10 days in Malaysia

galway gal

All,

The boyfriend and I are stopping in Malaysia for 10 days in April on the way to Australia. Various visa restrictions and external committments means we only have 10 days to play with there.

We're flying into Kuala Lumpur and out of Bangkok and after that have no real plans. Anyone any suggestions for 'must see' or 'definitely avoid' areas/ things to see ? Ideally, we'd love a few days on a beach, but with our timeframe it's not a dealbreaker...

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

stephwalsh

Can only comment on Malaysia as haven't been to Thailand but after 2 trips to Malaysia I would recommend the following:

- check yourself in a really nice hotel in Kuala Lumpur. You won't regret it and they are dirt cheap compared to Irish rates. We stayed in the Traders Hotel last time. You won't meet many Irish ppl in Malaysia but the head bar man in the sky bar in the Traders is from Templeogue in Dublin. Sound as a pound too.

- Batu Caves in KL are worth a visit - bit smelly but interesting.

- Also the bird park and Aquarium are very good.

- Of course the shopping is AMAZING too! (esp if you're small framed)

Outside of KL - Langkawi is a lovely spot. Picture perfect. Have a look at AirAsia.com - flight sale on at moment.

ENJOY! You will love it The people are so nice....:D

MooShop

It really depends what you are looking for and what budget you have. Yes the hotel prices are cheaper than Ireland, but in fairness that wouldn't be too hard. I landed in Malaysia after 6 months of travelling so would have been on a tighter budget than most. But even the budget accommodation can be €15-20 for a shared dorm in Kuala Lumpur, KL is definitely a lot more expensive than the rest of Malaysia in my opinion.

But as stephwalsh said, KL is very good for shopping, malls everywhere. The Bird Park is fairly good and you can't go to KL without visiting the Petronas twin towers, just for the fact it's one of those iconic images you see everywhere!! Also inside is a huge shopping mall and gym in basement level.

Outside KL you could visit Pangkor, which is a really small island off the west coast. It's really nice and scenic, not very much tourists so beaches are quiet, white sand and blue water, also with some great local sea food that's caught fresh daily, cooked to order and fairly cheap. You can rent a motorbike or scooter and ride around the island, only takes about an hour and a half. It's easy to get too but realistically 1-2 days is plenty here.

Then there's Cameron Highlands, small town in the middle of a mountainous range. It's a nice place to go to get away from the humidity and heat in the rest of Malaysia. You can visit Strawberry farms here which are good to see or go on tours that are pre-arranged but aren't great. Most people go to Cameron Highlands for the trekking, you could spend days here walking different trails through dense forest with some great views. If your not really into trekking then this probably isn't for you.

Then you have Georgetown, decent size city with a bit to do. Fairly good night life here down around the backpacker area. Very nice National Park here, nice for strolling or trekking, depends on which trail you take. Also one trail brings you up to a lighthouse that you can go into with a great view of surrounding area and coastline.....picturesque on a nice day. You can go down the beach or visit the temples. I seen alot of temples on my trip so wasn't very impressed by this, but people who haven't been to temples before seem to enjoy it...really personal choice I think.

Langkawi really is a beautiful place, great beaches and just a nice place to chill out for a few days really. Can get a boat there from Georgetown. It's really easy to get around in Malaysia, buses everywhere.

As your time is limited and you need to get to Thailand then I'd stay around these areas as they are all on the west coast, you could travel east but travelling across the country takes longer, so more time in buses and less time in places you want to be. But if you want to check out the east coast you could go to Perenthian islands, which again are beautiful and picturesque, postcard stuff!! Then further down the south east coast is Tioman, supposed to be a nice place but don't know too much about it.

My advice would be to go to the west coast, pick a few of those places I mentioned to visit. Also there's a train that runs from KL right into Thailand and has loads of stops along the way. If you go to Langkawi you will be right beside the Thai border and can get either train or bus across to Thailand once you get back to mainland from Langkawi.

Anyway, hope that helps and I hope my rant isn't too hard to read. Enjoy your trip.

galway gal

Thanks for the advice.

Shopping, Lankawi and the Petronas towers are definitely on the list! Think we'll stick to your advice about staying around the west coast Mooshop, as we'll be doing enough travelling getting to and from the country, without adding to it too much while we're there. It's such a short trip, I've no doubt we'll be back for longer once we get the funds built up again.

blackbinman

thinking of going there myself! some great advice cheers

tezzy_v2

stephwalsh wrote: »

- check yourself in a really nice hotel in Kuala Lumpur. You won't regret it and they are dirt cheap compared to Irish rates. We stayed in the Traders Hotel last time. You won't meet many Irish ppl in Malaysia but the head bar man in the sky bar in the Traders is from Templeogue in Dublin. Sound as a pound too.

Sorry have to correct you there, he was from Terenure