaper but not necessarily less nice). Give Kuah a miss, even the small malls are as boring as it gets.

You will not need a credit card to rent a car, this is all veeeeeery relaxed on Langkawi, the contract will be a tiny sheet of paper, maybe they will ask you for a very small deposit of 200 RM or so. I believe you may need an international driving license (which I hold, so no experience with local licenses) , but I would not be surprised if a local license is perfectly fine as well (google for LGK car rental companies and email them b4 to confirm). The reason why this is all so easygoing is the fact, that the car can not leave the island, as this is a very bureaucratic process and you have to prove ownership (same is the case on other islands of Malaysia, such as Labuan).

Pantai Tengah and Pantai Cenang which are next to each other are quite okay, and this time in May there were no jellyfish that I had experienced in earlier years. Actually, the beaches were quite nice this time of the year.

The nicest beach by a margin though, is PANTAI TANJUNG RHU, in the very remote Northern part of the island. it is partly occupied and fenced off by two 5-star resorts, but there is still a nice area open to the public, and almost deserted on weekdays. nice to swim (and I am VERY particular when it comes to swimming in the sea), but watch out for undercurrents and ask locals. people did drown there in the past. TANJUNG RHU alone already justifies to rent a car - lovely scenery and pure white powdery sand.

If you tell me what you want to spend per night, I can give u recommendations, including a small guesthouse operated by people I know, with just 7 rooms, 800 Meters or so away from the beach in an almost jungle-alike setting.

thanks to the duty free status, alcohol is very cheap, despite Langkawi being part of the very conservative islamic state of Kedah (which means, Sunday is not the Sunday there). I bought cans of SHANDY for just 1.30 RM = 11 Baht ;-)

Edited July 28, 2016 by siam2007

thaibeachlovers · July 30, 2016

when you arrive by ferry you will be VERY far away from the beaches. only the guest houses in Kuah town (which is ugly and uninteresting, particularly for a non-Muslim) are within walking (15 minutes or so) distance. check googlemaps for that.

unless what someone said here, there is virtually no public transport on the island.

Taxis are available but very expensive, particularly compared to Bangkok.

small cars are VERY cheap to rent (starting at 50RM per day, many companies at the jetty, just shop around) and this is the easy way to go - cheaper than a return trip from the ferry to the nearest beach, such as Pantai Tengah or Pantai Chenang.

Been to LGK many times and my latest trip was as recent as May 2016.

Thanks for your reply.

Just how much are the taxis one way to the beaches, and if I was going without a booked hotel, which is the best beach to look for one? In your opinion, which is the best beach overall, for scenery, ambience, walking around?

Would it be OK, in your opinion, to stay in Kuah and rent a car for a couple of days to drive around? . I don't intend staying more than a couple of days.

Do the car prices include insurance? Do I need a credit card to rent a car ( I don't have one )? I take it a Thai driving licence is OK.

Thanks again.

I am not sure how much they charge to the beaches nowadays (because I always rent a car which is cheaper than even a single return trip per day), but as another member stated, it is probably 30 RM one-way.

Why would you want to stay in Kuah town, when you rent a car? After you take over your car at the jetty, you are free to roam around and find a nice place to stay (and the guest houses that are a few hundred meters away from the beach are of course cheaper but not necessarily less nice). Give Kuah a miss, even the small malls are as boring as it gets.

You will not need a credit card to rent a car, this is all veeeeeery relaxed on Langkawi, the contract will be a tiny sheet of paper, maybe they will ask you for a very small deposit of 200 RM or so. I believe you may need an international driving license (which I hold, so no experience with local licenses) , but I would not be surprised if a local license is perfectly fine as well (google for LGK car rental companies and email them b4 to confirm). The reason why this is all so easygoing is the fact, that the car can not leave the island, as this is a very bureaucratic process and you have to prove ownership (same is the case on other islands of Malaysia, such as Labuan).

Pantai Tengah and Pantai Cenang which are next to each other are quite okay, and this time in May there were no jellyfish that I had experienced in earlier years. Actually, the beaches were quite nice this time of the year.

The nicest beach by a margin though, is PANTAI TANJUNG RHU, in the very remote Northern part of the island. it is partly occupied and fenced off by two 5-star resorts, but there is still a nice area open to the public, and almost deserted on weekdays. nice to swim (and I am VERY particular when it comes to swimming in the sea), but watch out for undercurrents and ask locals. people did drown there in the past. TANJUNG RHU alone already justifies to rent a car - lovely scenery and pure white powdery sand.

If you tell me what you want to spend per night, I can give u recommendations, including a small guesthouse operated by people I know, with just 7 rooms, 800 Meters or so away from the beach in an almost jungle-alike setting.

thanks to the duty free status, alcohol is very cheap, despite Langkawi being part of the very conservative islamic state of Kedah (which means, Sunday is not the Sunday there). I bought cans of SHANDY for just 1.30 RM = 11 Baht ;-)

Thanks for your reply.

I would like to spend 1,000 baht or less per night on a place to stay. I looked on the internet and there are many for that price or slightly more. Of course, personal recommendations are welcome.

I was thinking of staying in Kuah because it would be more convenient for catching the ferry back. I'm not intending to stay longer than 2 or 3 days, though if the beach is really great I might.

According to the internet, there is a bus to Cenang. If there is, I'd be happy just commuting.

I can check that out at the tourist information office at the jetty when I arrive.

I checked out the beaches on the internet and they look very nice, like Chaweng back in the 90s. Will have to wait and see if that is the reality.

borovik · August 2, 2016

ShirinGhuestHouse&Restaurant is the cheapest place.60RM for triple room it was.Nice garden and good restaurant,very near to beach in central location.Owners are charming foreign couple.

roamer · August 3, 2016

Stayed at this place many times, rooms directly on beach on Pantai Chenang or across road from beach a little cheaper. @800-1500 THB. Clean and right in the centre of the beach, lots of restaurants around. Langkawi has a nice vibe to it, definately worth making the trip to the beach.

http://abmotel.weebly.com/

As always with Trip Advisor opinions vary widely.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g1096282-d450986-Reviews-AB_Motel-Pantai_Cenang_Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html

Edited August 3, 2016 by roamer
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