hanl

Hello,
First of all, my apologies for the length of this post - it just kept growing and growing!

My fiancé and I are currently looking into potential honeymoon destinations - we're getting married mid-May next year.

We're seriously considering Malaysia, but it seems like there are so many wonderful things to see and do there that I'm having trouble deciding where to go!

I've been reading as much as I can and have come up with a sort of vague shortlist of places we might like to visit. I'd love to hear from people who've spent time in Malaysia and can give us more of an idea of what to add or leave off an itinerary, places worth stopping at for a while, along with any personal suggestions or recommendations.

We love wildlife and nature, walking, snorkelling (don't have diving cert. though), good food. Tend to get bored just sitting on a beach, and we're not great fans of massive hotels or gigantic resorts (although don't mind this so much in cities). Indeed, we're usually quite happy to rough it a bit, but as this is our honeymoon we're aiming for a bit more luxury and intimacy for once!

* Couple of days in KL - mandarin oriental or Shangri-La (willing to bend the "no big hotel" rule here!)
* Cameron highlands - looks lovely in pictures - any hotel recommendations?
* Penang/Georgetown - would love to stay at Cheong Fatt Tze mansion - anyone done that?
* Taman Negara
* Pulau Lang Tengah / Pulau Pehentian Besar
* Sarawak - Kuching, Gunung Mulu?
* Sabah - Sungai Kinabatangan river, Mt Kinabalu
* East sabah - Borneo Rainforest Lodge - I like the fact that this lodge offers a whole package of nature walks and other activities (similar to lodges I've stayed at in Costa Rica and Africa). Seems like the kind of place we'd enjoy - anybody been there?

We're not going to attempt to fit in every single place on the list - I'm just hoping some of you will have some experiences or stories to share that will help us make our minds up!!

Thanks for your help

Babiron

I am also fond of wildlife/animals too. If you go to Sabah, one great experience I had (and definitely recommend) was at a place called Turtle Island Park. You'll be taken to a small island to stay the night. Not fancy at all. It could be "romantic" since guests are limited each night on this secluded island. After diner everybody sits around (or goes to bed) and waits for a turtle to come ashore to lay eggs. Ours happened at 3AM. The rangers call everybody to come see. It's really kind of touching to sea the mama turtle.
Just one caveat: There is no guarantee that a turtle will come ashore each night.

celine13

Hi there! Hope you enjoy your honeymoon on Malaysia. A couple friend of mine just came back from there on their honeymoon and they loved it! Let's try and answer some of your questions:

MANDARIN HOTEL IN KL- this is just right next to the Twin Towers and my parents stayed there and loved it. It's very convenient as its right next to KLCC (there's a huge shopping centre at the base of the twin towers)

SHANG GRI LA- never stayed there before but once again, it's in the heart of the city. Both the hotels are within walking distance to the Golden Triangle (the famous shopping district in town). I was told to try the Chinese lunch there though by a local as it was quite good.

SABAH- Sorry, no info on the lodge you were interested in but I saw this on a travel show here in Oz and they recommended a wildlife pakage complete with Orang utans. Do check it out:

http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/getaway...factsheet2.asp

Another place to check out for snorkelling would be Rawang Island (although Perhention is quite good too). I personally have never been there but supposedly friends of mine have said they loved it (also much less touristy)

Definately do Penang and Taman Negara.

You might like to check out Air Asia for cheap flights. It's a new budget airline in Malaysia and it's gotten rave reviews.

Have fun!

hanl

Thanks Babiron and Celine for taking the time to reply - and for your suggestions
I like the sound of Turtle Island Park and the Sepilok orang-utang centre ... looks like I'll be adding those to my ever-growing "short"list!!

Naturaltan

I prefer the Shangri-la hotel for its location as the previous poster mentioned. It is walking distance to Jalang Petaling(Chinatown), Bintang Walk (the evening hang out area) and many shopping centres.

The hotel to stay in Cameron Highlands has to be Ye Olde Smokehouse. It is built in mock Tudor style with black beams and open log fireplace, and they even do a credible cream tea. It was a place for the homesick colonials when they were in Malaya many, many years ago. Do the tea plantation tour and you'll have a different perspectives the next time you sip your tea. There are many walks you can do there but just don't wonder too far off the trail. Jim Thompson of Jim Thompson House(Bangkok) fame disappeared without a trace when he was out walking one day in 1967.

There is only one hotel in Taman Negara run by the Berjaya group, so you won't have any choice. Fortunately, the hotel is well run though the hotel restaurant is on the pricey side.

I have not stayed in Cheong Fatt Tze mansion but visited it when they were restoring it, it has beautiful period feaures. If you don't mind not having a swimming pool to cool yourself, I would say go for it. Otherwise, I'll stay at the East & Orient Hotel (E & O as the locals call it fondly) nearby. E & O is owned by Raffles group which also owns the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore, so everything is top notch. As the malaysian ringgit is weak you can stay there cheaper than the bed and breakfast in UK/Europe!

For me, Mt. Kinabalu(climbing), Sepilok Orang Uta Sanctuary, Sukau Rainforest Lodge at Kinabatangan River, snorkelling at T. Abdul Rahman Marine Park were the highlights of my trip to Sabah. I guess you are considering do all these ?

Hanl, the list of things to do in Malaysia is endless, just out of curiosity, how long do you plan to spend in Malaysia?

hanl

Thanks for your input, Naturaltan
We haven't really decided how long our honeymoon will be, as we're pretty much at the initial planning stages. Realistically speaking, I suppose it could be up to 3 weeks, depending on what we decide to do and see (and on our budget of course!)...

oal15167

We've been staying in Sarawak for more than 10 years and we love it.
Kuching is a rather laid back town which moves at a leisurely pace compared to KL and may be covered in a day.
If you like the jungle life, I would propose a trip to the interiors where you may experience staying in a longhouse with the natives,( you have a choice of the ex-headhunters or the not so agresesive tribes) but be armed with mosquito repellant and sunscreen lotion and don't be alarmed if you see skulls staring at you from the ceiling while you sleep.There,you will expereince their lifestyle and partake with them of their food.These trips also include several hours of longboat ride upstream and a trek into the jungle where you will experince the wildlife and if you're fortunate you would be able to spot orangutans swinging from tree to tree and hear the hornbill birds cry .Such trips can be easily organised by the travel agencies here.
If you are not that adventurous & are content with just jungle trekking, then the Bako national park would do nicely.You will be able to see wild boars and gibbons and monkeys in the wild but beware, they can create havoc with your food.There are decent chalets there where you can stay the night.
The Mulu caves are a plane's ride away from Miri, another town of Sarawak in the north. You would have to take a flight to Miri to embark on a forker plane to Mulu.However. I'm told that you should avoid going there if you have asthma or any respiratory problems as the air in the caves are full of iguano dust( bat shit!)and are very harmful to the lungs.But other than that, there are very interesting caves to visit.
Let me know if you like to know more.

jacobsonel

Just returned from Malaysia and had a marvelous time visiting Sabah and Sarawak. I am a diver, but really enjoyed the snorkeling at Sapi Island and even at Turtle Island. Lots of wildlife to see in Sabah. The food at any of the restaurants is excellent almost anywhere---no one in our group of 12 had any problems. For a treat, stay at the 4 star Royal Mulu Resort--it isn't that expensive and has a beautiful setting. Many trips can be arranged from there. Ellen

Guenmai

Haven't stayed at Cheong Fatt Tze, but it's on my list,too along with the E&O. Part of the movie Indochine was filmed at Cheong Fatt Tze.I've been to Kuala Lumpur and stayed at the Ritz Carlton...club level...which was very nice. However, the next trip to KL I'll try the Mandarin Oriental.Hotel rates are quite low in Malaysia. I got the Ritz Carlton for $108 for a standard room and then was upgraded for free to club level with a 24-hour butler.I remember the view from the room was great.Architecture in Kuala Lumpur is fascinating, but I find KL boring compared to Bangkok and Singapore. Happy Travels and Happy Honeymoon!

Peteralan

I have been to Malaysia but not an expert. However I have heard the Tioman Island is beautiful. Maybe you might like to look at that?

UPtravel2004

I traveled to Perhentian in May of this year and thought it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been too. The water was crystal clear, and the islands are quite and peaceful unlike penang and langkawi. However, I believe the summer months are monsoon seasons for the area, so you may want to investigate that. I can post more about my trip if you like.