Langkawi, Malaysia - The Bahamas of Asia

The Attraction: The Langkawi Island group has been compared to the Bahamas on a number of levels. Today it is sprinkled with resorts and covered with tourists, but historically (like the Bahamas) it was a pirates' nest. The thin strips of inviting beach -- some on completely unpopulated islands -- provide a refuge today for sunseekers and snorkelers. In the past the same islands provided harbors and jungle hide outs for the pirates...

The Setting: Just north of the Penang, Malaysia, in the azure waters of the Andaman Sea is a cluster of 104 small, idyllic islands: the Langkawi Islands. I spent a week on Langkawi Island (the chain's largest land mass) once. It was time well spent. A few moments stand out, but none more clearly than sitting at a nameless little Italian beachfront restaurant (complete with red and white checkered table clothes) drinking marguerites served in a carafe' while the sun sank into the Indian Ocean.

The Legends: Langkawi is also shrouded in legend. The most popular of these tells of a young woman who was executed after being wrongly accused of adultery. She is supposed to have cursed the island for seven generations, and the Malays of the island were attacked soon thereafter by the Thais. The island was severely plundered, according to the legend.

"Anna and the King": Parts of the movie "Anna and the King" were filmed on Langkawi and the 20th Century Fox movie set is among the island's newest attractions.

Activities: A huge variety of activities are available in Langkawi: snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, water skiing, wind surfing and more. There are a number of good beaches, including the black sand Pantai Pasir Hitam beach. Fishing is popular and chartered fishing boats are easy to contract with. And you can rent a car on the island and tour the interior to see the Malay villages and rubber plantations. Langkawi also has a number of beautiful bird species and some butterfly species that only exit on the island. The island also has a crocodile farm, a beautiful waterfall, and two underwater marine parks.