tomy77

Also worth to note if you stay at Westin, there's a connecting walk-away "bridge" from pavillion(?) mall across from westin, to a lot of places.
It even connects up to Petronas tower.
And the bridge has AC
So really helpful during those hot days.

sonomawine

Perfect thread for our upcoming trip--Thanks Dolphinyong!

A few questions:

1. Any thoughts on taking the train from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. We were thinking about two nights at each place and the train in the middle;

2. Is Kuala Lumpur festive for New Year's Eve?

3. Do you like the location of the E&O Hotel in Penang (which me be a bit out of you area of expertise).

Thanks much.

Dolphinyong

Thanks a lot for the information. Hmm, that's totally outrageous. I have never taken a taxi at KL sentral, and I assumed that they are just the 'normal' taxi as in any other part of KL. Apparently, I'm totally wrong. Sorry for that, guys, will take a note on that.

Once again, sorry for the inaccurate information and thanks a lot for the information=)

Dolphinyong

Hi, glad that you like this thread. There are certainly more information that I should gain in order to make this thread better.

1. I don't really recommend you to take the train from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. The long distance train in Malaysia is known as KTM. And what is famous about KTM is it's capability of DELAY. It happens very very frequent. My girlfriend's mum just got stuck at the train station for 2 hours because of the delay. I would recommend you to spend one more night at Kuala Lumpur. Just take the express bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur. I think most Malaysia prefer the buses than train. The buses in Malaysia are kinda luxurious if you wanna compare them with those in Europe, however, there's no attached toilet on the bus. The bus driver will make several stopover along the highway though, no worry=)

2. Yes=) And it's crowded especially at Bukit Bintang area.

3. I looked on the hotel's location, it's situated near the city centre, and it's by the beach if not mistaken. So, it's perfect=)

Enjoy yourself. And if possible, do give us some feedback after your trip. It would certainly help the others=) Thanks a lot.

Regards.

tomy77

No worries.
We all here to share information.

Too much travel

The E&O's nowhere near the beach! Retaining sea wall, yes. Beach, no.

Dolphinyong89

Thanks for the info, TMT, it's nice to have someone helping on this thread.

Regards.
(Dolphinyong aka Dolphinyong89, having problem to sign in via facebook)

Dolphinyong

Dolphinyong is back on Flyertalk, cheers!!!

It seems that the technical issue of signing in via facebook is solved=)

Any questions is welcomed=)

sunnyhor

Hi - first post on FT.

Going to Singapore and Malaysia for around 6 days next week. Arriving in Singapore and going up to Johor Bahru to rent a car the next day and driving up to Melaka, KL, Genting, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh and finally leaving from Penang but haven't quite fixed the itinerary. Recommendations needed

Also, I have heard recently about security issues in Malaysia...Is it a real problem? Any tips on driving in KL? Thanks.

Dolphinyong

Hi,

First of all, I would like to warn you about the public security in Johor Bahru. Be aware of robbers, it's an everyday issue. Don't go to places like petrol station or ATM early in the morning or late at night. Don't carry a handbag, handbag snatching is very frequent in Johor Bahru. Actually I would advise you to minimize your time in Johor Bahru, nothing much to see or eat there actually.

Singapore transport system is very efficient, driving is not necessary I would say. 1day trip would be enough I think.

Actually I don't really recommend you to drive in Malaysia, the road signs are confusing, even we, the Malaysian got confused sometimes. A GPS is a must I would say if you insist on driving. And traffic jam in Melaka, Kuala Lumpur and Penang can be exhausting.

I would recommend you to take the buses actually. We have nice buses that travel from one state to another, they are luxurious, punctual and cheap. Compared to long-distance buses that I took in Europe, the long-distance buses in Malaysia and Singapore are much better actually, the seats are much wider and much comfortable. The only weak-point is that there's no toilet attached in those buses, however, the bus driver will stop at certain rest-house along the high-way, you can ask them to stop if they don't. You can take "5-stars tours" bus from Singapore straight away to Melaka. Then, take "KKKL" bus from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur. Then taking "KKKL" or "Transnational" buses from Kuala Lumpur to Penang or Ipoh.

I would recommend you to spend a night in Melaka. It's the city of culture and history. The food there must be tried. You might need to catch a taxi or you can rent a car to go around Melaka.

A 2 nights stay in Kuala Lumpur would be good for you since you only plan to spend 6days in Msia and Singapore. Don't drive in Kuala Lumpur unless you wanna taste the Malaysian traffice jam, no kidding, it might drive you crazy. Public transport like LRT is very efficient in Kuala Lumpur, it will bring you to every tourist spots that you wanna visit.

I would suggest you to skip Ipoh, since you only have six days in total.

Penang is a nice city. Food, culture, shopping etc...You might wanna visit some nice beaches in Penang or you can take a ferry to Langkawi island.

In conclusion, I would recommend you not to drive from one state to another, it's tiring and would waste your time. Take public transport in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. You can take a taxi or rent a car to travel in Melaka and Penang. Skip Ipoh unless you have extra time.

Hope it helps. Feel free to ask me any question=)

WEEBOBBY

Hi
This is a great thread - well done !

We are a group of 4 people in KL for two days - landing 6am Friday 18th January , departing Saturday 19th January 11.50pm .

What 5 star hotel would you recommend for the best location for experiencing Shopping / Tourist Attractions etc . So far I have been looking at Sheraton/Westin/ShangriLa/MO - want hotel with outdoor pool close to everything.

also for 4 people would we be best to get a taxi from airport to hotel ?
OR
train from airport then taxi from KL Sentral to hotel?

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Jailer

2nd Olympic medal ever; first for a female:


KUCHING, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Pandelela Rinong's dive to a bronze medal at the London Olympics today, has secured a special reward for the teenager from the Sarawak Government.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said he would announce the special reward when the diving athlete returned from the Olympics.

He said the reward would befit the achievement of the 19-year-old who became the first Malaysian woman to earn a medal in the 10m platform event.

He said the people of Sarawak were proud to have an athlete from the state, in having bagged the bronze medal in the event.

"She will be an inspiration to others," added Abdul Taib when asked to comment on Pandelela's feat.

In the final at the London Aquatic Centre earlier today, Pandelela shook off a poor start to claw back and accumulate 359.20 points to finish behind gold medalist Chen Ruolin of China and Australia's Brittany Broben who took the silver.

With the achievement, she will receive RM150,000 under the youth and sports ministry's incentive scheme and a monthly pension of RM2,000.

Dolphinyong

Very sorry for late reply, I forgot to reply your question.

Well, I have just stayed at JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur, everything there is of 5stars standard, actually better compared to some of the 5stars hotels in European countries which I have visited. It's just next to Westin hotel, closer to Pavilion Shopping Malls etc. Jalan Alor street food area is also within walking distance. I just checked the rate for your date it's RM 370 plus taxes after LNF discount. It has 2double bed in one room, so can accommodate 4 of you well, confirm the maximum capacity in a room with the hotel though=) It seems that they allow 3persons to stay at the same room without charges according to their website. Breakfast included=) If you are a Marriott gold or platinum member, you will get complimentary access to their cozy lounge=)
If you are a marriott member, I think you must be more familiar with the elite member benefits and LNF. If not, just send me a pm, I will give you further information about LNF and elite challenge=)

In terms of location, it depends on where you wanna visit in KL. If you wanna enjoy the shopping sales, then among your hotel shortlists, Westin KL is much more superior compared to the other two. If you wanna visit the petronas tower, national mosque etc, a hotel near to LRT station will be fine, Sheraton seems to be the one which is nearest to LRT station. In this case, you might wanna consider Renaissance KL, which cost you RM 240 plus taxes only with LNF discount, it's located right in front of a LRT station.

Mandarin Oriental KL is a nice hotel, but it seems to situated at the part of city which you will need a taxi or car to go around.

Taking a taxi straight away from Airport to your hotel might be better, I supposed you are arriving at KLIA airport right? KLIA express is not cheap (RM 35/adult/way and taking a taxi from KL central to your hotel is not cheap either. So, I would recommend you to take taxi straight away (RM 70 to RM110) from KLIA to your hotel=) Do report back about your trip yeah, it's very much appreciated=)

Hope it helps somehow and sorry again for late reply.

Regards,
Dolphinyong

Dolphinyong

Thanks, it's our first medal from a sport other than badminton=)

Jailer

Indeed, and to celebrate I just made an award reservation to Hong Kong, the first leg of a trip that will take me, Mrs. J. and the Jailettes on to Mayaysia, July 2013.

Edited to add that Pandelela was interviewed on American prime time Olympics' coverage and she was very likable and charismatic, it was fun to see her joy in representing her country.