During our recent trip to Langkawi we had the good fortune to be invited to one of the most interesting places in Langkawi, the Malaysian Cultural Show at the Aseania Resort & Spa located at Pantai Tengah.
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Pantai Tengah, which basically means Tengah Beach, is a little more laid back than where we were staying at Pantai Cenang. We stayed at the Meritus Pelangi Resort & Spa which is a short walk away. The Aseania is quite a large hotel with a grand entrance to a huge foyer which leads through to the resort swimming pool with water slide. The resort has 217 rooms and contains it’s very own little water park for kids, enough to keep them entertained for hours!
On this occasion we were guests of the Resort so the kids could enjoy the Cultural Show that they perform on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The previous evening we were guests of Naturally Langkawi and enjoyed an amazing meal in the Aseania’s Seafood Restaurant located on the first floor. The meal was scrumdiddlyumptious and I’ve never seen so much food. Craig was in seafood heaven, with prawns, crab, fish and a lot of it had a decent amount of spice which is what he loves too and is typically Malaysian. The chef was very mindful that they kids wouldn’t like the food too spicy and allowed for this also. I think the kids actually had seconds and thirds! I was with the kids as I can’t eat too much spicy food either and there was plenty of food to suit everyone tastes.
At this dinner we were lucky enough to have the General Manager of Aseania Resort & Spa join us. It was during this meal that he invited us to return the next night for the buffet dinner and cultural show. The cultural show held at the Aseania Resort is the only one in Langkawi and tells the rich history of Malaysia through dance. First though, we got to enjoy a buffet dinner on the boss.
Aseania Resort Buffet Dinner
The buffet dinner is held right next to the resort pool, it’s a very tropical atmosphere and instantly relaxing. Our table was reserved and was located right on the edge of the pool with a great view of the stage for the show later on. The resort pool is magnificent and the kids totally gave me that look of ‘why didn’t you bring our bathers’! It used to be the largest resort pool in Malaysia and it’s certainly the biggest one I’ve seen on my travels in Malaysia.
Now to call the buffet extensive would be an understatement! There were 4 different buffet stations to choose from! My kids were running in every direction lifting up bain marie lids here, there and everywhere. But once they found those satay sticks they were happy little piggy’s!
Craig made a bee line for the seafood and I headed straight to the carvery. There was so much food to choose from that I didn’t know where to start! I don’t know about you but I get a little overwhelmed when there is so much to choose from.
Did I mention the dessert section, a whole 2 metre long table just for dessert! There was chocolate mousse, jelly, fruit cakes, rice pudding and all the tropical fruit we’ve come to expect when in Asia. The kids love watermelon, pineapple, dragon fruit, mango and oranges.
The Malaysian Cultural Show
I have to admit, I was a bit worried that the kids wouldn’t like the show and that’s the last thing you want when you are being hosted. As it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong, it was one of the most interesting places in Langkawi that we visited. They loved the show and even sat up front and centre and took it all in, whole show and storyline. The performers were fantastic and encouraged the kids to get up and dance with them but they were a bit shy unfortunately.
The cultural show took us through history of how the Indian and Chinese influence came to Malaysia. The performers showed this through dance and music. The kids enjoyed the traditional costumes and the lovely music played on traditional instruments. They showed how the Malays were traditionally farmers and fisherman but over time with different cultural influences from the Indian and Chinese the cities and tall building soon followed.
The biggest hit though was the fire breathing show at the end. The kids were sitting so close I was surprised they didn’t get the eyelashes singed!! The fire breathing daredevils even got the kids to help at the end which they though was fantastic. Although the little ones were a bit scared Alannah jumped straight up to assist.
Verdict
The cultural show was fantastic, I love doing stuff like this with the kids. We often seek out experiences like this but on this holiday we thought we were going to be a bit too busy so this was a nice surprise. I like the kids to experience some history about the places we visit and learn something to tell their friends and teachers about. Particularly as Australian history doesn’t go back as far as many other countries.
Having been guests of the resort, I’m finding it difficult to locate the prices for the cultural show. I believe its approximately 65MYR per adult which is about $20. I’m sure the kids prices are more than affordable, for the buffet dinner and show I think this is a really reasonable price.
I definitely recommend visiting Aseania Resort & Spa to experience the cultural show. The pool area looks amazing but unfortunately I can’t tell you much more than that as our visit was in the evening on both occasions. It’s an enormous hotel and I would certainly consider staying there when we return to Langkawi. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Have you been to the Aseania Resort & Spa? Please leave your comments in the section below, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Langkawi is an extremely family friendly location and I was surprised by the amount of activities that were geared towards kids. Check out my following post for great ideas of things to do with kids in Langkawi.
Langkawi’s top tourist attraction SkyCab is by far the most popular activity in Langkawi, it also includes the Sky Bridge which gives you an amazing view across to Paradise 101 and on the other side across the national park and out to the ocean.
Kilim Karst Geological Park an amazing natural park featuring mangroves, fossils, native wildlife and caves. A great place for kayaking and exploring with or without kids.
Paradise 101Â a recently created man made island for adventurous day trippers. Activities include an aqua park, zip lining, jetskiing and parasailing. We had an absolute ball on Paradise 101 and will definitely love to go back one day. We also had the whole island to ourselves, what a treat!
Langkawi Sunset Cruises with NAAM Adventures is something best kept for your last night. Nothing better than spending your last night sailing around on a beautiful boat, eating a buffet dinner, enjoying a cracking sunset with a bevvie or two. Ahhh now that’s proper island life!
Safe travels,
Sal & Co.
Disclaimer: We were guests of the Aseania Resort & Spa, although our opinions as always are our own.
