Best of Kuala Lumpur thread
 

Have done a search and have not been able to find much beyond arguments over which hotel is best in KL. I will be spending about a week and a half in KL shortly and am trying to figure out how best to spend my spare time.

Looking for advice on:
- tourist sites worth hitting (and missing)
- night life beyond the Beach Club
- best shopping for gifts/movies/video games
- favorite restaurants
- good place for a regular massage (no special services sought) at lower than hotel prices
- a non-hotel, drop off laundry where you are charged by the load (near the JW preferrably)
- Bat caves worth doing and how to get there?
- anything else you think a visitor should stumble across while in town.

If there is a previous master thread that addresses all of this, please point me towards it gently and let this one die.

Thanks, TJ

Short answer: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuala_Lumpur

Some personal picks (most of which are listed above, but anyway):

* Best hotel: Hilton KL (or Putrajaya Shangri-La if you're willing to venture out of the city)
* Best bar for chilling out: Luna Bar, Menara PanGlobal, Jalan Punchak
* Best cheap food with air-con: Madam Kwan's in Bangsar or Suria KLCC 4F
* Wackiest Chinese dining experience: Chynna at Hilton
* Best cheap and cheerful shopping: Sungei Wang (for pretty much anything from teen fashion to pirate DVDs) or Low Yat Plaza (for IT stuff)

The trouble with KL is that the best attractions are the cheap 5 star hotels :D

Major tourist spots :
1) Petronas Twin Towers
2) KL Tower
3) Chinatown/Petaling Street
4) Batu Caves

Night Life beyond clubs/pubs :
1) Petaling Street night market
2) Jalan Alor food street

Favourite restaurants http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=384899 :
1) Madam Kwans
2) Little Penang Cafe


Shopping :
Bukit Bintang is the major shopping district in downtown KL, while Mid-Valley Megamall is the largest shopping mall in SE Asia and located just a couple of miles from the city centre.

Massage :
There is a spa on the 3rd floor of "Lot 10" a green coloured shopping mall 2 buildings from the JW Marriott. Not sure of the prices though

Non-hotel Laundry :
You probably wont find one along "Jalan Bukit Bintang" where the JW Marriott is located, this "strip" is just too upscale. The road behind the JW Marriott is "Jalan Imbi" where you will find the Ritz Carlton. "Imbi" is a working class neighbourhood and I am sure you will find a cheap laundry there.

Batu Caves :
You will need to take a taxi to get there. Taxi fare will probably cost MYR20-30

Massage

Wife and I went to a place in Bangsar called Ozmosis. Very nice place, prices are very good (as compared to the US). Their website is at http://www.ozmosis.com.my/main.htm .

Laundry - Jalan Imbi
 

You guys are huge, I love flyertalk.

Zouk KL on Jalan Ampang (near KLCC) is quite happening (especially Wed night for Mambo Jambo). There's also Zeta Bar at Hilton Sentral. Asian Heritage Row next to the Sheraton is your best bet for bar/club-hopping - Bar Sa Vanh, Bar Blonde, The Loft, Cynna, etc.

Check out this link: http://www.faces.com.my/nightout/nightout.asp?id=1405

For souvenirs/gifts, check out Central Market.

I found a great Japanese restaurant recently at the new Hotel Maya on Jalan Ampang. Definitely worth checking out. If you prefer hotel restaurants, I've always had good luck at the JW, Shang, and MO.

I second the Madam Kwan's suggestion for local fare. The other restaurants on Level 4 of Suria KLCC are pretty good too. The Suria KLCC food court on Level 2 has a nice view and a pretty good selection of local fare as well. For post-clubbing hawker-style food (at all hours), ask a cabbie to take you to Bangsar. Both Lotus and Devi's Corner are quite famous.

I think Dataran Merdeka is one of the must-see/do in KL. Putrajaya is also worth a visit. Personally, I would avoid Batu Caves like the plague, but you might find it amusing :)

Please update for 2008!
 

This is a great little summary thread for KL, so I hope you are able to update it!

Seeking 'where & what' for 24-28 Jan 2008. First-timer sightseeing and shopping.

I'll check the LM and Hilton hotel info in the respective forums, but would appreciate info on good-value options suitable for first-time visitors.
Have any hotels opened recently, who have specials - or are there good deals through airline holiday websites? Otherwise I'll weigh up SPG/HH points v PL prices!

We'll have a couple of nights for shopping and eating!

One of my favorites was Sunway Lagoon. It was rather tame for a theme park, but I still had a blast. Seeing Muslim women go in the water being completely covered was a head scratcher.

http://www.sunwaylagoon.com/

IMHO the Batu Caves are worth a look if for no other reason than to watch the monkeys scale the cliffs.

For local fare, try the hole in the wall restaurant shacks in the alley next to the Millenium Hotel (formerly the Regent). Places are absolute dives but the food is omg so good.

I can't wait for the food! The 'best laksa' reports on FT have me eagerly anticipating some great meals from street vendors. :)

Traders (Shangr La) gets great recent reviews so I'm tempted... If the Hilton and Le Meridian are co-located, how does that work?

Tempted to a degree to stay at LM first in Siem Reap then in KL, but the alternatives get better reviews. :rolleyes:

We will have 2 days/nights then leave in the evening of the third day.
Here until 31 January if any of you would like to meet! ^

I've always liked the Concorde for a good straightforward business hotel in the middle of things. The Sheraton has bland facilities but pleasant rooms, epecially the suites which can be surprisingly cheap.

Have had a couple of the "five star" hotels in the suburbs which are pretty poor, Sunway Lagoon is one, and Holiday Villa Subang is another. Five Star - hah !

If you are a train/history buff the old main station is interesting colonial period history to walk around and has a museum incorporated in it. Go by train, it is a nightmare to try and walk to from the city nearby. And a novel afternoon spin out is to take the suburban train down to the end of the line at Port Klang, on the sea, about 45 minutes each way.

Does anyone not get ripped off at the Beach Club ?

over rated IMHO and ok for a day 2 at max the best thing is the flight out, give me singers anyday

They share the same building up to the 8th floor. But the lobies, restaurants, etc. are separated. From the 8th floor on (where the rooms are) it's 2 seperate towers. The pool area (on the 8th floor) is shared.
You can, if I remember well, eat in one of the other hotel's restaurants and have it charged to your room bill.

If you do, be sure to register for the LM promo - 3 stays, earn 1 free night, up to 7 stays, earn 4 nights. There's a thread in the Starwood forum on the promo.