To Malaysia... and beyond!

amictus

I'm intending to take three weeks off work around Easter to see a bit of Southeast Asia. I know very little of the area, so I'm going to spend some time over the next couple of weeks putting together a bit of an itinerary. I've got plenty of money saved up, so I guess time is the limiting factor really!

At the moment, the plan is to head to Singapore where I'll spend about 4 days with a friend, then set off solo for the rest of my time. I'd certainly like to see some more of Malaysia, so travel up to Kuala Lumpur, maybe visiting Malacca and Penang. I love the idea of seeing some of the countryside. And, on from Kuala Lumpur, I'm just not sure! Depending on how ambitious I want to be, I guess there are few options... either explore Malaysia a bit more and make my way through Thailand to Bangkok... or fly over to Borneo... or even over to Sumatra/Java/Bali! One of the deciding would be flight arrangements. For example, I know someone who flew out to Bali stopping for a few days in Singapore. So, some questions...

With only three weeks, is it realistic to try do any more than working my way up Malaysia and Thailand to Bangkok? For example, will I have to spend a lot of time on trains and buses? Is there much worth stopping for on the way? I'm certainly intending to return at some point, so I'm thinking it's probably best not to try and cram too much in.

If I were to get a return flight to somewhere in Borneo or Bali, would I be able to break my outward journey at Singapore for, say, a week? Does this work out significantly more cost effective than organising several separate flights? Is there a specific company which offers this kind of service? Is there any limitation on how long you can break the journey for?

Alternatively, how feasible would it be to get an outward flight to Singapore, with a return flight from, say, Bangkok? Is this much more expensive than getting a return flight?

I'm hoping to travel out in the middle of April. Obviously I'd like to have a reasonable idea of what I'll be doing before booking. So, how long can I leave booking flights for? Does it make much difference to prices?

I appreciate those are some pretty specific questions, but just thought it was worth asking in case someone has done something similar and just happens to know how it all works.

Also, as you can tell, I'm having a bit of trouble deciding exactly what I want to do. With that in mind, I'd really appreciate any comments or guidance from anyone who has been to that part of the world. Or just tell me a bit about what you did! I suppose I just want to get an idea of what's possible, and if there's anything I really *have* to see.

Thanks!

Bob_the_Saver

Start by looking at Air Asia, Tiger Airways & Firefly.

SnowBelle_2

@ owains
First of all lucky you,,these places are really beautiful and worth taking time over.
To be honest I think I would concentrate on the malaysia/singapore idea if I were you as all three can be very time consuming Penang and Kuala Lumpur are really interesting and also there is an island called Langkawi off the coast of penang which is really chilled and beautiful.
If you did want to go to Bali it really is stunning and In my personal view better than penang( this is just my view!)
Singapore is bustling,clean and with so many different cultures living side by side and the electronic goods are cheap and amazing! and they work on our voltage.
Some of the main airlines have their hubs in these main cities ie: singapore airlines hub is singapore,thai airways is in Bangkok and malaysian is in kuala Lumpur so they may have better offers if you fly out of one hub using the same airline.
Most of these airlines have domestic planes as well check out their websites they usually have an English option,so you could book the internal flights on the web yourself.
You could always try Qantas who will have stopovers on their flights which continue on to Australia.
cheaper flights tend to be a real long haul(stopovers in obscure cities) and believe me you are worn out before you get there so it can be worth going with a well known airline.
Also take into account the humidity there which can be very tiring..
Asia is beautiful,mostly peaceful! & you will definately want to go again.
good luck and have a great time.

useless

weather is another factor that might dictate the best destinations - some parts of malaysia are better at certain times of year (e.g. east coast versus west coast, borneo versus mainland malaysia), whilst others are in monsoon season.
The same goes for Thailand - from what I remember when doing research, koh samui was off limits when the krabi/phuket islands had "better" weather. Not that I made it to either sides mind you.
some people recommend not planning too strict an itinary to give flexibility to go/stay in certain places you like when you get there.
mind you, I had a pretty tight itinerary as I didn't want to be wasting time booking places once over there and stressing over that side of things. other people say it is a piece of pie though.

amictus

Just a quick post to say thanks for your responses. I'll have a read through and think a bit more and let you know what I come up with.

martindow

Train is a very pleasant way to travel - we went from Butterworth (for the Penang ferry) to KL. This was an overnight sleeper which was very cheap and comfortable. Make sure you take sufficient clothes as the aircon is freezing.

Details here

http://www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm

PompeyPete

If you go to Borneo, then use AirAsia.
Fly into Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), stay a couple of nights, fly to Kuching (Sarawak), another couple of nights, and then fly back to KL or BKK.
You can also get some really inexpensive flight/accommodation packages with AirAsia. Perfectly adequate accommodation choices for a couple of nights are Tune Hotels.
If I were you though, 3 weeks isn't a long time in SE Asia. Trying to cram too much in on your first venture there means you won't really have enough time to enjoy any one destination.

xfive71

One tip - you may want to check out Singapore Airlines for any stop-over offers . If not, budget airlines like the ones suggested above are the way to go. For Malaysia, you can take very comfortable coaches there as well from Singapore

Just a few days in Singapore will suffice. (and this is coming from a Singaporean!) I would recommend making your way to KL and taking budget flights either to a destination in Thailand (Phuket or Krabi) or Bali. Both very beautiful places.

amictus

Thanks again for all your input, it has been really helpful in sorting out an outline of what I want to do.

SnowBelle wrote: »

First of all lucky you,,these places are really beautiful and worth taking time over.
To be honest I think I would concentrate on the malaysia/singapore idea if I were you as all three can be very time consuming Penang and Kuala Lumpur are really interesting and also there is an island called Langkawi off the coast of penang which is really chilled and beautiful.

PompeyPete wrote: »

If I were you though, 3 weeks isn't a long time in SE Asia. Trying to cram too much in on your first venture there means you won't really have enough time to enjoy any one destination.

As many people have suggested, it seems like it would be best for me to concentrate on Singapore/Malaysia. I guess this means I'll just have to return some time soon! Specifically, I have concentrated on the West Coast, hoping to take in the following...

Singapore
Kula Lumpur
Taman Negara
Cameron Highlands
Penang
Langkawi

I have deliberately left out Meleka as the overnight train from Singapore to Kula Lumpur sounds so convenient, and I'd like to ensure I have plenty of time to get into the countryside.

Similarly, I have left out the East Coast as I can't seem to make it fit into my itinerary. Am I missing out? Is it worth trying to squeeze in Kota Bharu and Pulau Perhentian Besar/Kecil rather than Langkawi? Or maybe approach Taman Negara from the North/East side?

Does this sound about right for a three week itinerary? I still like the idea of finishing my holiday with a flight to Yangon/Bangkok/Borneo/Bali, but I'd rather not try and cram too much in.

martindow wrote: »

Train is a very pleasant way to travel - we went from Butterworth (for the Penang ferry) to KL. This was an overnight sleeper which was very cheap and comfortable. Make sure you take sufficient clothes as the aircon is freezing.

Thanks for the link. I have taken some overnight trains through Eastern Europe and found it was a great way to travel without wasting time during the days. As far as I can tell, this would be the best way of getting into the Cameron Highlands and Taman Negara (from Kula Lumpur or Singapore). Does anyone have any experience of doing this?

useless wrote: »

weather is another factor that might dictate the best destinations - some parts of malaysia are better at certain times of year (e.g. east coast versus west coast, borneo versus mainland malaysia), whilst others are in monsoon season.

I haven't really given this any thought. Should I avoid islands on the East or West Coast of Malaysia during April/May? What about Borneo or Bali?


I would like to get my main flights booked as soon as possible as I understand they tend to be rather expensive unless booked will in advance. However, as you can tell, I'm still not decided on where I will be ending my holiday. I was thinking I could just book a return flight to Singapore (as I know I will be starting here), then organising internal flights later on when I know exactly what I will be doing (e.g. Penang > Bangkok > Singapore). Does this sound sensible? Would I notice much difference booking, say, a month from now? Also, am I correct in assuming internal flights are still reasonably cheap when booked at short notice?

xfive71 wrote: »

One tip - you may want to check out Singapore Airlines for any stop-over offers . If not, budget airlines like the ones suggested above are the way to go. For Malaysia, you can take very comfortable coaches there as well from Singapore

Would Singapore Airlines still be the obvious choice if I a return flight to Singapore with no planned stop-overs?

xfive71 wrote: »

Just a few days in Singapore will suffice. (and this is coming from a Singaporean!) I would recommend making your way to KL and taking budget flights either to a destination in Thailand (Phuket or Krabi) or Bali. Both very beautiful places.

Thanks for the advice. As I mentioned, I'm going to be spending some time with a friend in Singapore, so I'm hoping they can show me a bit more than just the obvious places in the city, maybe having a day trip somewhere. Can you suggest anything that might be worth asking to see?


I was thinking about picking up the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia Guide to help plan my holiday. Can anyone recommend a particular travel guide that they have used?


Again, any other general comments or guidance would be very welcome. Thanks!

globalds

It is very easy to rent a car in Malaysia.

We have flown into KL then drove to Penang.
The maps for Malaysia are available on TomTom and it is a nice way of seeing the country.

The main problem for Asian travel at the moment is the value of the pound falling.Not too many years ago we were getting 7 MYR to the Pound.........Now it is closer to 4.5 MYR.

amictus

globalds wrote: »

It is very easy to rent a car in Malaysia.

We have flown into KL then drove to Penang.
The maps for Malaysia are available on TomTom and it is a nice way of seeing the country.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I actually quite enjoy travelling by train... I just find it so much more relaxing when I don't have to think about concentrating on the road or navigating!

globalds wrote: »

The main problem for Asian travel at the moment is the value of the pound falling.Not too many years ago we were getting 7 MYR to the Pound.........Now it is closer to 4.5 MYR.

Yeah this isn't great, but there isn't a great deal I can do about it, so I don't even want to think about it!


Does anyone else have any further thoughts?