Any tips on Singapore etc, please?

colmil

My partner and I have not been to Asia before.

We are thinking about a three centre hoiday, possibly Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

We will not be able to go until mid September, any info on any rainy season, temperatures etc.

Most of the three centres have a longer beach holiday, I am easily bored, and would not wish to have to spend a week in one of the beach resorts without anything to see!

We have an open mind at the moment, I would be grateful for all your words of wisdom!

misskool

Singapore is a cosmopolitan city, with not not by way of tourist attraction and not so much a "beach" holiday. It's a great way to break someone into the Asian scene as they are much more westernised compared to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Penang). Sentosa island is much overhyped, the Zoo at night is quite fun.

KL and Penang will be cheaper compared to Singapore. There is a rich history and culture in KL. There are areas of KL where you will feel more at home with bars and bistros (eg Bangsar, Damansara). There are a lot of shopping malls right in the city center. Places to visit include Batu Caves, Islamic Museum, FRIM (where you can do a sky-type jungle walk). If you're into nature, a night in the Taman Negara (National Reserve) is great. You can also do a day trip to Malacca, where there is a mix of Portugese, Chinese and Malay culture unique to the state. Penang is more of a beach place, time to have a break before you head off back maybe? If you want a tropical island type holiday for 4-5 days, the popular islands in Malaysia include Langkawi, Perhentian and Pangkor. For Malaysia, visit https://www.visitmalaysia.com

I grew up in Malaysia so if you need more help, PM me.

HTH.

Edit: Sorry, the temperatures in Sept will be the same all year round, approximately 28-32 C in the day, 23-29 at night. Won't feel that much different, it's a hot and humid climate. The rainy season doesn't really kick off until November so you should be ok. It will rain but not as much. The only thing to be careful around Aug/Sept time is that there may be haze from Sumatra (Indonesia) as they may be peat forest fires. Rarer nowadays.

machofairy

Just be aware when shopping in Malaysia, decent quality and genuine branded goods are not cheaper than in the UK. If offered any branded (and they usually look very good too) goods at a cheap price, assume they are fakes, even if told otherwise.... just so you dont try to flog them on ebay and get neg feedback later.

redballoon_2

KL is good for a few days. it's a hustle and bustle kinda place. Langkawi is nice for a few days, a relaxing beach type place. we went to malaysia on our honeymoon

grownup1

Singapore is worth a few days just for the food. It's an amazing combination of Chines, Indian, Malaysian and European and you can pick and choose from these traditions in food courts (stalls surrounding a seating area) which look basic but are spotlessly clean. each stall tends to prepare a speciality type of food or drink to a very high standard - and it's all cheap. We were there for 5 days and left with regret that we hadn't been able to taste everything. Enjoy!

PS I agree with previous poster that Singapore is a good gentle intro to Asia - but not exactly exciting

Nobjocki

I found Singapore to be one of the most boring places on Earth.
Any country which bans the sale of chewing gum does not have the enjoyment of its citizens very high up its list of priorities.

Northtim

Have to agree with above poster, did Singapor as part of gap year travels and found it soooooo dull. Wouldn't commit yourself to more than a couple of days there. Go to Raffles for High tea though, that is great and the Zoo is good but you don't really go round the world to see a zoo. Loads and loads of big shopping centres if thats your thing?

Easy to go into Malaysia from there though which is much better. KL is a great city and Penang is great as well.

Nice Island you can stay on off east coast of Malaysia - Tioman??? can't recall. Very basic backpacker thing but there may have been a resort further round? But if the beach is not your thing......

colmil

Thanks, everyone, any further information from other travellers?

Fossil_2

colmil wrote:

I would be grateful for all your words of wisdom!

Hong Kong

TOMCAT_3

I,ve been to all 3 places and would recomend Penang for the majority of your stay.We stayed at the Bayview beach hotel which had lovely gardens and was quite quiet which suited us.We visited all the other hotels along the beach and Rasa Sayang looked nice but would avoid the Holiday Inn as its across the road from the beach and you go over an overpass to the sea.Loads of great food to eat in Penang from hawker stalls to lobster feasts.Night markets are cheap for all your "authentic" copies of designer gear!You can go to Georgetown for a day on the local bus which is an eye opener and the taxis are really cheap.
KL is a big city similar to Singapore I thought and 2-3 days would be more than enough I think,Petronas towers were good as was the Petronas exhibition/museum in the shopping arcade underneath.We stayed at the Ritz Carlton which was excellent and not too expensive.
Singapore is nice and clean and safe although I would not say its a destination city as such for tourists more of a stopover.We stayed at the Intercontinental for about £60 a night and the location was great,right above a shopping centre but not noisy,lovely rooms and staff were excellent.Recommended touristy thing are the world war 2 battle box in the centre of the park,Sentosa Island for Fort canning and aquarium (would not suggest you stay on Sentosa as its a bit out of the way) and bum boat rides up and down the river (fantastic pictures at the Merloin).Some good cheap food to be had if you stay away from the major tourist areas (quayside near the Merlion is expensive).Food courts are a great source for a quick cheap lunch.
Hope thats gave you some ideas...enjoy you're trip and hope you likethe far east (its our favourite place)..

thelawnet

KL and Singapore have no beach, Penang has a poor beach, but is a reasonably interesting place. Singapore is quite nice for no more than 2 days. I find KL quite boring really too.... It's always very hot, and it's quite difficult for sight-seeing. I would try and stay in one of the 5* hotels, as KL has very low room rates, even by regional standards, and you can get a nice place like the Mandarin Oriental (attached to the Petronas Towers) for an affordable price (see biddingfortravel.com for priceline info). Not much unmissable in KL. There is the Petronas Towers, biggest buildings in the world, with tacked on glossy shopping centre. You are unlikely to be able to go up, as they don't make it easy to get a ticket. KL tower is much easier. You can have a buffet meal at the revolving top for about £20, ok food, not wonderful - lots of things like Norweigan smoked salmon, and not-quite-right attempts at Shepherd's pie and roast lamb. There is the hilarious Mines resort, which is far from the city, and inconvenient accordingly, but has the Moorish monstrosity that is the Palace of the Golden Horses, home to visiting Presidents, Man United football team, etc. The whole development, completely carved out of some old mine is a testament to the ability of countries like Malaysia to 'just do it' when it comes to overblown projects, something we haven't managed in this country. Probably more exciting for Asians than Brits, although the gaudiness of it all makes an amusing spectacle. Don't stay there, it's in th e middle of nowhere.

In the city the bird park/orchid park area is definitely worth a visit - the national gardens houses: the world's largest (?) walk-in aviary (excellent), butterfly park (missable), orchids (nice), and planetarium (also missable). Even though they are all on one circular road, you will probably get a taxi between them as it's so hot. Apart from that, there is lots of fairly priced shopping in KL, and the Museum of Islamic Art (not really my sort of thing). If you don't want to stay in one of the glossy five stars, Carcosa Seri Negara is an institution (and the most expensive hotel in the city at $200+ per night), and should be visited for Sunday tiffin, even fi you don't stay there

I would spend SIngapore: 2 days, possibly 3 if you land there from UK, to give some recovery time. Not much apart from the zoo to commend itself. Penang, 2 days, maybe 3. KL, again, 2 or 3 days.

From Penang you can get a flight to Bangkok on Air Asia. Bangkok is fun. From KL there are flights to Siem Reap on that airline, which is pretty unmissable, and definitely more memorable than Penang, KL or Singapore. The flights cost about £80 return inc taxes, although if you are lucky you could get one of their 8 Ringgit fares, which will save about £30 each way.

You could also go to Phuket, although it's a bit commercial for my taste. Most beach resorts in striking distance are fairly built up. You can go to Bintan island off Singapore by a short ferry from Sentosa harbour. Quite nice, although sterile by Indonesian standards, expensive by their standards too, although not I think by English standards. Bali is a cheap flight away too, although I'm not sure how long you are going for.