I will be flying in to Kuala Lumpur early January for a overnight stopover as my connection back to LAX is about 30 hrs later. I arrive at 7.30 a.m. and fly out at 3.15 p.m. the next day. I have a reservation at the Petaling Jaya as I am using points. As I will be travelling with a one year old baby, and am concern about getting to the hotel and back. We will be having only the hand luggage with us.
Any advice? Give me as much details as you can.
Also, does anyone know whether the Hilton near KLIA will open before Jan.?
You have a couple of choices, either getting a cab from the airport or taking the KLIA Ekspress. I would try the KLIA Ekspress. fare is RM35 (about US$9 each way)
Takes 28 minutes, upon arrival at KL sentral, go the the Putra Train (exit up the escalators, then go through the exit (insert exit card) then walk straight for about 15 meters and turn left through the walkway, past the back of mcdonalds, etc... through the corridor, it opens out, turn left... walk down about 25 meters and turn right to the "Putra" station. It will say the name above the entrance, you can then buy your ticket to "Asia Jaya" or "Taman Jaya" it is about RM1.60 (about US$0.45c). From there it is a 10 minute (no more, no less) walk or cab ride to the hotel. You will need to do the same to get back to KLIA.
1yo baby - I would be more inclined to take a cab from the airport to the hotel. The other alternative is to stay out at the airport (very boring) - but you could then from the airport take a day trip into town. I would suggest with such a short trip to perhaps stay closer to town (JW Marriott, Westin KL - both next to each other, with plenty of shops, plus there is a Putra station about 200m up the road from the Marriott - outside Sungei Wang shopping plaza/Lot 10)
The new Hilton is located at Sentral which is a 28 min train ride from KLIA. The Hilton website indicates that this hotel will open its doors in July 2004. Since the external facade of the building and the landscaping appeared to be completed a couple of months ago, it may well open its doors a little earlier but I dont think there will be a January 2004 opening date.
Taxis are relatively inexpensive in KL and since you are travelling with a baby it may not be a good idea to go around town using the trains. Also bear in mind the heat and humidity in this region before venturing out under the sun with your baby.
You could catch a cab from KL Sentral after taking the KLIA Ekspress, it will cost you no more than RM$9 to get to the hotel including the KL Sentral surcharge. This equates to about US$2!
I would personally, if travelling with a 1yo, take the KL Ekspress train to KL Sentral then walk out and keep right and go to the taxi desk (still air cond throughout) and a cab will pull up and drop you door to door to the hotel. This is :
1) quicker
2) assures complete air conditioning
3) comfort - there are toilets, space etc on the 28 min train ride
From catching the train to arriving at the Hilton PJ will take you about 45 minutes, do the same to get back to KL Sentral. All for about US$10-12 each way.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kawoh:
I would personally, if travelling with a 1yo, take the KL Ekspress train to KL Sentral then walk out and keep right and go to the taxi desk (still air cond throughout) and a cab will pull up and drop you door to door to the hotel. This is :
1) quicker
2) assures complete air conditioning
3) comfort - there are toilets, space etc on the 28 min train ride
From catching the train to arriving at the Hilton PJ will take you about 45 minutes, do the same to get back to KL Sentral. All for about US$10-12 each way.
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ERL : Purchase ERL ticket at KLIA, take escalator/ lift down to the ERL station, wait for up to 20 mins for train, travel 28 min on train, arrive at Sentral and take escalator up to ground level, purchase ticket for cab ride, 15 min cab ride to PJ Hilton.
CAB : Purchase ticket at KLIA, walk to taxi stand just outside the terminal on the same level, 40 min taxi ride to PJ Hilton.
COSTS : Cab fares are per car, ERL fares are per passenger
You may want to rethink using points there. I booked a $38/night rate one time, and at that price your points would be much more valuable at another property.
Take a Cab! Its cheap and its faster than taking the train...you also wont have to carry all the luggage from the train station to the taxi counter at the Sentral station. The cab takes only 35-40 minutes with no waiting 15-20 minutes for the "next train". I used to take the train but the taxi is so much more convenient to get to the PJ area. If I was staying in downtown KL I'd take the train but for PJ take a cab!
