H and I have talked about going on a girls trip for ages now (the last was almost a decade ago! Insane how time flies) – and we finally took the plunge by booking a short getaway to Langkawi to celebrate her birthday. It was actually the beginning of the monsoon season, but the flights and accommodation package was so cheap that we decided to risk it.

I mean, the worst that could happen was that we’d be stuck in our hotel rooms watching TV, and that didn’t sound bad to me lol.

Our AirAsia package which cost us RM600 per pax covered round-trip flights from KL to Langkawi, as well as a 3D2N stay for two at Wings by Croske Resort Langkawi, a four-star hotel located right next to the airport.

This puts it at a distance from Langkawi’s main town, Kuah, and the beaches – but if you’re renting a car to drive / taking Grab, it shouldn’t be a problem. There are shuttle services to Pantai Cenang, Langkawi’s main tourist stretch, but spots are limited so you’ll need to book in advance.

We had our hands full with luggage and I forgot to take a photo of the exterior, so here’s an official one from the website. The hotel dates back to 1996, but the facade looks pretty new since they refurbished it recently.

The lobby is impressive and features high ceilings, a crystal chandelier, and several quirky astronaut statues. We arrived about 15-minutes before check-in time, but were able to check in earlier as the rooms were ready. The process was smooth and staff members were corteous.

Room experience

Our Deluxe Twin room on the fourth floor was spacious and came with two large beds, plus a window seat with views overlooking the pool. Other amenities include a work desk, a mini fridge, reading lights, a large-screen TV, closet, and in-room bathrobes and slippers. The TV doesn’t have regular channels but you can use it to connect to Netflix and Youtube.

Although it felt a little dated and the floors were not sparkly clean, the room was cosy enough and I liked the bed — too often hotels have beds that are either too soft or too hard, but these were just right and extremely comfy. I was excited to check out the bathroom as I saw in the pictures that it had a tub.

Unfortunately, the bathroom did not meet my expectations. While it was spacious and had the typical decor you expect from older hotels, there were some things that I think needed massive improvement:

• The bathtub was not cleaned well, with black residue at the bottom
• Water from the outlets had a yellowish tinge
• It was difficult to adjust the temperature in the separate shower (I ended up ‘showering’ in the tub most of the time)
• The ceiling access panel was loose and my overactive imagination started conjuring horrific stories
• Poor grouting / reno work gives the space a sloppy appearance, which doesn’t live up to its four-star reputation
• Bathroom amenities were miniscule and barely enough for two people. H and I ended up buying a bottle of Bath & Body Works shampoo from the nearby airport.

The kicker, however, was when I got stuck in the bathroom lol. Not sensing anything amiss when we checked in, I went to take a bath and found that I couldn’t unlock the door after. H nearly went down to the lobby to call for help, but I managed to pull it open after trying for about five minutes. We highlighted this to the concierge, but decided not to change rooms since our luggage was already unpacked, and just left the door slightly ajar whenever we had to use the bathroom for the remainder of our stay.

Afternoon tea

Moving on to better experiences, we had an enjoyable afternoon tea at the lounge, with views overlooking the pool. The hotel was running a promo so it was RM78 for two sets. The afternoon tea is available daily from 3pm to 5pm.

If you’re not up for the afternoon tea, you can order tea / coffee separately. They also have a selection of light bites like cakes, pastries, and sandwiches.

The lobby is extremely spacious and is nicely illuminated with natural lighting, thanks to the large glass windows. The other side of the lounge has cosy sofas, a pool table, a couple of foosball machines, and a live music stage. The space was mostly empty during our visit, so it felt like we had booked the entire lounge.

We thought the sets would consist of light bites and wasn’t going to be filling – but it actually included an assortment of savouries, pastries, scones, and desserts. RM78 for two of these was an absolute steal.

There were a few hits and misses: the sweet pudding dessert in the tall glass tasted like it contained an entire bag of sugar, and the chocolate mousse had a thin and watery consistency. But some of the savouries were quite tasty, especially the fried chicken and the jumbo shrimp cocktail served with thousand island sauce. The mini profiteroles and croissant was decent as well.

They offer a limited tea selection, but what they had tasted premium.

Facilities

Guests can avail several facilities including a fitness centre and a beautiful pool, the hotel’s centerpiece. We managed to swim a few laps after our afternoon tea. The staff even served us complimentary glasses of fresh smoothies. Unfortunately it started pouring about 40 minutes in and continued for the rest of the evening, so we were only able to enjoy this facility for a short time during our stay. On evenings with clear weather, there is a poolside bar that serves drinks.

Breakfast buffet

Our stay at the Wings by Croske Resort Langkawi included complimentary breakfast for two, which is served buffet-style at the Garuda Ballroom from 7am to 10am.

The cosy interiors are bathed in warm lighting, with buffet stations lining the periphery and a few live stations outside where chefs make your omelettes and noodles to order.

There was a decent variety that included local and Western fare.

To be completely honest, though, much of it felt cheap – bread (not the artisanal kind), pasta, commercial processed foods like hams, sausages and baked beans, cereal, bihun, and the like. There were a few highlights – I liked the pani puri that the chef was cooking up fresh outside which was served with good mutton curry – but other than that it was just an okay breakfast. They did have fresh fruits and yoghurt though, so that’s always a plus.

I think that the hotel has a lot of potential, but it definitely isn’t as luxurious as they are advertising it. The renovated facade and lobby looks great, but this does not extend to some other parts of the hotel, especially the room’s bathrooms (if they have undergone a facelift, the contractor did a shoddy job).

That being said, some of the good points are the friendly service (everyone we met at the hotel was nice and polite, including the guard, the pool boys, the concierge, and the restaurant staff). I also like that the room we stayed in was spacious and that it had Netflix. The afternoon tea was value for money, and the welcome drink at the pool was a warm touch. Overall, despite the kinks, both H and I had an enjoyable stay.

WINGS BY CROSKE LANGKAWI

Pantai Cenang, Jalan LIMA, 07100 Langkawi, Kedah

wingsbycroske.com

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PS2: All travel and food expenses are out of my own pocket unless otherwise stated. Views here are my own and are based on my personal experience. They are not meant to endorse or disparage businesses in any way