We are considering various options for our next trip.

First of all, is late February a good time to go to Malaysia? Seems like you can get rain at any time but more so at this time of year.

Second, we'd like to do it combined with Singapore - we'd probably have to get there from Bangkok or Tokyo with ff miles. We are not big on beaches but 2 or 3 nights would be ok. We have maybe 12-14 days net of travel time. The guide books always have you moving along 1 or 2 nights at each destination but we would prefer to have at least a couple of destinations where we can spend more time to relax.

A search has not yielded a lot of info. I know that Kuala Lampur is worth a day and that Penang/Georgetown are common destinations.

We like shopping (crafts, textiles, jewelry, art work), dining, hiking, snorkeling, history, upscale lodging, nature/wildlife, photography and getting to meet the people up close. This is not in order of priority.

Do you do Malaysia with a combo of car/driver and air? Are there websites that specialize in private tours/hotels/flights? Do we need a guide at any point?

Craig, are you considering only Peninsular Malaysia or would you also consider Sabah and Sarawak?

As you know, I highly recommend a stay at the E&O in Georgetown. I think you and Jeanne would really enjoy a stop there for the historic sights and the fabulous food. Because of the wonderful E&O, you could spend some relaxation time there.

KL is worth a few days. There is a place in KL where I've purchased wonderful hand-made textiles.

On the east coast of Malaysia, there are some lovely beaches. I've stayed a Kuantan a couple of times, but there are many other options as well.

If you are willing to consider Sabah and Sarawak, there are lots of options. We loved the city of Kuching, and there is lots to do in the area, including beaches at Damai, less than a hour from Kuching. And in Sabah, of course we loved our stay at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. There are also two lovely Shangri-La beach resorts not too for from Kota Kinabalu.

Hi Craig, we visited Sabah in late February 2006 for one week. Weather was good though probably the highest humidity we have ever experienced. We stayed at Shangri-La Rasa Ria. Very nice but some 40mins from town so somewhat isolated. We visited the other Shangri-La (Tanjun Aru), which would probably be our choice next time we visit. During our stay, it was jellyfish season so sea swimming was ruled out!!!
Loads to see and do around Kota Kinabalu.
Some good info here http://www.visitborneo.com/sabah.htm

We recently returned from Singapore where we stayed at Raffles The Plazza (tip from Kathie), and can highly recommend this hotel for your Singapore section. Absolutely fabulous views from the club floors.

take a look at the datai in langkawi...lovely place....island is quiet, but worth a couple of days as your relaxation place...

malay air has great inter-country connections....air asia is based in K/L with tons of connections....

we will visit kuantan and melaka in may so will be able to report back to you about possibilities there....

great hotels in K/L...probably worth a couple of days...

Craig, if you've got Star Alliance FF mile, you can fly the Singapore Air non-stop from EWR. There's also a non-stop from LAX.

But oh great Panda - you cannot get two biz class seats for the EWR-SIN Singapore flight - I have tried and there only seems to be one seat available per flight - other posters have confirmed this.

Give the seat to Jeanne and you can ride in the back with us peons. Of course, you should get your shots before coming back to the cattle car.

Thai Air to BKK is not so bad.

You may well be able to get 2 business class seats on the EWR-SIN route starting this summer as it is becoming ALL business class.

The reason for going all biz class is because of demand from paying customers - seems like not enough of them want to fly in the back of the bus for 18 hours. I will be pleasantly surprised if Singapore's policy changes but I'm not banking on it.

Late Feb is just pushing into the edge of the good time for the east coast of Malaysia so you should be OK, you may still get some residual rain, it is hard to say. I would go as far north as you can, like the Perhentian/Redang islands area, as the rain will more likely have moved further south by February (it will be in Singapore, but really that does not matter at all, you are not there for the beaches, you are there for the great museums, terrific food, and mix of cultures). Avoid Tioman. I love Rawa, but at the end of February it may not be at its best, so again I would go further north toward Kuala Terengganu. I think you may find Sabah and Sarawak to be very rainy in February, see the weatherbase.com website. The winter monsoon is just sitting over this part of SE Asia in the winter months.

I think the east coast of Malaysia is far more beautiful than the west in terms of geography and beaches. Green and hilly and lots of little islands with white sand beaches and azure blue water. Very good snorkeling, more of it on the off shore islands than directly off beaches on the coast. That being said I like Malacca and Penang for their history and colonial bits, so it will depend on what you want to do and see and how much time you have.

If you will there in February, if you can arrange your schedule to be there for Thaipusam, I would try do so. This is a Hindu festival which is really something to see. It is only celebrated in Singapore and in the Batu Caves near Penanag, so you may be able to see one or the other. I have only seen the Singapore festivies, which are pretty amazaing. Devotees piece their bodies with skewers which hold up huge headdresses and walk barefoot about 2 miles between two temples. There is firewalking and other similar physical feats going on at the temples. I don’t think the date has been fixed yet for 2009, it has something to do with moon phases, but you might check the Singapore or Penang tourism website to see if they have any info yet and see if you can work it into your schedule.

Malaysia is a place where you can rent a car and drive yourself, IMO, assuming you are OK driving on the “other” side of the road. Roads are good quality, drivers are decently trained, signage is in Engilsh. Malaysia is about the only place I would recco this. (Well, I would say Hong Kong and Singapore but as a tourist a car is more of a hindrance than a help there.) A drive up the east or west coast would be pretty pleasant. Otherwise, you can take planes, buses, even trains or hire a taxi for shorter haul trips (1-3 hours). Private car and drivers do not seem to be used as much, and you won’t find them to be the bargain that they are in other places in Asia, e.g. India. If you wanted to go from Singapore or KL to a place in the Perhentians, there is Berjaya Air that can take you directly to their little isand hotel in Redang, see berjayaresorts.com.my. Malaysian Air also does hops across the country as well as flights from Singapore as well. Places like Malacca are an easy drive or bus ride from Singapore. I took a train up to Penang from Singapore decades ago and it was fun, I think it would still be, you might look into that. (The train actually goes from Singapore to Bangkok overnight, you could consider that either to or from Bangkok, you can stop off at various points in Malaysia. I have a friend you did that recently, he said it was basic, but fine. He did not to the much more expensive Eastern & Orientalal Express train trip.)

You could also fly down from Bangkok or Tokyo to KL and start the trip there, ending in Singapore for the flight out.

Cicerone is quite right that Kuching is rainy in February, but Kota Kinabalu is not. So if you wanted a beach in Sabah, that would be an option (there are two Shangri-Las in the area). I don't know if you'd be interested in a stay at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge or not, but if you are interested in seeing oranugs in the (and other wild things as well) and just experiencing staying in the primary rainforest, I highly recommend it.

We went to Sarawak and Sabah this January - its supposed to be very wet and we went prepared. It did rain, but not lots as we expected - it was fine. I don't think the weather is very predictable anymore anywhere.