Malaysia 2 weeks in December
 

I am planning a 2 week honeymoon and was thinking of Malaysia.

We would fly in from London on 5 Dec and leave on 19 Dec.

I would want a mix of city life, a couple of days on the beach, some nature and activities over the 2 weeks and I am trying to determine a suitable itinerary.

For a 2 week period I guess 4 places would be a suitable to visit. The followings are the places that I have considered so far. Anyone have any better suggestions for me?

City: KL

A beach: Langkawi

Nature: Teman Negara, Cameron Highlands

Maybe fit in one more place Penang (Although KL will be enough city life)

- I'm aware that the monsoon season hits Borneo and the East Coast in December. Does this mean I should avoid Borneo completely? What parts of peninsular Malaysia are suitable substitutes for any treats that I might be missing out on in Borneo?

- Is it worth adding in a trip to Singapore - maybe by flying into KL and then flying back to London via Singapore?

Firstly congratulations!

Once you take out travel time and jet lag recovery you are only going to get around 12 days of holiday time so try to factor that in to your planning.

Those four places in Malaysia would provide a good balance of the thing that interst you. I like KL and have visited many times but it would not be my first choice for a honeymoon or a first visit to Asia. Great food and great hotels though. Langkawi is a great beach location ( we got married there). Some fantastic luxury hotels The Datai, Tanjung Rhu, Four Season ( expensive though). There are other less expensive hotels. Penang has the colonial history, some ( not very good) beaches and some of the best food in Asia. Shame it is not the best time for Borneo. Taman Negara is a good substitute though.

Other ideas would be Vietnam, mostly in the north. A few days in Hanoi, a fascinating city, followed by some trekking/homestays in the mountains and ending up with a few days on a beach in the south, maybe Phu Quoc or Con Dao Island. You could fly into Hanoi and out of Saigon

Maybe a few days in Bangkok combined with Laos or Cambodia? The choices are endless.

Whichever you decide, book early as it is high season. Air Asia is a good budget carrier for getting around SEA and generally the sooner you book the cheaper it will be (you can spend the savings on extra special honeymoon hotels :-)
You can find some more information and photos of our current trip around these countries on our blog @ http://accidentalnomads.com

Crellston has given you some good advice. I've been to KL a number of times and it is not my favorite city. It does have lovely hotels and good food. Georgetown, Penang is a gem and the famed E&O Hotel is certainly honeymoon -worthy. Maybe you could substitute Georgetown for KL. Langkawi is a good choice for beach.

I have been to KL a couple of times but I don't think it has a lot to offer. Penang on the other hand I really love, so like Kathie I would suggest swapping KL for Penang. The E&O would be lovely but we prefer to stay out on Batu Ferringhi at one of the Resort Hotels. The one we stay at has a shuttle bus into Georgetown or it is very easy to catch the local bus if you wanted to.

Thanks for the replies.

It definitely makes sense to go to Langkawi first to relax after the wedding and travel so we will take a flight from London to Langkawi (via connection in KL).

Penang is the next natural stop (ferry or flight).

How do we get from Penang to Taman Negara? Is there a direct route or do we have to go via KL?

The current plan is to spend the end of the trip in KL and then fly back to London. However, KL doesn't have to be the last stop if there is a better destination to go to from Taman Negara (as long as we can fly back to London).

I've already searched for open jaw flights by flying into Langkawi and leaving from another part of Malaysia and these are reasonably priced so aren't a problem.

Dates currently suggest arriving on Dec 6 and leaving Dec 19 (although we can extend this by a day or 2 if needed).

I was just looking into the travel from Penang to Taman Negara. Jerantut seems to be the main entry point into TN but that would involve a long journey from Penang.

Meranpoh is an alternative entry point.

What would be the best way to go from Penang to Taman Negara and then KL? I'm open to all options including buses or even hiring a car.

I don't want to miss any highlights like the Canopy walk.

Or should I avoid the long trek to Taman Negara and go for an alternative?

I've seen Royal Belum and Temenggor suggested as places that aren't as touristy or as busy as Taman Negara.

Also the weather in December may not be the best in TN.

Langkawi to Penang is a nice ferry trip, some great views along the way and only takes a couple of hours as I recall. By far the best way to get there.

Taman Negara will take around 8-10 hours by bus from Penang and you are right that dec isn't the best time of year. Some Malaysian friends recommended Royal Belum to us earlier this year ( didn't go as we went diving instead!). It certainly gets fewer visitors and is closer than TN from Penang.

Driving is easy in Malaysia so renting a car is an option but the problem is where to return it? I suppose you could get a one way rental from Penang to KL and return it to the airport ( I really wouldn't want to drive into KLCC) then get the KLIA Ekspress into the city for your last few nights.

Are you set on Malaysia and the city/beach/rainforest combination?

I am set on Malaysia.

Still working out the exact combo.

City, beach and rainforest would all be nice to have but I'm still open to suggestions.

Just looking for a nice variety between environments and activity levels.

I was just reading about exploring some show caves - Batu caves, Gua Tempurung, others around Ipoh and even Taman Negara. It would be good to have something like that in my itinerary.

In terms of the journey from Penang to Taman Negara if it is so long I wonder if I should break it up by going to Ipoh or the Cameron Highlands.

I will definitely consider a one way car rental from Penang if it will save us time.

Look into Bon ton hotel on Langkawi, and Clove Halll in George Town. Both are small quiet hotels. Great for honeymoons. We preferred to stay in town rather than out at the beaches which are
polluted . The dinning options intown are great.. Including the food stalls.

With the time you have available I really think Langkawi, Penang and KL would be your best option. Maybe 6, 4 and 3 days respectively unless you can squeeze in an extra few days for a jungle trip.

I like Ipoh, it has some nice temple caves, great food and some adventure activities. we spent a few days there but it is mainly a destination for weekenders from KL rather than a major tourist centre.

Spent a couple of nights in the Cameron Highlands last month. It was overrun with tourists. Horrendous traffic jams. Personally, I wouldn't bother..

Batu Caves are easily visited by bus for central KL but IMO there are better ways to spend time in KL but I suppose it depends on your interests/preferences

Good advice from kmkmn above re Penang and Langkawi hotels. I would add to that Campbell House in Penang. Some friends stayed there and raved over it.

I know you're set on Malaysia and I'm not suggesting that you choose a different destination. I've been to KL a few times and it really doesn't have have must to offer from a tourist's point of view. I'd limit the amount of time you spend there.

Singapore has more to offer tourist wise than KL and a better choice of hotels but both are good for shopping. Penang is great, Batu Ferringhi has a couple of nice hotels (Rasa Sayang - Rasa wing) and Georgetown is interesting to wander round, plus good food. The E & O hotel is okay but stay in the old part or there are lots of boutique hotels in the town centre.
There is also an interesting hotel up in the rainforest, Fig Tree Hill Resort that may suit the nature bit.

Langkawi is more for a beach holiday...The Datai is excellent.

Pulau Pangkor is good for honeymooners.

Wasn't so impressed with KL. Had a weeks timeshare there-Had a wonderful guide-Charles Steven. We left for 2 nights & went to Penang-Stayed at the E& O. The flight was pretty cheap. Loved loved loved it. Had our anniversary there-They had a wonderful surprize for us
Congradulations.

PS We also had a weeks timeshare in Mallaca? It was an over the water hotel Something Palms. While the water wasn't a beauriful blue it was a wonderful experience That area had a lot to offer