Malaysia Help & Advice!

moneysaver_77

Hi

I am planning a trip to malaysia at the end of April and was wondering if anyone had experiences out there. Im spending 4 nights in Kuala Lumpur and 3 nights in Penang.

Any places to visit, restraunts etc.

Also im looking for a direct flight. The best price I have is £523. Does anyone know where I can get it cheaper thanks

RenStar

Hi, can help a bit with Kuala Lumpur but not Penang. Was in KL for 6 nights last September. We booked through Trailfinders (https://www.trailfinders.co.uk ) and flew with Malaysian airlines, who were great but only allow 20kg of luggage. Price was very reasonable, though we did multi centre with Singapore & Thailand in the same trip. We stayed at the Shangri-La hotel, possibly one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in but have heard from friends that the Mandarin Oriental is also very good. The Mandarin has the advantage of being right next to the main shopping complex - the Suria KLCC shopping centre, a huge expansive mall quite unlike anything I've ever seen. Also next to the Petronas Towers, which is worth a visit. You can take the tour to the sky bridge which is about a midway point for some fantastic vies of the city.

Other places definitely worth a visit is China Town (or Petaling st) for some very good quality 'reproductions' of designer goods (certainly a lot better quality than the ones we came across in Singapore or Thailand). Be sure to haggle, haggle & haggle (rule of thumb whatever price you’re first give, half it and then work your way up from there). Best to go in the evening, the streets are pedestrianised and is also when you get the best deals. Don’t be surprised if you see the market traders packing away at the drop of a hat, they have radios which warn them of police raids. Just hang about until it’s all over. Also worth a visit are the Batu caves – very impressive limestone caves, the bird park, orchard or hibiscus gardens & butterfly park (all in same complex). There is also Sunway Lagoon, a water park / theme park where we spent a day and it would have been great had it not been for the torrential rain we got that day.

Foodwise, you’re spoilt for choice. We ate mostly in the food halls in the major shopping malls and some smaller restaurants in the City centre too numerous to remember. Malayasian food is tasty (try the fish head curry), plentiful and cheap! Just be very careful with water, especially ice because you can get very sick (just ask my hubbie). Certainly, the grander hotels such as the Shangri-La & the Mandarin put on very elaborate breakfast buffets, more food than you can ever imagine in a lifetime with chocolate fountains to boot.

For nightlife, the area around Bukit Bintang has some lively bars and clubs which was where we spent most of our evenings.

KL has an excellent integrated transport system, the manorial is inexpensive and you can get to most of the city’s main attractions using it. From the airport, you can take the express train straight into KL Sentral from where you can catch the tube to the city centre. Taxis are cheap too, but be wary especially when taking one from the Suria KLCC complex, it’s a very up market shopping district so some drivers can inflate prices. We found booking a taxi from our hotel was a lot less hassle. Tip -there are malls hidden at some of the monorail station stops – Imbi in particular was a delight to come across. It was huge!!

I have little doubt you’ll enjoy KL, have a look on tripadvisor – https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk for some further suggestions and enjoy your trip.

Sam_Bee

Only Malaysian fly direct.

They offer good 'IT' fares - which means they are considerably cheaper when you buy them in comjunction with accommodation. Try looking at a tailor-made package.

Their flight prices also are considerably cheaper in May, if you can leave a few days later.

moneysaver_77

Thanks for the tips!!

matey

RenStar wrote: »

For nightlife, the area around Bukit Bintang has some lively bars and clubs which was where we spent most of our evenings.

...... Tip -there are malls hidden at some of the monorail station stops – Imbi in particular was a delight to come across. It was huge!!

.

Running along side and one street away from Jalan Bukit Bintang is Jalan Alor which is a street full of restaurant/hawker stalls and is very popular.

The Imbi Monorail station is for Berjaya Times Square, a massive shopping mall and entertainment complex. In fact so big it's got an indoor theme park with roller coaster.

Alikay

We went to KL and Penang last year.
RenStar & Matey have pretty well covered KL, although we also did a daytrip to the Kuala Gandah elephant sanctuary and had a meal in the rotating restaurant in the Menara KL tower (expensive by Malaysian standards and the food was v average...but the views, wow!! we went early eve and ate as the sun set and the city lit up at night)

We hired a car in Penang and visited Georgetown, Penang Hill, the Spice Gardens and had a trip to a theme/water park and Orang Utang sanctuary about an hour's drive away on the mainland (sorry can't remember the name of it). We ate at the hawker stalls and the food was delicious and very cheap.

If you need any internal flights try AirAsia, we booked these online a few weeks before, and they were amazingly cheap. The aircraft were virtually new and flights were on time.

If you have the time and money, also consider visiting Langkawi or Malacca.

summerday

Hi Alikay,

Please can you tell me how far the elephant sanctuary is from KL and who you booked it with, price etc. I hadn't heard of it and would love to go!

thanks, Sarah

nearlyrich

Where are you staying in Penang? we were in Battu Ferenghi (sp) almost 3 years ago and there were some good restaurants all along the main road. We also spent some time in KL. the bird park is worth a visit and of course the towers.

Alikay

saraht wrote: »

Hi Alikay,

Please can you tell me how far the elephant sanctuary is from KL and who you booked it with, price etc. I hadn't heard of it and would love to go!

thanks, Sarah

Have Pm'd you the details

annapantscats

I went to Penang about 6 years ago....the Kek Lok Si Temple in Georgetown is well worth a visit and the food stalls on Gurney Drive are out of this world.......
You have just brought back a few wonderful memories for me.....tandem parasailing with my son off Batu Feringgi beach is probably the most mind-blowing thing I have done in my life (and I have done a few things )
Hope you have a fabulous time :j

moneysaver_77

We are staying in the Mandarin Oriental in KL & Eastern and Oriental in Penang.

Does anyone know where is best to buy electroinics? Is it best to stick to the the main shops or are there markets or local shops that are cheaper?