sokolov

I was surprised how little I could pay with credit card in Malaysia. Even some 24 hour restaurants would not take credit cards.

And at the hotels that did take credit cards, they forced me to pay the local tax and a deposit with cash, and cash only.

The KL Ekspres airport train is running a campaign with VISA, to promote VISA paywave, expressively including foreign VISA cards. But for us, it didn't work. We tried with three different carsc from two different banks at two different turnstiles.

In any case, the KL Ekspres train felt like a tourist trap. For two people, it is cheaper to take Grab Car to the airport. And for one, the non-Ekspres train isn't that much slower, but cheaper.

Diplomatico

KL Ekspres takes 27 minutes to KL Sentral, has working a/c, and free wifi. Grab Car takes at least 45 minutes, over an hour if the traffic is particularly bad.

IAN-UK

But don't forget to factor in the faff at Sentral arranging a taxi for the next step of he journey, and the cost and the time involved in that part of the itinerary. Given the traffic you allude to, the time between Sentral and final destination can be significant. Unless, of course, you stay at the station's hotels

On my own, I take the bus into Sentral (MYR12) and then LRT. If I'm pressed for time I substitute train for bus, but end up cursing because one's just gone ....

BuildingMyBento

...and then once you're at KL Sentral, it's on to the final destination.

Grab (car), every time.

Diplomatico

I usually transfer to the LRT at Sentral. It's "faff-free".

IAN-UK

For you (and me) it might be. But not all visitors stay close to an LRT station, and not all are confident enough to use the metro network.

I just wanted to make it clear that tme between KUL and Sentral is not always the clincher in getting between airport and hotel

sokolov

In our case it was 33 minutes - plus 20 minutes wait, because the doors closed just as we were approaching the train. (There are no signs upstairs telling you when the train is leaving shortly.)

The Grab Car estimate at the time was 37 minutes, IIRC, plus 2 minutes wait. But by then we had already paid for the Ekspres train.

I would not use a public WiFi like that. High danger of getting hacked.
There were big advertisements for LTE-coverage, but the coverage didn't last all the way to KLIA.

Unless you are really in a hurry, and you happen to be at Sentral, and you are there at the right time, and you are travelling by yourself, and you are able-bodied, I really don't see the appeal of the Eskpres train.

TravelDream

Thinking of CNY travels and I was wondering whether Malaysia was a yes or a no during Chinese New Year.
Will touristy things be open or closed? I imagine Chinatown will be a ghost town, but what about other areas?

I'm primarily thinking of KL and Ipoh.

fajar

Hi, I want to ask about the bus from KL to Melaka. What's the most comfortable bus company and how do I get the ticket? Is it possible to do this as a day trip from KL?

higham44

I am wanting to travel from KL to various places in Malaysia in May and would welcome advice about the most convenient and cost effective methods to get from place to place. For example, from KL to Cameron Highlands; Langkawi; Terengganu. Is it easy to self-drive there? Can you hire a car with driver to move around the peninsula or are taxis from place to place better? Cheap flights?

Advice most welcome.

Skyman65

We rented a car and drove ourselves around. Drove from KL to Taman Negara N.P. and back. I thought it was pretty painless. I love road trips, the freedom of having your own car, and the adventure of experiencing driving in other countries, so I prefer to drive when I can. If you're from the UK, you're already used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road . So you won't need to adjust to that. I live in Southern Taiwan, so I'm used to dealing with pretty lawless driving habits. I found Malaysian drivers to be more courteous and law-abiding than in Taiwan. You'll need to get a "Touch-n-Go" card (available at convenience stores) to pay for toll roads. From what I remember, many toll stations don't offer the option to pay cash. Fuel prices were very affordable.

We also took a domestic flight to Penang. After having done that, we felt like it would probably have been easier to either drive or take a bus. KL airport is a long drive from central KL, so by the time we got to the airport, checked in, and through security, we could almost have driven to Penang, with less hassle. They do have express trains that connect the airport and central KL, and I don't remember why we decided to use a Grab car instead. It may have been that for two people, it was cheaper to take a car.

But Langkawi is quite a bit farther than Penang, and you'd need to take a ferry, so...maybe it's better to fly there. They do have "luxury" buses with big comfy seats for long-haul destinations. We looked into that for getting to Penang, but in the end, decided to take a cheap flight instead.

invisible

Kuching

Apart well known tourist places - Orangutan sanctuary, Bako, etc, does Kuching have any hidden secrets?

Separate question. What is the most economical way (emphasis on economic) to obtain Malaysia visa for an Indian national who is a student in Singapore? I did read Malaysia Visa Policy on wiki. Did not get the answer there. Local (singaporean) tourist agencies are charging SGD $60 for visa.

neptuno3

Hi Malaysia experts, I have asked this question of both Cathay Pacific and the Sama Sama hotels and everyone seems a bit confused. Would love some insight. My family of four are soon flying from KLIA to NYC. Our flight leaves early in the morning and we will be coming into KLIA2 from LGK the night before. Once we leave KLIA2 we'd like to take our boarding passes from online checkin (this is about 17 hours before the flight departs) and go through customs and immigration in KLIA the night prior to the flight to stay at the Sama-Sama airport hotel inside the terminal. We are not checking bags. Is this possible? Or must we go to the Sama Sama hotel that's outside the airport? Thanks for any help.

puchong

Why do you need to use a "tourist agency" for a Malaysian visa? Why not go to the High Commission to eliminate the agency service charge and get the visa at cost?

puchong

While I do not know the specifics, be aware that many airlines do not allow online check-in for flights / passengers bound to the US