I have never been to these places and I would be grateful for any advice, particularly if you think that I am asking for trouble with this itinerary.

The hitch is that I would be going with my wife and our (by then) 2 year old son. Our trips with him in North America and Europe have gone very well so far, so we feel confident enough to take him on a longer flight to Asia.

The plan is this:

Arrive

Days 1-4 - Singapore - Explore the city
Day 5 - Take bus to KL on the grounds that it will be less of a hassle than flying
Days 6-8 - Kuala Lumpur - Explore the city
Day 9 - Take the bus back to Singapore, then catch a ferry to Batam/Bintan
Days 10-12 Batam/Bintan - haven't figured out which one would make more sense, but the goal would be to rest and relax. We are not really expecting exposure to authentic Indonesian culture here!
Day 13 - Ferry back to Singapore, overnight in SIN
Days 14-15 - Singapore again

Depart

In essence, three destinations, two travel days on the ground. Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks for any and all comments.

Wow, 6 full days in Singapore. To me that is way to much time, but it all depends on what you enjoying doing and seeing. Also, KL is nice, but there are nicer places in Malaysia, like Penang and Malacca.

If you don't want to fly while you are out there, one thing you can do is spend a few less nights in Singapore, take a bus to Malacca, spend a few night, and then take a bus to KL.

Thanks!

I allotted 6 days to SIN on the basis that the first full day might be a partial writeoff due to jet lag, and just to account for the slower pace of travelling with a child. But I will reconsider.

I had not really considered Malacca, but I see now that it is fairly convenient and it looks quite interesting. Thanks for that tip!

I'd advise skipping Batam and Bintan in favor of... well, almost anywhere else, really. They're both handy weekend escapes for Singaporeans, but Bintan's overpriced for what you get and much of Batam is rather grotty, and the ferry (and Indonesian immigration at the other end...) is arguably more hassle than flying via Changi, which is known as the world's best airport for a reason.

As alternatives, Langkawi provides a similar sanitized let's-lie-on-the-beach experience as Bintan, only with much better beaches, and it's easily and cheaply reached from KL. But since you've got two weeks, you could easily fly up to eg Phuket (1.5 hrs from Singapore) or Bali (2.5h), the latter being a much nicer introduction to Indonesia... although with a two-year-old I'd probably stick to Malaysia & Thailand.

Thanks for the suggestion. Are there any worthwhile beach destinations that could be visited along the way between KL, Malacca and Singapore?

Langkawi sounds interesting, although if there was something a short bus trip away it might be a bit easier than flying...

Singapore and KL are the two best cities in the region for minimizing adaptation needs and having modern conveniences similar to a western city. Singapore particularly has a well-oiled tourism info machine that can tell you why 6 days there really isn't enough and there are oodles of things to see and do (like going to see the Merlion!)

Realistically, though, ya got shopping and food at world-class and a museum or two and maybe a lunch or drink at Raffles Hotel.

Melaka is walkable and has a lot of history but I give it a day at best. The better beaches on the peninsula are further north, either on Langkawi on the west side (best in winter, not summer, due to monsoons) and Perhentians/Redang on the east (albeit harder to reach).

If I had to fly one place it'd be Kuching, as that offers colonial atmosphere, great hotel deals and some interesting national parks nearby with daytrip possibilities. It has a good combination of interest and ease of travel.

Bali is great but can have a higher adaptation and hassle factor, what with all the hawkers in certain areas and lower sanitation standards and the like.

No. Well, I suppose there's Port Dickson, but West Coast Malaysia beaches are nothing special until you get up to Penang.

I'm not quite sure I understand your reluctance to fly here? Domestic fares in Malaysia are ridiculously cheap, and I'd take a 35-min plane ride over a 5-hour bus ride with a 2-year-old any day.

I'd spend more days in Malaysia.

Consider bussing it SIN-Malacca-KL-Penang-Singapore. Penang is nice to relax for awhile, and they have some nice beach hotels).

However take note that the Penang-Singapore bus trip will take 9-10 hours (you may wish to consider flying that leg instead?).

So something along the lines of:

Arrive

Days 1-4 - Singapore - Explore the city
Day 5-6 - Bus Malacca
Days 7-9 - Bus Kuala Lumpur
Day 10-13 - Bus Penang
Day 14 - Bus/Fly Singapore (I'd suggest fly with one of the numerous LCCs)
Day 15 - Singapore

Depart

Is Tioman not too thrilling these days?

Still the quintessential beach paradise but a lot more hassle to travel to with a two year old especially when they stopped the direct flight from Singapore , so now one needs to bus it and boat across from mainland.

Oh, Berjaya stopped flying to SIN? Have any guesses as to why?
Even if they flew from Johor Baru it would be a haul.

In that case, it IS a much bigger pain.

They now fly sin to redang island twice a week. Thomas now only served from subang.
...... Redang is not too bad either

Re: Singapore - we have on three occasions now spent a week there with our young kids. Loads to do and it's a good place to get over jet lag given it's a 24hr place and very safe.

To me, it would seem to make sense to drop Batam/Bintan and instead pick somewhere with direct flights to both Singapore and KL - so as mentioned, Langkawi, Phuket, Penang, Ko Samui or even Kota Kinabalu on Borneo (pick the beach depending on time of year).

I'll also say that the bus between Singapore and KL might not be all that good with a toddler as it's a lot of time doing nothing...

Also, I think you have too long in KL - I don't think there's that much to do with young kids there, especially when compared to Singapore.

Appreciate you didn't ask for accommodation recommendations, but there are serviced apartments available in Singapore - we use Lanson Place, just off Orchard Road. Excellent set-up and you can even get a grocery delivery before you arrive so the fridge is fully stocked!

Kuala Lumpur is a nice city, and aside from maybe Penang, it is my favourite place in Malaysia that I have been to (need to go to Sabah one day and see KK)!

I would really recommend the PETRONAS Towers and the Lake Gardens, as well as Bukit Bintang for the evening, and for some afternoon shopping beforehand! http://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2...in-a-nutshell/

Thanks for all the excellent advice!