Malaysia travel tales and tips

Malaysia travel tales

Our customers share their travelling experiences in Malaysia. Read about first hand stories on travel tips and guides, events, entertainment,shopping, food, business and transportation. Also, you might want to read our Kuala Lumpur city guide, Langkawi city guide, Melaka city guide, and Penang city guide.

M Yazeed	18 March 2005
Stayed at Lakehouse Cameron Highlands, The - Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.
Cameron Highlands still has many appeals, despite the ongoing construction and traffic. Tanah Rata and Brinchang are cool enough but I don't like the latter. Reminds me of those noisy and dingy Chinatown enclaves. But Brinchang has a night market every Saturday, colourful and cheap. Things not to be missed are the BOH plantation at Ringlet, and the jungle trails that are easily accessible. At the former, you can actually hike up to a lookout point. Still figuring which trails are mountain bike friendly. Weather is perfect for all day jaunts if I can find one. Since I stayed at Ringlet for the first night, I got there from Tapah. Going up was long but okay. Coming down was faster but irritating. Local cars really speed down the twists as if in pursuit of the next mountain to climb. Even 70km/downhill is too slow for them, so my advise, let them through because there's a lot more from where they came from.
W Grazio	17 March 2005
Stayed at Nova, Hotel - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Go to BB Plaza for some great deals on DVDs and Computer Software and Gaming console games.
C Naylor	17 March 2005
Stayed at Royale Bintang, The - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Kuala Lumpur? Hmmm? Well, I chose this location to get my visa fixed at the Indonesian Embassay (I have been to other cities in Asia and wanted something new...) so I chose KL. The airport was truly wonderful, clean and efficient, and I met a lovely lady on the plane who offered me a ride right to the front door of my hotel! (Taxi drivers will rip you off to and from the airport unless you can find one who will use their meters; Chinese taxi drivers tend to be more honest and accommodating, FYI). Try to stay in the Jalan Bukit Bingtang area for fun and shopping, or the area near the Twin Towers is fine too, and more upscale. Nightlife is not all that great, and being a gay man, there are little to no opportunities for you to have any fun. There is one gay bar called Blue Boy...stay away!!! better to hook up on-line. I met a nice guy at the gym in my hotel. For everyone else, the bar scene is really limited, despite the Planet Hollywoods and Hard Rock's of the world. Does one really want to spend their time in places like this anyway? The hotel's bars are much better. After I got my visa, I celebrated by going to high tea at the Ritz-Carlton which was fabulous! Great service, ambiance and food. There was a lovely Indian Woman who gave me a tour of the hotel's health club facilities despite the fact I was not even a hotel guest! She was VERY nice. The Mandarin Oriental was wonderful too. Twin Towers was great, and the mall is second to none. They have a great book store, Kinokuniya, that is a must for book freaks like myself. Chinatown is a must too and better saved for the evening...very lit up, cheerful and lots of fun, great shopping, too. I went to Penang for the weekend which was a big mistake; not really friendly, terrible beach, too many covered up woman, and not one gay bar!!! Yikes!! Despite all of that, the Eastern-Oriental Hotel was really great, and wonderful service, smiles from the staff etc. Penang, overall, was very boring! Having been all over Asia, and currently living in Bali, I suppose I have become quite spoiled, nonetheless, I wouldn't return to KL or Malaysia anytime soon. It is a beautifully clean place, modern and Western, but the overall Islamic influence does not mesh with the modern-day infrustructure one finds in KL. The areas round Chinatown are quite dirty, as well as the areas round "Little India" and the Central Market...very dirty, and no smiles from the mostly poor, Muslim communities that exist there. By far, the Chinese are the much more friendly of all the peoples you will find in KL and Penang. Overall, I found it to be a land of contradictions and inner racial unharmony. (The folks at the Indonesian Embassy were the friendliest and most helpful, despite the tensions between the two countries over an island dispute). Happy travels! And a note to all of my gay brothers and sisters, stay out of Malaysia!
L Ng siong	16 March 2005
Stayed at Grand Continental Penang, Hotel - Penang, Malaysia.
Don't take taxi if possible. Drivers never use taximeter and need hard bargaining to get a right price. Use the buses at the interchange of Komtar building. Following buses which I know pass to these places of interest. 1) Bus 130 and mini-bus 21 pass by KeK Lok Si at Air Hitam. One ringgit for 130 and 80cents for mini-bus. 2) Mini buses that ply Burmah Road will stop you at the Reclining buddha and Burmese temple. Drop at a blue police station post and walk straight from this small road known as Burma Road too to the temples. 3) To visit Gurney Drive hawker centre which opens after 6pm take any mini-buses from interchange that display show going to Feringhi. Food and buses are cheapest in Malaysia. Have a happy trip.
P Thong	14 March 2005
Stayed at Heritage Hotel Cameron Highlands - Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.
Forest Trail #4 is an easy, pleasant walk, mostly paved and leads past the Parit Falls. It is easily accesible behind the garden at Tanah Rata. Montane birds such as the Orange-bellied Leafbird and Large Niltava may be seen.
Y Chin	14 March 2005
Stayed at Royale Bintang, The - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Beware of overcharges by taxi drivers and some (e.g. those at railway stations) even take several passengers. Some taxi drivers gang-up to charge unreasonably high rates (e.g. outside Twin Towers, high-class hotels and shopping centres). If unsure, ask a few drivers for price indication; walk a couple of blocks away to catch the taxis; confirm with the driver that they don't take passengers on the way. Charges of hotel taxis / limos may be double of the normal rates but they are safer (because generally large hotels keep a record of your taxi's registration and driver) and may still be cheaper than those gang-up taxis. If there is a taxi driver you feel you can trust, ask for his contact number & use the same driver for other trips without call-out charge.
O Osman	13 March 2005
Stayed at ParkCity Everly Hotel - Miri, Malaysia.
Miri offers balance itinerary for those who wants to have a bit of everything that this Borneo site offer. A good drive to Niah cave follow by a dip in Lambir Waterfall should pretty much cober the eco-tourism part. After which, shopping in the town and dine in its hotel restaurant balance the urban side. I recommend shopping for traditional artifacts which really makes a good souvenirs and decoration for our home. I myself bought an infant carrier which was handmade by the Iban tribe. It costs only RM180 which is about $85 S'pore dollar.people are friendly but still must be wary when enjoying oneself in their disco.
E Andriette	13 March 2005
Stayed at Royale Bintang, The - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
There are any number of good restaurants in the area. The Hawkers' Court in the basement of Lot 10 is a real deal. One can eat well for 4 or 5 ringgets. I especially enjoyed the food at the Middle Eastern restaurant on the opposite side of the street, close by the Japanese restaurant that was also pretty good.
J Bailey	11 March 2005
Stayed at Puteri Pan Pacific Hotel Johor Bahru, The - Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Johor Bharu is not really a tourist's place, although we enjoyed the short time there. There are not very many things to see in JB itself. We spent a day in Singapore, which is easy to get to from the hotel. You can get a bus from the local (KotaRaya) bus station which drops you at a railway station in Singapore - make sure you have Singapore dollars BEFORE you do this! Incidentally, no map we saw of JB had a scale on it, and they did not make clear where the bus stations are. The local (KotaRaya) bus station is a few minutes walk from the Puteri Pan Pacific Hotel. The main (Larkin) bus station is several miles away - this is the one you will need for most journeys into the rest of Malaysia.
E Ng	08 March 2005
Stayed at Radius International Hotel, Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
My friends drove me around KL to places. However it is easy to get a cab too, but make sure to juggle the fare with the driver or look for those cabs that go by meter. I had great food at Jalan Alor, especially Kam Heong crabs (W.A.W restaurant), and I had the best Bah Kut Teh at Mungo Jerry restaurant (I can't remember the street name though). Bukit Bintang Plaza and Sungei Wang Plaza is a great place for shopping if you are on budget, and also not forgetting Chinatown, where you can also shop through the night market.

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