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We’ve visited Bohol numerous times before—with different partners, when LP and BG haven’t crossed paths yet; as a couple, when our paths finally did cross; and now as a family, with Kid A in tow. Each visit was definitely different. This time, we both decided to stay at Panglao’s Alona Beach—a first for us both—to see what this so-called Boracay-esque area of the island has to offer.

KID A AND BG ENJOYING BEST WESTERN PANGLAO’S POOL

After spending four days in the sleepy town of Anda, we thought of staying another five days in Bohol before going back home to Manila. Since we’ve previously toured the province’s tourist spots, we thought of doing nothing but frolic on the beach, eat out, and enjoy our hotel. Well, maybe check out the Chocolate Hills and see the tarsiers too, for Kid A’s sake. But what we really wanted was a staycation by the beach. And our staycation place of choice, Panglao’s Best Western Plus The Ivywall Resort.

It was our last full day in Langkawi, our last full day in Malaysia. And our last stop in the country was Tanjung Rhu Resort, and here, for the past two days, we’ve done nothing but eat, relax, and laze around. It was just what we needed after traveling our way through the colorful streets of Penang and Langkawi’s Pantai Cenang.

SUNSET AT TANJUNG RHU BEACH

Tomorrow, we fly to Singapore, the third leg of our Backpacking With A Kid trip. But for now, we savor the setting sun while we laze on a sandy beach almost all to ourselves. It was quite perfect—well, okay, not really. If we have a cold, cold beer in hand, then that would really make it perfect.

An island vacation on an island vacation? That’s just how our stay went after our three-day stay at Pantai Cenang. I mean, yes, we’re already on a vacation—a 35-day tour around Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, to be exact—but on the Langkawi Island leg of our trip, we moved from one of the most popular vacation spots in Malaysia to a more remote one. Well, not really that remote—it’s just a zoom of a speedboat away from Chenang Beach across the Senari Strait—the exclusive Rebak Island Resort; a private island resort in Langkawi Island.

It was our third time in Langkawi, and this time we’re bringing our four-year old toddler along with us. Langkawi was the second leg of our month-long Backpacking With A Kid 2023 trip. And our first stop here, Mercure Langkawi—a four-star hotel along the island’s famous Pantai Cenang or Cenang Beach.

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Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang Blog Review TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? Checking In Swimming Pool & Play Room Our Room Toilet & Bath In-House Dining Best Location

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CHECKING IN

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MERCURE LANGKAWI’S LOBBY

Straight from a very early morning flight from Penang, we sped directly to Mercure Langkawi from the Langkawi International Airport. It took less than twenty minutes before the Grab car we booked was slowing down at the resort’s driveway.

►SEE: THINGS TO DO IN GEORGE TOWN

EARLY MORNING SWIM

Since it was still quite early, like eight in the morning early, we expected that we probably would have to wait for our room to be available. Check in time was at still at three in the afternoon. Not wanting to waste time, we asked if we can use the pool while waiting, to which they quickly agreed.

SWIMMING POOL & PLAY ROOM

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MERCURE LANGKAWI’S POOL FROM THE RESTAURANT BALCONY

Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang has a huge outdoor swimming pool centrally located on their atrium.

We love how it has a sizable section for kids as our son loves swimming. The kiddie pool has a depth of about two feet, perfectly safe for toddlers. We also love the open gazebo besides it—it’s actually where we temporarily parked our luggage and bags as we swam the morning away. Our son specially liked the Jamaican cherry or aratilis tree beside the pool, particularly its small sweet fruits.

The adult pool, on the other side, is about five-foot deep and has a decent length, perfect for my daily swimming laps.

EXPLORING LANGKAWI’S UNDERWATER WORLD BEFORE GOING BACK TO CHECK IN

After having had our fill of morning swim, we dried off, deposited our bags with the concierge, walked towards breakfast along the nearby restaurants, before heading off to the Underwater World Langkawi—which is just within the resort’s area.

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KID A, AT THE PLAYROOM

We returned to Mercure Langkawi after our underwater exploration and an interesting nasi lemak lunch at McDonald’s. Unfortunately, our room was still being prepared, so we headed off to the resort’s Play Room. As Kid A happily played with the toys, I immediately went for the soft chair and promptly fell to sleep.

Some minutes before 3PM, I was awoken by my wife, our room was finally ready.

►BLISSFULGURO POV: MERCURE LANGKAWI

OUR ROOM

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THE PRIVELEGE ROOM, OURS FOR THREE DAYS IN LANGKAWI

We were billeted on Mercure Langkawi’s Privelege Room for three days. It’s actually one of the accommodations at the ground floor that has direct access to the swimming pool from the room balcony. Sweet.

The room is tastefully decorated in dark earthy colors splashed with a shocking orange headboard for accent. I love the compass print on the walls too.

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LOVELY READING SPOT & COFFEE NOOK

On one corner of the room was an inviting couch with a faux rattan weaving paired with an ottoman. A cozy corner for reading, or in our case, socmed-ing, lol.

The coffee corner was also a delight for caffeine lovers with its Lavazza BLUE coffee machine and pods. A mini-fridge, perfect for our alcohol stash, was available just below it.

THE BALCONY HAS DIRECT ACCESS TO THE POOL ~ PHOTO BY BLISSFULGURO

The balcony was where we spent most of our time in Mercure Langkawi, when we’re not swimming that is. Well, the two is somewhat connected, literally, since it opens straight to the pool.

►EXPLORE: LANGKAWI KILIM KARST GEOFOREST PARK

TOILET & BATH

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SNAZZY TOILET & BATH

Accessed by a wooden sliding door, the room’s toilet and bath is really spacious. Besides its striking interiors—the hanging massive circular mirror against a blue hexagonal-tiled wall was quite lovely—I also appreciated the separate enclosures for the water closet and shower.

AN EARTH-SAVER, FILTERED WATER FAUCET

But the best part of their toilet and bath was their 3M-filtered water faucet. Being an environment advocate, I highly appreciate how they’re reducing the amount of plastic water bottles hotels consume daily. I hope this becomes a standard for all hotels. And, of course, their bath soap and shampoo were also refillables from Elemental Herbology.

►EXPLORE: PULAU PAYAR LANGKAWI DAY TOUR

IN-HOUSE DINING

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CAT AT THE LOBBY & OUR EVENING DRINKS

Mercure Langkawi has a full-fledged restaurant at the upper level of the resort and a bar at the lobby.

While we really didn’t get to try their 99 Islands Lounge and Bar—each guests are given a complimentary drink upon check in, by the way. We mostly had our evening drinks on our balcony, courtesy of the extremely affordable spirits available in Langkawi—the whole island is duty free. Hello, limited edition Absolut Vodka.

RICE GARDEN’S SOPHISTICATED INTERIORS

Rice Garden, their in-house restaurant, was where we have our daily complimentary breakfast buffet. They serve a good mix of Western and Malaysian dishes on a really nice art deco-ish interiors.

THE BEST MASHED POTATO & RICE GARDEN CAKES

While most of their dishes were good, the most notable one we had was, surprisingly—not our favorite mee goreng noodles—but rather, of all things, their mashed potato. Yes. Mashed potato. Rice Garden’s baked mashed potato quiche was simply the best mashed potato we’ve ever had. Bar none.

RICE GARDEN’S NASI KANDAR DAUN PISANG AT MERCURE LANGKAWI

Aside from their breakfast buffet, we were also invited to try their Nasi Kandar Daun Pisang—a traditional Malaysian mixed rice meal set on a banana leaf. It consists of what seems like basmati rice, prawns, fish, beef, veggies, boiled egg, crispy kropuk, and a slew of side dishes.

►EXPLORE: LANGKAWI HALF DAY TOUR

BEST LOCATION

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HAWKER FOOD NEAR THE RESORT

The best part of staying at Mercure Langkawi is its proximity to everything Pantai Cenang. It’s near restaurants and hawker stalls, grocery stores, and numerous duty free shops. it’s also within striking distance to utilities like self-serve laundry, and tourist spots like Underwater Langkawi.

SPENDING TIME WITH KID A AND BG AT CENANG BEACH

But most importantly, even if it’s not a beachfront resort, it’s literally just across Cenang Beach. This is where we spent most of our time in Pantai Cenang—from morning exercise walks, afternoon beach time, and relaxed evening strolls.

 

Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang Pet Policy: Unfortunately for pet lovers, Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang is not pet-friendly. It does not allow pets on its property.

~ OUR GRATITUDE TO MERCURE LANGKAWI FOR HOSTING OUR STAY, VIEWS & OPINIONS ALL MINE

Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang ► ROOM RATES
Address: 2500 Jalan Pantai Cenang, Kedawang, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia
Contact Number: (604) 952-5888  
Facebook | Instagram | Website
GPS Coordinates Map: 6.359888, 99.704619

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We just had bowls of delicious curry mee—that’s just how it is when in Penang—and it was almost evening when we wended our way back to our hotel. Located right in the midst of George Town, warm lights now illuminate its handsome colonial façade, contrasting beautifully with the electric hues of early twilight. The George Penang, indeed lives up to its name, it really does look gorgeous.

Two Seasons’ barLO Restaurant was filled to brimming, but we didn’t really mind waiting. The sun was out, and the water at Station 1 was uber calm. We braved the ungodly noontime hour, and with sunblock on, frolicked at Boracay’s White Beach with total abandon.

A feast of feast was spread across our long table—familiar Filipino dishes but dressed nicer than your usual meal at home. The table was set outside The Lind’s Tartine Restaurant—along Boracay White Beach’s premier location, Station 1—but no one seems to be minding the banquet. The sun was setting and everyone had rushed to the shore to take photos of the famous Boracay sunset.

The pool opened up from our room, sky blue and gurgling, with stone frog sculptures pouring water onto its placid surface. Dropping two stories below, the infinity pool overlooks handsome Balinese villas, and further away, a terraced landscape of verdant rice paddies being lorded over by Mount Agung—one of Bali’s prominent volcanoes. Everything was just saying, hello there, welcome back to Bali.

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TRAVELING TO BALI WITH OUR MOMS

It was our third time in Bali. The first one was several years back, on our first ever two-month backpacking trip, the epic ASEAN Summer Loop. We went back the second time as part of Indonesia’s Trip of Wonders, albeit very briefly. Now, we’re here for a much longer time—as if our first trip which lasted eight days wasn’t long enough—we’re staying for eleven days, and we’ve even got our moms in tow!

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SERES SPRINGS RESORT, OUR HOME FOR THREE DAYS IN UBUD

VERY BALINESE LOBBY

From the airport, we were fetched by Putu from Bali Golden Tour, our go to guys when it comes to tours on the island. We went straight to Ubud, Bali’s so-called cultural heart. But we weren’t gonna hit the ground running, we planned to take everything slow. In fact, we’re gonna do nothing but stay and relax on our chosen hotel for our first three days here. And SereS Springs Resort was just the perfect place for our Balinese staycation.

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THE VIEW FROM OUR ROOM, BALI’S RICE TERRACES AND MOUNT AGUNG

SereS Springs Resort & Spa, a five-star accommodation, is nestled in Singakerta—a quieter part of Ubud—away from the busy happenings of its main arteries. Going to the busy part of town isn’t a problem though since the resort offers free transfers twice daily to their sister resort, Sens Hotel Ubud, which is located downtown.

SERES RESORT’S PREMIUM ROOM

SereS Resort is a fairly new resort in Bali, having opened only in October of 2017. The name derives from the Latin word silk and also denotes Xinjiang, an area located on the northwestern part of China where silk is produced. Billeted at the resort’s Premium Rooms—one for our moms and another for us—we’re staying here for a total of three days.

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OUR BALCONY HAS A TUB

Our room is located on the second floor, with a balcony overlooking the pool below. The view, which you can enjoy while soaking up on their outdoor ofuro soaking tubs, extends towards a terraced rice fields similar to the Banaue Rice Terraces, in the Philippines, albeit on a lesser scale. The décor is modern with touches of Balinese art here and there.

COMFORTABLE WORKSTATION

The bed, beautifully framed by glass etching along the headboard, is super comfortable. Off its foot is a divan, which we decided to move on the left side of the bed since we found it to be a bit of a hindrance when moving about. A loveseat sits on one corner of the room and opposite it is a workstation.

BALI ROBUSTA COFFEE

The usual flatscreen cable television, mini-fridge, electronic safe, and tea and coffee-making facility is present. What’s different about it though is the coffee that they supply to guests, it’s not just any other coffee, but local Bali robusta. I like local touches like that.

BALINESE INTERIORS

Another thing I like is the number of well-designed closets and drawers in the room. It just makes everything much tidier. I don’t like bags and clothes strewn about all over the room, I’m OC like that.

VERY COMFORTABLE BED

The toilet and bath is set near the entrance with walls made of glass. These types of baths are made for couples, but if you’re not sharing a room with your paramour, it has a curtain you can draw for privacy.

CAFE DAR SINI AND LOUNGE

Since we decided to coop up at SereS Resort for the duration of our stay, we were able to try most of the dishes on their menu. The resort has two dining halls, Mulberry Place, which is the main one, and Cafe Dar Sini & Lounge, which is more for drinks. We exclusively ate on the former.

MULBERRY PLACE IN-HOUSE RESTAURANT

The restaurant offers both Indonesian and Western cuisine. While we dined mostly on local food for our first few meals—sate platters, nasi goreng mawut (fried rice with chicken, satay, and shrimp), mie goreng campur (mixed fried noodles with chicken and shrimp), soto ayam (chicken noodles soup), we eventually tried their salads, pizzas and burgers later on.

COMPLIMENTARY BUFFET BREAKFAST

NASI GORENG MAWUT

HAWAIIAN PIZZA

MIE GORENG CAMPUR

My favorite is, of course, their mie goreng, even though it’s not as spicy as the Malaysian version of this dish. The fact that it comes with a serving huge shrimps and kropuk is a bonus. We weren’t that impressed with their burger but their pizza is quite good.

THE SPRING POOL BESIDE WOS RIVER

WELL-EQUIPED GYM

Don’t think of us as sloths, we didn’t really just laze around during our whole stay in SereS. When we’re not swimming on the two infinity pools or eating, we’re exploring the property. The resort sits right beside the Wos River, and right by its edges, about six meters above the water is a sacred natural pool. It’s just one of the twenty three pools in the properties—though most of which are on the private villas. Besides these, SereS also has a gym, kids playroom, yoga halls, and conference rooms.

EARLY EVENING AT SERES

Indeed, our stay in SereS Spring Resort was three full days of nothing but relaxation. Now it’s time to actually work our muscles, move, and explore Bali!

~ OUR GRATITUE TO SERES SPRINGS RESORT FOR HOSTING OUR STAY IN UBUD. VIEWS AND OPINIONS ALL MINE.

SereS Springs Resort & Spa ►RATES
Address: No.9 Jalan Taman Ganesha, Banjar Jukut Paku, Singakerta, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Contact Number: (+62) 361 301-2222  
GPS Coordinates Map: -8.5387887,115.2509613

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