In November 2017 we decided to visit Langkawi for 6 nights, as a stop over on the way home from Perth, Australia where we were attending our friend’s wedding.
We knew from google searches that Langkawi was lush, tropical and looked stunning. But we didn’t know much else. If we had investigated it more thorough we would have known to stay longer than 6 nights, as Langkawi is beautiful and full of things to do.
Langkawi is the main island of more than 99 islands, situated 30km off the mainland coast of north western Malaysia. Although the main island is relatively small there is an abundance of things to do, including water sports, island hopping, beaches and the Sky Bridge. Hiring a scooter is a great way to see the whole island. (link to our scooter rental blog).
As we didn’t know where to stay we just picked the best value versus best reviewed hotel, and we are delighted with our choice.
We booked through Expedia and stayed at The Smith House, which is located in Padang in the West of the island next to the islands airport.
There are a few main areas to stay – Cenang Beach is a 9 minute taxi / scooter ride from the airport, Kuah is 20 minute drive away, and the north of the island is where you will find the large 5* resorts is 25 minutes away. The Smith house is located 3 minutes’ drive from airport.
The Smith House opened its door early in 2017 so it still has that fresh and clean vibe. When entering the hotel, you are welcomed into an icy cool, air-conditioned sleek reception area. The staff here and throughout are very friendly and sweet. Arriving on the first floor you will walk along a glass bridged corridor before walking through a chill out area, complete with board games. The wide corridors are adorned with massive, gorgeous art work.
There are 7 room types in this small boutique hotel, from single to king to suites. We were in the ‘Artist King’ room. Each room is also decorated with large and enticing art work. The rooms / suites are spacious, with crisp grey wallpaper and exposed brick work.
Being a new build there are many well thought out features, including the lighting including ambient light behind the large wooden head boards. The rooms face out on to the adjacent streets, with good sound proofing windows and black out curtains. Each room is equipped with a large tv complete with Netflix. Within the room there is also a handy clothes rail / drawer combo for your clothes, and large bed side units.
The bathroom, we felt was quirky, but not sure if it is to everyone’s taste, the shower and toilet were separated by frosted glass panels and the glass sliding door would either cover the toilet or shower, one at a time. The large sink area with shelving and large mirror, hairdryer and range of towels completed the bathroom.
The hotel serves a large array of buffet breakfast, both continental and local dishes, and you can order straight to the chef any pancakes or egg dish requests.
In the evening the room transforms into the dining room, where again you can choose from local dishes or continental. Here the staff are very attentive and friendly.
The hotel also boasts a library, where you can swap books, an adjoined business centre with computers (free Wi-Fi throughout also) and caters for business meetings in several meeting rooms.
The hotel is complete with a stunning roof top pool and terrace. The pool is refreshing and good size, and the terrace is adorned with sun loungers, tables and chairs and parasols. There is also toilets and changing rooms which are massive and immaculate. The views from the roof are incredible, with mountains spreading out over 3 sides and views out across the water in the near distance. At sundown the nearby, beautifully architecture, Mosque plays the prayer call, heard through the rustling palm trees.
At reception they are also willing and able to book island trips and, in our case, book our scooter hire. Now you will find competitive prices on the streets, but we wanted a little bit of assurance when booking and knew they could be our negotiators.
At the rear of the hotel is free guest parking for cars and scooters, so it is handy and safe to leave bikes there overnight. Also joined to the hotel is a row of shops including 7/11, and restaurants.
The only downside to our stay, which may not bother others, is that our bedding and towels got replaced every single day. We felt this was unnecessary and not very eco-friendly. After our stay we did email to ask why this procedure was in place and could they reconsider how often these need to be changed but unfortunately didn’t hear back (lets hope since our stay it has changed though).
Overall, we loved our stay at The Smith House and would recommend you to stay here when visiting Langkawi.
Location - Lot PT. 297 07100 Padang Mat Sirat Kedah
Price - average- £42 per night
Best time to visit - Langkawi receives a lot of rain fall throughout the year due to its location in mountainous rainforests and mangroves. Therefore, do anticipate rain during your stay, but bear in mind it might shower on and off and it is still very hot and sunny at the same time.
How to get there - Langkawi airport is only regional, we flew into Kuala Lumpur and then took a 1-hour air Asia flight, prices are very competitive.
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