Langkawi Island Holiday, 4 Nights

Langkawi's airport is small and close to the beaches, so the driver has you at the hotel within half an hour. Most flights arrive through Kuala Lumpur, which makes for a long day; check-in is usually from early afternoon. By late afternoon the heat eases, and the obvious first outing is a walk along Pantai Cenang, the island's busiest beach, to watch the sun drop into the Andaman Sea. The strip behind it has plenty of casual restaurants, including north and south Indian ones.

The morning is for the mountain, while the cloud is highest. From the Oriental Village at the foot of Gunung Mat Cincang a steep cable car climbs to the summit at about 700 metres, with views over the Andaman islands and, on a clear day, Thailand. From the top, a short path leads down to the SkyBridge, a curved walkway hung from a single pylon over the forest. The package also covers the SkyDome and the 3D art gallery in the village below. Later, a batik village, Underwater World at Cenang and the giant eagle statue on the waterfront at Kuah.

Kilim, in the island's north-east, is the heart of the geopark: rivers winding through mangrove forest between sheer limestone towers, some of the oldest rock in Malaysia. The shared boat stops at the Bat Cave, a short boardwalk into a cavern where colonies of fruit bats hang from the roof, and at a floating fish farm. Brahminy kites and white-bellied sea eagles circle overhead and long-tailed macaques come down to the water. A hat and water are essential, as the boats are open.

Free, with some easy options. Pantai Tengah, just south of Cenang, is quieter and good for swimming. The Seven Wells waterfall in the north-west is a stepped series of rock pools reached by a climb through forest. Island-hopping boats run half-day trips to the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden on Dayang Bunting, a freshwater lake a short walk from the sea, and to the sandbar at Beras Basah; we can book one for this day. Kuah town has the duty-free shops.

Breakfast, a last swim if the flight is in the afternoon, and then the short drive to the airport. Because nearly every journey home connects through Kuala Lumpur, it is worth allowing a generous gap between the Langkawi flight and the international one; we look at your tickets together and advise when you book.