Surrounded by beautiful green islands, mountainous with sheer rock faces plunging into blue water, we had finally reached Langkawi and the surrounding islands. We anchored at Pulau Singa Besar for the night, and not realising what little gem was hidden beneath the trees, we moved on the next day for Kuah.
In Kuah, we hired a scooter and explored the island. Visiting many of the beaches around Langkawi, we were disappointed not to have clear water to swim and snorkel in. I only mention the water for those sailing or holidaying in Langkawi. Don’t think the water is crystal clear… we have been told it gets better at certain times of the year, though. The most disappointing thing is all the rubbish floating in the water.
Riding around Langkawi, our island exploration was soon halted when the skies opened and unleashed a downpour of epic proportions (tropic rain is incredible). We stopped at a tiny warung to escape the rain and consumed a delicious spicy chicken soup for lunch. Once our trip resumed, we chanced upon a group of monkeys. One mother had a gorgeous little baby, so photogenic!
We stopped at Telaga Harbour and, as we enjoyed sangria and tapas, we met Adrian, who told us about the Saturday Night Blues at Singa Besar. So on Saturday, we sailed back to Singa Besar Island for the night and subsequently spent many days there. Read about Singa Besar as it was at the end of this post!
Telaga
We anchored at Telaga for a few days. We visited the Oriental Village and went to the top of the mountain in the SkyCab. SkyCab, the Langkawi Cable Car, is reportedly Malaysia’s longest free-span mono-cable car. It rises 708m above sea level and includes a gradient of 42 degrees. It is worth visiting for the views and is a few degrees cooler than ground level.
Kuah
In Kuah, Pulau Langkawi, duty-free shopping is fantastic, and we stocked up on beer, spirits, and some wine. We found some casks of Standley (AUS) wines for RM45.00, which is relatively reasonably priced. Jim Beam cost me less than AUS $12.00 for 1 litre! Most duty-free shops have similar, if not the same, prices, but if you shop around, you may find some bargains. We found blended scotch whiskey selling for RM32.00 in one shop and RM26.00 in another. Then we saw the same for RM18.00 in a third shop. S0 it is worth shopping around.
We shopped at the Kuah’ wet market’ for prawns, beef (buffalo), chicken, fruit, and veg.
Pulau Dayang Bunting
Dayang Bunting is the second largest island in Langkawi’s cluster of 99 islands. It is home to the “Lake of the Pregnant Maiden”. After a particularly heavy Saturday night at Bluesman’s Paradise, we motored over to the island for a dip in the lake.
Rebak Marina
We stayed at Rebak Marina for a couple of nights. We enjoyed a little luxury – wifi, a swimming pool and a meal at the Harddock Cafe, before returning to Telaga to clear out of Malaysia and head to Thailand.
Next up – Sailing Thailand – Phuket
More Information
Currency
MYR – Malaysian Ringgit written here as RM
Clearing into and/or out of Langkawi
At the ferry terminal in Kuah, you will find the harbourmaster, customs and immigration all in the same building. You can also clear into Malaysia at Telaga. We have heard several different views of this harbour check-in/out, such as “you can no longer check-in/out there” or “you can only do it in the morning”. What I have found is that the harbour master and immigration are mostly always there but not the customs. We once did most of our check-out procedure at Telaga but then had to hire a scooter to ride to the airport to finish the procedure. Last time we opted to hire a car from Telaga marina and drive to Kuah to check in and go shopping.
Rebak Marina
RM76.50 (2017) per day for a 45-foot monohull. Power and water extra.
Contact: Marina office on VHF 69 on arrival
Free use of resort pool and gym. 25% off prices at the resort, bars and restaurants.
Buffet Breakfast at the resort – 1/2 price 35RM
Squash and tennis courts at extra charge.
Harddock Cafe – for use by the sailors in the marina only. Has the marina office, book swap, television, beer, soft drinks and meals. Can BYO wine etc.
Can get gas filled – 14kg RM98.00
Laundry – RM3 for a wash & RM4 for Dry
Harbour Store – sells beer, water and other sundries, as well as souvenirs, swimwear etc.
Repair and Maintenance – Hardstand has 70 dry bays. Marina has appointed contractors. Two weeks’ notice is generally needed for haul out.
Chandlery – got all the basics for slipping the boat, paint, sanding paper, 12volt fans etc.
Ferry to Mainland (Port Cenang) – free (leaves the marina around nine times a day).
Telaga
Anchorage – we anchored out in the bay (the pond). A little rolly (very little). Good holding ground in mud. Some people have had difficulty anchoring due to the rubbish on the sea floor.
Telaga Harbour Marina – cost RM90/night for a 45-foot monohull (2017).
Contact: Marina office on VHF 69 on arrival – call sign Telaga Harbour Marina
Rent a car from the marina office for RM10 per hour (minimum RM20). Best to book ahead of time.
Fuel dock – diesel and petrol – approach the Petronius service station.
Restaurants near the Petronius include Arabic, Indian and western food. Restaurants on the other side of the marina include Tapaz – Tapas and Ala Carte, Chinese, Korean and more.
Places to eat – For more about the places to eat in Langkawi CLICK HERE
SkyCab – Adult RM85.00 – Child RM 65.00
Kuah
Anchorage – busy bay, good holding, and there is a dinghy dock on shore.
Fuel – There is a fuel boat in the bay.
Shopping – Markets, supermarket, duty-free, electrical, chandlery.
Motorbike hire – (at the building near the dinghy dock) RM35 per day or RM30 if you hire for a week
Pasar Awam Kuah (Kuah Public Market) – Fresh prawns, fish, chicken, beef and buffalo, also fruit and veg. Pass the fruit and veg you come to small shops selling chilli paste, ikan bills etc. Go further, and you will find clothes, souvenirs and then prepared food and drinks for sale, i.e. curries, rice, and fried chicken, to name a few.
Duty-free Shopping – many duty-free shops in Kuah and Cenang.
Accommodation
We typically book our accommodation through booking.com. Indeed we like the convenience of booking online, and we are usually able to pay for our accommodation on arrival at the hotel/resort or room. Additionally, booking.com advertise many different accommodation styles in Langkawi, so you are sure to find the perfect place.
Travel Insurance
Do you have insurance organised for your travels? Please look at our Travel Insurance page for a quick quote! I just booked travel insurance with World Nomads again, and it always impresses me how quickly I get the quote, and in fact, the entire process, from quote to policy in hand, only takes minutes. Furthermore, you can book when you are already overseas, as I did this time!
iVisa
iVisa makes getting a visa super easy. You can even get passport and visa photos done!
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NOTE: This is about Pulau Singa Besar as it was in 2015
Pulau Singa Besar
On Singa Besar Island there is a little beach bar called Bluesman’s Paradise. It is, as its name suggests, a little tropical paradise. It is there, on a Saturday night, with the sand beneath their feet, sailors can listen to live music, eat satays and drink beer as they chat to their hosts Enoa, Bread and Kitty.
A gorgeous little place made with timber and drift wood, it is tucked beneath huge shady trees and it truly feels like a little island hideaway – for want of a better description – a pirates lair! If us sailors are honest about one thing, it’s our deep seated need to say “arghh me matey” and drink rum!
It is, without a doubt, a wonderful place to relax and, as our hosts say, shake away the blues. Meeting other sailors from all over the globe, swapping stories and sharing tips on anchorages, duty-free shopping and the best place to slip the boat, Bluesman’s Paradise really is fantabulous!
While Kitty cooks up a storm of satays, chicken wings and fried rice, Bread entertains guest with his music. If you have a musical instrument bring it along, as everyone is welcome to join in. We had Capt’n Fatty on the guitar one night, Jonny from KL and Fred off the sailing vessel Laura Pinta also played guitar and one night a special treat with Peter on the harmonica!
Put your boat name up at the bar…
RM30.00 will get you a serve of satays, a beer and enable you to hang your boat name in the bar. Thorfinn was the first plaque to go up!! Engraved on a piece of driftwood and then painted by Dwayne, we hope to be able to add others in the years to come, as it is a place we are sure to revisit!
There is a walk through the mangroves and rain forest, which starts behind Bluesman’s Paradise and leads to a small dam. From the dam if you turn left and follow the creek you will find some nice rock pools that are good for a cooling dip.
Also on Singa Besar is a campsite which may be a government site as we once came upon the Navy camping there, and another time the police had a ‘motivational’ camp happening there with their families. But at other times it is empty and it is a good place to burn rubbish, have a BBQ or as we did play cards at the picnic table.
Pulau Singa Besar – Hosts Enoa, Bread and Kitty are most there days and welcome visitors for a chat. Saturday Night satays are around RM10.00 per plate. Beer RM4.00 and they have small bottles of wine for RM20.00. There is music on Saturday night, and as I mentioned everyone is welcome to join in so bring your instrument! (I’m an not sure if anyone is running the bar there now. But it is still a good anchorage and great place to set up the BBQ on the beach)
Contact details: Facebook – Bluesman”s Paradise
Capt’n Fatty – Capt’n Fatty Goodlander is an Author and sailing magazine contributor who has extensive sailing and cruising knowledge. Visit his website for more info – http://www.fattygoodlander.com
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