Asia - Kuala Lumpur (KUL) Info

I'm travelling to Bali in about a week via Malaysia Airlines connecting in KUL. On the way back I have a layover, that will cause me to spend the night in Kuala Lumpur. My flight arrives at about 4:30pm and my connection leaves the next morning at 8:50am. I plan on staying at the Ritz-Carlton in the KL city, is that too far to travel for those hours, and does anyone know what the process would be, so I wouldn't have to take my luggage with me to just to re-check the next morning?
Thanks

I would suggest that you stay at the brandnew "Hilton" or "LeMeridien" at "Sentral" which is a 28 min trainride from KLIA. Should you decide to venture into downtown, its only a 10-15 min cab ride from Sentral once the traffic clears off in the evening.

It will certainly be a lot more convenient for you to return to the airport the next morning since these 2 hotels are just across the road from the KLIA Express terminal and it will allow you an hour or two extra sleep in the morning.

I would simply take a cab from the airport to your hotel, take all your luggage with you, the cabs are safe and efficient, and just depart early enough by cab to get back to the airport. Ritz-Carlton? Didn't know they had one in KL. I usually stay at the Mandarin Oriental.

Okay, so you have one night in KL. By the time you get to KL, the Petronas Towers will be closed, but it is still nice to walk around the KLCC and see the towers. For the evening, the KL Chinatown is an interesting place to visit, and you could follow that by visiting the nightlife spots on Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Cheers,

Z

How long and about how much is a cab from KUL to downtown?

How long and about how much is a cab from KUL to downtown?

I live just outside the citycentre and it costs me around RM70 from KUL and RM60 to KUL, for a "budget" airport taxi using coupons which you purchase before boarding. Travel time is around 45min to where I live but do add an additional 15 min for downtown, hence around 60min if the traffic condition is clear. During peak hours or during heavy downpour, it could be anyone's guess.

I found this option to be most convenient but with your circumstances I would strongly reccomend taking the train and stay at Sentral. By the time you clear immigration and collect your luggage, it will probably be around 5.30pm and you will probably enter the city limits at around 6.30 to 7.00pm when traffic could get really nasty. If it rains heavily dont be surprised that the roads could be flooded.

If you take the train, you will probably arrive at Sentral at around 6.00 to 6.30pm, walk across the road and check into your hotel. You could then freshen-up or rest a couple of hours before exploring KL by night after 8pm when traffic should have cleared. The next morning , just hop across the road to take the train back to KLIA !

No doubt KL has the cheapest RC in the world, but its location isnt exactly the best though service there is supposed to be one of the best in town.

If you take the train, you will probably arrive at Sentral at around 6.00 to 6.30pm, walk across the road and check into your hotel. You could then freshen-up or rest a couple of hours before exploring KL by night after 8pm when traffic should have cleared. The next morning , just hop across the road to take the train back to KLIA !
Second (or is that third?) the suggestion, but you don't have to wait until 8pm to get out -- you can hop on the PUTRA LRT or the Monorail straight to KLCC and Bukit Bintang respectively from Sentral.

Let me add my voice to the chorus to recommend KL Sentral as a good area to stay if you're only overnighting, especially with an earlyish departure like yours. As an additional bonus, you can check your bags in at KL Sentral too if you've got them with you, so you don't have to lug them all the way back to the airport (you're also meant to be able to check your bags through to KL Sentral at some stage, but I don't think that's been implemented yet). I've used the city check-in option before and it was smooth, and you definitely don't have to worry about battling long queues either.

Whilst the area around KL Sentral doesn't have so much to offer, the transport links from there make things easy - as stated previously, either the Monorail or Putra LRT depending on which area interests you most. Road traffic can get pretty nasty in the city centre, so staying clear of it's certainly worthy where possible! If you were staying in KL more than one night I'd recommend a hotel in the Golden Triangle area though.

How long and about how much is a cab from KUL to downtown?

You vacation in Bali and stay in Ritz-Carlton hotels, yet you are worried about cab fares?? :rolleyes:

Z

You vacation in Bali and stay in Ritz-Carlton hotels, yet you are worried about cab fares?? :rolleyes:

Z

Dont be surprised if a cab fare from LHR to the West End costs more than the room rate at the RC in Kuala Lumpur :confused:

Cab fare is also something that I normally worry about if visiting a foreign city for the first time. I have been "taken for a ride" so many times at so many locations that I now prefer to use airport trains/buses if these are not too inconvenient.

Cab fare is also something that I normally worry about if visiting a foreign city for the first time. I have been "taken for a ride" so many times at so many locations that I now prefer to use airport trains/buses if these are not too inconvenient.
KUL's a bit unusual in that the touts and gypsy taxis hanging out in the arrivals hall usually offer better rates that the official airport taxi monopoly... but, as everybody has said, if traveling alone it's cheaper and far faster to take the KLIA Ekspres to the center. A coupon taxi from Sentral onward to anywhere in the city is ~10 RM (~$3).

I'll add that I find the KUL Hilton superior in nearly every respect to the R-C, including the attitude of the staff, view, rooms, food in the lounge, and vastly more modern facilities.

As a new hotel, the Hilton still has some details to iron out, mostly related to housekeeping, but certainly has one of the very best price/quality ratios of all Hiltons.