Best hotel in KL

Hi. I am making my way through Bangkok and KL over a few days at the
end of August. My hotel in Bangkok I have pretty much decided will be
the Grand China Princess, as it has nice rooms (of a 4-star standard,
although the hotel is only a 3 star) and will cost me only 1500baht
(with the current strengh of the pound, this is only 20 pounds, which
would not even pay for a youth hostel in England) for two people, and
is close to my favourite eating place in Chinatown.

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. 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

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).

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

Thanks!

PS. I am getting my rates from
http://www.planetholiday.com/city/14524.htm - www.asiatravel.com is
too popular and way overpriced.

Matthew wrote:
Hi. I am making my way through Bangkok and KL over a few days at the
end of August. My hotel in Bangkok I have pretty much decided will be
the Grand China Princess, as it has nice rooms (of a 4-star standard,
although the hotel is only a 3 star) and will cost me only 1500baht
(with the current strengh of the pound, this is only 20 pounds, which
would not even pay for a youth hostel in England) for two people, and
is close to my favourite eating place in Chinatown.

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. 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

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).

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

Thanks!

PS. I am getting my rates from
http://www.planetholiday.com/city/14524.htm - www.asiatravel.com is
too popular and way overpriced.


Have you tried looking at www.asiahotels.com
The Renaissance is nice as is The Istana. For its Location I like the
Swiss Garden, We always finish our trip by staying here, taking advantage of
the "Swiss Privilege" package, however I don't believe they allow children
on the executive floor.
Jan

Have you thought of an apartment hotel? A couple of bedroom, kitchen and
dining room. We stayed at one in KL in and it was so nice having all that
room.


"Matthew" wrote in message


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. 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

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).

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

Thanks!

PS. I am getting my rates from
http://www.planetholiday.com/city/14524.htm - www.asiatravel.com is
too popular and way overpriced.

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
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Miguel Cruz wrote in message ...
Matthew wrote:
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.

Thanks for the advice. We are making our way to Medan via our bucket
shop flight to Bangkok - and Air Asia's brand new KL - Medan route has
made me change my plans from Bangkok - Penang - Medan to Bangkok - KL
- Medan.

I have not spent much time in Malaysia, except for rather too long in
KL (you know you have stayed too long when you start visiting the
planetarium and Islamic museum....) waiting for a lost ticket to be
forwarded from my hotel in Bangkok, as well as a couple of visits to
Penang, a destination that for me holds few attractions (a town with a
few Indian restaurants, combined with expensive taxis to visit the
monorail, and not a lot else). Needless to say perhaps my impressions
of Malaysia from these two places are that it is probably my least
favourite destination in SE Asia - I had a much better time on the
deserted beach in Sihanoukville in Cambodia in the rainy season, or
experiencing the smells of Bangkok - Malaysia felt a little sterile
for me (although ironically I actually like Singapore's efficiency,
and would even like to visit Sentosa island...). My idea of a good
holiday is a nice hotel to sleep in (especially in big cities), and
then leaving it to a chaotic world outside.

Perhaps someone can suggest something to extend my stay in Malaysia
beyond the single night that I will have to wait for the morning
flight to Medan (I did not visit the caves last time, as the cost of
transport seemed expensive at the time) (given that I have 3 weeks in
total to spend, and will probably spend a week in Medan, before
perhaps going on to Lake Toba or Bogor in Java).

[I posted this the other day but the news server I was using seems to
have unceremoniously dropped it on the floor. Sorry if it's a duplicate]

(Matthew) wrote:
Miguel Cruz wrote:
Matthew wrote:
or any other hotel that anyone can recommend... (the place of the
golden horses looks nice, but the mines resort concept didn't seem al
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.

Thanks for the advice. We are making our way to Medan via our bucket
shop flight to Bangkok - and Air Asia's brand new KL - Medan route has
made me change my plans from Bangkok - Penang - Medan to Bangkok - KL
- Medan.

I have not spent much time in Malaysia, except for rather too long in
KL (you know you have stayed too long when you start visiting the
planetarium and Islamic museum....) waiting for a lost ticket to be
forwarded from my hotel in Bangkok, as well as a couple of visits to
Penang, a destination that for me holds few attractions (a town with a
few Indian restaurants, combined with expensive taxis to visit the
monorail, and not a lot else). Needless to say perhaps my impressions
of Malaysia from these two places are that it is probably my least
favourite destination in SE Asia - I had a much better time on the
deserted beach in Sihanoukville in Cambodia in the rainy season, or
experiencing the smells of Bangkok - Malaysia felt a little sterile
for me (although ironically I actually like Singapore's efficiency,
and would even like to visit Sentosa island...). My idea of a good
holiday is a nice hotel to sleep in (especially in big cities), and
then leaving it to a chaotic world outside.

Possibly interestingly, in the years leading up to my decision to move
to KL, I'd traveled Singapore-KL-Medan-KL-Singapore. On the way up, KL
seemed like such a bundle of chaos after Singapore. And on the way
down, it seemed so nice and clean and organized and functional after
Medan (which is indisputably a total mess). While I lean more toward
preferring urban chaos over rigid, sterile order, I found it appealing
that it sort of fit in the middle there, with a taste of both. And
after living here for a little while, I'm finding it offers exactly
that: The best of both worlds. When I want to take my laptop and work
in an air-conditioned cafe with a high-speed wifi connection, it's
right around the corner. And when I want to lose myself in a teeming
mass of people selling and/or doing things of which I have absolutely
no comprehension, I just walk a few blocks the other way. Each day
offers a perfect balance (and one which I can easily adjust to suit my
mood).

I'm a little surprised that your overall impression was of a sterile
city - it's anything but. Did you go to Chinatown? The Saturday night
market in Little India? Chow Kit? Kampong Baru? Any of hundreds
(probably thousands) of bustling outdoor hawker congregations?

For every Suria KLCC or Mid Valley Megamall, there's half a dozen
Sungei Wangs and upstairs Low Yats. For every Islamic Arts Museum
there's a Batu Caves (and for every Hentian Pasarakyat there's a
Hentian Puduraya!).

Heck, if I'm around, I'll take a couple hours to show you the chaotic
side of KL.

Perhaps someone can suggest something to extend my stay in Malaysia
beyond the single night that I will have to wait for the morning
flight to Medan

If you really don't like KL, you could take a day-trip or an overnight
in Melaka, which has some interesting colonial history, attractive
colonial buildings, great Indian food, and nice Chinese Buddhist
temples).

(I did not visit the caves last time, as the cost of transport seemed
expensive at the time)

Which caves? Batu Caves costs RM1.60 (US$0.40) on CityLiner bus #69
from the Medan Pasar bus stand downtown.

(given that I have 3 weeks in total to spend, and will probably spend
a week in Medan, before perhaps going on to Lake Toba or Bogor in
Java).

In Medan itself? I hope you have some business to attend to there. As
much as I enjoy chaotic cities, even I would be hard-pressed to
entertain myself for a week there. It really is just a stinky disaster.
Nice people, but that's about it. Get outside of the city and things
become much more pleasant.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Miguel Cruz wrote in message news:spam-416651.00001814072004@localhost...
[I posted this the other day but the news server I was using seems to
have unceremoniously dropped it on the floor. Sorry if it's a duplicate]

(Matthew) wrote:
Miguel Cruz wrote:
Matthew wrote:
or any other hotel that anyone can recommend... (the place of the
golden horses looks nice, but the mines resort concept didn't seem al
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.

Thanks for the advice. We are making our way to Medan via our bucket
shop flight to Bangkok - and Air Asia's brand new KL - Medan route has
made me change my plans from Bangkok - Penang - Medan to Bangkok - KL
- Medan.

I have not spent much time in Malaysia, except for rather too long in
KL (you know you have stayed too long when you start visiting the
planetarium and Islamic museum....) waiting for a lost ticket to be
forwarded from my hotel in Bangkok, as well as a couple of visits to
Penang, a destination that for me holds few attractions (a town with a
few Indian restaurants, combined with expensive taxis to visit the
monorail, and not a lot else). Needless to say perhaps my impressions
of Malaysia from these two places are that it is probably my least
favourite destination in SE Asia - I had a much better time on the
deserted beach in Sihanoukville in Cambodia in the rainy season, or
experiencing the smells of Bangkok - Malaysia felt a little sterile
for me (although ironically I actually like Singapore's efficiency,
and would even like to visit Sentosa island...). My idea of a good
holiday is a nice hotel to sleep in (especially in big cities), and
then leaving it to a chaotic world outside.

Possibly interestingly, in the years leading up to my decision to move
to KL, I'd traveled Singapore-KL-Medan-KL-Singapore. On the way up, KL
seemed like such a bundle of chaos after Singapore. And on the way
down, it seemed so nice and clean and organized and functional after
Medan (which is indisputably a total mess). While I lean more toward
preferring urban chaos over rigid, sterile order, I found it appealing
that it sort of fit in the middle there, with a taste of both. And
after living here for a little while, I'm finding it offers exactly
that: The best of both worlds. When I want to take my laptop and work
in an air-conditioned cafe with a high-speed wifi connection, it's
right around the corner. And when I want to lose myself in a teeming
mass of people selling and/or doing things of which I have absolutely
no comprehension, I just walk a few blocks the other way. Each day
offers a perfect balance (and one which I can easily adjust to suit my
mood).

When I was living in Indonesia, there was nothing nicer than going
over to Singapore, and getting in a proper air conditioned taxi, and
eating a slice of quiche (of all things) in a proper French-style
bakery. The appeal of the jungle tends to wear off quite quickly for
Westerners - it's hard to have all your life and then to have not.

I'm a little surprised that your overall impression was of a sterile
city - it's anything but. Did you go to Chinatown? The Saturday night
market in Little India? Chow Kit? Kampong Baru? Any of hundreds
(probably thousands) of bustling outdoor hawker congregations?

For every Suria KLCC or Mid Valley Megamall, there's half a dozen
Sungei Wangs and upstairs Low Yats. For every Islamic Arts Museum
there's a Batu Caves (and for every Hentian Pasarakyat there's a
Hentian Puduraya!).

Perhaps not sterile, but somehow it didn't feel *exciting*. For me
Yogyakarta is exiciting, Bangkok is exiciting, as is Phnom Penh. But
Malaysia just didn't involve me. I do know that there is nothing
greater (well maybe a few things :-) than arriving at Bangok airport,
and getting in a taxi and experiencing the awesome massive roads
suspended of seething slums, with dozens of skyscrapers shooting up
into the sky, with golden temples glistening everywhere.

I'm not sure what it is, but Malaysia never really caught me.

Anyways, I have got a new route, which is now

Bangkok - Hat Yai (plane)

Hat Yai - Sungai Kolok (Malaysian border) (taxi from Hat Yai airport
if it doesn't cost too much (I am not sure what the distance is, nor
the kilometre cost of taxi rides in Malaysia), otherwise by bus)

Sungai Kolok - Kuala Besut (taxi)

Kuala Besut - Perhentian (boat)

Then we will spend perhaps a week learning to dive on Perhentian
before either heading back Kota Bharu - KL by plane and then
overnighting in KL before heading on to Medan, or if it's possible,
getting an overnight bus to KL in time for our flight the next
morning.

After all we probably won't do the five star KL hotel, as I have
booked the Shangri-La in Bangkok through Priceline for $60/night for 2
nights instead, so my luxury quotient is just about used up.

(I did not visit the caves last time, as the cost of transport seemed
expensive at the time)

Which caves? Batu Caves costs RM1.60 (US$0.40) on CityLiner bus #69
from the Medan Pasar bus stand downtown.

This is one of those things - buses are all very well, but you do have
to know where to find them. This is one reason why I will take the
airport bus *from* KL airport, but probably not back, as it's that
much more effort to find out where it departs from.

(given that I have 3 weeks in total to spend, and will probably spend
a week in Medan, before perhaps going on to Lake Toba or Bogor in
Java).

In Medan itself? I hope you have some business to attend to there. As
much as I enjoy chaotic cities, even I would be hard-pressed to
entertain myself for a week there. It really is just a stinky disaster.
Nice people, but that's about it. Get outside of the city and things
become much more pleasant.

Oh well, it's to visit my wife's family. Hmm.... Entertaining a
visitor to Medan for more than a day? It would be tricky. There are
some tasty places to eat, and you could definitely spend a day
shopping - in my experience it's nicer than Jakarta for shopping
(smaller, more manageable), although basic prices are about 3% higher
due to transportation costs. Just get to Thamrin Plaza and stock up
Matahari, which has got the best balance between price and quality you
will find....

But there really is very little to do, and it would be difficult to
commend it to anyone.

"Miguel Cruz" wrote in message
news:spam-416651.00001814072004@localhost...

If you really don't like KL, you could take a day-trip or an overnight
in Melaka, which has some interesting colonial history, attractive
colonial buildings, great Indian food, and nice Chinese Buddhist
temples).

We were extremely disappointed with Melaka. It comes across as a theme-town
designed for busloads of retirees. It just didn't feel genuine.

I agree with coments KL being sterile, I much preferred Penang. And we
found a great dim sum/yum cha place in Penang called De Tai Tong Cafe.
Totally authentic and very friendly. I think having westerners as customers
was a bit of a novelty for them, actually.

However I think Malaysia has a lot more to offer than city destinations,
with its lush rainforests and tropical beaches. I didn't have time to
explore them, but I really wish I had.

I agree with coments KL being sterile, I much preferred Penang. And we
found a great dim sum/yum cha place in Penang called De Tai Tong Cafe.
Totally authentic and very friendly. I think having westerners as customers
was a bit of a novelty for them, actually.

However I think Malaysia has a lot more to offer than city destinations,
with its lush rainforests and tropical beaches. I didn't have time to
explore them, but I really wish I had.




I agree; KL is real nice (will be visiting it again for a couple of
days in november on our way back from Saigon) but Penang is better
and I don't mean "beach-destinations' like Batu Ferringhi which
doesn't have much to offer, but I mean Georgetown. A great city with
lots of authentic and very good restaurants.
It is very chinees.
Also the island Penang is beautiful; lots of beautiful spots there.
KL is nice for a couple of days; when staying in a hotel in the Jln
Bukit Bintang it is very nice to have dinner in the street just behind
the Bukit Bintang which is a Chinees street with some very nice and
cheap restaurants. Shopping in KL is great.

Marianne

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 12:44:42 +1000, "flyinyereye"
wrote:

[snip]
I agree with coments KL being sterile
[snip]

"Sterile" is not a word I'd use for KL. Its streets are not spotless,
and its air is polluted. Moreover, it is an exciting, moving, growing
city with a science-fictiony futuristic skyline. It's totally
different from the quaint, comparatively comfortable KL I knew in the
70s, but I like it now, too.

Michael

If you would like to send a private email to me, please take out the TRASH, so to speak. Please do not email me something which you also posted.