Within an easy 10 minutes trip from Langkawi Airport, Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa is conveniently located on the shores of Cenang beach. We went for a long-awaited holiday with the kids in just that same weekend, when all KL-ites decided to go as well… Hurray for school holidays!
Busy as busy can be
Needless to say, it was packed at the check in counter in the resort. The hotel had good SOPs in place though and had set up a waiting area in the middle of their lounge. After checking in, we were taken by buggy to our rooms.
The location of the resort is superb and has got a beautiful white sandy beach. Pulau Rebak Kecil is right in front of the hotel. Who put it there must have known that it makes for awesome sunsets in the evening…
Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa is set up as a Malay style village with individual wooden chalets. From the outside, the chalets look a bit dark and uninviting. Upon entering though, I was surprised to see how light and comfortable the rooms were. Nice! The balconies of the Seaview Rooms on the upper floors are massive; great for littles ones to play. Or just to hang out with a glass of wine.
Tips
- If you’d rather want to jump straight out of bed onto the beach, the Beachfront rooms are the go.
- For the best ocean views, ask for a room in block 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11. Also the ones in blocks 13, 15 and 17 are good, but if you’re in the rooms in the chalets starting with number 38 and up, your view is less appealing, due to the brick dyke and a few trees in front of you.
Fun for everyone
There are two big pools at the resort. The Horizon Pool has got a play area with a giant bucket, splashing water every two minutes or so. The Cascade Pool has got a pool bar area.
You also could take a dip in the ocean of course. Be careful with swimming – at own risk – since there are no lifeguards present.
Cenang beach offers a lot of fun activities like parasailing, water skiing and a banana boat. All these activities are not right in front of the hotel, which makes lounging in one of the many chairs on the beach very comfortable. Although occasionally planes fly over, they’re not disturbing at all.
Some spas just tick all satisfaction boxes: soft music, nice ambiance, good therapist, it was all there at the Pelangi Spa. The beach massage cabana was not open yet. Perhaps due to current SOPs?
Food at the hotel
Breakfast at Spice Garden restaurant was packed. Instead of queueing up there, just take a turn to the left and enter The Club. It’s a smaller restaurant, but with similar food choices. You’re not allowed to take your food yourself, but the staff will help you to serve it on a plate for you at the buffet. Breakfast was so-so, including the coffee.
We loved our dinners on the beach though. Grab a few chairs, order drinks and pizzas from restaurant CBA and enjoy the sunset!
Cenang beach
We ventured out during lunchtime on the main road, just behind the hotel. The place was desolated, except for the duty-free shops which seem to flourish. At night, the place is livelier though. Do try the seafood and other Chinese dishes at Telaga restaurant, a ten minutes’ walk from the hotel. They’ve got a band as well.
Where Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa seems to be fully operational, a lot of other businesses are clearly still struggling. Hopefully Langkawi is ready for the influx of international tourists arriving on 15 November!
Would you like to know more about hotels in Langkawi? Have a look as well at the nearby Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa at Pantai Tengah.
