Malaysia Travel Blog: Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour

Kuala Lumpur Travel Blog: Part 4

Kuala Lumpur Full-Day City Tour – Part 1

On the 18th of December 2018, my first full day in Malaysia was scheduled to start with the Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour. The tour starts at 9, but I was expected to be at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTic), No. 109, Jalan Ampang by 8:45 AM.

I took a taxi from the hotel to reach the Malaysia Tourism Centre. The Uber version of a taxi was called Grab. I had to install the app the night before, as Uber no longer operated in Malaysia. It was morning rush hour with moderate traffic.

After reaching the destination, I got a little confused because the Malaysia Tourism Centre was a big area and I was not sure exactly where to wait for my guide. I went inside the building and asked a few people I saw. They pointed me to a spot outside the building, but within the boundaries to wait.

After waiting for a while, the guide appeared. He directed me to the tour car we would be using for the tour. It seemed like I was the only one on this tour – not a bad thing.

The Discover Amazing Kuala Lumpur City Tour was a full-day, six-hour tour which would cover contemporary and ancient attractions in the greater Kuala Lumpur. We would be visiting the Petronas Twin Tower, the Batu Caves, Royal Selangor pewter factory, KL City Gallery, and the National Mosque.

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.