May 3-5, 2023
I wonder what people usually think when it comes to traveling to Malaysia? :)
It is still a less talked about vacation spot in my circle, but on my 5th time traveling here, I'd like to say that Malaysia is one of my favorite destinations.
During our recent trip, we spent around 2 days in the capital city Kuala Lumpur. I thought that a repeat performance of a city will be dragging, but we actually went to other places aside from the usuals. And even going to classic locations felt new to me again.
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| Two days in KL, of course there's no way we won't see the twin towers! |
Heading to Malaysia soon? Sharing our KL itinerary in this post:
It's a mix of OG tourist spots and new ones too. Happy planning!
Day 1: Hello, Malaysia!
4:20am - NAIA Terminal 2 meet-up, check-in, Mabuhay Lounge
7:20am-11:15am - Flight with Philippine Airlines PR525
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| Travel time from Manila to Kuala Lumpur is about 4 hours |
Read More: Malaysia Travel Requirements + Reasons Why You Should Travel to Malaysia
Arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Airport Errands:
- Withdraw Malaysian Ringgit
- Buy Local Data Sim Card
- Meet-up with our Tour Operator
12pm - Buffet Lunch at Movenpick Hotel
Mövenpick Hotel & Convention Centre KLIA is a Muslim-Friendly hotel with Islamic design influences, and just 10 minutes from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). It's the perfect first stop upon arrival. They served deliciously fresh cuisines, local flavours were perfect for our first meal in Malaysia.
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| My first time to try the ABC, Malaysian dessert similar to our halo-halo |
1:30pm-2:30pm - Putrajaya Tour
Putrajaya is a city and federal territory in Malaysia which serves as the country's administrative centre. They are quite famous for their pink mosque and man-made lake.
- Pink Mosque - or the Putra Mosque, is the principal mosque of Putrajaya. Amazing fact is that its color was chosen digitally, seeing that the pink color will standout from its nature backdrop of mostly browns, blues, and greens. The Pink Mosque is located in Putra Square, adjacent to the man-made Putrajaya Lake
- Putra Square - 300 meter circular city square, used for festivals
- Putrajaya Lake - located at the centre of Putrajaya, it is actually a man-made lake designed as natural cooling system for the city
- Seri Wawasan Bridge - one of the main bridges in the planned city Putrajaya. Has a sailing ship appearance, this futuristic asymmetric cable-stayed bridge has changeable color lighting at night
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| Putrajaya tour on our day 1 in Malaysia! My first time here. |
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| The beautiful Pink Mosque stood out by the Putrajaya Lake |
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| Group pic at the Seri Wawasan Bridge! |
3pm - Check-in: Melia Kuala Lumpur, Free time
Our hotel in KL for two nights! Melia Kuala Lumpur is quite a popular hotel in the city, especially for families and business clients, in fact a friend commented on my IG post that they stayed in this hotel when they were in KL. Rooms are very comfortable, and location is excellent (very near malls and public transportations). And truly enjoyed our breakfast buffets, too!
I also discovered that they are a popular accommodation for Singaporeans, or those who are planning to travel between the two countries, because right across the hotel is a bus terminal to Singapore!
Across the hotel is Berjaya Times Square, where you can hop on a bus to Singapore!
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| A very cozy, spacious room. Really loved my stay here! I even comfortably worked here in between our tours |
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| Toilet and bath are both very clean and complete |
7pm - Buffet dinner at KL Tower's Atmosphere 360 restaurant
One of my best meals for this trip is in a rotating restaurant on top of the famous KL Tower. Atmosphere 360 serves different cuisines, including local delicacies, buffet-style. I love that we had the view of the Petronas Towers when we started eating, and then a view of the city as the sun was setting... then back to the twin towers while we were just capping the night with our desserts!
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| Photo op before we hid our phones and focused on the buffet! |
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| Love the variety of food in their buffet spread |
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| We were right in front of the buffet when we started... |
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| ...Mid-eating, same tables and chairs, but we were already on another side of the resto! |
Day 2: Kuala Lumpur City Tour
6am-8am - Breakfast at The Kitchen @ Melia, Prepare for the day's tour
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| My usual: Egg, hashbrown, tomatoes |
8-11:30am - Kuala Lumpur City Tour
- Istana Negara - or the National Palace, is the official residence of the monarch of Malaysia
- Tugu Negara - a national monument commemorating Malaysians who died fighting for freedom against Japanese occupation during World War II
- Merdeka Square - or Independence Square, used for major events such as the annual Independence Day parades, New Year countdowns, as well as political rallies
- Local Chocolate Shopping
- Petronas Twin Towers - the tallest twin towers in the world. Tip for taking photos, there are more tourists in front of the towers, so make sure to walk around (go inside the mall and out) for a different, and less crowded view!
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| The King's Palace |
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| National Monument |
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| Independence Square |
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| Photo in front and at the back of the Petronas Twin Towers |
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| Also spotted a public pool while going around the park at the back side of the towers! |
12pm - 3pm - Lunch and Free time at Suria KLCC mall
Aside from spending time at the park with the view of the Petronas, we also ate at Nando's during our free time.
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| Been a while, Nando's! Ordered their vegetarian bowl |
3:30pm -4:30pm - Visit Chinatown
- Kwai Chai Hong - literally means "Little Demon Alley", a century-old back alley featuring 60s wall murals and local restaurants
- Petaling Street - lane of vendors selling all sorts of goods from imitation bags to street foods
- REX KL - structure was formerly an iconic cinema in KL converted into a creative space with a library, vintage shops, cafes, etc.
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| Lots of young people in this area.. Would like to try the restos next time! |
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| Some of the wall murals at the back alley of Kwai Chai Hong |
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| Breeze through Petaling Street for souvenir shopping |
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| We had a refreshing kacang instead |
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| A bookstore inside REX KL |
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| Posters calling for creative businesses, a vintage shop inside REX KL |
5pm - Back in Melia Hotel, free time
7pm - Dinner at Marco Polo Chinese Restaurant
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| A 1980s Chinese restaurant for dinner |
Day 3: Bye, KL! + Day-Trip to Genting Highlands
Located on the peak of Mount Uli Kali at 1800 meters elevation, the Genting Highlands is a refreshing stop after two hot days in KL. In my country, it's like traveling to Tagaytay over the weekend. Getting to Genting Highlands will take only about 1-hour travel time from Kuala Lumpur. It was foremost created during the 1960s to house a mountain resort. Now it has casinos, hotels, theme parks, and shopping outlets--a full city in itself.
6am - Breakfast at The Kitchen @ Melia
- Prepare for the day's tour
- Check-out Melia Hotel
8am-9am - Travel to Genting Highland
9am - Awana Skyway - Cable Car to Genting Highland Hilltop
We took a 10-minute cable car from Awana Station to the SkyAvenue Station. There is one stop in between for the Chin Swee Station, where anyone can hop off to explore the Chin Swee Caves Temple at no extra cost.
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| The cable car is also an attraction, everything's foggy and interesting. We passed by the beautiful Chin Swee Caves Temple |
Genting SkyWorlds Theme Parks
- Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park
- Skyworlds Theme Park
Always a kid at heart, my heart raced when we were about to take our first ride at the Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park! I realized how much I love the adrenaline rush of amusement parks, and SkyWorlds did not disappoint! Located at the Resorts World Genting, it was formerly known as 20th Century Fox World Malaysia--but has since changed its name while retaining some of the worlds and rides featuring Fox and Disney movies including Ice Age, Rio, Night at the Museum, and Planet of the Apes.
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| A foggy day at the theme park! Love the cool weather in Genting. |
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| Felt free as a kid! Hehe |
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| In line for our nth ride! |
12pm - Lunch at Resort World Awana
2pm - Cable Car to Genting Highland Premium Outlet, Outlet shopping time
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| Lunch at the very tropical vibe Ayu restaurant at the Resorts World Awana |
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| Quick shopping at the Genting Highland Premium Outlet before heading back to KL |
5pm-6pm - Travel back to KL
6pm - Check-in: Parkroyal Collection Hotel
7pm - Seafood Buffet Dinner at Parkroyal Collection Hotel
We stayed for a night at the beautiful Parkroyal Collection Hotel. The property is an eco-chic escape in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, and it was indeed not just all-talk as each room including mine featured premium bath amenities in huge refillable bottles to avoid single use plastic waste, filtered drinking water station (no bottled water), and segregated trash bins system.
The group just loved the seafoods buffet dinner, we were so full we walked to nearby malls and grocery and enjoyed the city alive and all lighted up on our last night in KL.
Swipe for more room photos
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| Commendable and memorable part of the room is the filtered drinking water |
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| Dinner buffet was also A+++ that we had to go out for a walk after! |
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| It was nice to explore KL at night with my new friends. :) |
KL Travel Notes:
♡We travelled around Kuala Lumpur via tour bus and with a tour guide, so unfortunately I had no experience in commuting to give transit tips. But I heard from some Instagram commenters that the KL train system is very efficient, plus using the GRAB app is also affordable.
♡Some fun facts: Kuala Lumpur means "muddy confluence" in Malay, as the city is in between two confluent rivers. Singapore was also once part of Malaysia.
♡ Malaysia is very multicultural, which I enjoyed a lot. Get immersed in diverse culture, food, religion, languages, and architectures.
♡ Although Malay, or Bahasa Malaysia, is their official and national language, majority of knows how to communicate in English.
Read More: Thing to Do in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia Travel Blogs: http://www.anagonzales.com/search/label/malaysia
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