jkgourmet

We are two older couples, both well traveled, looking for help with a two week trip to Malaysia and, hopefully, Borneo. Main draw of Borneo is rainforest and animal life. Main draw of Malaysia is food, culture, scenery and the beaches sound wonderful. We do very little shopping, and will do just a few museums, temples, etc. No need for 4* hotels - the charming small places are far more fun in most cases, but location is #1. Two days in KL would be plenty. Our timing of this trip is quite flexible, after April.

We had all agreed that a planned coach tour would be best, but most seem very rushed, changing hotels nearly every night. Still, we don't want to do this particular trip entirely independently. I doubt that any of us would agree to drive a rental car. I've read a couple of guidebooks and frankly, I'm getting overwhelmed. Can one of the great fodorites help? The best advice, I suspect, would be a trustworthy American travel agent who could make suggestions and some arrangements for us.

Thank you in advance.

Kathie

If you are interested in Borneo, do read my trip report from Nov, 2005. I think it's called Kathie's Borneo Trip report. And I'll be glad to answer any additional questions you might have.

There is a US agent for the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, and they would have booked flights from the US and all internal flights if we wanted them do. I'm a do-it-yourselfer so I declined their offer.

If you are interested in Penang and it's renowned hawker food, take Look at my report of our stay in Penang (at the fabled E&O hotel) in 2006, Kathie's Penang, Chaing Mai and Bangkok Trip report, 2006.

rhkkmk

langkawi in nortwestern malaysia, near to the thai border is a wonderful laid back island which you might look at....

my malay trip this year will take me to 2 destinations i have not visited before: kuantan and melaka...

in melaka you might look at heeren house....it looks charming and is quite reasonable and right in the middle of things...

do it on your own, no need for a travel agent...

fly malay air...by all reports they are fantastic....they have a very reasonable pass for you to get around malaysia also...

gard

Hi

I can only help you with KL. I went there a couple of years back with my wife and here is a trip report with pictures that I have made http://gardkarlsen.com/malaysia_kuala_lumpur.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there to start with

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

StanKase

gard's trip report is very informative. If you want scenic beauty a trip to the Camermon Highlands 2 1/2 hrs. out side KL really is worth it. You need a taxi that knows the area for that is the least expensive way. Since it seemed to us 85-90% of the folks in KL spoke English you can get away without a formal tour guide with their car(~$90-$100/person) Four 4 the taxi for the day might be $150 (gas is subsidized by the Malay gov't). The tea plantations are simply magnificant and while the first 2 hours is not scenic the last 1/2 hr. and the Highlands are awesome. Yes it is 5 hours driving for 2+ hours there but right before the Highlands you with see nomad gypsy enclaves. If it is the flowering season the flowers in the Highlands are magb nificant.
The Prehentians are really for backpackers but the Redang Islands are near and as awesome if you want some of the best snorkeling in the world and that includes Australia. There are hotels from $$80-100/night with A/C. Also, they are a 45 minute non-stop flight from KL city airport not the international airport but great beaches too.

TravelTwiddle

You do not want a coach tour in Malaysia. You sounded like a nice geotourist who want natural scenery and easy-going walks. Coach tours in Malaysia aren't going to give you that.

Firstly, you'll be herded together with Japanese and mainland Chinese in buses and taken to shopping malls, sourvenir shop, theme park and the usual man-made hooplas. Local operators price packages cheap but get kickbacks from these touristy businesses.

Secondly, your interest is different. Asian tourists don't travel to Malaysia for nature or heritage. They want shopping, theme parks and high speed places-hopping. Being lumped together with them will be hell.

Lastly, booking with an US agent won't insulate you from the above predicament. Whether you book thru US agent, local or internet, everyone is funnelled to the same bus tour operators. As a local, I haven't seen a single tour company that does trips for Americans or Europeans exclusively.

Take it from Fodorites like Kathie who has done Borneo and Penang without breaking a sweat. Malaysia isn't hard for independent traveler .. since you have lots of time.

For starters, I recommend that you DIY and research KL-Cameron Highland-Ipoh-Penang-Langkawi route. It has enough accolades to keep you on your toes - heritage, culture, good food, rainforest, beach, tribal village, tea plantation, fire flies .. etc. And the best part, this region has a good population of English speakers.

The KL-Langkawi corridor is a popular choice for MM2H foreign retirees too. So, how bad can the place get?