Three nights in Kuala Lumpur
We started our adventure in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s fabulous capital. After a long but comfortable flight on Emirates (a great airline with kids I’ve discovered) we took a taxi to our hotel. The journey took around 45 minutes to our hotel in the Bukit Bintang area of central KL. We stayed at the Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur, a large but friendly hotel located close to many shops and restaurants. Our room on the 19th floor had amazing views and two separate bedrooms, ideal for families or for people who like a little extra space!
Kuala Lumpur surprised me, I am not sure what I expected but I did not anticipate the explosion of colour and lights that we encountered! We stayed close to an area which can best be described as Times Square multiplied by ten. Giant screens advertising soft drinks, sports events, giant teddy bears etc loom over the intersections, while stalls on the streets sold skewers of food and durian to the masses. We found an amazing street with several tables set out on the pavement and restaurants seemingly sharing these tables. We ordered probably the best Malaysian food I’ve ever tasted which even the kids liked! The cost of everything was also a shock, Kuala Lumpur appears to be far cheaper than other major Asian cities, such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
Our hotel was a haven and so peaceful considering the central location. The pool on the 6th floor was beautiful and surrounded by foliage as well as the KL skyline. We visited the Petronas towers during our stay in KL – it is pricy at £50 for a family of four (the only expensive thing we encountered in the city) but worth it as the views are breath-taking. Half the fun was getting to the towers as we discovered an under-cover walkway which took us from close to our hotel for a mile or so to the Petronas towers, giving us fantastic respite from the heat.
We also visited the Batu Caves – this is a must and I found it one of the highlights of my stay in KL. It is a temple complex consisting of three main caves and a few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. The huge statue of Murugan, located outside the caves is the first thing you see before climbing the many stairs into the cave. A word of warning, if you cannot walk well then it may not be the best place to visit as there are many stairs and uneven surfaces. However, you can still admire the statue and the outside of the caves. There is a train that takes you to the caves from KL and the station is very close to the entrance. However, the trains are very infrequent, and taxis are very cheap, so I would advise jumping in a taxi both directions as they pass frequently.
All in all, I would recommend Kuala Lumpur as a stopover destination. It’s very good value, has amazing food, good for kids and crazy in a good way!