Malaysia's delicious food and glorious beaches

It might not get as much attention as neighbouring Thailand, but Malaysia offers all the white-sand beaches, rainforests and delicious food you could want in a tropical holiday, said Hannah Summers in The Times – and plenty of cultural interest too.

Having fallen in love with it as a backpacker 20 years ago, I returned this year looking for a more luxurious experience, and was not only impressed by its hotels and resorts, but found them considerably more affordable than their Thai counterparts. My husband, our toddler and I flew directly from London to Kuala Lumpur with British Airways, and immediately sought out some of the local cuisine I had relished two decades ago. In Kuala Lumpur, we avoided "fancy restaurants" in favour of the city's "hole-in-the-wall" spots, which serve "curries and claypot bowls of rice" with flavours influenced by Malaysia's "mishmash of cultures" – Malay, Indian, Chinese. There was more delectable food to enjoy in the next place we visited, George Town, the state capital of Penang. Founded by the British in 1786, this Unesco-listed port city is remarkably handsome, with its twisting alleyways and "colourful" old Chinese shophouses.

In the evenings, we strolled between its night markets and hawker stalls, sampling char kway teow – a wonderful noodle dish with prawn and egg – and sweet nutmeg juice, a local speciality. Breakfasts were great too, including roti canai (a "flaky" flatbread) and a "surprisingly toddler-friendly" dal. There are beaches near George Town, but those on the island of Langkawi, where we spent the last part of our trip, are more lovely. Langkawi is slightly larger than the Isle of Wight, but much of its jungled interior is strictly protected, so construction is "clustered" around a few towns.

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There's plenty to do, and the island is home to some "ludicrously" lavish resorts. The "swishest" is The Datai, but we adored the more modest Bon Ton, where guests stay in wooden Malay houses that are roughly a century old.