KUAH JETTY

The ferry ride to the island of Langkawi takes about 1 hour. Could be a little longer when the ferry is full of passengers. The view from the ferry is awesome as it gets closer to the islands. To welcome arriving passengers is the Langkawi Island Resort on the right which used to be owned by the Tourist Development Corporation followed by Langkawi Yatch Club.

It would about 15 minutes to clear passengers out of the ferry when it is full and special walkways lead passengers to the terminal building which is now called Jetty Point built by a private developer who leases retails outlets to several operators including ticket counters and tours agents.

A long line of taxis usually wait for the arriving passengers who will be needing them to travel to their final destination. It would cost RM6 just to take a five minutes ride to the town of Kuah and RM 24 to the airport which will take about 20 minutes. There are two kinds of taxis available, the normal five seater sedan or the mini van that can accomodate seven people.

Jetty Point has all the retail outlets needed by a visitor to the island. In fact you do not need to bring anything along with you to spend a couple of days on the island. Everything from toileteries, T shirts, swimming suits and sanitary pads are available. One can spend several hours at the jetty to browse around or hang around Starbuck coffee to use your computers.

The planning concept of the Jetty is excellent and allow a free flow of passengers arriving into the island and those leaving in a hurry. Most of the duty free items are also available here ranging from cigarettes and liquors to tablewares and perfumes. There are also a couple of branded stores for the discerning visitors ready to flash their credit cards when the prices of the items are no object. In short the jetty is a showcase of what is available on the duty free island of Langkawi.

You need to spend at least Rm 1,000 to make your trip to the island worth the while but you need to stay more than 48 hours to qualify for the duty free purchases. You will need to show the customs officer when leaving the island your arrival ferry ticket or hotel receipts. If shopping is not your cup of tea you can spend time as Dataran Lang just walking distance from the Jetty