Our trip to Langkawi was more on business. At least that was how it started. We went to check out a 25-room budget motel for sale. Of course we never leave home without our golf bags. It has been many years since I last set foot on Langkawi.
We rented a car after claiming our bags at the airport. Since it was still early, Zack wanted to check out the golf course at Datai Bay. Somehow fate brought us to stumble upon the very motel that we came for. It looked more like a run down brothel than a budget motel. I couldn’t see any window. It was padlocked and appeared abandoned. I remembered telling the owner that we were coming and asked him to book 2 rooms for us. He said ok after what appeared to be checking whether the rooms were still available. We’ve been had! We left the place in less than 2 minutes without even taking a closer look. No deal!
That, more or less, wrapped up the purpose of our trip.
We headed to Kuah town to pick up another friend, Sharif, coming from Kuala Perlis by ferry. After that, we drove along the road that passed another golf course, Gunung Raya Golf Resort. We stopped to check on reciprocal arrangement with our home club, Staffield Golf Resort. Everything seemed to be in order, we proceeded to Datai. It is located at the northern tip of Langkawi and took us about half an hour or so to get there.
Just before we reached the golf club, I saw a stall selling cakes and tidbits by the road side. From memory of my last trip in 2004 with an American friend, Matt, I knew it was the same one selling kueh keria, cakes made from sweet potatoes that I loved. They were delicious. We bought some and they were as delicious as before. That was our lunch.
Putting by the sea at Datai's 19th. HoleOnce we got to the golf club, we went to enquire at the reception. The green fee was RM350, buggy was at RM60 each and to play a round of 18-hole golf would cost RM383 each. That would be the most expensive golf round in Malaysia! A supervisor walked in, playfully greeted us in Thai with a warm “Sawaddee Kap”, a common way of striking conversation up north. I jokingly enquired in Thai whether the fees could be reduced. He called his supervisor and told him that we were from Thailand who wanted to play but the high fees turned us off. After some hard bargaining by Zack, we got away with RM300 for two. It was a good deal considering that the golf course is listed in Travel & Living Channel as 2nd best adventure golf course after Bintan Lagoon in Indonesia.
Zack teeing off at Datai
The Golf Club, as they called it, is built amidst the tropical rain forest setting. The course meanders around the jungle and at some places, the holes are located by the sea. One thing special about the course is they have one 19th. hole, other courses have only 18 holes. The par 3 19th is located at the edge of the sea.
Datai's Hole 19
The fairways were soft due to the rainy season. Otherwise it would have been an adventurous golfing session. Where else could you see a flock of hornbills while playing golf? I still believe that the fees charged were a bit too steep.
My favourite place, Tanjung Sanctuary
We checked into Tanjung Sanctuary, a chalet-like hotel that is top on my list of “Places You Must Stay Before You Die”. I stayed there before during my 2004 visit. The place is nestled in matured rain forest by the sea. The rooms are big enough to accommodate one family. I love the big balcony facing the sea. It was an ideal place to have a romantic rendezvous.
Tanjung Snctuary's pool surrounded by trees overlooking the sea
After breakfast we drove to Gunung Raya Golf Resort. The course was just average but the greens were in bad shape. It was like putting on sandy greens, a big turn off. The course was carved out of a former rubber plantation, mostly on flat terrain. It lacked the challenge of a well designed golf course. As we say in golf, the "Fear Factor" was conspicuosly missing.
Gunung Raya Golf Resort
We were hungry after checking out from the hotel. We drove along the beach to look for a place to have lunch. Most places were empty or closed. In Pantai Tengah we chanced upon a restaurant with quite a number of guests inside. We decided that the number of people having their meals was a good indication that the place was good. So, we joined the crowd. Half way through our meals we realized that the owner of the restaurant was giving a treat to his relatives and friends, a feast before the fasting month of Ramadan. We were truly embarrassed and apologized for inadvertently gate crashing his party. We didn’t know. We offered to pay but he flatly refused saying that we were welcome. We left the place, called Difiqa Restaurant, in a hurry after finishing our meals, thanking the owner and apologizing profusely. The meals were really good. Zack even had second helping.
One of those embarrassing moments in life!
We came to Langkawi during the low season. It looked dead at some places. Most of the hotels and restaurants appeared deserted. The island is a real gem waiting to be polished. It matches Phuket in terms of natural beauty but somehow remains a lost tourist attraction.
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