Sailing in Langkawi, Malaysia

We started our stay in Langkawi at the Sheraton Perdana Hotel, 2 kms outside the town of Kuah. This is a beautiful hotel situated on the beach, with wonderful landscaped gardens and several pools in which to lounge around. Take a 10-minute taxi ride to town and you will find an array of local restaurants where you can dine on fresh fish and seafood for only a few pounds. There are a variety of hotels to suit any budget from the deluxe Datai and Andaman to small locally run hostels.

The first part of our sailing holiday was a Royal Yachting Association Day Skipper course for 5 days. This is a live on board practical course – an excellent way to learn more about sailing as well as being escorted around the island.

The second week we chartered our own yacht – a Gibsea 33. Time to put all that learning into practice! In our week we sailed around the entire island, with a variety of moorings from marinas at hotels to anchorage in remote bays, as well as in a river near a fish farm serving the day’s freshly caught fish and prawns for that evening’s dinner. Absolutely delicious!

Since June is the wetter time in Langkawi, we would not recommend it for sailing, as the heavy rain turned into poor visibility at times. However the weather is generally fine and any showers are short and sharp, clearing quickly.

Malaysia is such good value with accommodation and food being a fraction of the cost of other Far East destinations. We loved our time there and would definitely go back in the dry season to explore the interior of the island and maybe to sail to the nearby Thailand islands.