We plan to go by bus from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. Is this a good idea, and can anyone you recommend a reputable bus company? Any hotel you would recommend which is not too far from the bus terminal? Then we plan to go by train from KL to Ipoh, and back to Singapore (a night train). Does this sound ok for an elderly couple? Thanks

A number of people here have reported good experiences on the Malaysian luxury busses. Sorry, I don't know the company.

You might want to consider a flight instaed - AIr Asia flights are very ccheap.

Some thoughts and suggestions:

1. A bus is a good option, as you have the chance to see the countryside. Malaysia is very safe (as is virtually all of SE Asia), so I would not have any concerns on that point. I have not taken a bus in Malaysia in many yeas, but they were comfortable then and I believe the same is the case today. The only issue you may have is that they may play music or other videos for the entire journey at a loudish volume. But that is certainly livable (possibly bring ear plugs or your own personal music source).

One of the main carriers is Transnasional Express, see http://www.transnasional.com.my/.

Some other carriers to try are:
http://www.kbes.com.my/
http://www.plusliner.com/
http://www.srimaju.com/

2. The buses have several drop off points in Kuala Lumpur, so until you choose a bus line and a destination, it is hard to give hotel advice.

3. A train may be a better option than the bus only because you won’t be involved in traffic and Immigration lines at the causeway between Singapore and Malaysia. This is esp the case if you plan to travel from Singapore on a Friday afternoon, when Immigration lines can be long, in addition to commuter traffic (I was recently in the line coming into Singapore on Friday evening and it was over an hour wait. Buses do get special lanes, which helps somewhat. But the train avoids all of it.)

4. If I may interject a personal thought here, a good way to break up this journey would be to stop over for a night in Malacca/Melaka, the former Portuguese capital. It is quite interesting and easily seen in a full day or 2 days if you can spare the time. It’s about 5 hours from Singapore to Malacca, and KL is about 3 hours from Malacca, so this is Malacca is a good stopping point. I personally find it more interesting than Kuala Lumpur which offers little for the tourist in terms of sights. For a schedule of buses see http://www.journeymalaysia.com/ptasingmelaka.htm. You can also take a train from Singapore to Tampin, and then a short bus or taxi ride to Malacca, which may be the most pleasant way to go.

5. You can also fly to or from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore inexpensively on either Air Asia see http://www.airasia.com/hk/en/home.html (one-way fares appear to be about US$30 and they have even cheaper promotions) or Firefly see http://www.fireflyz.com.my/ (fares appear to be even cheaper than Air Asia). While a flight to KL at this point looks a good deal cheaper than the train and bus options, if you have the time, going via bus or train is certainly a pleasant option as you can see the lovely countryside.

6. I think you may want to consider the bus to Ipoh rather than the train, but look at bus and train schedules and see which works best for you.

7. For the return to Singapore from Ipoh, rather than a night train, I would agree on trying to fly. There are two non-stops a day from Ipoh to Singapore on Firefly Airlines. The fare is MLR198 which is about US$65. The night train prices appear to range from MLR43 for a 2nd class sleeper, to MLR 83 for a first class, and MLR131 for a deluxe 2-person sleeper. (Also ask about senior discounts on airlines, trains or buses which you may be eligible for.) Flight takes 1.5 hours, which is makes if quite attractive versus a night train. If you take the train, I actually would opt for the day train, which again lets you see the countryside. It only takes 6 hours.

A long distance bus - yuk! The bus goes along a depressing 1990s-built motorway, soemthing I'm sure you can er... experience at home... It's much better to take the civilised and traditional train, which is not only cheap, it becomes an experience in itself.

Until July 2011 you can still experience a departure from the impressive and historic 1932 art deco railway station in Singapore, you cross the causeway (built in 1923) and trundle north along the single-track colonial-era railway through the palm plantations to KL.

The fare is peanuts, even in air-conditioned first class.

Book online at www.ktmb.com.my, see the timetables, photos and advice I've put on www.seat61.com/Malaysia.htm.

Cicerone,
Thanks a lot for your helpful info for our trip Singapore-KL-Ipoh. I already bought the tickets for our flight from Ipoh to Singapore and am organizing the rest. Probably taking the train from Singapore to KL, and then the bus to Ipoh.
Bin

I've taken the night train from Singapore to KL. cheap and easy way to get there, but of course you have no views along the way. We also had just gotten comfortable in our cabin when we hit the border, and you have to exit the train, walk through Malaysian immigration, then get back on the train. It took about an hour.

I've taken the bus from KL to Penang. I normally avoid buses, but this one was very comfortable, a nice lunch was served, and we stopped twice at immaculate rest stops. The roads are excellent, and drivers very careful.

We took the train from KL to Singapore in 2008. from memory it took around 7 hours. It was an OK trip and reasonably comfortable but it did get a little tedious after the first few hours (and I like train travel). jumping on and off the train at immigration can be a pain if you have a lot of luggage, although I suppose you could risk leaving it onboard, otherwise it was pretty straight forward.

I would second cicerone's suggestion re Melaka. We loved the place and the bus journey there from Kl only took 3 hours in a supremely comfortable bus. (sorry, I cannot recall teh operator but they all seemed very similar.
Some pphotos of our time in Malaysia:
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html
entries 20-24

You can also consider a bus-air combo from Ipoh back to Singapore. There's an excellent express bus service running between Ipoh and KL (directly to the airports - LCCT (low cost) as well as KLIA). Buses are very regular and reliable, and is a great way to get both a road trip in Malaysia and a cheap air-plane ride into Singapore. Funny name, but great bus!

Check this out here http://yoyo.org.my/home_en.aspx

I loved the train trip from Singapore to KL!!

It's a 45-minute flight. Happy Travels!