MALAYSIAlonelyplanet.com PENINSULAR MALAYSIA – WEST COAST •• Alor Setar
ALOR SETAR
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Most travellers use strongly Islamic Alor
Setar as a hopping-off point to Thailand,
Langkawi or southern Malaysia, but there’s
enough of interest here to keep you ex-
ploring for a few hours. The city’s long as-
sociation with Thailand is evident in Thai
temples scattered around town, while its small
Chinese population lives in an atmospheric,
compact Chinatown.
Flora Inn (%732 2375; http://florainn.tripod.com; 8
Kompleks Medan Raja, Jln Pengkalan Kapal; s/d RM13/65;
a) overlooks the Sungai Kedah river, which
is little more than algal green gloop. Rooms
are clean and cheap, and the management is
bend-over-backwards friendly.
To reach Langkawi from Alor Setar, take
one of the frequent local Kuala Kedah buses
(RM1, 15 minutes) to the ferry jetty. A shuttle
bus (90 sen) connects the town centre with the
bus station, 3.5km away; a taxi will cost RM8.
Between April and October, from about 7am
to 7pm, ferries operate roughly every half-
hour in either direction between Kuala Kedah
and Kuah on Langkawi (RM23, 1½ hours).
Buses from Alor Setar serve the follow-
ing destinations: Ipoh (RM20, four hours,
three daily), Johor Bahru (RM55, 10 hours,
one daily), Kota Bharu (RM29, two daily,
six hours), Kuala Lumpur (RM30, hourly,
six hours), Kuala Terengganu (RM38, 10
hours, one daily), Kuantan (RM42, 10 hours,
one daily) and Melaka (RM39, eight hours,
two daily).
The train station (%731 4045; Jln Stesyen) is a 15-
minute walk southeast of town. There is one
daily northbound train to Hat Yai, Thailand
(from RM12, three hours), and one south-
bound to KL (from RM35, 11½ hours).KUALA PERLIS
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This small port town in the extreme northwest
of the peninsula is a departure point for ferries
to Pulau Langkawi. Your least-grotty sleep-
ing option if you stop to sample the region’s
special laksa is Pens Hotel (%985 4122; Jln Kuala
Perlis; r from RM50; a).
Ferries (RM15) depart for Kuah, on Pulau
Langkawi, every hour between the hours of
8am and 6pm.
The bus and taxi stations are behind the row
of shophouses across from the jetty. From here
infrequent buses go to Butterworth, Alor Setar
and KL and Padang. A greater selection of bus
services can be found at Kangar; the frequent
Bus 56 to/from Kangar (RM1.20) swings by
the jetty before terminating at the station.PULAU LANGKAWI
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You’d think these 99 islands, dominated by
478.5 sq km Pulau Langkawi, would have
been overdeveloped past recognition by now –
the district’s been duty-free since 1986 and
was roping in tourists long before that. Yet
the knife-edged peaks floating in dark veg-
etation and the colour contrast of the ocean
blues make this island an undisputed tropical
paradise despite the resort buildup. Just a
little way off the main (quite lovely) beaches
is idyllic rural Malaysia, all kampungs and
oil lamps.GETTING TO THAILAND
There are several options for crossing the Malay–Thai border on the west coast; see also p471.Bukit Kayu Hitam to Sadao
Frequent buses go from Alor Setar to the Bukit Kayu Hitam–Sadao border crossing (RM4), which
is open from 7am to 7pm daily. You’ll have to take a minibus on the Thai side of the border to
the transport hub of Hat Yai.Padang Besar to Kanger
Trains travelling south and north pass through the border towns of Padang Besar and Kanger,
linking the towns along the train line (including Penang–Butterworth) to the border. Trains leave
Alor Setar and arrive at the currently dodgy transport hub town of Hat Yai (2nd class/berth
RM27/45) three hours later; travellers can also catch an international express that leaves Alor
Setar for Bangkok, also via Hat Yai. The border is open 7am to 10pm daily.
See p804 for details on travelling from Thailand to Malaysia.469