Malaysia is a place bursting with variations and wonders, in the true sense is ‘truly Asia’. The pristine beaches, Urban jungle and it has an incredibly rich natural landscape. It is a place where you get to see diverse ethnicities, religion coming together and existing in peace. You can find modernity in High rise building of Kuala Lumpur, relax in beaches of Langkawi and you can enjoy beautiful temples too.
There are four major places to visit in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands, Langkawi & Penang. We were not able to visit Penang as we did not have enough time.
You should plan your visit between December to March, as the weather will a little cool and less probability of rainfall.
I am here to share my experience in Malaysia and hope it helps you to plan yours vacation. I will give you an insight about each day we spent in Malaysia, what I did also what I could have done.
We spent 8 Days & 7 Nights -|Genting Highlands (1D), Kuala Lumpur (3D), Langkawi (3D).
Day 1
I boarded the flight late night from Bangalore which took 4 hours to reach Kuala Lumpur in the. From the airport, we boarded a taxi for First World Hotel in Genting Highland, en route we visited BATU Caves.
BATU Caves – Batu Caves, one of Kuala Lumpur’s most frequented tourist attractions, is a limestone hill comprising three major caves and a number of smaller ones. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu (Stone River), which flows past the hill. It is the tenth limestone hill from Ampang. The cave is one of the most popular Tamil shrines outside India and is dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. Batu Caves in short also referred as 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Murugan as there are six important holy shrines in India and four more in Malaysia.
You need to climb 250 steps and burn some calories to see this beautiful cave as we were really tired, we could not go inside the cave. Please do visit, it’s worth it.
Then we started our commute to First World Hotel. To reach the hotel you need to a cable car as it is on the top of a mountain. Once you start the climb everything becomes foggy & clear, every now and then. The journey takes approximately 15 minutes. Once you reach the hotel you can self-check-in. We checked in a room on the 35th Floor.
First World Hotel – First World Hotel is the largest hotel of Genting Resort, comprising two colorful tower blocks that house 6,118 budget rooms overlooking the outdoor theme park at Genting Highlands. Extremely popular among visitors by virtue of having the cheapest rates, the hotel sits above the First World Plaza shopping center, which also houses the Indoor Theme Park.
After taking rest for some time, we thought of exploring theFirst World Plaza(Mall). You have everything here from replicas of numerous international landmarks such as Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Petronas Towers and others, are innumerable apparel houses, jewelry brands, electronic gadgets shops, and handicrafts stores and awesome food joints, restaurants. It’s simply a place where everyone can shop, dine, play. We visited the Snow World which is at Level 2.
We had some delicious dinner in the plaza and we were done for the day.
Day 2
In the morning, we had our complimentary breakfast. In breakfast, they serve varieties of dishes and if you love for Indian dishes they will not disappoint you.
After breakfast, we took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur where we had our booking in Hotel Istana.
The location of the hotel is also brilliant, almost everything is at walking distance.
Once we arrived we were greeted by a helpful bellman and were provided with some welcome refreshments & wet towels which was good considering the humidity. As we were early and our rooms were not ready, we were asked to wait. So instead of waiting in the lobby, we thought of exploring the surrounding area. We clicked lots of pictures.
We got a call from the hotel once our room was ready. The rooms were spacious and the bathrooms were huge. Though it’s an old hotel they have maintained it quite well. The staffs always carry a smile on their faces and are ready to help.
After relaxing for some time, we went to visit Aquaria KLCC which was at a walking distance.
Aquaria KLCC – The largest aquarium in South East Asia, with over 5000 different marine animal species, featuring tiger sharks, sea turtle, sea snakes, blue rays, coral fish, seahorses and many more.
After visiting Aquaria KLCC, we headed to the food street for our dinner. People who love eating, Jalan Alor is the place to be when you are in KL. If you really want to taste the local foods of Malaysia this will be your ultimate place. Most of its establishment is dated back 10-50 years old and it holds its pride with their signature dishes in every store you go. You can never try all the local food in one go because of the wide variety of local dishes
When you go to the streets of Jalan Alor make make sure to ask for their signature dish because most of the stores offer too many foods in the menu, you’ll be disappointed on some of their foods because they tend to cater all kinds of categories so make sure you get the best of their menu. Never forget to buy their colorful dimsums and fruit juices to complete your experience. Do try out the different types of dishes made out of the famous Durian fruit (But be cautious, it has a very strong smell). Please support the people who sing in front of the restaurant because they are the ones that give life to that place. It’s good to eat with some good music!
Day 3
After having scrumptious breakfast by the pool, we started our journey. It was going to be a long day as we had enrolled for ‘Kuala Lumpur half day city tour’ & ‘Kuala Selangor fireflies tour’.
As a part of the package, we visited a chocolate factory, Kings Palace, KLCC Petronas Tower, and Independence Square. We missed out on Royal Selangor Pewter.
Kings Palace
National Monument
Independence Square
Petronas Tower
After finishing the city Tour, We boarded a taxi to go to Kuala Selangor. On the way, we visited Bukit Melawati. A small Hill in Kuala Selangor town with a lot of points of interest including the old Dutch fort; the tombs of the sultan; an old rest house and good views to the river and the coast. The special attraction is the silver leaf monkeys, endangered species but flourishing well here. You can buy monkey food and feed them. The whole area is covered with Palm trees .
After that we had our lunch in Penambang, the food was ok but the view was breathtaking.
The weather was cloudy first and to our disappointment, it started raining. We waited for 2 hours praying for the rain to stop and then we headed to mangrove forest to view the fireflies.
‘If you don’t expect too much, you won’t get disappointed’ – I expected to see a large number of fireflies but it was confined to only a few trees. A person will take you on a rowboat to get you close with natural fire emitters. What I heard from the people that the population of fireflies has been decreasing from last few years.
It’s around 1.5 hours’ drive from KL, we reached the market near our hotel around 8. We thought of trying KFC for dinner, the taste was similar to India but you get lots of different dips in Malaysia.
Day 4
After having breakfast, we booked an UBER to KLCC Bird Park.
It’s like a jungle walk within the city, take your time strolling around the park. Many friendly, beautiful, colorful birds roaming the park freely. You can see lots of peacock and parrot. Though we could not enjoy to the fullest as it was raining that day but it was a good experience. Please try to avoid this place on a rainy day as birds do not come out if it rains.
In the evening, we had booked the ticket for Menara KL Skydeck from where we could have seen the entire city and enjoy the sunset, but to our disappointment again as it was drizzling you were not allowed to go on top. Instead, we had to view it from enclosed space.
After clicking a few pictures, we walked back to our hotel, relaxed for some time and then went again to enjoy the lovely food in Jalon Alor.
We slept early as we had an early morning flight for Langkawi.
If you are going with Kids please visit Sunway Lagoon Theme Park and Malacca.
Day 5
We checked out from the hotel early morning and headed to the airport. It is only an hour journey.
We reached Langkawi by 9:30 am. We boarded a taxi for our hotel, our stay was booked in ‘Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa’. One of the best places to stay in Langkawi. and its only 15 mins from the airport.
Situated right on the beach only a short stroll along the beach will lead you to many bars/restaurants and the shopping. We were upgraded to a lake view front from garden terrace room, I should have opted for the Sea view room.
The rooms & bathrooms were big with plenty of storage area, perfect cooling plus a ceiling fan, and a nice big comfy bed. The scenic view from our room was amazing. The staff couldn’t be more helpful or friendly- the buggy rides to and from our room were always a treat.
After checking in and relaxing for a while, we went for ‘Mangrove & Cave exploring tour’
The tour is mostly on a speedboat which is the best part. The boat ride will initially take you along the Kilim river with dense green mangroves (also known as wetland mangroves) on one side and gigantic limestone rocks on the other rising from the river bed. Some of these limestone rocks that look like mountains have been formed some 500 million years back. In some time you will reach the Floating Fish Farm. Here you can hand feed a stingray or even the shooting archerfishes that jump a long way out of the water to take away the bread piece from your fingers.
And then you will be taken to a calm water area surrounded by high rocks and forest where you will see a grand spectacle – Eagle Feeding. The boatman stops the engine and the guide throws some chicken skin pieces into the water. In no time the Eagles start swooping in from the sky, grab the food and take off. The next stop isHidden cave or Gua Langsir. The boat is secured to a small platform and you will hop out to a staircase that leads to a footbridge. After climbing down several steep steps, you will reach the lower level where the footbridge extends to a beautiful lake.
After that, the boat driver usually takes you on a fast ride towards the open sea. Some of these boats can really get to high speed. On the way, you will see a small island that looks like a shoe. The locals call it the Shoe Island. As you boat zooms toward the open sea, on the other side you will see “Kilim Geoforest Park” written on large white metallic letters on the cliffs.
Next, you will be taken to the Crocodile Cave. You aren’t likely to find any crocodiles here. During the low tide, the boat can pass right through the cave. As you go under it The final stop is at the Bat Cave. which is located quite close to the Kilim Jetty. Other than the awesome sight of large colonies of bats hanging from the ceiling and flying all over your head, BatCave showcases stunning formations of limestone. In one such formation, the stalactites and stalagmites have joined to form a single column.
The entire tour takes 3-4 hours. We went back to our hotel, and in the evening enjoyed local seafood in Pantai Cenang market.
Day 6
After having one of the best breakfast of our stay so far, we headed to ‘Half day Langkawi Island Tour’ 4-5hours.
It was an AC bus which came to our resort. The first stop of the day was Atma Alam Bakit Village, where you’ll see the artists at work on traditional batik paintings. Learn about the craft of batik in the Atma Alam workshop, then head to the showroom and gallery to browse hand-drawn silk, locally-made cloth, and works by Langkawi painters. You wont be able to click pictures here.
You would be taken to head to Eagle Square, where a massive eagle statue looks out across the bay—the eagle is the longtime symbol of the Langkawi archipelago. This is a perfect photo opportunity place. As we went there in the afternoon it was too hot, please try to visit his place in the evening.
Continue to Underwater World Langkawi, the largest aquarium in Malaysia, and see thousands of species that live beneath the surface of the water, including sharks, giant stingrays, and green turtles.
The final stop is Kuah Town, the perfect spot for exploring a relaxed downtown and doing some duty-free shopping. We bought lots of chocolates & perfumes. We were dropped in the hotel as we had another package in the second part of the day.
Sky Cab & Bridge –
The cab from our hotel dropped us at the base where ticket counters are located. Various combo tickets are available at different prices for Malaysian and Non-Malaysian. Options available are the SkyCab Basic Package (Normal and Express Lane), SkyCab with Private, VIP or Glass Bottom Gondola and SkyCab Combo. Each comes with value-added benefits but all types of tickets will at least give access to the SkyDome, SkyRex and 3D Art Langkawi.
There are other two stations Middle &Top. Middle Station is located at 650m above sea level. Passengers disembark here to admire the view and take photos before boarding the cable car again for the final 450m stretch to Top Station. Top Station is at 708m above sea level. There are twin viewing platforms where you can catch the cooling breeze and enjoy superb 360-degree panoramic views over Langkawi and the surrounding area, including parts of neighboring Thailand.
Top Station is also where you access the SkyBridge, an amazing 125-meter curved suspension suspended by a single pylon above a deep ravine between two mountain tops. The full ride from Base to the Top station takes 15 minutes and it is 2150 meters long and climbs 680 meters, with magnificent views high above the treetops of the dense rainforest. Please try to take glass bottom gondola, then the journey will be more exciting.
In this Skybridge, DON movie shooting was done. The view from the Sky Bridge is spectacular. I loved seeing Langkawi’s small islands from high above. It can be rather windy & the bridge will feel as if it is swaying. But it is safe nevertheless. There are also certain points on the bridge where glass panels can be sighted. You can walk on it or see just how high you are above ground level.
We spent a good amount of time on top, then we went down to the 3D Langkawi museum, it was a good experience. We headed back to the hotel in the late evening. The whole tour takes 4 hours if it is not crowded, luckily it was not for us.
Spent a good amount of time on top, then we went down to the 3D Langkawi museum, it was a good experience. Then we headed back to the hotel in the late evening. The whole tour takes 4 hours if it is not crowded, luckily it was not for us.
We had dinner in Pantai Senang, the restaurant has live fishes, prawns, and lobsters and there is Pakistani joint which serves world best BBQ lamb. You have to eat at this place ‘House of BBQ’.
Day 7
Today was booked for ‘Coral island Package’, we were excited to do snorkeling and if possible Scuba.
Our cab dropped us in Kuah Jetty (Very crowded place) from there we Departed for Pulau Payar Marine Park by ferry. We reached there in an hour.
We were provided with snorkeling equipment. The fishes(from big to small) will swim with you and at you!! They are probably so used to tourists feeding them, and hence when you swim they think you are feeding them. They are harmless but of course, occasionally you might get few that will bite you but it’s a very good experience for first-time snorkels as you get to see lots of fishes, corals. Although many corals were dead but there’s still plenty that’s around. There’s a toilet facility there but don’t expect too much. No fresh water. So don’t bother to shower. Just bring some extra clothes to change and also which are easy to change into. It’s not the cleanest toilet but it serves its purpose.
We were provided with packed lunch, which was just edible. After that, we decided to go for scuba, it was an impromptu decision. You would be taken to a different place via boat, where the activity takes place. I and my husband both were tensed, me being more. They gave us a brief about scuba, told us about the sign language to communicate when we are underwater. You need to wear the scuba costume and the oxygen tank is heavy as hell when it is above the water. I was very scared and didn’t want to go but my scuba guide talked me through and gave me the courage. You would feel a lot of ear pressure as you descend, so you need to use the technique suggested by them to release the pressure. Once you reach down, the view is worth it, so many colorful and different varieties of sea creature you can see. For almost 10-15 minutes you will be under water.
From there we took the ferry again, got down in Kuah jetty and headed back to resort.
Day 8
Today we had the ‘Langkawi Island Hopping tour’ but we skipped it, as we just wanted to enjoy, relax and click some pictures in our resort and in the evening, we had our flight back to Bangalore.
The view of the sunset from the beach was mesmerizing. In the evening we boarded our flight, which brings an end to our memorable journey. Malaysia in every sense is worth visiting once in your lifetime.
In the evening we boarded our flight, which brings an end to our memorable journey. Malaysia in every sense is worth visiting in your lifetime.
Please do not miss out on the signature dish Nasi Goreng and their favorite fruit Durian.
**We have some amazing videos, which will be uploaded soon. So stay tuned.