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

[yflyer]

Last month, I made a short trip to Langkawi. I was there with my younger girl, Miss yflyer no.2, and our neighbours, who were close family friends. They were headed to Langkawi for a short vacation. I would be accompanying them on this trip, but I would be working my regular hours remotely from Langkawi, and only joining them for after hours activities.

We flew there and back on Scoot, and stayed at the Aloft Langkawi Pantai Tengah, located close to 2 popular beaches, Pantai Tengah and Pantai Cenang, and also not far from the airport.

I picked the Aloft because this year I was Marriott Platinum, and a few nights at a Marriott property would certainly help in my efforts to retain Platinum (Although my efforts on that front would probably be futile...I simply don't travel enough these days to accumulate 50 nights a year at any one hotel chain). We were there during a Malaysian school holiday week, so hotel prices were very high. There were several luxurious Marriott properties on Langkawi, including the Ritz-Carlton and St Regis. Both of these were beachfront resorts, whereas the Aloft was a high-rise hotel close to the beach. If I were on vacation I would certainly have considered a resort property, but as this was a work trip, the Aloft, a mid-range hotel, would suffice.

Langkawi was busy while we were there, with many holidaymakers enjoying the sun and the sand. Eveything, from restaurants to spas, not to mention transportation via Grab cars, was very reasonably priced. The fact that the whole island of Langkawi was duty free also made wine and liquor prices surprisingly affordable for a holiday destination in Asia.

[yflyer]

We checked in for Scoot TR476 SIN-LGK at T1, however the aircraft was actually parked at the T3 gates closest to T1.



I've always been very amused at how abruptly the carpeting changes between one terminal and the next in Changi. T1 carpeting was drunken spirals on a blue/white background, whereas T3 carpeting was vertigo inducing lines and stripes in black and beige. If you ever needed to know which terminal you were in when at Changi Airport, you just had to look down at the ground.

TR476 to Langkawi was a 1.40pm departure.



Operating today's flight was Scoot Airbus A320-200 series 9V-TRT, a 12+ year old aircraft named "Chalo-Chalo".



This was a single-class aircraft with 180 economy seats arranged 3-3.



The aircraft seating was perfectly fine for a short sector like SIN-LGK, with a block time of 1 hour 30 min.



Even so, the legroom on this flight left something to be desired.



Even pax in the bulkhead row didn't have that much more legroom.



Seat recline was ok.



We settled into seats. Flight time today was expected to be just over 1 hour.

[yflyer]

After take-off, the cabin crew came round to offer F&B from the Scoot Cafe menu.



I spotted a new beverage option: coffee from Common Man Coffee Roasters.



We had eaten lunch in T1 before boarding, but I had not yet had my afternoon caffeine fix, so I pulled out my credit card (Only credit card and Singapore currency were accepted onboard) and ordered a cup of Common Man coffee.



The cheerful cabin crew served me a cup and told me to wait 2 minutes before drinking it. I was curious as to why I had to wait, but realised the reason as soon as I removed the lid: this was a drip bag of ground coffee steeped in hot water.



There was no milk onboard, so this was served with a sachet of creamer.

This was not the full barista experience you got at Common Man Roasters' dine-in premises, but it was nice to have a non 3-in-1 coffee option onboard.

[yflyer]

The flight path today took us along Malaysia's East Coast.



It was a very cloudy day but we finally broke through the low level clouds, and passed by both Tengah and Cenang beaches as we made our final approach...



...to Langkawi International Airport.



After a smooth landing, we taxied to the apron...



...and disembarked by air stairs.



Nothing sets the tone for a beachholiday like a hot blast of tropical air when disembarking, then taking a stroll across the tarmac into the terminal building.

[yflyer]

We took a Grab from the airport terminal to the Aloft Langkawi...



This was a high-rise hotel, with all rooms facing the sea, but with the sea views much better on the high floors.



The Aloft was located in a quiet part of Langkawi, near Tengah Beach i.e. Pantai Tengah, about 10 minutes drive from the hustle and bustle of Pantai Cenang.



One unique aspect of the hotel was that the entrance and lobby area of the hotel was in an open plan ground floor area, not enclosed by air conditioning.



The lobby had a cheerful, relaxed feel...



...with a colourful and stylish design and vibe similar to Aloft properties elsewhere.



There was a bar on the ground floor...



...as well as a coffee and snack bar.



There was a large infinity pool on the 2nd level.



Pantai Tengah was just 160m away.



The beach itself was popular with tourists, with many watersports available...



...including jetskis and parasailing.

[yflyer]

We were warmly welcomed at check-in by the property's jovial loyalty manager, and given a Marriott welcome gift, and assigned a nice room on the top floor of the property.



Our room had a balcony, as well as a really nice view of the sea.



The bathroom was very spacious...



There was one large sink...



...which had a separate filtered water tap that dispensed drinkable water -- a nice touch.



Our room came with 2 beds, and large flat screen TV, as well as bean bag chairs which we could place on the balcony if we wanted.



Welcome snacks.



2 complimentary drinks in the minibar.

[yflyer]

The view from the balcony...



There were 2 sizes of balcony available on the property, ours was the regular size.



A small number of rooms had larger balconies as well, which could fit outdoor loungers.



Rules were printed on a sign on the balcony...



There was a convenient clothes drying rack by the side of the balcony.



The rooms at the property were mostly sea-facing. The corridor leading to the room was an outdoor unairconditioned corridor facing the lush greenery of the hill behind the hotel. It was all very tropical, but I could not help thinking that the corridors looked a little industrial and basic compared to the rest of the hotel design.



On the whole, I was quite happy with the my room at the Aloft Pantai Tengah.

[yflyer]

There were daily activites organised for guests.



The kids club was fairly busy during the day, with activities geared mainly for very young children.



There was a well equipped gym.



The infinity pool was very popular with guests...



..with younger guests especially enjoying the water features at several of the smaller pools.

[yflyer]

The Aloft was perfectly located to savour the amazing Langkawi sunsets, which could be viewed from the balconies or from the beach.



The first evening we were there, we took a short uphill walk from the Aloft to dine at Rimba Restaurant at the nearby Ambong Pool Villas.



This restaurant had an outdoor dining area with stunning coastline and sunset views.



We admired the views outside before retreating from the humid air to dine inside the air-conditioned dining room.



Dinner was excellent, comprising both local favourites and international selections.



My beef rendang was very satisfying.

[yflyer]

The Aloft hotel offered a buffet breakfast to hotel guests. I believe most, if not all, room rates including breakfast. As it was approaching the Malaysian National Day, the dining room was festooned with national flags.



Poolside dining was also available.



There was a huge international buffet spread.



At this buffet, there was something for everyone.



I found the local dishes more tasty and satisfying than the international dishes, for example the nasi lemak was beautifully presented, and the all important nasi lemak rice was tasty too.



There was a noodle station...



There was a large selection of local desserts.



We washed it all down with sinfully sweet and rich teh tarik.

The breakfast buffet also had delicious Malaysian roti canai and the usual western breakfast standards. I did find, though, that while the buffet selection was very wide in terms of type of cuisine, the breadth of different national cuisines represented at the buffet meant that the taste of some of the dishes was inconsistent, for example some of the Middle Eastern dishes and Indian dishes tasted quite mediocre, whereas the local Malaysian dishes tasted pretty good.

[yflyer]

To orientate myself to the area, I headed out for an evening run from the Aloft to Pantai Cenang.

There was one main coastal road running along this part of the island. It went all the way from the cruise terminal in the south of the island, past Tengah Beach, where the Aloft was, then to Cenang Beach, then onward to the airport.

My route that day took me past the eateries along Jalan Teluk Baru, then to the thriving duty free shops and roadside stalls at Jalan Pantai Chenang, before retracing my steps back to the Aloft.



In fact, I had previously run along this exact road, Jalan Teluk Baru, in 2017 while on a port call during a cruise on the Diamond Princess.

The area around the Aloft was fairly quiet, with a smattering of small local eateries and massage/spa outlets...



...serving a whole range of different cuisines, including Chinese...



...and Thai-Chinese, which was not surprising considering how close were to the border with Southern Thailand.



There were massage/spa outlets...



...offering much more reasonable therapy rates than the hotels.



From Jalan Teluk Baru, I turned onto Jalan Pantai Chenang, which was a very busy tourist area...



...with many shops and eateries...



...and many duty free outlets.



Shopping wasn't my thing so I didn't head inside, but shopping did seem to be a very popular activity here.

[yflyer]

Cenang Beach at sunset was buzzing with activity...



Beachgoers thronged the sand, while the sky was filled with kites and parasailors...



..and even an occasional microlight aircraft.



The atmosphere felt festive, electric even...



Birthdays were celebrated...



Even as the jetski's were being packed up for the day, other night time activities were beginning...



As the sun set, the performances began...



...with fire eaters and jugglers...



...their flames lighting up the night sky.



Nearby roadside eateries were doing good business as well.



I turned round and retraced my steps back to the Aloft.



Total distance that day, just over 5km.

Dusk was the perfect time to head out for a run here. During the day, it was too hot. In the evening, you could head out in the cool evening air and take in the sunset as you ran.

And what spectacular sunsets they were!



Each day's sunset was different, with colours changing by the second...

[yflyer]

One of the restaurants I passed along my running route was Orkid Ria, one of the largest seafood restaurants along Jalan Teluk Baru.



The next evening, we headed there for dinner.



There was an impressive array of fresh seafood on offer...



...with the lobsters looking especially tempting...



The dining hall was spacious and elegant...



The seafood was superb as well, fresh and expertly prepared.



Service was superb, and prices were very reasonable as well.

I would highly recommend this place for a seafood meal while in Langkawi!

[yflyer]

The next day, we took a Grab to the airport for our flight, Scoot TR477, back to Singapore.



There were many shops and eateries at the airport.



Check-in was quick.



There was a bit of a bottleneck at security and immigration, as there were several flights departing at around the same time, including an Indigo flight to Bengaluru, but we were in the holding room within 15-20 minutes.



Boarding was soon called, and we took a walk along the tarmac to our waiting A320.



There were staff on hand to guide pax, but one definitely had to be careful to board the right plane, and not just follow the crowd.



As Krisflyer Gold, we were given complimentary BoardMeFirst privileges, and so we were literally the first to be called for boarding, practically walking all alone by the time we got to the far end of the tarmac to the plane.



Onboard Scoot A320 registration 9V-TRP, named "Tango Romeo Papa"...

[yflyer]

I had a window seat on the left side of the plane, and took full advantage, snapping pics of the airport while were were on the tarmac, and also throughout the flight.



A look at the terminal building as we taxi'ed out...



This sign on the grass by the runway reminded me of a similar sign we have at Changi Airport, next to runway 02L/20R.



Nice views of Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah as we climbed out...



A view of the cruise terminal...



...and of Kuah, the district capital of Langkawi, with its distinctive Maha Tower by the coastline.



Onboard, the Scoot Cafe F&B cart came round.