Sailing on a Sunset Cruise in Langkawi, Malaysia

What is not to like about sailing at sunset, an open bar and Psy’s Gangnam Style blaring out across the ocean?! Welcome to one of Malaysia’s most fun ocean activities – the Langkawi Sunset Cruise.

Langkawi is one of the best islands in Malaysia, and for our last night of our trip (which coincidentally was a Friday night – bonus), we did a three hour cruise with Tropical Charters. Making our way to the jetty at Resort World hotel, we hopped aboard a majestic bright orange catamaran (kinda reminiscent of a Easyjet plane) with about 20 to 25 other passengers.

Sunset cruise in Langkawi

A lot of our fellow shipmates had children so they headed to the top section which meant we were able to get a comfy bean bed right at the bow of the ship, so we had a totally unobscured view of the horizon.

As soon as we set sail, one of the many crew offered us a drink with a choice of beer, wine, soft drinks or cocktails. Our choice for the evening was beer and several Piña Coladas (we had been out exploring the SkyBridge all day in 33 degree heat so this was our much needed ‘reward’).

The tunes also started, and during the final hour of the cruise we were treated to cheesy classics such as Macarena and Celine Dion’s ‘finest’ hour, My Heart Will Go On (the cheeky little ‘Titanic’ reference wasn’t lost on us’).

Mid sail, there was also the opportunity to swim off the back of the boat in a net – which they call a ‘salt water jacuzzi’. As this took place, the BBQ smells started wafting through the ship and made us very hungry.

Check out our Top things to do in Langkawi, Malaysia blog post!

Dinner was ready just before peak sunset time, allowing us to enjoy our food along with another cocktail as the sun went down. The choice of food was good, with various salads, fish, chicken, bread, BBQ chicken satay skewers and BBQ shrimp.

One of the highlights of the evening was the friendliness of the crew – we spoke to several different team members whilst being served our drinks and food. One of the youngest told us how he aspired to be ‘Captain of the ship’ and that he had the dream job. 

The only thing on the trip that could be improved was to either invest in a CD player or pay for a proper Spotify subscription as there would be occasional periods where the music would cut out or be interrupted for an advert about online share trading or similar.

Our sunset cruise also coincided with the evening departure of a massive Tui cruise-ship, so were treated to an up-close view of her, and reciprocated the waves we were receiving from all the passengers on the top deck.

We had seen some spectacular sunsets during our week in Langkawi and unfortunately, we didn’t get a really spectacular sunset this night, as the clouds wouldn’t allow it. However, with the music, food, drink and stunning views of the islands all around, we really didn’t mind. An epic sunset would have just been the cherry on the top, but the experience is still fantastic with or without it (and it gives us an excellent excuse to return to Langkawi another year and try again).

How to book this sunset cruise in Langkawi

We booked our 3 hour sunset cruise with Tropical Charters Langkawi. Check in for the cruise is 4.30pm at Resort World hotel and the boat leaves the jetty at 5pm. Prices for adults are 260RM and for children 160RM, and the tour runs every day of the week. The company also offer day cruises, island hopping and much more – check out their website for details.

Travelling around Malaysia?

Check out our blog posts for travel tips on Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Cameron Highlands.

Download the Grab app

Grab taxis are widely used by both tourists and locals, and the fares are really cheap! Download the Grab app here and use the code GRABCKTRAVELS to earn a free ride when you sign up.

Sim cards and pocket WIFI

Having data on your phone whilst travelling is almost essential these days – from planning your route around the city, booking a Grab taxi or for staying connected with friends and family back home. SIM cards are pretty cheap in Malaysia with generous data allowances and are available to purchase from airports, malls and convenience stores (bring your passport along for identification purposes).

You can also prepay online and collect a SIM from Langkawi airport. Just remember to make sure your phone is not locked to your local network provider before purchasing one.

Alternatively if you do not want to change your sim card then renting a pocket WIFI device might be for you. We’ve used them multiple times and love that we can both connect our devices to it, however the downside to the Malaysian ones is that there is a data allowance of 1GB per day. Pre-order one online with Klook for collection when you arrive at either KLIA or KLIA2 airport in Kuala Lumpur. 

Check out our South East Asia blog posts

• Exploring Langkawi’s Mangrove flora and fauna
• Island hopping in Langkawi
• Top things to do in Melaka, Malaysia
• A guide to Georgetown’s street art in Penang, Malaysia
• A cheap day tour in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
• Exploring Kuala Lumpur from above – KL Tower and Eco Forest Park
• The perfect daytrip in Chiang Rai, Thailand
• 99 The Heritage – a stylish stay in Chiang Mai

Where to stay in Langkawi

Here are some ideas for accommodation for all budgets if you are planning a trip to Langkawi!

Backpacker

Here are some cheap hostels that come highly rated on hostelworld:

Langkawi Dormitorio hostel / Two Peace House hostel / Tubotel hostel

Mid range

If you are looking for something mid range then these hotels have great reviews:

Bayview Hotel (Kuah Town) / Bon Ton Resort / Berjaya Langkawi Resort

Treat yourself!

Alternatively if you are looking for something more special then treat yourself to a stay at one of these seriously beautiful hotels in Langkawi:

The Danna Langkawi / The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, Langkawi / Ambong Pool Villas Langkawi

Disclosure: The Sunset Cruise in Langkawi was complimentary, but as always, opinions are all our own.

Did you enjoy our Sunset Cruise Langkawi blog post? Let us know in the comments or by sharing it on social media. You can follow CK Travels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube!