HOTELS:
*The Majestic Hotel– This is our favorite hotel in KL because of the location and it’s rich history. The rooms are large and contemporary yet maintain an antique charm to them. The service is impeccable and the facilities are amazing including an orchid room to host afternoon tea, a gym, spa, pool, cigar room and lounge with a pool table, Truefitt & Hill- a gentlemen’s salon and much more. There is a hotel van that also provides transportation to guests to various places in KL.
*The Hilton-Another great hotel in a central location. It houses some great restaurants and the famous Zeta bar that has live music most nights of the week. There is also a pool with a water slide for the kiddos.
*Traders Hotel– This hotel is all about location because it is in the center of downtown and walking distance to everything along with a great pool deck roof bar with amazing views.
SIGHTS:
*Islam Tour : (Half a day) Start with a tour of one of the mosques, I recommend either the “blue mosque” Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz/Biru in Selangor or Masjid Negara. Bob hosts free tours (012-325-7578) that are quite interesting from 9-12; 3-4 or 5:30-6:30. I recommend the morning visit. Following the mosque tour, visit the Islamic Art Museum and have lunch there (restaurant is closed Mondays). The museum shop is fabulous, I want everything in there.
*Malaysian Cultural Heritage Tour– (A full day) Start the day with the free Dataran Merdeka Heritage Walking Tour–I highly recommend it! It is on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and starts at 9 am from the KL City Gallery and goes for 2 1/2 hours until 11:30, where you visit 11 historical sites and end in a great gift shop. Book tour through: pelancongan@dbkl.gov.my Following the tour, have lunch at the Royal Selangor Club which is next to Merdeka Square and then catch the musical MUD, which is across the street at 3 pm. MUD is the story of the history, culture and heritage of Kuala Lumpur and is very entertaining, even for the young ones (they invite them on stage at the end). You can buy tickets for MUD here….http://mudkl.com/#section-tickets
If you want to continue the cultural experience to dinner, visit Jalan Alor–a street filled with food stalls serving a multitude of diverse foods, open all day but comes alive at night!!!
*Batu Caves/ Royal Selangor Pewter Factory/ Peter Hoe/ China Town/ Central Market- (Full Day) Start the day visiting Batu Caves in the morning where you climb 272 steps to reach a Hindu temple & shrine in a series of caves and rock formations (beware of wild monkeys). Next drive to the Royal Selangor Pewter Factory where you can spend a good 2 hours (in the air conditioning) taking a free guided tour through the museum and can even make your own pewter piece. The Pewter shop at the end of the tour is the perfect place to pick up a souvenir. Next head straight to Peter Hoe Cafe for lunch (not many tourists know this place-it’s popular among expats), hidden in Chow Kit, you will find a collection of beautiful homeware, clothes and souvenirs with a cafe attached (order the mango chicken salad)! After lunch and shopping, walk through the streets of Chinatown (the sights and smells can be a bit overwhelming but great place for knock offs) and end up at Central Market. Central Market is a one stop shopping centre for Malaysian products such as handicrafts, art, kebaya, songket, batik and the wide variety of Malaysian cuisine. I love the store on the 2nd floor on the left back corner, its filled with everything from antique Mahjong sets to batique clothing. There is also a small Royal Selangor store there and look for the famous Sarawak black pepper at the Sara Spice shop.
*FRIM/ Petronas Towers/ Suria Mall/ KL City Centre Park- (Full Day) FRIM stands for the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia and it is about a 30 minute drive from KL. This was one of my favorite activities in KL, which includes hiking, a series of canopy tours, botanical gardens and waterfalls. Visiting times can be tricky because of rainfall, so check the website for more information: http://www.frim.gov.my/attractions/visitors-guide-in-frim-campus/
Try and get there by 8 am because they limit the amount of people that can enter the canopy park per day and also it gets hot, so morning is best. Next is the Petronas Towers–you can’t visit KL without coming here……buy tickets on-line prior to your visit: http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/tickets. The tour is interesting and of course the views are spectacular–the entire tour takes about 50 minutes. Following the tour, at the base of the towers, is Suria Mall. The malls in KL are massive and quite popular–have lunch in the mall (I like Bens) and explore. After lunch walk outside towards the fountain to the City Centre Park where you will find a swimming area, playground and park grounds.
*Thean Hou Temple– One of the oldest and largest temples in Southeast Asia, this is my favorite Chinese temple in KL…..It is on a hill so the views are spectacular and it has beautiful pagodas and Chinese animal zodiac statues. Great for Chinese New Year…..
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS:
*Desa Park City- This park has a small lake with a path around it for walking/running/riding and bike rental shops nearby. There are a few options for dining (The Social is my favorite bc of their duck tacos) and a great playground with my kids’ favorite tire swing.
*Skytrex– If you have half a day, this place is definitely worth a visit for the more adventurous family. It’s an outdoor recreational park in the rainforest where you can choose a trek (according to level of difficulty) and with a harness, you make your way through obstacles and zip lines. It’s only a 30 minute drive from KL……http://www.skytrex-adventure.com/
*Camp 5– In the 1 Utama Mall, this is one of the largest indoor climbing gyms in Asia.
*Petronas Science Discovery Centre– On the 6th floor of the Pavilion mall in KLCC, this place is a modern, hands on, science museum that is quite impressive.
*Farm in The City– A non-traditional “zoo” experience where kids can interact with small animals and enjoy the petting zoo. The farm is about 30 minutes outside the city center.
*The Aquaria KLCC– is an oceanarium located beneath Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre that has a large variety of sea life.
*Bird Park / Butterfly Park– Definitely worth a visit to the Lake Gardens parks where you can visit a huge aviary with over 3,000 birds and walk among thousands of colorful butterfly.
*Sunway Lagoon Water Park– Large water park where you can easily spend a day riding water slides, hanging at surf beach and riding rides.
*Kidzania– My kids love Kidzania more than Disney! There are various branches around the world and it is magical for the kids to be able to roleplay various dream professions (fire fighter/ designer/ pilot/ ice cream maker, etc).
*Water skiing and boating in Putrajaya Lake— We have loved renting a boat at Putrajaya lake and going water skiing and tubing. The prices are reasonable and the speed boat comes with a driver and all the equipment (skis, wakeboard, knee boarding, tubing, etc.). The kids love it and the lake is clean and absolutely empty!!! http://www.waterski.com.my/
FOOD:
*Cantaloupe– For fine dining, this is my favorite place–It’s continental cuisine, great service, nice presentation and fabulous views from within the Troika tower.
*Fuego– Another favorite and also in the Troika tower, but more casual than Cantaloupe, this place serves latin american food and great tequila. It is open air and set on a deck overlooking the Petronas Towers.
*Sasoroso– This would be my choice for best Italian food in KL…..it’s in KLCC and has a great menu and lively chef that loves to come and chat and make recommendations.
*Pinchos Tapas Bar– This restaurant would be my first choice for Spanish tapas and for a fun night out in downtown because of its location: Bukit Bintang– the entertainment district of KL, has a main street filled with clubs, restaurants and bars.
*Din Tai Fung– A chain restaurant (have them in Singapore, USA, Hong Kong, etc) and it serves the best xiao long bao. There are several locations in KL, most in malls.
*Al Amar– My favorite Lebanese restaurant that serves amazing hummus, tabouli and falafels in the Pavilion Mall.
*Southern Rock Seafood– I really like this place for fresh seafood…..the ambience is casual and almost beachy/rustic and it’s byob!!! Lots of oysters and fresh fish…..
*Beato & Rils are my two favorite casual steak restaurants in KL. There is Marble 8 which is much fancier but if you want a good steak at a decent price, try one of these. At Beato, you can choose your own dry aged beef cut from a chalk board and they have great sides to go with it along with being BYOB! Rils is nice to have a drink upstairs at their bar before havng dinner downstairs.
*Tamarind Hill / Tamarind Springs– Both of these places are good for ethnic food, Tamarind Hill is in KLCC and is thai-burmese cuisine and Tamarind Springs serves Traditional Indochinese cuisine in a tropical outdoor setting.
*Shook– If you are looking for a Sunday champagne brunch with a variety of choices, inexpensive and entertainment for the kids, this place fits the bill. There is a band, clowns, free-flowing champagne, Alice in Wonderland theme with majicians, etc…all reasonably priced.
*I Cook Italian– This casual and kid friendly place has great pizza!
*Yeast – If you are looking for french bistro style dining, Yeast is delicious and has mussels night on Thursday bc they are shipped from Belgium fresh that morning!
*Souled Out– For a casual family friendly place where you can eat Al’fresco and watch matches on a big screen t.v.-this is your place.
*Mezze– This has been one of our go to places because it is casual, has great mediterranean food, awesome wine list and there is a bar upstairs that hosts live music.
*La Mexicana– Hands down-most authentic mexican food in KL….and great margaritas!
*My Elephant– My favorite Thai food restaurant in KL, order the green curry and its BYOB
*Cilantro– In the MiCasa hotel (sort of random) this place has potential–serves French-Asian cuisine and is considered more of a fine dining option
*Acme Bar & Coffee– I love this place for brunch or coffee, the setting is lively and beautiful and the food is great.
BARS:
*Zeta Bar- In the Hilton, this bar is famous for their live music–great cover bands perform here!
*Sky Bar– This rooftop deck bar in the Traders Hotel has great music, dancing, lounge sofas overlooking the Petronas Towers, and it all surrounds a pool.
*Sultan Lounge– This bar, in the Mandarin Oriental, is upscale and has a dj later in the night for dancing!
*Changkit Bukit Bintang– A street filled with bars and clubs.
*Helipad Bar– This place is unique, in that I’ve never been to a bar that is actually on a heli pad…..great for sunsets, drinks and snacks (don’t have dinner here) and some nights they have live music.
SHOPPING:
*Central Market– For more souvenir type shopping- mentioned above
*Peter Hoe– A great place to find pillows, baskets, napkins, tablecloths, candles, frames, etc…..-also mentioned above
*Frankitas– Based out of a home in Bukit Damansara, Francisca “Franki” has created the Frankitas line of clutches and bags made of traditional materials – like ikat and songket – from different parts of the world. She is becoming quite famous! https://www.facebook.com/frankitasbagsandclutches/
