First timer to KL
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I have never been to KL, but with all due respect, not sure if u are a seasoned traveller, please be careful when you are there as crime rate is quite high based on the stuff I read from the papers.
Especially if you are a lady :sweat:
Especially if you are a lady :sweat:
That will apply to everywhere you travel. Not necessary the place you quoted.
Just exercise the necessary precautions, and you will be fine.
If you read too much what is written in the papers about countries, then you are better staying put home.
It really depends on what you want to do. A lot of Singaporeans stay at Cititel, which is the hotel beside Megamall. Cititel is a three star hotel and quite popular. The location is great if you want to do shopping at Megamall and not be caught in the traffic jam in the downtown city area. Megamall is also pretty close to Bangsar.
If you want ultra-lux living near the Bangsar area, then stay at KL Hilton or Le Meridien at KL Sentral. Best thing is it is right beside the KL Express from the airport. These two hotels are fantastic.
Downtown, there are two main areas: KLCC area and Bukit Bintang area.
For KLCC, the hotels are mainly 5 to 4 stars. Mandarin Oriental is really popular because it is right beside the twin towers. Great shopping and very central. You can also try Renaissance, Nikko and Equitorial.
For Bukit Bintang, this is a great location for budget shopping and DVD hunting. Westin, Marriot and Regent are the five-star ones. There are some three to four star ones like Federal Hotel and Crown Prince. These are all very near to Lau Yat Plaza and Sungei Wang. Superb DVD shops.
Yes, crime is a problem, but you just have to be careful. Stay in groups and don't wander off alone at night. Don't carry large handbags when walking by the roadside because of snatch thiefs riding motorbikes.
BUT, KL is still a pretty fun place and you can't beat the food. Plenty of superb food. Singaporeans love Jalan Alor, but actually, if you ask any KLians, they will tell you that that place has crap and overpriced food. Ask the hotel concierge for good spots.
I love KL & I hope you would enjoy yourself there!
When I you want to be near Bukit Bintang, I will go for Hotel Nova (around RM100 - RM120 per night, depend on promo). Its at one end of Jln Alor - which some will say is sleazy at night, some will say there's lots of crappy food, but whatever, I still like the atmosphere there - pls leave all your bling-blings in Singapore! I leave my car in the hotel's underground carpark and travel by taxi/trains. You can also walk to KLCC from there!
When I want clean and bright, Cititel is another fav place (cant remem the price per night ..... RM150-170??) - shop and eat till you drop at the MidValley Megamall. The train station there will lead you to most parts of touristy KL too. Its a brighter side, compared to Jln Alor.
When I you want to be near Bukit Bintang, I will go for Hotel Nova (around RM100 - RM120 per night, depend on promo). Its at one end of Jln Alor - which some will say is sleazy at night, some will say there's lots of crappy food, but whatever, I still like the atmosphere there - pls leave all your bling-blings in Singapore! I leave my car in the hotel's underground carpark and travel by taxi/trains. You can also walk to KLCC from there!
When I want clean and bright, Cititel is another fav place (cant remem the price per night ..... RM150-170??) - shop and eat till you drop at the MidValley Megamall. The train station there will lead you to most parts of touristy KL too. Its a brighter side, compared to Jln Alor.
I kinda agree with Lindsay on the location on hotels around, and my advise is that, during morning and evening rush hours, the traffic is horrible. It is best to avoid them by either leaving your hotel late/going back to hotel after 9.00pm. Food wise..... (damn I missed KL food, haven't been back for the last 2 to 3 mths) it is fantastic and you will be spoilt for choice.
Along Jalan Alor - noodles/char kow tiau/char siew and siew yok/prawn noodles/beef noodle
Behind HSBC bank in BB road,Jalan Raja Chulan (wan tan mee, pan mee (donno whether still there), behind Istana Hotel (pan mee and also the indian rice, last time was called Blue Top (look for a blue roof, you can't miss it).
KLCC - is a mixture of everything, a bit of the high side..but generally good, go to the food court.
The Curve, Ikano Power Centre, One Utama (Old and New wing) in Damansara - both a heaven for shopping and food.
China town/Petaling Street - Hokkien mee (it is black and albeit crude... tai lok noodle, not the Singapore type)/dim sum/wan tan mee (cost a bomb!)/claypot rice (at night only) tien kai chuk (frog leg porridge)
PJ SS2 - Wai Seik Kai (in the center of SS2, PJ) you can't miss it. good food there. Wan Tan Mee, Bak Kut Teh, Dim Sum, char kuay teow
others...that is worth mentioning... Ampang Yong Tau Fu, Klang seafood/Bak Kut Teh/Belakong Yong Tau Fu/Chee Pau Kai (Wrapped chicken!!) he he he
If you have a car... he he he he a lot better!! Fancy indian, chinese, malay, seafood? Problem is that...you have to drive out of KL city. ..places like PJ State/Old town/Cheras/Kajang/Ampang/Taman Melawati/Jalan Pahang (best prawn mee in Malaysia, by my standard la of cuz!!!)/Jalan Klang Lama/PJ SS3/Cable Car/Taman Desa Cafe/Old Klang Road/Kepong........extend further...Ipoh/Penang!!! Mamma mia!!!
Aiyaaa... now I am hungry already!!!
Annei .. kopi ping kurang manis kau kau punya, satu!! Roti telor dan kosong hancur... kasi banjir, Dhal sama sambal!!! yum yum!!
:think:
No doubt there is crime... but that aside i was amazed with the vibrant city, new shopping complexes, n friendly ppl... U must visit KL sometime...
Do check room availability as there are a lot of Arabs vacationing in Kuala Lumpur right now.
HTH.
HTH.
I visit KL every other week. stay at Park Royal, just opposite Sungei wang and next to lot10.
Mrt station also nearby. Human traffic is high so don't need to walk along deserted streets. Nearby there's this "Chinese Overseas" rest is very good. Very tradition.......the rest of the shopping area as mentioned above.
Enjoy your trip
Most important ..... what's yr budget?
My suggestion for first-timers to KL is to follow the local tour co .... cheap and good. Check out the newspaper for offers.
" Kuala Lumpur has a vibrant nightlife, concentrated in three places; the first being the City Centre (specifically, the Golden Triangle area), the second being the posh district of Bangsar (near the Mid Valley Megamall) and the third being the up and coming swanky district of Seri Hartamas/Mont Kiara. In the Golden Triangle area, there is a myriad of chain restaurants, stores and shopping boutiques as well as a slew of nightclubs and bars. Nuovo and Sangria are interesting clubs to check out. Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Bukit Bintang are both shopping streets with many shops and malls. Recently, Jalan Bukit Bintang has undergone massive redevelopment, making it more pedestrian friendly aesthetically pleasing. Interestingly, there is an enclave in the city centre where there exists a traditional Malay village (Kampung Baru, a stop on the Putra line LRT), where traditional Malay culture is very much alive."
I do hope so, my fren only eats the oyster omelette in KL, I have been to Penang and Trengganu(??) though
Take the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus. Its RM$36 (for non-citizens, else its RM$18) and the ticket lasts for 24 hours. It will bring you to almost everywhere in KL. More than 20+ stops, including Eye of Malaysia, Museum, Mosque, Palace Gates, Chinatown, their Padang (forgot the name. sorry.), KL Tower (can do Flying Fox there), KLCC, and all the other spots. 1 round trip on the bus is around 1.5 hours, barring jams at the stated times earlier.
Really good value for money transport, with air-conditioned comfort and voice commentary through the provided headphones. They have lots of stops and you purchase the ticket when you board the bus. Check with your hotel, where the nearest stop is and get their brochure that lists all the stops. Theres one stop at Bukit Bintang, near the MacDonalds there. That stop also has this weird animal lover guy who has a motorcycle full of cats lounging on it. :bigeyes:
Really good value for money transport, with air-conditioned comfort and voice commentary through the provided headphones. They have lots of stops and you purchase the ticket when you board the bus. Check with your hotel, where the nearest stop is and get their brochure that lists all the stops. Theres one stop at Bukit Bintang, near the MacDonalds there. That stop also has this weird animal lover guy who has a motorcycle full of cats lounging on it. :bigeyes:
I'd not recommend Hotel Nova..
I was there last month with my GF. One evening we went downstair to buy some corn, and thought it's a 5mins trip, i left my belongings in the hotel. When we came back, our room card key cannot be use to open the door. So we went down to reception and changed another card. It works this time. However, I saw my OCBC credit card was placed at another slot in my wallet. I'm a very particular person in terms of my cards placement in my wallet, so I knew someone must have tampered with it. Initially I thought it's my GF who was digging for the room card key and has changed the position of the card. So I thought nothing of it.
The next day, OCBC called and asked if I had made 2 transactions to Saudi Arabia, ~S$120 each. I said no and they replied that they will file this as a credit card fraud case. That bugger used my credit card number to top-up his pre-paid mobile card, 2 times, with the highest amount possible in the website (~S$120)..
Then my GF and I conclude that someone broke into the room during the 5mins when we were away. And it definitely has something to do when we couldn't enter the room with the card key. Either the robber has a copy of our card, went inside and locked the door that's why the card key cannot be read? Or the robber used his own universal card key and render the card reader unable to read my original card?
We extended our stay in KL and stayed in another 4-star hotel, but we went back to Nova Hotel the next day. Spoke to their manager about the breaking-in case, although he is a very polite guy, but he was so heck-care about the hotel's reputation that he don't even bother to lead us into a discussion room, but we discussed about this issue right in front of many guests waiting at the reception counter. Some stare at us in disbelief.. In any way, he said that there was no CCTV in the lift lobby of every floor, so it's impossible to see if anyone went into the room. And their key card system is a little faulty, so when our card can't get into the room, it could very well be of their cranky key card system. And they promised to give us a call if they discover anything.. But as expected, nothing more from them eversince.
One note to all of you... Try not to stay hotels where they don't have CCTV installed on every level.. Which means most choices are 4* hotels and above. Seriously, for the price of Nova Hotel, I could get a room in Ancasa (4*) for a little bit more..
That incident caused so much problem.. I had to suspend all my credit cards immediately whilst in KL, at the same time, asked them what's all the recent transaction within the last 3 days.. Then when I need to check out of my 4* hotel, I have to call one of my credit card company to activate for me to make a transaction, and call again to suspend it. I've got new cards with new numbers from most of the banks already. But some of my bills are paid via credit card, so it also means informing them of my new card number, etc.. damn troublesome!!!
I even go to the extend of finding out the Saudi Arabia telco which the bugger topped up from.. And I emailed them of this case. Even gave them the (fraud) credit card number and ask them to kindly help me trace out the bugger's phone number.. but even 3 times of emailing them telling how desperate i am, i got 3 similar replies from them - "Please check with your bank". So now OCBC is helping me to investigate.. Which I don't know how long it will take..
I was there last month with my GF. One evening we went downstair to buy some corn, and thought it's a 5mins trip, i left my belongings in the hotel. When we came back, our room card key cannot be use to open the door. So we went down to reception and changed another card. It works this time. However, I saw my OCBC credit card was placed at another slot in my wallet. I'm a very particular person in terms of my cards placement in my wallet, so I knew someone must have tampered with it. Initially I thought it's my GF who was digging for the room card key and has changed the position of the card. So I thought nothing of it.
The next day, OCBC called and asked if I had made 2 transactions to Saudi Arabia, ~S$120 each. I said no and they replied that they will file this as a credit card fraud case. That bugger used my credit card number to top-up his pre-paid mobile card, 2 times, with the highest amount possible in the website (~S$120)..
Then my GF and I conclude that someone broke into the room during the 5mins when we were away. And it definitely has something to do when we couldn't enter the room with the card key. Either the robber has a copy of our card, went inside and locked the door that's why the card key cannot be read? Or the robber used his own universal card key and render the card reader unable to read my original card?
We extended our stay in KL and stayed in another 4-star hotel, but we went back to Nova Hotel the next day. Spoke to their manager about the breaking-in case, although he is a very polite guy, but he was so heck-care about the hotel's reputation that he don't even bother to lead us into a discussion room, but we discussed about this issue right in front of many guests waiting at the reception counter. Some stare at us in disbelief.. In any way, he said that there was no CCTV in the lift lobby of every floor, so it's impossible to see if anyone went into the room. And their key card system is a little faulty, so when our card can't get into the room, it could very well be of their cranky key card system. And they promised to give us a call if they discover anything.. But as expected, nothing more from them eversince.
One note to all of you... Try not to stay hotels where they don't have CCTV installed on every level.. Which means most choices are 4* hotels and above. Seriously, for the price of Nova Hotel, I could get a room in Ancasa (4*) for a little bit more..
That incident caused so much problem.. I had to suspend all my credit cards immediately whilst in KL, at the same time, asked them what's all the recent transaction within the last 3 days.. Then when I need to check out of my 4* hotel, I have to call one of my credit card company to activate for me to make a transaction, and call again to suspend it. I've got new cards with new numbers from most of the banks already. But some of my bills are paid via credit card, so it also means informing them of my new card number, etc.. damn troublesome!!!
I even go to the extend of finding out the Saudi Arabia telco which the bugger topped up from.. And I emailed them of this case. Even gave them the (fraud) credit card number and ask them to kindly help me trace out the bugger's phone number.. but even 3 times of emailing them telling how desperate i am, i got 3 similar replies from them - "Please check with your bank". So now OCBC is helping me to investigate.. Which I don't know how long it will take..
maybe you can try this Tune hotel by Air Asia if under budget. I have not tried there yet though. Aircon need to pay extra, but still cheap if its jst for sleeping for the night.
http://www.tunehotels.com/index.asp
http://www.tunehotels.com/index.asp
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