Can't really help with the hotel question, except to say the M.O. has always struck me with its ugliness.

A day trip to KL is not practical. It's a 3 - 4 hour trip, so you'd have to turn around and come back as soon as you got there.

Michael, is it really just 3-4 hours? I ask because we took a night train and I vaguely remember leaving Spore at about 11pm and arriving at 6 in the morning. Just crossing the border took about 45 minutes. But it may have been a slower train since it was full of sleeper cars.

Also, have you considered the Intercontinental? We really enjoyed our stay there.

I can highly recommend the FS-great location, comfortable and good-sized rooms, great service and nice(but small) spa and pool.

I'v also enjoyed the Swissotel on the club floor though was not impressed with their spa/pool and room was very nice but small. It is attached to a mall in a good location.

KL is way too far for a day trip, if you are determined to visit Malaysia, consider Malacca as a day trip, albeit a long day. Johor Bahru is close to Singapore, but there really isn't much there.

There is a wonderful bus service that goes from Singapore (various pick-up locations) to KL and Malacca. The trip to KL is about 5 hours or so. Unfortunately, i have forgotten the name of the Bus but I am sure you can find it by googling.

I've stayed at the Fullerton and really liked it. Plus, I like the location as it's not near Orchard Road. But, the MRT is very nearby.

As for KL, if you really want to go, then fly. A friend and I flew. It's a 45-minute flight. we stayed for 3 nights, though, I think it was. Then we flew back to Singapore. Happy Travels!

stay in a club room at the intercontinental and you will be very pleased... just the right amount of lux

k/l is a total waste of time and its toooooo far for 1 day

We stayed at intercontinental...in a club room on the out leg of a trip two years ago......simply plain and dissappointing...definitely not lux. Very much the feel of a business hotel.
We stayed at the fairmont on the return leg, (following a recomendation from Kathie)....absolutely wonderful..in a different league. Wish we had booked it on the out leg too.
We have also stayed at Fullerton, much more recently,...good experience but not awesome..we had a rather small room....fairly typical I'm told.
Mandarin Oriental never lets you down, and I have no experience of F.S.
I would go for the Fairmont in the wing that used to be home of 'Raffles the Plazza'. The north wing.......I think! Great views from usable balconies. Again, go for the club level or whatever they call it there....for a few more luxuries.
Don't think a day trip to K.L. is practical....is there a special reason why you want to go there?

Yup, as Leigh says, my fave is the Fairmont. Wonderful hotel, perfect location.

Ooops, I meant the Fairmont too, not the Swissotel, since I also took Kathie's recommendation and was very happy with the hotel.

Leigh- When I was there last October, they had just finished a pretty major renovation. Perhaps you were there before they were done?

Many thanks to all of you. I will check out the Fairmount and 86 the day trip to Kuala Lampur.

I've also stayed at the Fairmont and it was great and very convenient. I took the MRT from the airport straight there. I didn't mention it above because I couldn't remember the name of it and was too busy to look it up in my journal.

I stayed there November 2009, but also stayed there, some years ago, when it was called Raffles something or the other. On one trip, they had just finished the renovation and I was the first guest, upgraded and assigned to one of the newly renovated rooms. I think I've stayed there three times. It's a very nice hotel and has one of the most comfortable beds that I've ever slept in. I highly recommend it. Happy Travels!

I like the Fullerton a lot, I think you may need to look at a suite or large, as I think some of their rooms are on the small side or not furnished as nicely. I am not sure I would qualify the Fullerton as a luxury hotel, perhaps a very good 4 star (I would say the same for the Intercontinental mentioned above). But the location is excellent (Sorry, I am not an Orchard Road fan) and they have a very nice pool.

There are two Four Seasons in Singapore, and you don’t specify which one you are looking at. Of the two, the Four Seasons is newer and probably a better choice than the Four Seasons Regent. I think you would find the Four Seasons to be amore luxurious hotel than the Fullerton, however the location of the Fullerton is very appealing and it certainly is a good hotel. (The Four Seasons Regent may have been redone since I last was inside, perhaps others can comment on that. If so, then it may be toss-up between the two Four Seasons. Location is quite similar, if you want an Orchard Road location.)

I agree that the Mandarin is just ugly from the outside and has some other boring design features (it is 1980s atrium hotel) and I don’t think it is of the same standard of other Mandarins in Asia (e.g. Bangkok and Hong Kong).

You have not mentioned the Raffles, which is certainly in the luxury category and a good location. My only issue with that hotel is the lack of windows/views in the rooms. But if you want ambience/history, service, location that would be a good choice. You have not mentioned the Shangri-La, which is a luxury hotel in a very nice garden setting if you want to be near the Orchard Road area (and Four Seasons area). I am a big fan of the Ritz-Carlton for views, service, nice pool and location. However, some rooms are getting old, so that may put it further down the list. People seem to like the St Regis, and it is one of the newest hotels in town and may be a good choice if you again want an Orchard Road location.

I agree that KL as a day trip is really difficult, even if you fly, and all in all not worth it. They have few tourist sites. They do have good food, but you will find that in spades in Singapore as. For day trips, you can go to Malacca; a longish day but quite rewarding in terms of the colonial architecture and interesting China town. But really there is a lot to see and do in Singapore over 4 days that IMO you will have plenty to see and do. Be sure to see all the ethnic neighborhoods (Little India, Arab street, Geylang and China town; I would throw in the “black and white” colonial bungalow neighborhoods of Goodwood Park and Nassim Road) as well as perhaps getting out to one of the coastal areas like the East Coast Park.

I have stayed at Raffles which was fabulous. certainly luxe and the service was amazing. Agree the view is limited but the trade off is all the other things you DO get.