The first flight touched down on the 28th of December while the next is scheduled for the 14th of January

A traditional welcome, complete with kompong beating, greeted the 200 passengers when the plane landed at the Langkawi International Airport at about 10 o’clock in the morning.

The LDAB, with the cooperation of tourist agencies, held the welcoming reception and distributed leaflets that promoted the island to the visitors.

This is the first time the airline has flown to Langkawi

It may only be partway through June 2011 but the 2012 Tour de Langkawi was launched on Thursday, and the full route and stage details have already been confirmed. The race has always had a high level of organization, and is seriously gearing up to try and gain World Tour status in the not too distant future, something it had been expected to be granted some 3-4 years ago, but which instead went to the Tour Down Under and more recently to the Tour of Beijing.

Now heading into its 17th staging, the race has become a popular early season sortie for both mainstream World Tour and Pro Continental teams as well as providing a bigger stage for aspiring Asian teams and riders, many of whom have performed well enough there to earn slots on major European and Australian teams.

In its early days, the race was something of a novelty, being one of the very few races outside of Europe at that time of year, and the only one with the purse and guarantees required to attract major teams to start their season so early. However, the globalisation of cycling has lead to emergence numerous high-profile races during the early season, which has impacted somewhat on Langkawi, although with its UCI 2.HC ranking it still draws a mean crowd, and both Garmin-Cervélo and Astana have indicated that they will take part in the 2012 race.

Without exception, the gruelling 25km ultra-steep climb to Genting Highlands has always been the deciding stage of the race, which explains why so many tiny climbers from South America have long since had a liking for the podium here. But in a determined effort to open things up some more the 2012 edition the race has changed its game-plan just about enough to level the tough playing field favoured by the climbers.

The 10-day, 10-stage race starts out on February 24 with an opening 20.2 km time trial around the “model” city of Putra Jaya, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. This stage will be hot, and most likely windy, with a good chance of an afternoon downpour for the later starters.

This lengthy solo opener should could put as much as a minute between the stronger all-round contenders and the pure climbers, thus making the roll of the dice on Genting (which is a one-off climb at the end of the stage) all the more interesting. It’s not unusual for a stronger rider to hang on to the lead group part of the way up Genting, and then stay just about within touching distance of the climbers: a minute in the time trial could be enough for a non-climber to win the race.

From Putra Jaya the race heads south to the historic port (and UNESCO World Heritage listed) city of Melaka and then to Muar before doubling back towards Kuala Lumpur. These stages are pretty flat, and most likely to end in bunch sprints, although stage 5 into the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Ampang could provide the opportunity for a breakaway, given the rolling terrain and the knowledge that the following day leads the riders to Genting.

From Genting (stage 6) the race heads through the interior to the city of Kuantan and then follows the flat and windy east coast north towards Kuala Ternegganu, taking 4 stages to reach the city. Although the race often takes in the east coast, which is a sprinters’ paradise, the finish in Kuala Terengganu will mark the first time that the race has ever ended outside of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

In recent years Kuala Terengganu, and the east coast state that that carries its name, have become the virtual epicentre of Malaysian cycling. The majority of the country’s top riders hail from this region, including track sensation Azizul Awang and road sprinter Anuar Manan (who is the only Malaysian ever to have won a stage in the Tour de Langkawi). The state also funds and sponsors Malaysia’s leading Continental team – Ternegganu Pro Asia.

Tour de Langkawi 2012 route

Stage 1, February 24: Putrajaya Individual Time Trial (20.2 km)
Stage 2, February 25: Putrajaya – Melaka (151 km)
Stage 3, February 26: Melaka – Parit Sulong (177.6 km)
Stage 4, February 27: Batu Pahat – Muar (169.4 km)
Stage 5, February 28: Ayer Keroh – Pandan Indah, Ampang (188.4 km)
Stage 6, February 29: Proton, Shah Alam – Genting Highlands (108 km)
Stage 7, March 1: Bentong – Kuantan (215.8 km)
Stage 8, March 2: Pekan – Cukai (100.8 km)
Stage 9, March 3: Kemasik – Kuala Terengganu (169.4 km)
Stage 10, March 4: Kuala Terengganu – Kuala Terengganu Loop (114.1 km)

Total distance: 1414.8 km

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Langkawi Cable Car

A brilliant idea and fun for all the family – from young to old – the Langkawi Cable Car whisks you up Mat Cincang mountain for the best views over the island and its idyllic, crescent-shaped beaches. Unlike most cable cars, which run in a straight line, this one is split into stages. Get off about halfway up and take in the views from the viewing platform before continuing up to the top. If you suffer from vertigo, you might want to avoid the dazzlingly high and curved suspension bridge which offers amazing views (pictured) – don’t look down! Each cable car can carry 6 people and the journey takes around 15 minutes.

Fast Track Speedzone

Dads, sons and racer Mums will love Fast Track Speedzone, Langkawi’s outdoor go-karting track. There probably isn’t a little boy in the world who doesn’t love fast cars and this is a great place to bring them for a special afternoon or morning of fun. The 1,000m course is full of hairpin bends, twists, turns and some good straight stretches to really let the karts go. Full safety gear is provided as are two different karts: a fun kart and a much faster pro Yamaha kart.

Mangrove Tours

Langkawi’s mangroves are UNESCO-protected and the best way to see them is by boat. A rich and ancient ecosystem thrives here: the dramatic limestone cliffs and mountains give way to tidal waterways filled with tree-hopping monkeys, snakes, bats, sea eagles, lizards, fish and crustaceans. While there are packages available that include visiting a bat cave and fish farm, we can’t say we’re big fans of the latter.

Taman Burung – Langkawi Bird Paradise

Even when it’s raining in paradise, life goes on at this bird park. All the walkways are fully covered making it a good outdoor activity even when the weather isn’t so great. The park is home to over 2,500 birds, from bright coloured peacocks to flamingos and parrots, and a naturalistic aviary as well as a few monkeys and other mammals.

Underwater World Langkawi

The island’s aquarium isn’t the biggest we’ve ever seen but it’s a pleasant way to spend a few hours away from the beach, and they have a very cute penguin exhibition.

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“Indians have become travel savvy and there is so much demand for leisure destinations. A huge number of Indians fly to Bangkok, which is less than two hours from Chennai and other cities in South India. So, we are planning to start services from Chennai and other South Indian cities to Thailand by end of the year,” he said.

For the low cost airline, which operates services from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai, Tiruchy, Kochi and Bengaluru, Kuala Lumpur is the hub and the routes are very successful as a majority of Indians who travel to China and Korea also fly via Kuala Lumpur where the load factor is more than 80 per cent from India, Fernandes added.

AirAsia operates two flights a day from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur. “We are considering flights to Phuket and Langkawi, two popular destinations in Thailand and Malaysia among Indians tourists. The airline has been getting a lot of requests to fly direct to Langkawi,” Fernandes said adding that the airline may also start services from Kozhikodi in a couple of months. With a lot of Punjabis travelling abroad, the AirAsia is also planning to start a flight from Amritsar to Kuala Lumpur.

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The Rebak Island Resort offers luxury class services and facilities to their weary travelers. This is the place to dock your yacht if you are travelling with your yacht. Apart from that, its Marina Office also facilitate visa requirement and extensions making it a hassle free for travelers stopping by to this island. However, the fun of this awesome resort, doesn’t stop here. The Rebak Island Resort has first class accommodation featuring spacious timbered villas and rooms, elegantly decorated with earthy colored textiles, beds and wooden furniture to its guests. And is the only place giving you magnificent view of the Straits of Senari bordering the Andaman Sea.  Villas and rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, television, telephone, and tea and coffee making facilities.

Whereas most tourists go there to do nothing, snorkeling, scuba diving, canoeing and touring the Langkawi Island in Peninsula Malaysia are options. Langkawi Island provides sports for all types of non-motorized water sports and fishing. For some, the option to just soak up the sun, listen to the breeze through the casuarinas leaves is relaxing.

The Senari Restaurant is one of the greatest one in the area and serves delicious local food in a very airy and cozy atmosphere. If you choose to dine under the sky, the Pool Bar at the Rebak Island Resort also serves barbecue by the sea with relaxing atmosphere and ambiance while having dinner. The SY 69 is a stylish bar serves a wide range of beverages including special and international cocktails.

At least, afer doing all those things…for the extravagant relaxation, head up north following the route to Langkawi Island in the north of Peninsula Malaysia. The Rebak Island off Langkawi Island is located 4km away from the main island of Langkawi or 15 minutes ferry ride from Port Langkasuka.

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Currently, there are only two Bulgari hotels in the world; a city hotel in Milan, Italy, and a resort villa in Bali, Indonesia.

“There have been people asking about it (Bulgari) but there is nothing serious.

“There must be a business plan that can support a Bulgari as it is a very expensive hotel to build,” chief operating officer (COO) for Asia Pacific Craig S Smith said, adding that it does not discount that Malaysia could probably carry such a brand. “Such a hotel would fit into a market that has a niche clientele and easy air access”.

Location, Smith said, is paramount in considering the opening, and along with it, the specifications and partnership.

The Bulgari in Milan is a city hotel with 58 rooms, while the resort in Bali has some 59 villas. The next Bulgari will open in London in 2012.

The Bulgari Hotels & Resorts was introduced in 2001 and it is a joint venture between jeweller and luxury goods retailer Bulgari SPA and the Luxury Group – a division of Marriott International that also manages the The Ritz-Carlton hotels.

In Malaysia, there are currently six hotels managed by the Marriott group and one on franchise. On future openings, Smith said: “At any one point of time, we are discussing with a dozen (parties).”

Marriott, which is now predominantly city-based, is now keen to look at more resort hotels in places like Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu.

The group, which has over 20 brands, also manages the Courtyard by Marriott, EDITION Hotels and Marriott Executive Apartments, elsewhere in Asia.

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