Skip to Content

Life’s a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Deathly afraid of hairy men in thongs, Ren and I aren’t really beach people, but we do appreciate a good beach when we see one. Langkawi, an archipelago of 99 islands off the coast of northwestern Malaysia, has those in spades. Here are just a few that we visited during our week-long Langkawi adventure.

Tanjung Rhu

Located at the northeastern tip of the island, Tanjung Rhu is home to arguably Langkawi’s most pristine beach, boasting calm, crystal clear waters and powder-fine, white sand. More secluded and harder to get to, it’s quieter and less crowded than Pantai Tengah or Pantai Cenang.

The area is home to some of the island’s most exclusive hotels, like The Four Seasons and Tanjung Rhu resort, each with its own private strip of beach. The one pictured below is a public section open to commoners like us. 😉
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

As mentioned up top, Ren and I aren’t really beachgoers so we didn’t stay here for very long. There was no cover to speak of so it got pretty hot out in the open, so hot in fact that Ren opted to wait for me in the shade while I took my pictures. 😆 If you enjoy basking on a secluded, relatively private beach, then I’m sure you’ll love Tanjung Rhu. It’s beautiful. Tanjung Rhu is approximately a one-hour scenic drive from the Pantai Cenang area. CLICK HERE to see where it is on a map.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Pantai Tengah

Located at its southern road bend, Pantai Tengah is basically a continuation of Pantai Cenang. It isn’t nearly as wide as Pantai Cenang, but it’s longer. As you can see from the pictures below, the waves here seemed much stronger too, which was probably why there were less swimmers and more adventure seekers. Check out the drama unfolding with that parasailer in the distance…
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

As he got closer, it was apparent that something was wrong, because the tour operators started screaming something to him frantically. It looked like he was coming down too fast, so they were yelling and gesturing at him to pull up.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

As you can see below, the tour operators were running in a state of panic, screaming and flailing their arms about. Luckily, he figured out what to do and went airborne right before biting it. Phew! 🙂 Located at the southwestern tip of Langkawi, the beach was about a ten-minute walk from where we were staying. CLICK HERE to see where it is on a map.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Pantai Cenang

Situated right next to Pantai Tengah, Pantai Cenang is Langkawi’s biggest and most impressive beach. We walked its entire length one day at sunset, beginning here at its southern end. That building to the right is a restaurant called The Cliffhouse, a great place to enjoy a cold one while taking in the breathtaking views.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Around the same length as Boracay but twice as wide, with sands that aren’t quite as white, but just as powder-fine. If you Boracay-like beaches with more action, then you’ll definitely fall in love with Pantai Cenang. CLICK HERE to see where it is on a map.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Similar to Boracay but less crowded, there were bars and boutique resorts like this one all along the entire length of the beach. Like Boracay, the nicest resorts were located at the very end too, a la station 1.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Textures of Pantai Cenang
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Times like this, I wish I had a wide angle or fish eye lens. I just couldn’t do any justice to the vastness of this beach with my overachieving kit lens. 🙁
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

My token shadow portrait
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

I don’t know how crowded it gets during peak season, but the beach felt refreshingly empty in parts. Loved it.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Shadows are cool.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Midway through, Ren and I stopped for a beer. It was happy hour after all. 😉
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Token reggae beach bar
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Mossy ropes are cool.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Wavy banners are cool.
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Romantic beachside dinner setting for two. Too bad it wasn’t for us. 🙁
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Shrek getting fresh with my wife. 👿
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

Isn’t my wife beautiful? ♥
Life's a Beach in Langkawi, Malaysia

We didn’t have time to check it out but there’s a fourth beach on the main island that may be worth visiting. Situated at the northwestern tip, it’s called Pantai Pasir Tengkorak and is rated by TripAdvisor users as the second best beach on the island, after Tanjung Rhu. Often described as a great beach for families, it’s a bit out of the way as well, so you’ll need a car to get there.

For more Langkawi travel tips, check out our First-Timer’s Travel Guide to Langkawi, Malaysia
 The First-Timer’s Travel Guide to Langkawi, Malaysia

Disclosure

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning we’ll get a small commission if you make a purchase or reservation at NO extra cost to you. We really appreciate your support as this helps us keep this website going. Thank you!

Found this article useful? Help us help other travelers by sharing it!

Nada A

Friday 22nd of February 2019

I'm hearing mixed things about Pentai Cenang Beach regarding swimming. Is it dangerous because of jellyfish or not safe to swim in/too dirty because of the water sports? I'm currently in Singapore on exchange and just looking for a place to visit for 3 days to just chill on the beach. I was thinking Langkawi and just stay near Cenang but now I'm not too sure?

JB & Renée

Sunday 24th of February 2019

Hi Nada, we didn't personally swim so I can't speak from experience, but yes, I have heard about the jellyfish problem in Pantai Cenang. There were people doing water sports as well, but more at Pantai Tengah. If you're going to Langkawi to relax and swim, then maybe stay closer to Tanjung Rhu? It's quieter than Pantai Cenang.

JB & Renée

Saturday 19th of April 2014

Pondok Keladi and Langkawi are awesome! Please give our regards to Mark at Pondok Keladi. Thanks for stopping by Regina and enjoy your trip! :)

Regina

Monday 14th of April 2014

Your Fotografies are awesome and hopefully an inspiration when I will stay at Pondok Keladi in Oktober ! Regards from Germany