I can’t believe we have a massage chair! I exclaimed, as I dropped my heavy backpack and sat down on this weird sofa set on one side of our room. I twiddled with the controls a bit, and after a few seconds, reclined with a sigh. After several hours of traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi, this was simply the perfect way to start this leg of our trip.

HOTEL BAHAGIA’S SNAZZY LOBBY

Langkawi is an archipelago of 104 island at the state of Keda. It is famous for its beaches and Hotel Bahagia was to be our home for the first half of our stay here. It’s located at the center of the town, where numerous restaurants line the road, and it’s near the pier area where the island hopping tours set off from.

Meanwhile, back on dry land, we found a hawker stall selling a mean mee goreng dish just a few steps away from our hotel. #BeachHopAsia2016

A photo posted by Christian L. Sangoyo (@lakadpilipinas) on Apr 16, 2016 at 5:01am PDT

Right after my sort of massage, we checked the warung (hawker stalls) near the hotel which we spied earlier as we drove to our hotel from the airport. We found one selling our favorite mee goreng noodles and sat ourselves down on chairs and tables right by the sidewalk. It was easily one of the best mee goreng I’ve had, almost as good as my fave ones on Jalan Alor food street in Kuala Lumpur. From our cleaned up plates, you can tell we’d be back here every night.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR THE HOTEL

It was just unfortunate that we weren’t able to drink beer right there and then since the eatery is a halal place. Beer at Langkawi, by the way, is extremely cheap (about MYR2.00 per can) compared to the rest of Malaysia. The whole island, apparently, is duty free. Three cheers for that! Woohoo! 

Boozed up, we walked back to the hotel and slept fitfully.

AND THAT’S THE MASSAGE CHAIR RIGHT ON THE LEFT

It was only the next day that I got to inspect our room. We were billeted at Bahagia Hotel’s Junior Suite Room, which is a bit pricier than their normal ones, since, I guess, it has a bar nook and a mini living area. It is spacious enough though, with the usual flatscreen cable TV, fridge, working desk, and electronic safe. The en suite toilet and bath is also very decent (they have a bidet too!) for a budget hotel.

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PRETTY GOOD TOILET AND BATH

Free wi-fi Internet connection was a bit wonky on our floor, it won’t seem to work on our laptops but seemed fine on our mobile devices. We went down the lobby and it got better.

Everything is A-OK for me, the only thing I wish for is that they somehow tone down a bit on the decors, which I find too much. Less is more, as a famous architect once said.

HOTEL BAHAGIA’S DINING HALL

MY USUAL BREAKFAST FARE, UNLIMITED MEE MAGGI, EGGS AND RICE

One of the good things about the hotel, even with its very affordable price, is that they have complimentary breakfast every morning. And it’s not just a set breakfast, it’s a buffet too! Granted, the food isn’t really five-star, but it is good enough for constantly hungry backpackers like us, lol.

Their restaurant, the Bahagia Coffee House, is located at the ground floor of the hotel, just past the in-house convenience store (which is, well, convenient, lol), right beside the lobby.

Hotel Bahagia became our home for the first part of our Langkawi adventure. It's a no-frills budget hotel, but its location let us experience the regular Langkawian way of life--food included, of course! #BeachHopAsia2016

A photo posted by Christian L. Sangoyo (@lakadpilipinas) on Apr 16, 2016 at 10:41pm PDT

And this is really the story of Hotel Bahagia. This hotel won’t win awards, nor grace magazine covers when it comes to interior design, nor will it get a Michelin star rating for food—but if you’re looking for a centrally located place to stay in Langkawi that won’t eat up all your travel budget, then Hotel Bahagia is the one for you.

~ OUR STAY WAS PROVIDED FOR BY OUR FRIENDS FROM HOTEL BAHAGIA

Hotel Bahagia ► ROOM RATES
Address: No. 68-78 Persiaran Bunga Raya, Langkawi Mall, Phase II, Kuah, Langkawi, Kedah
Contact Number: (+60) 496-988-99
Email: enquiries@hotel-bahagia.com
GPS Coordinates Map: 6.326618, 99.842882

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