phlox

hello there!

does anyone have some tips for us regarding KL? we are a young couple with a 20 month old child (in december) and will be spending a week in Kuala Lumpur.

What are cool things to do and see? My boyfriend and I love asian cities, especially the great food, beautiful temples, massive shoppingmalls and luxurious but affordable relaxation . This is our first visit to KL (have been to Bangkok and Tokyo in the past) AND our first time abroad with our daughter and we will be staying in The Federal hotel...

Love to hear from anyone who has been to or lives in KL, with or without kids!

KenJohn

Well, children are welcomed almost everywhere; restaurants, shops, malls, etc - its a cultural thing.

Not sure where you are from but do note that some babies and small children can suffer from heat rash given the climate in Malaysia. Should generally be fine with air-conditioning. Lots of baby talc otherwise!

party_boy

With a huge waterpark about a half hour out of KL. Seems quite kid friendly when I was there recently. As for food. It's everywhere...be adventerous!

mario33

I cannot believe the hostility towards the OP on this thread.

This is a "travel" website, and not a forum for discussing moral or family values. If we can accept gay and lesbian posters here (theres even a forum for gay and lesbian travels, and I have nothing against gays and lesbians), why cant we be a little more respectful towards an unmarried parent

To the OP, I welcome you to Flyertalk and I assure you the rude remarks seen on this thread is not representative of the majority of posters here on FT. I hope you will continue to post here and ask questions, and to contribute whenever you are able to.

If you use the search function on "Kuala Lumpur" you will find several existing threads which might interest you. As a summary, KL has limitted tourist attractions (Twin Towers, KL Tower, Petaling Street, Batu Caves) but plenty of shopping malls and very affordable luxury accomodations.

Federal Hotel is located at the less glitzy end of Jalan Bukit Bintang. Its a very old hotel built almost 50 years ago as the first "international' class hotel to accomodate foreign dignitaries in KL during the celebration of independence from colonial rule. I do not know when the last renovation took place and I have not seen the rooms, but I would imagine this hotel having a 3.5 to 4 star rating. The area to the left of the hotel (as you exit the main entrance) could be a little dodgy, but the area to the right is great for shopping and dining. Jalan Alor is just across the street from the hotel and the entire street comes alive with food stalls during the evenings (interesting sight but may be wise to eat elsewhere if you are not used to street food)

If you have not prepaid your accomodation, I would recommend staying at the Crowne Plaza which I believe offers the best value accomodation in KL. A former Hilton and newly renovated, its located between KLCC (twin towers) and Bukit Bintang (shopping street). Theres also a monorail station right at the doorstep but taxis are relatively inexpensive in KL.

Another word of advice is that people here are relatively ignorant, and may not be used to the idea of unmarried parents. If you do come into a conversation with a local, just introduce your boyfriend as your husband. Not that you will face hostility as unmarried parents, but you will save yourself from a lot of funny and curious looks. Even solo travellers are looked upon as aliens from another planet since most locals just cannot imagine the concept of travelling without a partner

Feel free to ask further questions, and FYI there also a forum for "travelling with children" on FT.

Have a pleasant stay in KL

phlox

Hello Mario,

Thank you for your message, your apologies on behalf of others and for luring me back to the thread
All your advice is very welcome and usefull. We did prepay the Federal, I guess there is not much I can do about that anymore...I will try however to switch to the Crowne. Thanks again for your message, you are very kind ^

dtsm

[Quote of now-deleted off-topic post removed by the moderator, along with response to that post]


Back to query from single mom - welcome to flyertalk ^

Depending on budget, you might want to also consider the new Hilton which can be reached directly by train (stops right below hotel). Regardless of where you stay, consider upgrading to executive floor as it usually includes buffet breakfast, free drinks, and quiet place to relax....with 20 month, you might not want to fight the coffee shops, etc.

Enjoy your stay.

Traveling Consultant

Would definately agree with considering the Hilton. You can get an "innovation suite" with a good size bedroom and seperate living/dining room which would be nice for a traveling family. The Hilton as mentioned above is also next to the Sentral train station which makes for easy transfer from the airport. Additionally you can use the train/subway system to get over to the upscale malls on the other side of town. Prices were $150 USD in '05 and included the buffet breakfast. I think other standard rooms were below $100 USD and were also quite nice. I also had a colleague stay in the "golden triangle" over at the Westin and Ritz, both places were also quite nice and rooms were extremely reasonable for the scale of the hotel (around 100 USD).

aufinger

I have been to KL on many occasions and I concur with the above statement. I am divorced. Once when asked about my wife I stated that I was single I have since been introduced as "not yet married". There is no ready understanding of divorce or cohabitation so it is best to just avoid the subject.

[Response to now-deleted post removed by the moderator]

zboub345

If you're into art and culture , do not miss the Islamic Arts Museum, interesting pieces(nice collection of coran,beautiful weapons)nice architecture and it's not crowded at all ^

tide

The OP said she was going to stay at the Federal and that she had already prepaid for the hotel. I've stayed here a couple of times, admittedly the last time was several years back in 1999. It ain't all that bad - no reason to change if you've already paid for it. Rooms are small and a little tired but good enough - there will be a/c, a bath/shower/hot water/TV - your typical 3* hotel.

Good central location in the fringes of the KL Golden Triangle, out the lobby a block or two to your right will be supermarkets (Parkson?) in the Sungei Wang Plaza mall so you can stock-up on toddler/baby needs (jar food, diapers, etc).7-Eleven nearby too IIRC. Lots of eating options in the neighborhood with restuarants on the main Jalan Bukit Bintang (that's where the hotel is) to outdoor foodstalls in the road ahead - Jalan Alor - which go on late into the wee hours of the morning.

You may find, however, that there is some "working girl" traffic at the Federal - do not be bothered by this and they won't bother you.

TJQuill

Welcome to flyertalk and enjoy KL. I just spent a few weeks there but was too busy to do anything on the tourist side.

KLIA Express is a great way to get into the city, faster than taking a cab. Don't fall for the train/limo combo, plenty of cabs at Central Station and much less expensive. Sit on the right side of the train for best views on the way into town.

MilesAndMore

May I suggest the two hotels that are part of the KL megamall ? We stayed at the Boulevard last month and with a (then) five month old it was great being able to shop a little, get back to the room a little, etc. There is a good selection of stuff there with excellent restaurants/eateries to boot.

mario33

KILA Express may work fine for a single traveller with little luggage, but may not be practical for a couple with a young child and heavy luggage in tow.

First of all you need to deal with escalators/lifts/stairs at both ends of the train ride. Nodoubt there are porters who could assist you and you need to find one, but why go through all the hassle.

Secondly you would hardly save anytime, if you just miss a train the wait could be anything from 20-30min for the next departure, plus 30min for the train ride, another 25-30min getting off the train and getting a taxi ride into town. It may take as long as 1.5hrs to get into town, compared to approx 1 hr- 1hr 15min by the "airport limo".

You will also not save any money. 2 adult tickets will set you back MYR70 plus approx MYR 10 for a taxi into town, costing at least MYR80. The "airport limo" should not cost more than MYR70-75.

IMO the only advantage of the KLIA Express is not having to deal with "limo" drivers who could sometimes be suffering from severe exhaustion.

jpatokal

Oh, come on! Trains run at 15 minute intervals at peak hour, 20 minutes off-peak, so the statistically most probable wait is 8-10 min. It's one (1) elevator ride from Arrivals (Level 3) to the Ekspres station (Level 1), one (1) elevator ride at KL Sentral from the platform to the gates, and fifty (50) meters to the taxi queue. Even with a baby in tow this will not take you more than 10 minutes max.

I always take the KLIA Ekspres and stay at Hilton or Meridien; not only I am usually in my room one hour after flight arrival, but I don't need to contend with KL's murderous traffic, a term that applies figuratively to the traffic jams and literally to the driving habits -- like the fellow on a bike who tried passing on the right while we were turning right on the expressway, and ended up sticking his head through the back window before performing an acrobatic somersault off the car hood and onto the pavement. I'm genuinely amazed he lived.

mario33

You are technically correct, the wait for the train should not be more than 20min. However your statistic does not seem to work for me, as a regular user of the KLIA Ekspress the wait always seems to last forever. And not forgetting the occasional merger between the express and transit (slower and "cheaper") service without any advance notice nor apology/refund. IMO the KLIA Ekpress is perhaps the biggest transportation ripoff in SE Asia (apart from Phuket's tuk-tuk )

The elevators at KLIA to the train platform are not easy to locate. If you take the wrong ones just a few metres opposite, you end up at the bus terminal instead and theres no way to get across to the train platform. Even as a regular user I find it a pain to use the elevators, its slow and often very crowded.

Though I know they have elevators at the Sentral station arrival platform, honestly I dont even know where they are located. Not exactly user-friendly. You have also forgotten to factor in the queue at the taxi counter at Sentral, and also the queue to board a taxi there which can sometimes be quite a wait.

As for KL's notorious traffic, either way you have to face the traffic jam irrespective of whether you take the train or airport limo. Sentral station is located outside the CBD and you have to take a taxi into the city anyway.

I do enjoy train rides as much as flying. If you are staying at Sentral (Hilton or Le Meridien) and have little luggage, KLIA Ekspress is without doubt the most efficient way to travel.

However, for a couple with a young child (and possibly several bags) going to Bukit Bintang on their first trip to KL (and their first trip abroad together), I would say forget it and save all the hassle. Take the airport limo, which is cheaper and it delivers you from door to door.