Malaysia : Help needed in planning a trip
 

Hello everybody,
My daughter (23) and I (50) are going for a holiday to Malaysia in November for 9 nights. So far I have booked only the flights to KL and back. I am still puzzling over where to go, and what to see and I need all the help I can get.

Both my daughter and I like cities and markets, historic spots and places of worship. Though we like the outdoors, we are not very adventurous - for example, I thought of going to the forest but I saw a warning about leeches and that was enough to scare me off !! I would like to stay in a beach resort for the last few days to rest and relax before heading back home.

My general plan :

Nights 1 & 2 : KL 1 day to look around town. 1 day to go to the Batu caves and the forest reserve close by. Worth staying one extra night ? Which hotel ? Medium budget (3 *) in city centre ?

Nights 3, 4, 5 : Penang. Take cheap flight to Penang and stay in the city. Which hotel ? what to see ? Better to increase KL by 1 night and reduce Penang by 1 night ?

Nights 6, 7, 8 : Langkawi. Take a Ferry from Penang to Langkawi ? Feasible ? Needs to be booked ahead ? Or better to take a flight ? Which hotel to stay in ? Would prefer to stay right on the beach. Am willing to splurge a little.

Night 9 : Back in KL to sleep before taking the plan home next day.

Your suggestions are very welcome. Thank you.

Your general plan looks good. KL is worth 2 days. Petronas Towers, Bukit Bintang for great open air restaurants. Chinatown and Little India are also worth a visit. Lots of nice colonial architecture (Merdeka Sq). The Islamic Arts Museum is worth an hour or two.

Loved Penang! Best food in Asia! A great place just to wander around the streets with loads to see. Dont expect great beaches.

The ferry to Langkawi is a great trip (4 hours or so as I recall). Langkawi does have the beaches and the hotels. We have stayed in a few places there. We got married at The Datai, hich is still rated as one of the best beach resorts in the world by Conde Nast but now VERY expensive.

http://www.bontonresort.com.my/ is a good choice for a smaller boutique type place (but I can't recall what the beach was like).There are loads of hotels on the island of all shapes and sizes so you are bound to find something to suit on one of the consolidation sites.

It is worth renting a car to see a bit of the island and some of the many beaches and a trip to the mangrove forests is a nice diversion.

In Penang, stay in the historic Georgetown area. I highly recommend the E&O. What a fabulous historic hotel! They often have great specials on their website. And as Crellston says, the food is absolutely fabulous! You might be interested in my Penang trip report of a few years ago. Click on my name and you'll find a list of trip reports.

I'd stick with the time allocation you have... I find KL a bit boring after a couple of days, while I spent a week in Penang.

Thanks a lot Crellston and Kathie, I'll take your advice and stick to the general plan. So the ferry is good ? I'll look it up and see if it can be booked. I will read your report Kathie and pick of whatever ideas I can :) Thanks again..

Have a great trip!

Suja - Yes the ferry is good way to travel. It is pretty easy to book at the ferry terminal with a good choice of operators. Here is a link to our blog

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...tml#ENTRY_LIST

Entries 21 - 25 cover our time in Malaysia.

Have fun and make sure you try the Char Kuay Teow in Georgetown- delicious!!

Firstly you will not need a whole day to go to the Batu caves.
I would also suggest flying to Langkawi from Penang as you have limited time. Firefly do that route and its REALLY cheap. I totally agree with Crellston Bon Ton is FANTASTIC with really great food. Wholeheartedly recommend
We also LOVED Penang

i also suggest bon ton or secondly the sheraton that is not in town....they have a small beach..

take a look at 11 clove hall in georgetown...its new...i'm staying there next spring...

the imperial in K/L is very nice...its a sheraton... great for points and cash if you have starwood points... very close to restaurants and the tram....

petronas is a must...

personally i would skip the caves...

malecca is also a nice place to visit for about 2-3 days...its a ride from K/L south