An Escape Into Luxury At The Danna Langkawi

After two visits to Langkawi and both for "work" - one for BDB Triple Challenge Langkawi Run & Climb route review & route recce in 2016 and last year for Ironman Malaysia; Hubby and I had talked about going back to the island for a family vacation.

As luck would have it, Hubby won a 3D2N voucher at The Danna Langkawi and we decided to head to the island on Apr 13, 2019. This time, with Son in tow. 

The Danna Langkawi is a 5-star luxury hotel located on Pantai Kok beach, with its stretch of white sandy beach, calm waters and a very quiet surrounding. 

Nestled on the beach, this luxurious resort is also within a short distance to Burau Bay, Langkawi Cable Car and Langkawi Sky Bridge. There are shops next to the hotel, the jetty to Koh Lipe located nearby and Skytrex just a few hundred metres away.

We figured that it is still okay for Son to go for a short vacation, hoping that there'd be no crucial extra classes at school  on that particular weekend to prepare for this year's SPM.

We arrived on Saturday morning and missed the excitement of Le Tour de Langkawi and RHB Langkawi Ride 2019 as we didn't plan to head to Kuah that Saturday itself. 

After having lunch at Padang Matsirat, we decided to call for Grab. Paying guests of The Danna Langkawi enjoy complimentary airport transfer and can travel in style to/from the hotel. Our voucher was only for room & breakfast, so it was more economical for us to just get a Grab car.

We chose The Loaf bakery as our drop-off point as it was still a bit early for check-in and I wanted to have coffee first. The lady Grab car driver was friendly and wistfully told us that she had never driven a passenger to The Danna Langkawi before. 

We were welcomed with a warm smile even before we stepped on the stairs to enter the hotel. A hotel staff rushed to greet us as we were crossing the road, took our bags and ushered us in.

After we were comfortably seated in our chairs, away from other guests who were also checking-in, the staff immediately hurried to help with our check-in. 

Cold towels and welcome drinks were served soon after, before a masseur came to massage our shoulders. As we relaxed and soaked in the atmosphere, our check-in was completed and we were shown to our room on the third floor.

The staff, noticing that both Hubby and me were wearing race event t-shirts, asked whether  we came for the Le Tour de Langkawi. 

Just as with the lady Grab driver, we talked about the events that were happening in Langkawi - LIMA, LTdL, RHB Langkawi Ride and even Ironman. We could sense the feeling of pride from the Langkawians when talking about these international level events.

Our room was a Merchant room with partial view of the beach and also the mountains too. We got the best of both world, I think even though this was the entry-level room available at the hotel.  It was lovely to wake up and see the morning mist on the mountain side and I even saw a pair of hornbills stopping for a rest on a branch directly below our room's balcony.

Prayer mat and prayer time table.

We had asked for a twin bed room but was given a King bed but it wasn't an issue and Hubby didn't bother to request for a change.

Little touches that makes all the right impression.

Feeling guilty with all the food that I had consumed earlier, I decided to head to the gym.

I was alone at the gym, and noting a sign encouraging us to conserve energy, I only switched on a fan and started using the treadmill. The gym was unmanned, but was well equipped and has ample towels, mineral water and even fruits for guests' use. Just a few minutes after I entered, a staff came in quietly and unobtrusively opened some blinds, put on some music and switched on more fans for me.

Our evenings were spent at the beach and pool. As we stepped out to the pool area, a staff greeted us and was ready to bring us our towels to our chairs.

We chose to take a dip in the sea first then head to the pool and every time, a staff was ready to help with our needs.

On our second day, Hubby and Son went down to the beach first while I spent time in the gym. When I finally went down to the beach, I couldn't locate them as they were already swimming in the sea. A staff approached me and asked whether I was looking for my husband and showed me where their sun loungers were located. Right at the opposite end of the beach from where I was standing.

I was just pleasantly surprised that they had somehow recognized us just after a few hours of arriving to the hotel.

Staying in a hotel with only 125 rooms sure has its benefits and one of them is that, you do feel that you're getting a more personalized service compared to bigger hotels.

Breakfast was also a highlight and I do so love the relaxing atmosphere eating breakfast at Planter's.

We loved the table we had on our first morning, and the staff had it ready for us the next morning.

There's a buffet spread but I love ordering from the breakfast menu. The Belgian waffle that I had was absolutely divine.

We only left our room for a short while during our stay, to enjoy a walk along the broadwalk and the beach after breakfast. Each time when we return to our room, our room was already made-up.

In the evening, we would return from the beach and the turndown service were already done, bottles of mineral water placed on our bedside table and a new bookmark placed on our table.

Son really love the bookmarks with local legends printed on it.

You do get a sense that the staff were always ready to serve you at the slightest hint but they weren't in any way made you feel uncomfortable with their presence.

Pretty soon, it was time to bade goodbye to The Danna Langkawi.

A farewell drink and some chocolates and check-out was done in mere minutes.

Our Grab driver had arrived earlier than anticipated and the Front Office staff, noticing my worry, told me to take my time and she asked the driver to wait for us.

Just as  the moment we arrived and were greeted with a warm smile, we left the hotel with a warm farewell from the staff.

Staying at The Danna Langkawi was indeed a priceless experience.

Room rates starts from RM1,000+ upwards but if you can splurge for it, do give The Danna Langkawi a shot.

For all my triathlete buddies, don't you think a stay here with your family or love ones would be a great visa enticement for your future trainings or races? *wink wink*

Just a few hours after leaving island and I'm already missing The Danna Langkawi.

Thank you to all the friendly staff at The Danna Langkawi for making our stay a memorable one.