The Malaysia and KL master thread

[Cx]

Wanderlust wrote:

@Jon thank-you for taking the time to reply to me.

I’ll have a look at the Shangri-La in KL (definitely agree re the Horizon club!)

Sadly the Datai is out of range I used up most of my IHG points and the cash price is definitely beyond budget! The Westin is another option we were looking at in Langkawi but wasn’t sure it was what we are looking for from that part of the trip.

I read bum fight to mean a battle to get a seat in the lounge 😂 so didn’t even question it!

I was one of those who retained Jade by buying a drink at the Shard- potentially the best value glass of juice I will ever have if I end up staying in Shangri-La hotels on this trip!

If you do go for the SKL, I would recommend paying extra for the suites over the horizon club rooms. You would appreciate the extra space for the living room and the rollaway bed if you need it. The regular suites are fine but the corner suite might be of interest as instead of a room for baggage there is a private workspace area with separate w/c.

With the suites, you can also request for in-room breakfast which is complimentary. But otherwise would recommend the lounge over the main restaurant as it’s cooked to order.

[LD27]

Have visited Malaysia many times. Only KL post Covid. Go to hotels in KL are Shangri La, RC and Renaissance. Latter currently being refurbished, RC expensive so stayed in SL end of 2022. Had good experience in Horizon Room. Was travelling alone.

Have stayed in E&O and SL in Penang pre Covid. Both were good. Staying in Georgetown good for seeing street art, temples etc, Batu Ferringhi for relaxation. Definitely worth ferry to mainland. Cameron Highlands good place to spend a few days relaxing from the heat if need be. Melaka is very different with its diverse history and Taman Negara for National Park/trekking. Perhentians for diving (but NE coast).

If you’re looking for adventure as opposed to relaxation, Borneo well worth a visit. Sarawak – Kuching has nice water front. Stayed in Hilton and a few years ago in CP and HI, which are no longer. Bako easy to get to and used Borneo Adventures to arrange treks including Headhunters Trail/Mulu. Brunei worth a couple of days. Sabah – KK stayed in SL many times. Mt Kinabalu and NP for trek and seeing sunrise. In the east, Sandakan, Turtle Island, Sepilok, Kinabatangan River, Danube Valley good for wildlife – proboscis monkeys, orangutan etc. Sipidan probably still off limits.

[Aston100]

Behold, my revamped itinerary for summer 2023:
23 nights

4 nights in Malacca (Holiday Inn. The Doubletree and area around it have gone downhill)
7 nights in KK (Hilton) couple of day trips to the national park and a couple of day trips for snorkelling and suchlike
6 nights in the Sepilok / Sandakan area broken down thusly:
…2 nights at a lodge along the Kinabatangan River (multiple cruises arranged)
…3 nights at a new lodge in Sepilok (Borneo Sepilok rainforest resort)
…1 night on Turtle Island (Selingan Island)
5 nights in Kuching (Hilton)
1 night in KL at the SamaSama airport hotel

[Benilyn]

Any thoughts on the following places located near Pavilion Mall:
JW Marriott,
The Westin,
Ritz Carlton,
Pavilion Hotel Managed By Banyan Tree,
Pullman City Centre – Hotel & Residences
Grand Millennium Hotel

Thanks

[Jon]

The only one of those I’ve stayed in myself is the Westin – meh. The others are probably fine but personally I’d prefer the Shangri-La over all of them. Unless you need to be at Pavilion for a conference or some such, I’d probably try to avoid being right on Bukit Bintang, especially if you want to take taxis to other areas – traffic (and people) congestion can get very high.

[shanghaiguizi]

As Jon says it depends on why you want to be close to pavilion.

I live in KLCC so haven’t stayed in most of the hotels. Been drinking in all of them though.

Out of your options jw Marriott, Westin, and Ritz are the only ones I’d consider staying at. pavilion, millennium and Pullman are mediocre.

But it depends on what you’re after. Do you have a hotel loyalty preference? How long are you intending to stay in KL and what are you looking to do whilst you’re here?

Benilyn wrote:

Any thoughts on the following places located near Pavilion Mall:
JW Marriott,
The Westin,
Ritz Carlton,
Pavilion Hotel Managed By Banyan Tree,
Pullman City Centre – Hotel & Residences
Grand Millennium Hotel

Thanks

[Jon]

shanghaiguizi wrote:

I live in KLCC

Aha, a fellow KLer – greetings! 😂

[Benilyn]

shanghaiguizi wrote:

As Jon says it depends on why you want to be close to pavilion.

I live in KLCC so haven’t stayed in most of the hotels. Been drinking in all of them though.

Out of your options jw Marriott, Westin, and Ritz are the only ones I’d consider staying at. pavilion, millennium and Pullman are mediocre.

But it depends on what you’re after. Do you have a hotel loyalty preference? How long are you intending to stay in KL and what are you looking to do whilst you’re here?

Benilyn wrote:

Any thoughts on the following places located near Pavilion Mall:
JW Marriott,
The Westin,
Ritz Carlton,
Pavilion Hotel Managed By Banyan Tree,
Pullman City Centre – Hotel & Residences
Grand Millennium Hotel

Thanks

Thanks all. I’m with a 2yo kid, so thought maybe convenient being near Pavilion. Walking from SL to the mall, google maps says 19min but that’s to the main entrance, are there lots of side entrances I imagine which should bring that time down?

I have IHG + Hilton free brekkie, but they don’t seem to operate in that area so flexible with others. SL with Emyr assuming this one is covered should get free brek + upgrade + $100 could be the way to go.

[RK228]

Benilyn wrote:

Thanks all. I’m with a 2yo kid, so thought maybe convenient being near Pavilion. Walking from SL to the mall, google maps says 19min but that’s to the main entrance, are there lots of side entrances I imagine which should bring that time down?

I have IHG + Hilton free brekkie, but they don’t seem to operate in that area so flexible with others. SL with Emyr assuming this one is covered should get free brek + upgrade + $100 could be the way to go.

We were in KL for four days last summer with our 4-year-old son. We stayed at the Hilton which we found to be very convenient, as we departed on an early morning Avios flight to Bali and the airport train goes from right there (KL Sentral). There are plenty of shopping/food options nearby, it’s easy to get a Grab car through the Grab app (e.g., to Bukit Bintang), and our son loved the pool with the waterslide. We have Hilton Gold through Amex (so free breakfast) and our son heartily enjoyed this too (particularly the doughnut wall).

[shanghaiguizi]

Nice! We’ve probably walked past each other around pavilion 😂

Jon wrote:

shanghaiguizi wrote:

I live in KLCC

Aha, a fellow KLer – greetings! 😂

[shanghaiguizi]

@Benilyn RK’s suggestion also isn’t bad. Not in KLCC but convenient for getting around by metro.

Doubletree might be too out of the way, but Intercontinental might be worth a shout since you mentioned you have IHG. I’ve never been in there and have heard mixed reviews. Since you already mentioned SL, Others that could be considered are Grand Hyatt or W Kuala Lumpur. All are in KLCC.

There are quite a few new hotel developments happening in KL right now; Kimpton in the TRX development, Waldorf Astoria, Sofitel Oxley Tower KLCC, which is good because many of the hotels here are showing their age.

Don’t know if you’ve been here or to other SEA countries before but download the Grab app. You can use it to book cars quickly & cheaply. Getting around is a doddle with Grab.

RK228 wrote:

Benilyn wrote:

Thanks all. I’m with a 2yo kid, so thought maybe convenient being near Pavilion. Walking from SL to the mall, google maps says 19min but that’s to the main entrance, are there lots of side entrances I imagine which should bring that time down?

I have IHG + Hilton free brekkie, but they don’t seem to operate in that area so flexible with others. SL with Emyr assuming this one is covered should get free brek + upgrade + $100 could be the way to go.

We were in KL for four days last summer with our 4-year-old son. We stayed at the Hilton which we found to be very convenient, as we departed on an early morning Avios flight to Bali and the airport train goes from right there (KL Sentral). There are plenty of shopping/food options nearby, it’s easy to get a Grab car through the Grab app (e.g., to Bukit Bintang), and our son loved the pool with the waterslide. We have Hilton Gold through Amex (so free breakfast) and our son heartily enjoyed this too (particularly the doughnut wall).

[Benilyn]

Thanks all. I’ve come down to needing to figure out if I want to be in Bukit Bintang or not. I think I would prefer the location but concerned about traffic. I need to sort out a rough itinerary and take it from there.

IC reviews seem mixed to good, about £100 a night / 19k points and I am a Diamond Amb so 1 cat upgrade. Right next to a station.

LeM in Sentral reviews seem good on the whole, and share pool and gym facilities with Hilton.