Malaysia Travel Blog: Hotel Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 3

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur

After reaching DoubleTree Hilton, I gave the taxi driver a very good tip and entered the hotel building.  DoubleTree by Hilton is located in an office complex and a shopping mall building called The Intermark. Located in the heart of downtown Kuala Lumpur, its location couldn’t have been better. Everything was within walking distance, including Petronas Twin Towers.

Hotel reception was on the 2nd floor. The check-in receptionist acknowledged my Hilton Honors elite status and welcomed me to the hotel. Upon checking in, I was offered a welcome cookie that was huge. I found the lobby area spacious and impressive. Artworks adorned the walls and the lobby arrangement of lounges and various sitting sections were eye-catching and gave a sense of tranquility.

DoubleTree Hilton has one dedicated floor only for Hilton Honors members. I liked that it gave us special treatment, but I had one more surprise waiting in my room.

My stay was based on points redemptions and this was my best Hilton experience by far. My room was spacious and I had a full city view out the window. Even the bathroom area was huge. There was a motorized rolling screen to open or close the shade.

The king-size bed was luxurious and its mattress, pillows, and everything else stood up to the standard of Hilton. I had difficulty finding anything to complain about.

I finished taking videos for review on YouTube. After settling down and finishing my shower, I’d have to go out to eat. The advantage was that this was inside a mall, so I could just go to the mall food court to eat.

Malaysia Travel Blog: KUL Airport to Hotel Hilton

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 2

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Airport immigration was smooth and fast; the immigration officer did not ask a single question. Once I was out, it was time to arrange my taxi.

I researched before going from the airport to the hotel and I decided to take a coupon taxi. The process is fairly simple. I went to the taxi counter located right before the airport exit. At the counter, they asked for my address and what type of taxi I needed (luxury, budget, etc.). Once I paid for my budget taxi, they gave me a coupon and asked me to go to the transportation hub-specific gate to get the taxi.

Somehow, I ended up waiting at the wrong gate for the taxi. One nice lady helped me and pointed out the right gate. Once I was there, an attendant asked me to wait while he sent a cab from the queue.

I didn’t have to pay or even tip the taxi driver anymore. I still gave him a good tip, though.

The drive was about an hour long and it was raining a lot. Still, I noticed right away that Kuala Lumpur was very green. It’s hard not to notice. It looked like Malaysia cares about the environment and wants to decorate the whole city by nature’s way – lots of green trees everywhere as much as possible.

And they succeed. To maintain the greeneries everywhere, the city definitely had to continue ongoing maintenance for these trees.

The closer I was reaching my destination in downtown Kuala Lumpur, the roadside scenes were changing to citylike with lots of skyscrapers and highways. But still, the presence of green was everywhere, even in the heart of downtown.

Malaysia Travel Blog: Taking AirAsia For The First Time

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 1

AirAsia SYD to KUL

For the Sydney to Kuala Lumpur segment of my journey, I decided to try low-cost budget airline AirAsia, instead of flying business class.

At the Sydney airport AirAsia check-in counter, the staff made me move some of my stuff from my carry-on bag to my personal item bag. This is because, she said, I was close to the limit, but personal item bags didn’t have to follow any limit. I always travel with only a carry-on and it was no big deal. So I transferred some stuff very fast and was on my way through security.

I upgraded my economy seat to have one of the Hot Seats for $70 on the Airbus A330. My seat was in the front row bulkhead seat; I had no one sitting in front of me and I literally had infinite leg stretch space. Also, I had express boarding to enter first.

I ordered food online months before. It was Kung Pao Chicken with Rice for only $6.00, coffee included. The food was not in a great quantity, but was good enough for the 8 hour-35 minute flight.

I was in a position to look out two windows and spent the whole flight doing nothing but looking out them. Although I had my Chromebook, I didn’t feel like watching any movies.

This flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was full. I remember my other low-cost flight from Singapore to Melbourne was half empty.

I heard lots of things about AirAsia. So naturally, I was expecting there would be something I could find to complain about.  However, my trip was pleasant and I couldn’t find anything to complain about.

Based on this specific experience, I wouldn’t mind flying AirAsia again.

World's Top Travel Destinations

TripAdvisor's 2015 Top Destinations

First Published in 2015 TravelNowSimply.com

The world's largest travel site, TripAdvisor, just came up with their annual rankings for the world's best travel destinations for 2015, called the Traveller's Choice Award. There were 469 destinations chosen worldwide based on feedback received from TripAdvisor travellers.

These destinations are historically and culturally rich and offer excellent sightseeing opportunities with quality hotels and restaurants – based on TripAdvisor reviews that stretch over a period of 12 months.

Here are the top 10 destinations in the world:

1. Marrakech, Morocco

2. Siem Reap, Cambodia

3. Istanbul, Turkey

4. Hanoi, Vietnam

5. Prague, Czech Republic

6. London, England

7. Rome, Italy

8. Buenos Aires, Argentina

9. Paris, France

10. Cape Town, South Africa

Source: TripAdvisor

Here are the top 10 destination in Asia:

1. Siem Reap, Cambodia

2. Hanoi, Vietnam

3. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

4. Bangkok, Thailand

5. Kathmandu, Nepal

6. Hong Kong, China

7. Hoi An, Vietnam

8. Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

9. Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

10. Beijing, China

Source: TripAdvisor

Among Asian destinations, Siem Reap in Cambodia takes the first spot, which is also ranked as the #2 top destination in the world. About half of the top Asian destinations are located in Southeast Asia. To view the complete list, visit TripAdvisor's 2015 Traveler's Choice Ranking.

Phuket - The Pearl of The Andaman

Phuket – The Paradise Island of Thailand

One of the most beautiful places in Asia, and possibly the Eastern Hemisphere, is Phuket. The Island of Phuket is also one of the southern provinces of Thailand and it occupies the entire island. Roughly the size of Singapore, the island is connected to the mainland of Thailand by a bridge. Phuket, while once known for its tin and rubber, is now one of he most popular tourist areas in all of Thailand, getting most of its income from tourism.

Turbulent History

As with most places that had European contact during the Age of Discovery, Phuket is no different. During the 17th century, the Dutch, English and French all arrived at the island to trade with the island thanks to its rich supply of tin. The island was eventually heavily controlled by the French, who were expelled in the 1688 Siamese Revolution. While they attempted to take the island back in 1689, their efforts failed within a few years. Things returned to relative normality for the island for the next century until the Burmese attacked in 1785. After a siege that lasted an entire month, the Burmese retreated. It was thanks to Than Phu Ying and her sister Mook that the attack failed. They were warned by a British East India Company captain that there was an attack coming. Ying, who was the widow of the recently-deceased governor, mustered what forces she could to defend the island. After the siege, both became local heroes and are still remembered to this day with statues on the island. Eventually, in 1933, the island became a province in Thailand, which it remains as to this day.

Amazing Landscapes

It is not hard to see why so many groups wanted this island; it is beautiful. The island has many mountains on it, with the Phuket mountain range running from the south to the north in the western part of the island. While the island is roughly 570 square kilometers, it has a stunning array of landscapes that will keep you exploring for years to come. Roughly 70 percent of the island is covered with mountains, while the remaining 30 percent of the island in the central and eastern areas is flat. The island has no major rivers, but there are nine brooks that provide water to thousands. Forests, along with oil and rubber plantations, cover 60 percent of the island, and sandy beaches can be found on the western coast of the island. Eastern beaches tend to be muddy, but you can still enjoy yourself there. Now, if you want to see one of the most stunning sunsets in the world, you would need to journey to the southern part of the island to see the sun set over the ocean at Brahma’s Cape.

Great Weather

Since Phuket is just north of the equator, it has amazing weather. The average high temperature of the island during the year falls between 29C/84F and 33C/91F. Average lows are what many in the northern hemisphere call highs, with temperatures ranging from 23C/73F to 26C/79F. Between November and April, you can expect things to be pretty dry. When May comes along, the monsoon season begins and rain can be expected from May until October usually.

Since the tin industry has faded to the background on the island, tourism has taken over as the biggest industry in Phuket. While in Phuket, you can expect to see a lot of tourist attractions and tourist centers. Since the 1980s, beaches have become heavily developed to accommodate tourists. This has not been for the bad though, as Fortune Magazine declared Phuket as one of the World’s Top 5 Retirement Destinations. The vast majority of the westerners who live in Phuket are retirees.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on May 8, 2010.