Tiger Tales

Paradise Found

ROBYN ECKHARDT goes native with five Langkawi islanders to discover why they think everyone should love their adopted home — and Tiger Airways’ new Malaysian destination — as much as they do.

PHOTOS: DAVID HAGERMAN

Whether you know it as “99 Magical Islands”or SouthEast Asia's only Geopark – a designation awarded by UNESCO in 2007 – Langkawi offers a combination of natural beauty and budget- to five-star amenities that make it stand out in the region.

Add in the island’s welcoming populace and an eclectic dining scene encompassing open-air markets, casual eateries and sophisticated international restaurants and you’ve got a destination that rarely disappoints.

Given the island’s attractions, it’s no surprise that some visitors decide to stay on for good. Here, five transplants tell us what they adore about Langkawi and share a few tips for making the most of your stay.

DOROTHY ANG

YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DIRECTOR, LANGKAWI YOGA
It was a combination of stubbornness and serendipity that landed Dorothy Ang in Langkawi. In 2006, the Malaysian was back home in Port Dickson with a spanking new law degree from a prestigious UK university. Just one problem: “I knew that being stuck in an office was not my style.” Resisting parental nudges to take up her vocation, Dorothy taught classes at her mother’s health club instead. Months later, Dorothy landed a job as an instructor at a Langkawi resort, and in May 2007 she co-founded Langkawi Yoga.

“It would drive me crazy to live in a city,” says Dorothy, who revels in slow-paced island life. “Here people have time for you. You say ‘hello’ to everyone – that’s just the culture.” Langkawi’s abundant greenery is another attraction. “Every time I fly in I think, ‘What a beautiful place to come back to’. ”

Dorothy reckons that the island’s wealth of knowledgeable guides and teachers who can explain everything from the life cycle of a mangrove seedling to how to prepare a local meal makes it unique. “There’s so much to do here, and you can learn a lot,” says Dorothy. “That’s what makes this place a gem.”

Dorothy’s Top Picks: Follow a Langkawi Yoga session on the beach (tel: +60 (0)10 652 0683, www.langkawi-yoga.com) with a dose of local cuisine. Chef-instructor Shukrie Shafie runs “Cook with Shuk” sessions (tel: +60 (0)4 955 2586, www.thelighthouselangkawi.com/cook.htm) in his wooden Malay house atop a hill. Book at least a day in advance. RM150 (S$61/AU$54) per person includes round-trip transfer from The Lighthouse restaurant to Shafie’s home and a meal.

NARELLE MCMURTRIE

OWNER, BON TON RESORT AND TEMPLE TREE, AND FOUNDER, LANGKAWI LASSIE
Before moving to Langkawi, where she ran a shop at one of the island’s hotels among other ventures, Narelle McMurtrie presided over the wildly popular Kuala Lumpur restaurant Bon Ton. “I thought – wrongly – that I could do both,” recalls the vivacious Australian. “And every time I came to Langkawi these guys kept showing up,” she adds, nodding with a smile at the three once-homeless café-au-lait dingo mutts at her feet.

So in 1994, the restaurateur and animal lover bid farewell to KL, opened the new Bon Ton (tel: +60 (0)4 955 6787, www.bontonresort.com.my) – comprised of restored Malay kampung (village) houses – and set about addressing Langkawi’s stray animal problem in a humane way, by setting up a no-kill sanctuary.

Bon Ton Resort has since become known for its rustic-meets-luxury stilt-house accommodation and first-rate Nam restaurant. And late last year, Narelle opened nearby Temple Tree (tel: +60 (0)4 955 6787, www.templetree.com.my), a collection of restored villas. Profits are funnelled into her LASSie foundation (www.langkawilassie.org.my), which neuters and cares for needy and stray animals and sponsors an animal clinic.

“It’s so easy to be a tourist in Langkawi,” Narelle says. It’s this, along with the people, she adds, that accounts for the high number of repeat visitors. “Langkawi doesn’t change much year to year so it feels like a second home.

Narelle’s Top Picks: Follow a ride up Mount Mak Cincang on the Langkawi Cable Car (Oriental Village, Burau Bay, tel: +60 (0)4 959 4225) at RM25 (S$10/ AU$9) for adults, RM18 (S$7/AU$6) for kids, with an authentic Malay lunch at home-style Restoran Siti Fatimah (Bt 5 ¼, Jl Kg Tok Senik, Kawasan Mata Air, Ulu Melissa, tel: +60 (0)4 955 2754). Then go shopping at the Four Seasons, home to boutiques such as Jendela Batik, which sells hand-painted batik resort wear.

AIDI ABDULLAH

NATURALIST, FOUR SEASONS RESORT
For Malaysian Aidi Abdullah, Langkawi was a life-saver. In 2001, while living in Kuala Lumpur and working a high-stress job in aviation management, Aidi was plagued by insomnia and high blood pressure. One day, he decided to chuck urban life and return to Langkawi – where he had been a flight instructor in the 90s – and pursue a passion for nature that dates back to childhood, when he played hooky to read back issues of National Geographic. After several years as a naturalist at Pelangi Beach Resort, he joined the Four Seasons in 2005, where he regularly takes guests on fascinating mangrove tours of 100sq km Kilim Nature Park.

“If you look after the island, it looks after you,” muses the now-healthy Aidi “It’s part of the magic of this place.”

Langkawi’s minimal development, Aidi says, has been a good thing: “In terms of natural beauty, we’re what Phuket and Bali were 40 years ago.” For him, island life is a dream life. “I’m out in the mangroves every day, doing what I love and sharing the island with others.”

Langkawi, he adds, is a great “soft” introduction to eco-tourism. “We’ve got the infrastructure to support luxury lodging, but travel just ten minutes from your hotel and you’re in primal nature. Where else can you do that?”

Aidi’s Top Picks: A tour of the island’s mangroves is a must. Four Seasons Resort Langkawi (tel: +60 (0)4 950 8888, www.fourseasons.com) arranges mangrove tours, jungle treks and other tailor-made activities for guests. For those staying elsewhere, Junglewalla (tel: +60 (0)12 487 0600, www.junglewalla.com) offers a range of guided outings including mangrove and limestone cruises at RM200 (S$81/AU$72) for adults and RM120 (S$49/AU$43) for children, along with rainforest treks and dawn bird-watching excursions. Book at least two days ahead.

VINCENT ONG AND MITO KIYOI

OWNERS, ETHNIC COLOURS
For Malaysian Vincent Ong and his wife, Kyoto-born Mito Kiyoi, Langkawi was the antidote to an urban overdose.

The couple met on Langkawi after moving here separately from Tokyo – he in 1999, to guide Japanese tour groups, and she in 1996, to work at the Sheraton as a receptionist. “I was tired of the crowds, tired of the noise,” says Vincent of the Japanese capital, where he worked in interiors. Mito was charmed by Langkawi’s resemblance to “a big village, with old wooden houses and chickens all over the place.”

In 2001, they married and opened the first Ethnic Colours, a small jewellery shop in Kuah town. They now own two shops – one devoted to homeware, the other to fine jewellery (Levels 2 & 3, Langkawi Parade Megamall, tel: +60 (0)4 967 1840) – and a jewellery kiosk.

Travelling the region to source stock is a kick, but there’s no place like home. “There’s beautiful sea all around us,” says Vincent. “And people here are truly nice. They don’t take things so seriously, which makes life fun.”

Vincent and Mito’s Top Picks: Take a sunset cruise with Crystal Yacht Holidays (tel: +60 (0)4 955 6545, www.crystalyacht.com), which offers sunset cocktail and dinner cruises, as well as daytime cruises, on a fleet of 13m yachts at prices starting from RM175 (S$71/AU$63).

Then get out and shop and eat where Langkawi residents do: at a pasar malam (night market). They’re held each evening from about 5pm-9pm in different parts of Langkawi. The largest takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Kuah town.

LORENZO ZECUBI

RESTAURATEUR, L’OSTERIA
“A nice accident” is how Italian restaurateur Lorenzo Zecubi describes his journey to Langkawi. After earning a degree from Scuola Alberghiera di Stresa, one of Italy’s most prestigious culinary academies, Lorenzo followed stints in London with seven years in KL’s burgeoning Italian dining scene. A restaurant consulting job led him to Langkawi in 2003.

“I used to come here on holiday,” he recalls, “but working here, I began to think about living here.” Residency became a reality with the opening in 2005 of Lorenzo’s baby, L’Osteria (2863 Padang Mek Siam, Jl Pantai Tengah, tel: +60 (0)4 955 2133), which has earned a reputation for the excellence of its pizzas and other Italian fare, as well as for its reasonably priced Italian wines.

“Langkawi is very down to earth,” says the handsome entrepreneur. “We Italians say misura d’uomo, which means you can easily fit in and become part of the place. You feel quickly that Langkawi is ‘home’.”

Lorenzo’s Top Picks: To experience Langkawi’s true character, forgo the guides and get out on your own in a rental car, either hiring one at Langkawi Airport or booking ahead with Kasina Rent-A-Car (tel: +60 (0)4 955 5999, www.kasina.com.my) from RM138 (S$56/AU$49) per day. A favourite spot to eat in the island’s north is Hole in the Wall (Kilim Jetty, tel: +60 (0)4 967 5301), a fish farm-cum-floating seafood restaurant. Book ahead or call when you arrive at the jetty for boat pickup.