Sand, Seafood and Sunsets: Scoot to Langkawi and a Stay at the Aloft Pantai Tengah

[yflyer]

This was the flightradar24 track of the flight. Looking at the flight path, we flew directly over Kuala Lumpur that day, but the city was under thick cloud cover, with only a few gaps in the cloud, so I could not spot any KL city landmarks, although based on the map, landmarks like the Petronas Twin Towers would have been visible out the left side windows on a clear day.



I had much better luck later on, after we began our descent from 35,000 feet, when the coastal town of Muar came into view...



...and then Batu Pahat.



Great views of the coastline off Johor.



The western tip of Singapore Island came into view...



Great views of the 2nd link and Forest City...



Forest City certainly looked like an impressive development from this vantage point.



We rounded the coastline, and the Singapore city skyline came into view...



...and Changi Airport, where the scale of land reclamation and the construction of T5 could be clearly observed...

[yflyer]

We banked low over the palm oil plantations of Johor to line up for our final approach to Runway 20R..



Views of Pulau Tekong, and the ongoing polder-style land reclamation there, as we came in to land...



On the ground in Changi.



A very smooth flight on TR477 LGK-SIN, landing at 1.19pm, 16 minutes of scheduled arrival time of 1.35pm.

[yflyer]

Final reflections...

Scoot serves a very valuable niche: short regional flights to holiday (and business) destinations in Malaysia and South East Asia. On these ultra short sectors, there isn't much of a need for a fancy in-flight service or even premium seating -- just get us there and back safely and on time, and as cheaply as possible! On that basis, I was quite satisfied with Scoot on this trip.

I didn't see very much of Langkawi while I was there as I spent most of my time working remotely from my hotel room, but Miss yflyer no.2 and my neighbours did a fair bit of sightseeing, and by all accounts they had a great time. I did enjoy the food and the beaches, as well as my evening runs.

As a holiday destination, Langkawi has a lot going for it. The sunsets are spectacular, and the rustic, laid back vibe, and friendly locals, make it an ideal holiday destination for anyone looking to destress. Anyone living in Singapore would find the prices for food, transport and other activities to be super reasonable. The Grab fares, in particular, were ludicrously low compared to Singapore, with Grab cars easily available to bring you from one point to another on the island.

As for the Aloft hotel, it was a decent property, one I would be happy staying at if what I was looking for was a mid-range hotel. The location was ok, and the rooms were stylish and new. That said, if I was on holiday in Langkawi, I would want to spend at least a few nights at a proper beachfront resort rather than a hotel, as the vibe in a resort would be completely different. In addition to the resort, I might also spend a night or 2 at the Aloft, if I planned to be out sightseeing during the day, or if I needed an overnight stay at the start or end of the trip.

Highlights for me on this trip were the sunsets and the food, with Scoot playing their part getting me there and back smoothly.

Thanks for reading!

[RedEyeflight]

Thanks for the lovely TR yflyer! I’ve always been curious about SIN-LGK. It is one of the few flights between Singapore and Peninsula Malaysia that is not a mere skip in the air ala KUL or MKZ. That would make JHB-LGK the longest domestic flight within Peninsula Malaysia. But it’s only just over an hour long as you mentioned. I guess it shows how short these domestic flights are in West Malaysia and the lack of transport options. Glad you were able to work remotely from Langkawi!

[yflyer]

Thanks for the lovely TR yflyer! I’ve always been curious about SIN-LGK. It is one of the few flights between Singapore and Peninsula Malaysia that is not a mere skip in the air ala KUL or MKZ. That would make JHB-LGK the longest domestic flight within Peninsula Malaysia. But it’s only just over an hour long as you mentioned. I guess it shows how short these domestic flights are in West Malaysia and the lack of transport options. Glad you were able to work remotely from Langkawi!

Thanks for reading, RedEyeflight! Yes, one of the longest Malaysian domestic flights if you don't include sectors to Sabah/Sarawak, and right up close to the Thai border. If you are looking for a quick beach getaway, Langkawi would be a great choice!

[MAN Flyer]

Another fabulously detailed TR, Sir!. Unfortunately it would still not convince me to eat Seafood!!!. :-)

[scooby5]

Final reflections...

.....

Highlights for me on this trip were the sunsets and the food, with Scoot playing their part getting me there and back smoothly.

Thanks for reading!

Super report.

We had a choice of LGK or DPS for 5-6days away, but in the end took Scoot to DPS a couple of weeks ago and a boat to Lembongan to avoid "Bali". Your report here puts LGK back on my radar for a future few days away, as Marriott Platinum (for this year only) member as well, aLoft would surely have popped up in my app. This would be similar to the Holiday Inn Sanur we stayed two-nights, also ~160m from the beach, next and cheaper than the IC next door, but used more as only a transit point.

As you say, Scoot can work fine for these shorter hops and indeed ours left on time both ways, actually 5min early and landing 15-20min early - this is the benefit of gate closing 30min before departure and check-in, one-hour. As KFG as well, boarded first and then enough space for hand-luggage. This is a relaxing benefit.

[yflyer]

Another fabulously detailed TR, Sir!. Unfortunately it would still not convince me to eat Seafood!!!. :-)

Thanks for reading, MAN Flyer! Lots of great non-seafood options in Langkawi too, but surely there must be some way for us to change your mind about the excellent seafood in Asia! :-)

[yflyer]

Super report.

We had a choice of LGK or DPS for 5-6days away, but in the end took Scoot to DPS a couple of weeks ago and a boat to Lembongan to avoid "Bali". Your report here puts LGK back on my radar for a future few days away, as Marriott Platinum (for this year only) member as well, aLoft would surely have popped up in my app. This would be similar to the Holiday Inn Sanur we stayed two-nights, also ~160m from the beach, next and cheaper than the IC next door, but used more as only a transit point.

As you say, Scoot can work fine for these shorter hops and indeed ours left on time both ways, actually 5min early and landing 15-20min early - this is the benefit of gate closing 30min before departure and check-in, one-hour. As KFG as well, boarded first and then enough space for hand-luggage. This is a relaxing benefit.

Thanks for reading, scooby5! Lots of great Marriott options on Langkawi...I was sorely tempted to book either the St Regis or Ritz-Carlton, but decided not to as the rates were super high during the period I was there (It was a Malaysian Holiday period), and it was a working trip. Nice to know your Scoot flights were early/on-time. I've had better luck with Scoot on-time performance on their short sectors than their longer sectors (e.g. to Australia).