KL and kota kinabalu
 

This is my first time planning a holiday in asia, and because of the protest in bangkok ive had to change it so i now have 2 days to research before we go!! I have a couple of specific questions...

is it best to take money and exchange it or use ATMs there? we are going for 9 nights can you give me a rough estimate on how much to take? also if exchanging is the go where is best to do it?

can someone tell me how much approx things should cost ie dvds etc?

if anyone has any great things to do/places to go/eat etc id love to hear too...im yet to read through all the forums though

thanks everyone :)

ATMs are readily available in Kota Kinabalu and in Kuala Lampur.

Knowing nothing about you or your interests, it's hard to make recommendations as to what you should do. Buy yourself a good guidebook.

Are you going to Sabah (KK) for the beach or for wildlife? If you are going for wildlife, do read my trip report from three years ago:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34716301

atm's is the easiest way to go...they are well placed...

malaysia is slightly more expensive than its neighbors, but still very affordable..

and if you like an alcoholic drink they are very expensive in Malaysia

I didn't notice that, Nikki... Indeed, wine is much cheaper than Thailand, beer was cheap, and even our fancy drinks at the E&O seemed reasonably priced.

Beg to disagree, Malaysia is much cheaper than Singapore and their 5 star hotels are cheaper than most of their neighbours. Certain things are cheaper in Thailand and the other ASEAN countries in the north, eg street food, markets, tailoring etc.
Beware of cheap copies of DVDs as the quality is terrible. I think it's cheaper to buy original DVDs in the west when there is a sale.

Well we found the drink fairley expensive in comparison to what i have experienced previously in SE Asia.
However it may be due to the natural uplift in prices as we were i Australia last year but we were paying on average 20rm for a bottle of beer. Now i know i have paid a lot less that that in Thailand.

But i think the point i am making is that you are not getting mega cheap drink (still cheap by western standards) and as i read whilst i was just in Malaysia alchohol is heavly taxed there.
Kathie coctails at the E & O were about 30rm (cheapish by UK standards indeed)

I have written a fair bit about holiday cost in Malaysia and you can read it here - http://outskirtoutreach.org/malaysia...st-and-safety/. For an idea of how much grocery items would cost, take a look at local TESCO hypermart's brochure - http://www.tesco.com.my/custom.cfm?n...pe=latestpromo

Your wallet will have no problem living on ATM diet. The whole country is slewed with them, even the smallest hamlets. That said, it's best to have credit card for hotel arrangements (hotels prefer that) and USD just in case. Remember, old credit card with black magnetic strip is no longer accepted. Make sure yours come with smart chip.

DVDs are selling at RM30-50 each, depending on quality but cheaper pirated ones I don't encourage you to buy them.

Cigarettes and alcoholic drinks are very expensive in Msia by SE Asian standard; that's a fact. If you want a holiday dipped in nicotine, booze and hedonism, you are better off in Thailand or Bali.

Nice things to do in KL or Kinabalu, I am not sure what to suggest. As Kathie wrote, what's your interest?