Matthew wrote:
In KL however, I see that prices are surprisingly (considering that
Malaysia seems like a more affluent country) quite a bit cheaper, and
even the most expensive five-star (the Carcosa Sari Negara) will cost
me less than £100.

There seems to be an oversupply problem. Yet the cranes are going around the
clock.

So I am therefore looking to stay in the nicest
hotel in KL, given my party of 2 adults + a 2 year old. Being in
walking distance of the shopping centres is a major plus, but
recreational facilities or gardens (such as at the Shangri-La could
offset this). I am afraid I would not know what to do with the butler
service at the Ritz, so this seems rather a waste - I would be more
impressed with a high-quality room.

So I am looking between

the Mandarin Oriental
the Shangri-La
the Regent

I can only address location as I haven't been inside any of these, but for
day-in, day-out volume of things to do, the Regent probably wins. The
Shangri-La is over on a stretch of Sultan Ismail that has only office
buildings and a small concentration of loud bars for rich twenty-somethings.
The Mandarin Oriental is at KLCC which means shopping in one large mall, a
fountain (admittedly a nice one), a really large playground, and that's
about it.

or any other hotel that anyone can recommend... (the place of the
golden horses looks nice, but the mines resort concept didn't seem all
that exciting - the theme park looks pretty feeble, but again I am
open to be persuaded that it's actually wonderful).

If you're taking a weekend from elsewhere in Malaysia, sure. But if you're
flying from halfway around the world, it's not worth being way out there.

I would also like to know the best place for *Malaysian* dining in the
city - no Chinese, I want high-class Malaysian cuisine.

There are several nice places on Tengkat Tong Shin (one block west of Jalan
Alor) that do Malaysian cuisine. Look for a stretch of nicely rehabbed and
painted Chinese-style shop houses with a tapas bar at one end. These aren't
terribly pricey, though - about RM20-50 for a main.

There are also a few Malaysian restaurants in the nether regions south of
Jalan Bukit Bintang and east of Jalan Sultan Ismail (large Borneo-style
wooden buildings) that are extremely expensive, if that's your sole
criterion. They are almost always deserted, though, which suggests to me
that like most extremely expensive restaurants they really aren't worth it.

miguel
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