Langkawi
 

Well we are nearing our first trip to Malaysia in early February. Going to be stopping in quickly in Kuala Lumpur on our way through just for a quick two nights (actually only one day as we arrive late) We are staying at the Le Meridien Putrujaya; then off to Langkawi staying at the Westin Langkawi and Andaman ( really looking forward to the Andaman ) then back to Kuala Lumpur for 3 days staying at the Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur. We will do our sightseeing and roaming around the second stop on the way out.
I have my GRAB app ready to sign up when I arrive in Malaysia as I can't sign up out of country I guess? It sounds like GRAB is the way to go? Probably just use taxi's while in Langkawi as I'm sure they are just as cheap?

We are flying into KUL on Cathay Dragon from HKG - I plan on exchanging CDN money when I land. Anything else I should be aware of when landing? How is the timing getting through customs etc., at this time. We land around 8:00 p.m. - Then I guess I will exchange money and either grab a taxi or GRAB.

We then fly out on Malaysian to Langkawi on a Monday morning. Again, how much time should I give us to get to the airport and stuff? Any tidbits about Langkawi - I know there are a few restaurants around the Westin area but is there any other action that we can take a cab too with a few more bars / restaurants etc., and how much are we looking at?
When we fly back from Langkawi we want to try the train out as it takes us right to the Le Meridien.

Departing KUL we leave at 8:00 a.m. on ANA to Tokyo. We will take a cab from the hotel so curious as to what time we should leave in order to give us plenty of time? I don't want to cut it tight - the earlier the better. Not taking any chances :)

All of the flights mentioned above..........are they all out of the same terminal as we are international and domestic?

Anything else anyone wants to share; recommendations, ideas anything..............I'm all ears!

For Grab you will need local SIM which you can get after arrival.
At Langkawi better to get your own rental car, last time when I was there (2014) it was like US $20/day.
There is a night market with great street food as well as well known small eateries.
Airport has just one terminal, customs/etc is quite fast. If you arrive 45 min before your flight it should be enough.
Don't know what you are planning to do in Kuala Lumpur, but I would limit my stay there for 24h max.

I was just in Langkawi, splitting my time between St. Regis and Andaman. I found a car rental quite convenient and useful. It was probably cheaper than cabs would have been.

Don't need a local sim if you have a US plan that has free roaming (tmo, sprint)
I disagree that 24 hours is enough for KL!!!!!

You can't register with Grab unless you have phone number from one of these countries where they operate. SMS code for registration and further login will be send to that number.

Sure, you are entitled to your opinion. BTW, why limit with just five exclamation marks in a sentence? You should put at least 25 or more to make your voice heard and believable.

It's a long time since I was there, but if I was going again I would definitely look for a hotel room not facing a mosque! Unless you're an early riser:).

Good to know! I guess I won't worry about GRAB then. Maybe try UBER or just cab it for Kuala Lumpur.

I have heard that renting a car is easy and cheap......just not sure we really need one? Maybe just a few nights when at the Westin to find some different restaurants and we might take one tour or something? ....so not sure it is worth it. When at the Andaman, we are fine just bunkering down and spending our entire time their relaxing. If anything, as much as I would like to golf the course right there I just never feel comfortable renting clubs etc., ( and make that as an excuse as to why I shot horribly :)) Maybe we will just walk down the road and go to the clubhouse for a dinner one night. Is this walkable and safe in the dark? No Monkey attacks along the dark road! LOL

Would definitely like some feedback on the airport in KUL and a few of my questions on that?

It's a steep road with no shoulder to the golf course. I wouldn't walk it, especially not in the dark. They may well offer transportation though. Some things I used a car for were restaurants, spas (though the Andaman's massage villas are terrific), getting to the Sky Bridge, general sightseeing, visiting batik and glass craftsmen. . Providers will pick you up if you do activities such as the Kilim Geo Park boat tour.

Correct on Grab, at least for me. I use Grab in SEA and haven't had any trouble with a US phone number. However, I can't even open the app when in the US. (I fear I didn't properly check out of a ride in Jakarta a few months ago, but couldn't do anything about it a day later.)

I see people suggesting car rentals in Langkawi. I'd probably do that on a future trip. I also wonder how prominent/safe bicycling is there.

Note to the OP - you asked for some detailed info (which you could have found on the net), but when I took a fair amount of my time to give you the details you requested you didn't bother to says thanks or even note you read it - makes me a lot less likely to take my time to help the next time :(

Please don't think for one minute that I am not researching the internet like crazy. I do trust and prefer some of the FT information as it is people that live or have travelled there and can provide first hand experience directly to me and everyone else.
Not only do I sincerely appreciate your feedback but everyone else's.........immensely. I am grateful for the FT community.
In saying that, to feel that you actually have to post to let me know you didn't appreciate the fact I did not respond to say Thank You? .... sorry but I am not about to respond to every single post, nor do I expect others to do the same for me when I provide information. If you felt I was asking for information that I "could have easily found on the net" then why did you provide it? If you are looking for a pat on the back.......here you go. Thanks for taking a fair amount of time to give me the details I requested. Geesh! I thought FT was a community to share individual expertise and experiences etc., Don't take something so simple so personal. I appreciated it. Honestly did. I am also not on FT every single day or sometimes when I am on I don't necessarily sign in. It has only been a few days. E-A-S-Y......:)

Huh? Looks like you barely posted anything in this thread.

In any event, I rented a car in Langkawi - it was pretty easy (would never do in a big city...) to get around that way. Langkawi was a nice place, but not *all* that exciting/interesting IMO.

Specially when the OP is Canadian and the only advise given was on a US based phone provider....

Can't imagine doing Langkawi using public transportation...

Not sure what happend but I had posted a VERY long response to op questions about Kuala Lumpur and transport to/from Sentral- but all those seem to have been deleted/moved?

If it's the Westin in Kuah then just down the road, many years ago, there was a nice restaurant in the yacht club. Most varied choice I believe was/is Pantai Ceneng for restaurants and bars. This was many years ago so may well have changed.