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Monday, November 17, 2014

Resort World Langkawi for Ironman Langkawi 2014

I had a tough time choosing my hotel for Langkawi 2014, I had two options: to stay at some hotel close to the race venue along with other athletes, or choose one which is a little more comfortable like a resort away from the center of the city. I was happy that I chose the latter, against conventional wisdom, and decided on Resort World Langkawi, based on the recommendation of my sponsors Malaysia Tourism.

Unlike marathon races where one gets in on a Friday evening or Saturday morning for a Sunday morning race, Ironman Triathlon is a little more elaborate, organizers conduct practice swims and tours of the race, to orient athletes about the race, and conduct elaborate post race events for athletes, all of this means one has to stay in race city for at least 6nights. This extended duration also helps with practice rides and getting used to race environment and conditions, especially if the weather is very humid and hot or very cold. Given the 30degress+ temperature and high relative humidity, this advance preparation helped me plan my race better.

At 20 minutes driving distance from the airport, the resort is pretty accessible for those visiting Langkawi. Perhaps one of the largest resorts on the island, Resort World Langkawi comprises gigantic rooms facing the blue-green ocean and the resort’s very own jetty.

The staff at Resort World Langkawi was more than helpful to my special requests, including allowing me to keep my race bike in my room, helping me with setup of the bike, in addition to organizing a hotel maxicab for transporting the bike to race venue and airport, regular city cabs can't accommodate the bike. Given the long duration of my stay a regular hotel can get quite boring, and a resort and its recreation facilities on location made things a lot easier, especially after a long day of training. They can organize a private cruise dinner if you are traveling with a special someone, and offer sightseeing tours as well. Other activities include water sports like scuba diving, snorkeling, Jet-skiing, Canoeing and kayaking, and even Fishing trips and Island hopping.

The range of water sport activity can keep one very busy and make the trip very enjoyable. Staying at resort also tends to be a lot more self-sustaining, especially if one is traveling for the race with family or friends. There are interesting facilities for everyone, especially the spa and water sport facilities within the resort.


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