Malaysia - Langkawi, Kedah

Been to Langkawi a number of times on holiday as well as for meetings. This time round I stayed at Andaman Resort. Most of my time was spent in the hotel as this trip is a working trip but it is no less enjoyable.

The Andaman is located in an ancient rainforest cradled between Malaysia's Mat Chincang Mountains and the beaches of the Andaman Sea. 

Set in a pristine rainforest, believed to be at least 50 million years old, The Andaman is blessed with an abundance of plant-life and wildlife. One of the activities that I did during my stay was an early morning nature walk led by a self-taught naturalist and outdoor buff, Irshad Morbarak. Irshad never fails to delight hotel guests at The Andaman with his animated and intriguing stories and facts on the natural history of Langkawi and the wildlife that call this tropical paradise, home.

The nature walk was very pleasant as we were taken thru the trial under the canopy of the lush tropical forest with Irshad explaining the use of the each of the natural herbs by the Malays, Chinese and Indians.

All walks are complimentary and depart from the main lobby. The morning walk begins at 8am, and the evening walk begins at 7pm. Each adventure is approximately 1½ hours. I enjoyed the nature walk. Don't miss it if you ever go to The Andaman!


The Andaman is built to ensure minimal impact to the ancient space and to live in harmony with the rainforest. The lush foliage around the hotel is home to some of the most fascinating animals including the great hornbill, the dusky leaf monkey, the rare colugo (flying lemur of South East Asia), macaques, lizards and geckos, a wide variety of birds and over 300 species of butterflies.

Dusky Leaf Monkey

I did not see all the fascinating animals except for squirrels and dusky leaf monkey jumping from tree to tree or playing on the car roof.


Inside, The Andaman also pays respect to rich culture and tradition of the area.

The Balai Nobat replica in the lobby is a tribute to the traditional structure built for the royalty of the Malaysian state of Kedah, home to the island of Langkawi. Balai Nobat is used to house the traditional instruments of The Royal Orchestra, as well as the platform from which the orchestra performs during official ceremonies. The original Balai Nobat was built during the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah, who reigned from 1854 to 1879.

Even though I did not get to go round Langkawi, I enjoyed every minute of my stay at The Andaman.