KL and the Skybridge were brilliant, but two nights is genuinely too short for Langkawi, we had barely settled by the pool before it was time to leave. Would happily have swapped a day for the island.

Grandparents, parents and kids all travelled together on this one and somehow the pacing worked for every age group. KL's towers were a thrill for the children and a nostalgic city walk for the grandparents who remembered it from decades ago. Langkawi then gave everyone exactly what they needed, the kids in the pool at the resort for hours, the adults on loungers nearby actually relaxing for once. The Kilim mangrove cruise spotting eagles was the one activity that had every single one of us equally captivated.

In-laws joined us for this one and even they admitted the mix of city and island was perfectly paced for a family with grandparents along. The mangrove cruise with eagles swooping down was a highlight for all three generations.

Parents travelling with young kids will appreciate how well this trip alternates busy city sightseeing with pure island downtime. Dayang Bunting's freshwater lake swim was such a novelty for our daughter who had never swum in a lake before.

Petaling Street's satay and neon buzz was a thrill for the kids on our first evening, then Langkawi handed us loungers and a pool and actual quiet. For a two-night trip it packed a lot in.

Berjaya Langkawi's pool was the real hit with our two boys, hard to get them out of the water.