Singapore/Kuala Lumpur anyone?

davidandheather · March 2012

I have to be at a work event in KL on a Thursday and Friday in May. I've not travelled to Asia before but am thinking I'd fly on Sunday as I imagine it will take 2 days to get there and then that gives me Wed to recover before my meetings on Th and Fr. Is that wise or more time/less time for getting there by Thursday? Then I have the weekend free and then have to spend the week in Singapore working. Has anyone ever been to either place or both? I am trying to make travel plans and not sure which is best route in getting from US to KL and If there is a train from KL to Singapore or better to fly or what. Also not sure if I'd enjoy my weekend free in KL or Singapore better. Any thoughts on this journey? I appreciate any insight on the logistics or what not to miss! It is a darn long flight. I want to make the most of this work trip!

missywong · March 2012

I spend a lot of time for work in KL and, honestly, I would rather spend the weekend in Singapore. Maybe it's because I've never been but I heard there are fantastic resorts, casinos, street food, etc. KL just has a bunch of overpriced malls and it seems like the authentic food is out in the 'burbs. Interesting places in KL are the Petronas twin towers (just tall buildings and a mall), Batu caves, Merdeka (Independence) Square, Petaling Street (chinatown), and Bukit Bintang shopping. You could probably see almost everything worth seeing as a tourist in KL in 1-2 days.

I usually fly EVA and stop in LAX and then Taipei. You can also fly AA and JapanAir and stop in Narita I think. From KL to Singapore, you definitely should fly to make the most of your time. Try checking out Air Asia for low prices.

Come back and post a review!

missywong · March 2012

hmm I just noticed you are in Texas. Are you in the oil and gas industry?

davidandheather · March 2012

Yes, I am going to APIC in May. Your insight is really good. I hate going places that are just commercial malls and junk. I can do that in America! You have given me good insight and I appreciate it. I will be flying out of Houston. My boss suggested going to Singapore first because the planes on Singapore Airlines or better (and we do not get to go first class!). Then taking a plane from SG to KL. I am researching. It still seems cheaper to hit KL first then head to SG.

missywong · March 2012

That's hilarious. I saw Texas and then your sig and I'm guessing that's refering to the aiche spring meeting? lol

Singapore Airlines is supposed to be the best!

PAGAS · March 2012

I would take AirAsia between KL and Singapore.

I was not a huge fan of KL. It's shopping malls and that is about it. We flew to KL on Eva Air. We just got back from Singapore, we flew Continental/United via Tokyo from IAH. Singapore was just okay, I did love the food hawker stands and Chinatown was interesting. A couple of days in each city is enough.

Publius · March 2012

I'm living in KL and have been to Sing several times. It's true that KL isn't as touristy as Singapore, but if I was spending the next week in Singapore I'd want to spend the weekend in KL. I imagine Sing would get boring and prohibitively expensive (we've spent $140 Sing on food at a hawker stall for two people before. Granted we were eating a ton of seafood, but the same meal at the same type of place would have been about a third of that in Malaysia) after four days or so, and this is coming from someone who quite enjoys getting away to "civilization" in Sing for the weekend. There is a train between the two but don't take it. It's a pretty crappy train and takes forever. Either fly (if you're lookig to cut costs You can usually get an Air Asia flight between the two for under $100 round trip) or take the bus. In KL there is more than just the malls. For great Chinese-Malaysian hawker food inside the city go to Jalan Alor. The entire street becomes outdoor dining at night and you can get plate upon plate of really good local cuisine for next to nothing. If you want local cusine you're going to have to go to little places along the street that don't look much like restaurants and have seating in plastic chairs. They're perfectly safe to eat at and the food is more often than not the best in town. Just around the corner from Jalan Alor is the end of Jalan Bukit Bintang where all the bars are. Between the two you can spend a pretty fun evening. Just next to that is the KL tower, which has a pretty big park at the bottom that is nice for walking when the weather isn't overly oppressive. The view from the top of the tower is nice too. It's 50 MYR to get up but if you go make sure you buy the ticket to the restaurant and not the viewing deck becase it's the same view but in the restaurant you get a free drink. Chinatown is nice to wander aroud in, and stop by the Old Central Market for Malaysian handcrafts. If you want to see them being made or try making something yourself you can go to Kompleks Kraf (google Craft Cultural Complex). It might sound a bit cheesy but I found it very interesting. .If you stay the weekend you can always get out of KL for a day or two as well. There is an elephant sanctuary an hour away where you can feed the babies and ride the adults if that suits your fancy. For casinos the Genting Highlands are a half hour away. For a slight change in climate you can go up to the Cameron Highlands, which are two hours away and are where they have a lot of tea plantations you can both stay in and tour. For cultur and history you can go to Melaka, also two hours away. It's a world heritage city and was fought over for hundreds of years by the Portugese, Dutch, and English and has old imperial buildings juxtaposed against traditional Chinese architecture, which I find fascinating. To get to Genting you can take a cab (which aren't expensive here at all), for the elephant sanctuary you'll need to book a place on a tour, but keep in mind that the sanctuary is free and just asks for a donation so you're really only paying for a ride out there and back. For Melaka or the Cameron Highlands the most effective means of transportation would be a bus. Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Publius · March 2012

My apologies for the novel.

davidandheather · March 2012

Publius:
I'm living in KL and have been to Sing several times. It's true that KL isn't as touristy as Singapore, but if I was spending the next week in Singapore I'd want to spend the weekend in KL. I imagine Sing would get boring and prohibitively expensive (we've spent $140 Sing on food at a hawker stall for two people before. Granted we were eating a ton of seafood, but the same meal at the same type of place would have been about a third of that in Malaysia) after four days or so, and this is coming from someone who quite enjoys getting away to "civilization" in Sing for the weekend. There is a train between the two but don't take it. It's a pretty crappy train and takes forever. Either fly (if you're lookig to cut costs You can usually get an Air Asia flight between the two for under $100 round trip) or take the bus. In KL there is more than just the malls. For great Chinese-Malaysian hawker food inside the city go to Jalan Alor. The entire street becomes outdoor dining at night and you can get plate upon plate of really good local cuisine for next to nothing. If you want local cusine you're going to have to go to little places along the street that don't look much like restaurants and have seating in plastic chairs. They're perfectly safe to eat at and the food is more often than not the best in town. Just around the corner from Jalan Alor is the end of Jalan Bukit Bintang where all the bars are. Between the two you can spend a pretty fun evening.Just next to that is the KL tower, which has a pretty big park at the bottom that is nice for walking when the weather isn't overly oppressive. The view from the top of the tower is nice too. It's 50 MYR to get up but if you go make sure you buy the ticket to the restaurant and not the viewing deck becase it's the same view but in the restaurant you get a free drink. Chinatown is nice to wander aroud in, and stop by the Old Central Market for Malaysian handcrafts. If you want to see them being made or try making something yourself you can go to Kompleks Kraf (google Craft Cultural Complex). It might sound a bit cheesy but I found it very interesting. .If you stay the weekend you can always get out of KL for a day or two as well. There is an elephant sanctuary an hour away where you can feed the babies and ride the adults if that suits your fancy. For casinos the Genting Highlands are a half hour away. For a slight change in climate you can go up to the Cameron Highlands, which are two hours away and are where they have a lot of tea plantations you can both stay in and tour. For cultur and history you can go to Melaka, also two hours away. It's a world heritage city and was fought over for hundreds of years by the Portugese, Dutch, and English and has old imperial buildings juxtaposed against traditional Chinese architecture, which I find fascinating. To get to Genting you can take a cab (which aren't expensive here at all), for the elephant sanctuary you'll need to book a place on a tour, but keep in mind that the sanctuary is free and just asks for a donation so you're really only paying for a ride out there and back. For Melaka or the Cameron Highlands the most effective means of transportation would be a bus. Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

LOVE it! Thanks so much. I was about to hit Google pretty clueless. This gives me lots of neat stuff to search for. So fun! Thank you so much! I will PM you as I start planning if I have questions. It looks like right now leaving Houston on Monday and getting to KL on Wednesday with a full day to walk around, rest and get ready for meetings on Th and Fri, then Sat and Sun to walk around before flying to Singapore for Sun night to Thurs/Fri night.

wise_rita · March 2012

Singapore Airways is the bomb for long haul flights. Food isn't half bad, either.

I went between the two on Air Asia, I highly recommend. Book in advance and you should get a very reasonable deal.

maggie78 · March 2012

Definately fly Singapore Air.

We always love a stopover in Singapore but never spend more than 2-3 days. You can read my trip review here

Singapore/Kuala Lumpur anyone?

Re: Singapore/Kuala Lumpur anyone?

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