MALAYSIA | WHAT TO SEE & DO IN PANTAI CENANG BEACH LANGKAWI
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Pantai Cenang is said to be the most visited beach in Malaysia—it is, shall we say, Malaysia’s version of our Boracay. We’ve visited Langkawi a couple of times before, but it is actually the first time we’re staying in the exact vicinity, courtesy of Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang. We’re definitely excited since we haven’t fully tried the Pantai Cenang experience before since we’re usually lodged on the more remote parts of the island during the past visits.
But what exactly can you do in Pantai Cenang, or Chenang Beach, for it to deserve a base camp for your Langkawi adventures? Well, for such a small area, quite a lot.
EASY LINKS FOR YOUR PANTAI CENANG TRIP
Discounted Hotels
► Pantai Cenang Hotels in Agoda
Easy Transfers
► Car Rentals
Discounted Klook Activities
► Water Sports Activities at Cenang Beach
► Island Hopping Shared Speedboat Tour
► Cable Car SkyCab Ticket
► Private Island Adventure at Paradise 101
► Langkawi Underwater World Ticket
| THINGS TO SEE & DO IN PANTAI CENANG LANGKAWI TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
UNDERSTAND PANTAI CENANG
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| PANTAI CHENANG PLAZA, THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO CHENANG BEACH |
Pantai Cenang literally means Beach Chenang, and indeed, the place is named after the very popular two-kilometer long white sand beach. Built along this area are numerous hotels, resorts, shops, and restaurants—making the place quite lively, from mornings to evenings.
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| PANTAI CENANG HAS FINE WHITE SAND |
Located on the south western tip of Langkawi Island, it can easily be accessed by regular taxis and Grab cars in the area. Public transport is quite limited on the island—or to be more honest, practically non-existent. Nevertheless, Grab cars are very affordable, so we usually use it to get around Langkawi.
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN PANTAI CENANG
PANTAI CENANG ~ CHENANG BEACH
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| SOUTHERN END OF PANTAI CENANG BEACH |
The main tourist attraction in Pantai Cenang is, of course, Pantai Cenang. The beach is characterized by fine white sand and light bluish water. The beach sits right beside the road, and is bordered by an assortment of shops, resorts, restaurants, along with palm trees.
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| PELANGI BEACH RESORT AREA, THE NORTHERN END OF PANTAI CENANG |
The beach itself stretches for two kilometers and is about 80 meters away from the water at its widest point. The average width is at 30 meters, still wide enough for an assortment of happenings on the beach.
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| SUNSET AT PANTAI CENANG |
As evening approaches, the beach is set up with beanbags and tables for those who want to see the sunset while sipping cocktails and drinks. And at around this time, fire dancers also appear, competing with the spectacle of the lowering sun.
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| GIANT BUBBLES AT PANTAI CENANG |
Along the beach, there are numerous vendors hawking everything from food to rentable bubble makers—a big hit among kids. That last one definitely was Kid A’s favorite. Though we really didn’t rent any, he’d chase all them giant bubbles up and down Pantai Cenang.
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| DINNER BY THE BEACH AT PANTAI CENANG |
Come evening time, seats for diners line the beach for a premium dinner by the beach experience. On the less populated parts of the beach, a few special tables are also available for couples who want a special romantic beach dinner date.
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| TRANSFORMERS & WINNIE THE POOH AT PANTAI CENANG |
And before going, right by Pantai Cenang’s main plaza are costumed Transformers, Gundam robots, and other cartoon characters dancing and ready for photo ops. Quite fun, really, especially for kids.
WATER SPORTS
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| JETSKIS AT PANTAI CENANG |
During our visits to Pantai Cenang, we actually never did swim along its waters, finding its clarity to be a bit wanting. And while, I guess, it’s really not that popular for swimming, the famed beach makes up for it with water sports. There are numerous water sports kiosks by along Chenang Beach that rents out jet skis, banana boats, and parasailing activities.
►GET WATERSPORTS TICKETS HERE!
PANTAI TENGAH
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| PANTAI TENGAH, CENANG BEACH’S NEIGHBOR ~ PHOTO BY JETSUN FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS |
If ever you tire of Pantai Cenang’s beach, the next beach is just a hop away. South of it is Pantai Tengah, it’s actually a continuation of Chenang Beach, if not for the small rocky cliff that separates it.
It is quite similar to its more popular neighbor, but without the tourist crowd. Even so, you can still rent out water sports activities, enjoy restaurants by the beach, and even a mini water theme park at Aseani Resort, when in Pantai Tengah.
UNDERWATER WORLD LANGKAWI
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| SEA CREATURES AT UNDERWATER WORLD LANGKAWI |
One of the main draws of Pantai Cenang is the massive Underwater World Langkawi. The oceanarium, said to be one of the largest in South East Asia, is host to more than 4,000 animals and aquatic life forms. It is famous for its cute penguins, overly active seals, massive Jurassic-looking fishes, a 600-kilogram groper fish, manta rays, sharks, and of course, the requisite aquarium tunnel.
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| KID A, ENJOYING THE SIGHTS AT UNDERWATER WORLD LANGKAWI |
A visit to Underwater World Langkawi would take about half the day, perfect for rainy days, or even if you just have a morning to spare.
►GET UNDERWATER WORLD TICKETS HERE!
ROADSIDE SHOPS
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| TYPICAL PANTAI CENANG ROADSIDE SHOPS |
Like any self-respecting touristy area in Southeast Asia, Pantai Cenang’s sidewalks are littered by shops selling everything from fridge magnets to elephant pants. The area probably has the highest concentration of tourist shops in the whole of Langkawi, so if you’re looking to buy some souvenirs to bring back home, Pantai Cenang is the place to get it.
DUTY FREE SHOPS
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| IMPORTED AND LOCAL GOODS ARE TAX-FREE IN LANGKAWI |
If you still don’t know it, the whole island of Langkawi is tax-free, and to complement your souvenir shopping, Pantai Cenang has several duty-free shops. Some of the notable stores are The Zon Duty Free Zone, Eastern Cenang 2 Duty Free, Duty Free Sport City, Warisan, and Cenang Mall. This is the cheapest place to go shopping in Malaysia—especially for liquor and spirits, which is extremely expensive in the country. A shopping haven, indeed.
SPA
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| RELAXING SPA AT PANTAI CENANG ~ PHOTO BY IQP FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS |
Extend your R&R with an hour or two of me-time. Like most beach destinations, Pantai Cenang has more than enough massage places, spa, and wellness centers to cater to everyone’s needs at every price point. A few of the recommended ones are Alun-Alun Spa, Salt Room, Kayangan Spa, and Breeze Beauty Spa.
MORAC ADVENTURE PARK GO-KARTING
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| GO-KARTS AT MORAC ADVENTURE PARK ~ PHOTO FROM KLOOK |
Race your heart out at the Morac Adventure Park using go-karts on a 1.3-kilometer long Sodi World Series-certified track. Besides the usual single-seater karts, they have double-seater racers for those who’re not that comfortable in driving over the speed limit but still want to experience the rush.
Note that the racetrack is actually not in Pantai Cenang itself, but it is close enough to include it in your itinerary.
LAMAN PADI RICE GARDEN AND MUSEUM
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| A VERY VERDANT SETTING AT LAMAN PADI RICE GARDEN & MUSEUM ~ PHOTO FROM FB PAGE |
If you’re into museum, the Laman Padi Rice Garden & Museum is the only museum in Pantai Cenang. It’s actually not your ordinary museum—being open-air and outdoor—and it focuses on rice cultivation. Well, it’s really something that most people aren’t into, but its location is really quite rustic and they do have an indoor gallery which features rice-related art.
And if you’re totally not into anything rice-related, you can simply eat, err rice, from their restaurant along one of the many floating huts along the rice paddies.
PANTAI CENANG NIGHT MARKET
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| EVENING HAPPENINGS AT THE PANTAI CENANG NIGHT MARKET |
At the far end of Pantai Cenang is an open area that fills up with make-shift stalls as evening descends. These mostly offer local Malaysian dishes, from fresh fruit juices to spicy plates of mee goreng noodles.
The Pantai Cenang Night Market isn’t really that crowded, and it’s a good place to sample local cuisine on the island—Langkawi really doesn’t have that much warungs, hawker, and food courts. There are seats and tables available for diners, so having dinner here isn’t really that inconvenient.
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| OUR FAVORITE ROTI CANAI STALL AT THE NIGHT MARKET |
What we usually come here for are the roti canai. It’s one of the best we’ve had, flaky and soft, with just the right amount of umami and grease. The accompanying curry gravy perfectly complements it.
WHERE TO EAT IN PANTAI CENANG
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| ONE OF THE FEW WARUNGS IN PANTAI CENANG |
Besides the local night market, there are numerous restaurants and fast food chains around Pantai Cenang. A few notable restaurants are Pelangi Gril, Damascus Café, Kalut Café N Bar, Rao’s Bananaleaf, and Artisans Pizza. Most of the big hotels’ buffet breakfast are also open for walk-in guests, so if you’re into buffets, there’s that.
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| MALAYSIAN FOOD AT PANTAI CENANG |
If you’re looking for a more local flavor and one that doesn’t break the bank, there’s Warung de Cenang and Ali Bistro.
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| KID A, ENJOYING MCDONALD’S IN PANTAI CENANG |
And if you’re on the lookout for something more familiar, there’s a McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway and Starbucks Coffee to fill your cravings.
►GET DISCOUNTED RESTAURANT VOUCHERS HERE!
WHERE TO STAY IN PANTAI CENANG
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| LODGINGS AT PANTAI CENANG |
Pantai Cenang offers all kinds of accommodations for every kind of traveler, from backpacker accommodations, mid-range resorts for regular vacationers, and luxury accommodations for the loaded ones. A few of these are located right by the beach, but most are located across the street—which isn’t really not that bad since it’s just a hop away.
BUDGET ACCOMMODATIONS
• Cenang Rest House CHECK RATES!
• D’Lima Beach Inn CHECK RATES!
• Gecko Guest House CHECK RATES!
MID-RANGE ACCOMMODATIONS
• Delta Cenang Resort CHECK RATES!
• Cenang Plaza Beach Hotel CHECK RATES!
• Nadias Hotel Cenang CHECK RATES!
LUXURY ACCOMMODATIONS
• Mercure Langkawi CHECK RATES! ►MERCURE LANGKAWI REVIEW
• Pelangi Beach Resort CHECK RATES!
• Casa Del Mar CHECK RATES!
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| PANTAI CENANG BEACH LANGKAWI |
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