Nestled in a private cove on the Andaman Sea, you will find one of the best resorts in Malaysia. This resort is situated between its private beach and a 10,000-year-old rainforest. The Andaman Resort by Marriott is a stunning and quiet resort, making it the perfect place for you to get away from everything.

Are you looking for a quiet laid back resort but don’t want to give up luxury? The Andaman, A Luxury Resort, by Marriott is the perfect resort to enjoy peace and quiet while also enjoying the luxuries of a 5-star resort.

This is NOT a paid review. All of the opinions in this article are completely true and my own.

How do I get to Langkawi?

Langkawi is a small island but it does have a decent size international airport. If you are already in Asia, it’s easy to find a flight to Langkawi. There are direct daily flights from Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and even Dubai. There are multiple flights per day from almost any Asian airport to Langkawi.

The main airlines that fly into Langkawi are Air Asia, Malaysia Air, Malindo Air, Singapore & Silk Air, and FireFly.

The airport code is LGK. If you are flying from outside of Asia, you can easily find a flight from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore directly into Langkawi.

Once you get to Langkawi, a car is the best method of transportation. I would recommend taking a Grab car or arranging transportation through the hotel. If you are renting a car, the island is an easy place to drive and one of the easier places to drive in Southeast Asia. Just don’t forget your International Driving Permit.

Best resort in Langkawi

The Andaman Resort is located in Langkawi Malaysia. If you have seen the movie Crazy Rich Asians, you’ve seen Langkawi. They filmed a lot of the beach scenes in Langkawi. Langkawi is located in Northwestern Malaysia, almost to Thailand. You can actually see the Thai islands from the Andaman Resort. One of the things you can do is take a boat to Thailand and some of the other neighboring islands.

We stayed with our family at the Andaman Resort for many reasons. I thought it looked like the best place to stay in Langkawi and it was in our price range.

There are many luxury resorts in Langkawi and you can break the bank on the price of most of these luxury resorts. I loved the Andaman Resort because it has a private beach, a private pool with a water slide, a kids club, and it is a Marriott hotel, which means you get all the service of any other Marriott hotel, but it is a fraction of the costs of all the other resorts.

Superb Service

I would rate the service and staff of this hotel outstanding. From the moment we arrived at the airport, they were excellent.

We arranged our transportation through Marriott. This made it very easy for us. They picked us up in an air-conditioned van from the airport. We were so grateful that we didn’t have to worry about getting a taxi when we arrived. The driver was extremely polite and told us all about the history of Langkawi as we drove to the resort.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by cool towels and a cold welcome drink. The staff was so helpful and showed us to a few seats where we could enjoy our drinks while taking in the stunning views of the Sea while the front desk staff quickly checked us in.

We were in for the best surprise of our lives! We had reserved 2 rooms because we were traveling with my in-laws so we had 4 adults and 3 kids. Well, the staff was extremely apologetic because our rooms were not ready when we arrived.

Unfortunately, it was going to be a few hours before our rooms were ready. We had arrived at about 3:00. They said they would upgrade us to compensate for the wait.

We weren’t upset about the wait at all, we were happy to go down to the beach and enjoy a drink. We waited for about an hour or so and then they came down to tell us our room was ready.

Best surprise of our lives

They said they upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite but I had no idea they had upgraded us to the Presidential Suite! Talk about good luck, we were all thrilled.

(Note this was before I started blogging and this is not a paid review. We were members of Marriott’s reward program. We were upgraded because of our status and for the inconvenience.)

This was just the beginning of our stay and we were already blown away by the level of service we were receiving. The staff continued to be exceptional throughout our stay.

The Presidential Suite

If you happen to luck out and score the suite as we did, here is a taste of what you will see. Also, you can get a great idea of what all the rooms at the Andaman will be like.

Best private resort in Malaysia

I would argue that this is the best beach resort in Langkawi Malaysia. There are many beachfront resorts in Langkawi, however many of them are overcrowded and do not provide a private oasis like the Andaman Resort. Of course, if you want to pay an arm and a leg to stay at the Four Seasons or the infamous Datai Resort, you can find a comparable resort.

But if you are like us, you still have to budget but don’t like to compromise luxury, the Andaman is the best beachfront resort in Langkawi for you.

The drive to the resort will amaze you with its beauty

To get to the Andaman Resort, you will drive about 45 minutes from the airport. You will drive through a few small towns as you make your way towards the mountains.

You then drive past a few waterfalls as you enter the jungle. The last place you will pass through will be the beautiful Datai Golf Course. This Golf Course is beautiful and looks like something straight out of a movie, it is stunning! If you are a golfer or just like to enjoy the outdoors. The Datai Golf course has amazing views but you will get a chance to see some of the unique tropical animals that are on the island. Make sure to pack your portable pocket fan with you if you decide to go golfing. Malaysia is hot and it’s a great way to stay cool.

As if this isn’t private enough, you then go through the jungle and down the coast to find the resort nestled in its own cove with the beachfront on one side and the mountains surrounding you. This provides complete privacy and a jungle beachfront oasis. The jungle is so thick around the resort that until you are in the resort you can’t even see the beach.

The Andaman resort is located on the Datai Bay area at the northwestern end of the Langkawi island. Nestled on the slopes of Mount Mat Cincang. This Mountain has a famous Skybridge that you can take during the day and a wonderful tram ride to the top. You can book your tickets to the Langkawai Skybridge and cable car here. If you are looking for adventure you can also try the zipline tour.

Why a Private beach is important

When you are looking for a beachfront hotel in Malaysia, be careful that you find a hotel with a private beach. This will cut down not only on crowds but also on trash at the beach. If the hotel has a private beach, the hotel will maintain the beachfront which is incredibly important in Malaysia, especially in Langkawi. Unfortunately, there is lots of trash in the ocean in Southeast Asia and it does wash up on shore.

A few years ago, there was a huge tsunami that hit the Andaman Sea and killed most of the coral. Every night when the tide comes in so does the dead coral. If you don’t have a private beach that is cleaned by your hotel, you will wake up to a beach covered in broken dead coral, not fun to walk on!

The Andaman cleans their beach at least twice a day. You see them scooping away all the dead coral that would have been stuck to your feet. Along with the coral, trash also washes up on the shores.

The Andaman’s beach is one of the best in Langkawi

Like I have said before, the private beach at the Andaman is nestled in a cove of its own with the rainforest as your backdrop. The privacy it provides gives off a warm home-like feeling. The beach is shared with the luxurious Datai resort next door. The Data resort is another 5-star hotel.

This resort is also stunning but is at least 3 times the price of the Andaman. And you get the same beach 🙂

The water is warm enough it’s like walking into a warm bath and it is so calm, your kids will never want to leave. The only downside of this beach is the snorkeling is not great. But that is common throughout Langkawi because of the Tsunami. If you want to go snorkeling, I would suggest using the guide from the hotel. We did snorkel a couple of times in the cove and were able to see a few tropical fish and some coral but it wasn’t as good as other areas we have snorkeled in Southeast Asia.

Another reason I loved this beach is because of the specular views of the Krasts of Thailand. The shoot out of the middle of the ocean like they are bound to grow even in through the depths of the ocean. It is something you have to see once in your life.

Best resort in Malaysia for a family

If you are ready for your family retreat in Malaysia. Look no farther, this resort checks all the boxes for a great family vacation. It features a private beach where you kids can run free and collect endless seashells while you sit and enjoy the sun with a drink in your hand.

One of the best reasons to travel to Southeast Asia is how affordable luxury is here. There are so many affordable beach resorts in Malaysia and even though this comes in at $200 per night, you get the luxuries of a resort in Hawaii that would be at least 4 times the price.

I would say the Andaman is one of the best beach resorts in Malaysia for a family. The private beach provides safety so your kids can play without as much worry. I also loved how calm the water was for our youngest. This made it so easy for her to sit in the wake of the waves and play in the sand.

Pro-tip~ If you are going to the beach at night or at dusk, there are a lot of mosquitos and sand flys. Make sure to pack mosquito protection for you and your kids. I like to take Mozzie Stickers for the kids because they are safer and work great.

If you are not sure exactly what to pack with you when traveling to Southeast Asia, we have put together our list of essential items that we have found by living in Asia for a couple of years.

Andaman’s kids’ club is for all ages

I always recommend you have to go to resorts with a kids club when traveling as a family. It gives everyone a chance to have some free time. The kids always come back happier and so do the parents.

The Andaman’s kids club does not disappoint. They offer activities for kids throughout the day. Or you drop your kids off and they can have free play while being attended to by the staff members.

I particularly liked this kids club because it is great for little kids and big kids. It is one large room that is divided into 2 sides. One side caters to younger kids with lots of toys. The other side caters to older kids with board games, video games, and room to just hang out.

Make sure to take advantage of this great luxury. As a parent, we need to take breaks for ourselves. Part of the reason for a vacation is to recharge and to reset. Yes, spending time as a family is very important, but so is taking time for yourself. This is a great way to take a break and get in some much needed me time. When I am on vacation, I love to drop my kids off at the kids club and head to the gym.

It’s great to let the kids play because they need a break too and then when you pick them up everyone is happy to be together. Trust me on this, it will make your family vacation happier.

Wildlife all around you

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids love animals. My oldest would give her right arm to help an animal and the 2-year-old screams at the sight of a small bird.

One of the reasons that this is one of the best resorts in Malaysia for a family is all the animals that surround you. While we were sitting on our patio, a beautiful Hornbill landed on the ledge right in front of us! Talk about a treat, our kids were in awe.

The Hornbill is native to Southeast Asia. They are funny giant birds, who hop around the ledges of patios and treetops as much as they fly. Here in Langkawi, there are 3 species, the Great Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, and Oriental Pied Hornbill.

I’m telling you these birds are big and majestic, to me they look half bird, half dinosaur. This includes the awesome looking Great Hornbill which can be up to about 4 feet from the tip of the beak to the tail end.

You will also see hundreds of little lizards (Geckos) all over the resort. Since this resort is literally in the middle of the rainforest, there are bugs everywhere and where there are bugs, there are lizards.

Our kids’ favorite thing to do was to count the lizards on the way back to our room each night. I think the most we counted was 40 in one trip back to our room 🙂 Make sure that you close your doors after you leave, if not you might have a visitor entering your room. There area many monkies that area around the resort. We enjoyed watching them jumping through the trees while swimming in the pool.

We also spotted the rare Sunda Slow Loris Nycticebus coucang. The Sunda Loris is a primate that is nocturnal and difficult to find or even see. There are a few that live around the resort and we happened to see one at dusk. See the first picture above.

Best resort in Malaysia with a private pool

Another reason why I love this resort and think it is one of the best in Malaysia is the great pool! The pool has lots of different areas to explore and a great water slide.

The giant private pool is perfect to spend the day relaxing in the sun. It’s perfect for all ages since we have a 2-year old that does swim yet we need a shallow area for her to play. The Andaman has a great shallow area for little kids. They also have water toys for you to use, this kept our 2 years old busy for hours!

We also have older children who are great swimmers and this pool was perfect for them too. The water slide kept them busy forever!

As if the water slide wasn’t enough, the pool also is so big there are plenty of areas to explore. Our kids had a blast playing games all over the pool!

We all enjoyed daily ice cream by the pool! If you are a Marriott Bonvoy member, you can get one free scoop of ice cream every day! It’s awesome, there’s nothing like ice cream by the pool 🙂

Great resort activities

Coral Nursery

Since moving to Southeast Asia, our oldest daughter has become extremely concerned with how our oceans our slowing dying. This was especially obvious to her when we visited Bali and saw piles of trash washing up on shore that were taller than her.

One of the greatest things for her at the Andaman was the coral conservatory they have on-site. The resort has baby coral in a safe reef at the resort and then as the coral grows, it is transplanted to the ocean.

Our oldest loved seeing this nursery. It was fun for her to see how they are actively trying to restore the natural beauty of the sea. If you have a child that is particularly interested in Marine Biology, the hotel does offer a Young Marine Biologist experience for 99RM, which is around $25.

This is a great opportunity for kids to learn more about our oceans! It is for kids 8 years old and older. We did not participate in this activity but I think our oldest would have loved it!

They also offer other activities for all ages and that is free, check-in the front desk for times and more information.

Fish feeding

In the coral nursery, there are many different kinds of fish. The fish do need to be fed daily and the hotel does a great job of involving guests in feeding the fish.

They feed the fish with guests on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays at 5:30 pm and it is free! You get to feed the fish right from your hands. It’s such a fun experience.

Our kids loved feeding the fish and thought it was so funny to feel the fish nibble on your hands. It was all fun and games until our middle child felt the fish nibble her legs, then she was done. She came running out of the water screaming. I can laugh about the whole situation now but she caused quite the commotion at the time.

You will want to pack a pair of water socks for the coral nursery. It is slippery in there and these socks will make it easier for you to walk in and stand while you feed the fish.

Water socks are great not only for when you are feeding fish, but they are also perfect for the beach and the ocean. Added bonus they are easy to pack! Amazon sells some that I love for adults here.

And they also sell some for kids that are great here. I love these for my 2-year-old when she is running around the pool, she doesn’t slip and fall as easily.

Jungle Walk

Every morning, the hotel hosts a nature walk through the rainforest. It was too early for our kid, but my in-laws went on the walk and they said it was great.

The dense rainforests are found in the Datai Bay. The open corridors in the jungles are the best places to spot the birds. You can expect to see Flower Peckers, Hill Mynas, Eagles, Woodpeckers, Oriental pied Hornbills, Dollarbirds, Green Pigeons, Drongos, Tailorbirds, Babblers, Bulbuls, Sunbirds, etc.

It is about a 45-minute walk through the rainforest where you can see all sorts of plants and wildlife. If you are lucky you will see monkeys and the infamous Hornbill who lives just in Malaysia. You will also want to watch out for the eagles which call Langkawi home.

I would not recommend this walk for little kids, it is early in the morning and unless they are really into the rainforest, they will be bored and whining the entire time.

Other daily activities

The hotel also has a lot of other activities that they offer every day. You can rent kayaks and snorkel gear to go out on the ocean.

They also have other daily paid activities like private guided snorkeling. If you would like to go snorkeling, I would highly recommend this tour. Since the tsunami hit the island so hard, most of the coral close to the shore was ruined. You will want a guide to show you where the coral and fish are thriving.

Make sure to ask the front desk for a daily schedule so you don’t miss any activities that interest you.

The Spa at the Andaman

The resort features a beautiful spa. This is also a great thing to do while your kids play at the kids club. The V Botanical Spa is a full-service spa offering a wide variety of massages and treatments.

Make sure to schedule appointments either in advance or as soon as you check-in. To make sure you don’t miss out on this great opportunity.

Please note, the prices at the Andaman Spa are expensive by Southeast Asian standards. But you have the convenience of not leaving the resort and the peace of mind that you are in a top-notch clean spa.

Restaurants at the Andaman

The only downside about being so far removed is that you will have to eat at the resort a few times. We found ourselves so busy playing at the resort, we only left a couple of times.

So we ate all of our meals at the Andaman. The restaurants were in par with all other Marriott hotels I have stayed in, which means they were great! There are 4 different restaurants at the Andaman. We’ll talk about each of them quickly.

Jala~ seafood

You see this restaurant when you are at the beach, it is situated right on the beach so you can take in all the beautiful views of the Datai Bay. The restaurant is more expensive than the others at the resort but it is worth it!

The Jala offers a fun experience and great food. The floor of the restaurant is literally sand on the beach. Our kids loved being able to kick off their shoes as we walked in. Then to top off the experience, you get to pick your fresh fish from the display.

The kids were thrilled to pick their fish and then see it come out on their plates. The food was really really good. We tried 4 different fish and a variety of sides. It was wonderful. I would splurge and dine here at least once during your stay.

The Beach Bar

Attached to the Jala, you will find the beach bar. They serve a variety of drinks and are open almost all day. Happy hour is from 5:00-7:00 every day, the discount off drinks depends on the temperature outside.

Tepian Laut

This is the poolside/beachside restaurant where we ate most of our lunches. During our stay, they were offering a great special for a hamburger and fries. Nothing hits the spot like a burger, fries, and a Diet Coke on the beach!

This restaurant was also really good. Our kids like their burgers and pasta. We enjoyed the open-air atmosphere on the beach. It was great to sit and take in the views while the kids played in the sand.

The Japanese Restaurant

This is an authentic Japanese restaurant and they have decorated it to make it feel like you are really in Japan. We did not have a chance to try this restaurant. It is a bit more expensive than the others and we choose the Jala as our splurge instead.

The Restaurant

This is where you will most likely eat your breakfast every day. This restaurant is open all day and serves a variety of western and Asian options. We only ate breakfast here but we really liked the breakfast.

The Restaurant even has a section for breakfast that is for just kids. They will make pancakes and waffles for kids. They also have a variety of pastries that kids love!

All-inclusive options

If you think you will be eating all of your meals at the resort, you may want to consider the all-inclusive options they offer. We did not know about these options, but I wish we had opted for this because we spent a lot of money on meals and drinks.

Plug for joining loyalty programs

I am a total believer in loyalty programs. You should always join a loyalty program if it’s free. I mean why not?! You’re not out anything but maybe a few spam emails.

I would highly recommend joining Marriott’s Bonvoy loyalty program. We have been members of Hilton and Marriott’s loyalty programs for years and the benefits have really added up. At both hotel chains, loyalty members typically get free Wifi and upgrades. At most hotels, we also get breakfast for free.

So join Marriott’s loyalty program before you visit the Andaman resort, you won’t regret it! Also, check out other loyalty programs and their benefits here.

Wrap up on the Andaman Resort

If you are looking for ideas for traveling with kids to Asia, look no further. The Andaman, luxury resort, by Marriott is the best resort in Malaysia for a family.

You will be able to relax and renew on the private beach while your kids play in the sand. Take in the rainforest around you and savor the wildlife that is unique to Malaysia.

Spend a day at the spa while your kids happily play a few rooms away at the kids’ club. I can’t say enough good things about this resort. In fact, as I write this post, I’m aching to go back.

Book your trip today and you won’t regret it!