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Malaysia and Singapore Trip Coming Together - Looking for Things to Do

Malaysia and Singapore Trip Coming Together - Looking for Things to Do

Old Nov 28th, 2010, 12:07 PM
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Malaysia and Singapore Trip Coming Together - Looking for Things to Do

The itinerary for our July trip now looks like this:

Arrive Singapore - 1 night Crowne Plaza Changi, Singapore

Fly to Kuching - 3 nights Pullman Kuching

Fly to Langkawi via Kuala Lumpur - 3 nights Bon Ton Resort, Langkawi

Fly to Georgetown, Penang - 4 nights Clove Hall, Georgetown

Fly to Singapore - 3 nights Intercontinental, Singapore

Depart Singapore for USA

Unfortunately I couldn't work in a stay at a jungle resort in Borneo - the logistics of getting to one are difficult and the timing just doesn't seem to work - we'll save it for another time.

I am looking for each of your top three memorable sights and restaurants at each location. I realize that Kathie, rhkkmk and Smeagol are traveling right now and I will top this for them later. But I would love to have recommendations from anyone else that has visited Malaysia recently.

Thanks in advance.
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Old Nov 28th, 2010, 01:43 PM
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Georgetown: Of course you'll want to visit a hawker market to eat. We got a guy to take us touring for a day. Stopped at some of the local temples & mosque, went around the island to the butterfly place, the spice park, and had late lunch at a real Nonya restaurant. I'll have to look up the name of the restaurant & guide. Both were wonderful.

Singapore: did you get the family & Friends discount code yet? It saved me hundreds of dollars on my last stay. It doesn't include breakfast, which is fine, as there are tons of places to eat if you go out the IC's back door toward the Bugis station, then down the escalator.

Straits kitchen at the Grand Hyatt is my favorite indoor place to eat. Glutton Bay is a great hawker center, and is a good choice after Marina bay. Tell your taxi it is by the Durian center. The hawker center down by the old train station is really fun at night too.

Go up on top of Marina Bay Sands at sunset. It is SD $20 ($17 if you're 55-- my first ever senior discount!) and well worth it to see the sun go down and watch the buildings and ships out in the straits light up. Allow extra time to buy tickets and take the elevators up. Don't forget to go around the other side to see the pool. You can't go in it, but there are some great photo ops over there too.

If you like crab, Eng Seng is supposed to have the best, but they are a pain in the neck to get to; you have to call at a certain time to order a crab, then get there early to get a table. Twice, i've given up and gone to Jumbos instead and their pepper crab is wonderful.

Love the Orchid Garden, inside the botanical garden. Go early when it is cooler and take your camera! Allow an hour or two. Usually we go there around 7:30 or 8 AM, then take a taxi and have lunch at the Straits Kitchen when it opens (11:30? Noon?). Make reservations, especially on a weekend.

I'm not a huge zoo person, but I LOVED the Singapore zoo. Really different collection of animals and you are able to get right up close to the animals. I also liked the night zoo.
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Old Nov 28th, 2010, 03:52 PM
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Great stuff, lcuy. We do have the IC code but will probably go for a room on the Club Floor which will include breakfast.
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Old Nov 28th, 2010, 11:19 PM
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Craig for me eng seng is worth it. My friend lives there so if you want nearer the time I can ask her to order the crab on the day you want. That way you can just turn up (best to get there no later then 5.45) oh and the hostess is, well quite rude!!!

I too loved the zoo and the botanical gardens, and spent a nice couple of hours at the bird park.

Do a walking tour of Chinatown very interesting. I found areally great company let me know if you are interested and can dig out the details. Oh and the Sunday brunches are fathink we went to the ritz Carlton)
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Old Nov 28th, 2010, 11:30 PM
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in georgetown the restaurant with the name "museum" in it is fab... i have an indian place too...

you need mr lee to drive you around for one day too--all in my report from last spring..

friends and family in sin has club rooms... best club we have ever used...

bon ton was our best meal...

more details next week...

we have 2 more full days in bkk...
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Old Nov 29th, 2010, 08:52 AM
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I haven't been to Malaysia, but we were in Singapore this summer. So I'll list a few things here.

If you are interested in temples, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple was very interesting. They also have a very nice rooftop garden and a museum.

We ate at the Maxwell Road hawker center, which is near the tooth temple. If you go, be sure to find the Fuzhou Oyster Cake stall... yum!!

We did a Singapore Walks walking tour "In the Time of Empire" which was very interesting. Gave us a good overview of the history of Singapore.

We also enjoyed the night safari.
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Old Nov 29th, 2010, 11:32 AM
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Craig- make sure you check out the blog
http://ieatishootipost.sg/

You can search for your favorite foods, or on the right side is a column with all their topics.

and Bob is right, you can choose any type of room at the IC using the discount. I find that I have so many must eat places in Spore that I don't want to pay extra for hotel meals (Tho they are very good at the IC!)
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Old Dec 4th, 2010, 01:12 PM
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We had a great stay a few years ago. here's my report which may give you a few restaurant names, etc.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...and-penang.cfm

What is this discount you all are talking about? Sounds interesting.
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Old Dec 13th, 2010, 02:05 AM
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Nothing is really so important when you are on holiday but I recommend these places for you in Malaysia..


1) Kuala Lumpur
- Twin Towers & the Aquaria
- National Zoo & the Museum of Indigenous People (Orang Asli Museum)
- Bukit Bintang for shopping and Arabic food, Starhill Gallery for fine dining.
- Sunway Lagoon theme park for your kids, Sunway Pyramid mall for shopping - there's an Arabic restaurant here called Tarbush which gives a beautiful view of the place in the evening
- Putrajaya. Charter a taxi for a half-day tour to see new architecture, the mosque, take a boat ride or water-ski
- Central market & Petaling Street for cheap souvenir shopping

2) Melaka
- Historical town. Hire a trishaw and aks him to take you through the old Portuguese remains, the Baby & Nyonya House and Kampung Sentosa
- On the way back, stop at Ayer Keroh for the Crocodile Farm and/or Mini Malaysia

3) Cameron Highlands
- Agricultural highland, tea plantation

4) Langkawi
- stay in a nice beach resort, those at Tanjung Rhu are the quietest
- cable car ride up to the mountains
- cultural tour of the island - Makam Mahsuri etc. You can have the hotel arrange it for you.

5) Penang
- stay in a nice beach resort at Batu Ferringhi
- Visit the Burmese temple, the Indian temple, the Kek Lok Si temple
- cable car ride up to the mountains

6) Pulau Redang / Pulau Tioman for snorkelling for nice beach
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Old Dec 13th, 2010, 08:53 AM
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Hi Craig, I just saw this, so here is my input:

In Singapore, you have lots of good recommendations. I'd add the Museum of Asian Civilizations, the big branch is at Empress Place, there is a smaller branch just a couple of blocks from Raffles. Do stop by Raffles. We love eating at Doc Cheng's and I always enjoy the tiny museum in the hotel.

Georgetown, the hawker stalls are a must, of course. Look for a guide book to the hawker stalls. We bought two guides and they were indispensable. A couple of must-see places: The Blue Mansion and the Khoo Konsi. We walked most places, took a taxi I think just twice.

In Kuching, do visit the Ethnographic museum. Spend some time walking along the river front. In the shop houses across the street from the river are some fascinating things to buy. We brought home Sarawak pepper, which has a wonderful, distinctive flavor. There are fascinating textiles as well as wood carving available in some of the shops. If anything really interests you, all of the shops have "back rooms" where their best quality stuff is kept. We also enjoyed the "Little India" walking street.

Have a great time!
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