Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia and also the largest city. It is well known for its impressive skyline and with most of Malaysia, it’s mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences. On our trip we squeezed in a short stay in the capital Kuala Lumpur and also Penang Island which you can read about here.

Getting there

We flew from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur with Scoot Airlines. They are a Singaporean airline who acquired Tigerair. The airline really reminded me of Ryanair. It was kinda of funny – 20 dollars for a blanket, extortionate drinks prices and basically non existent leg room! The flight was only 1 hour long and it was pretty cheap so we didn’t mind so much!

As we arrived late in the evening, we decided to take a taxi from the airport to our Airbnb. It was about 50 minutes away and situated in the heart of Bukit Bintang. Bukit Bintang is filled with bars, restaurants and tonnes of shopping malls. Literally there is one on every corner.

Staying there

Airbnb had been so handy for us moving around so much and we used them for our stay in Kuala Lumpur. It was situated just 5 minutes walk away from the hustle and bustle of Bukit Bintang. The apartment was part of a hotel which was handy as we could use the hotel facilities which included a pool, gym and laundry service too.

The apartment had stated private but it was actually just a private room in a two bed apartment. It was a little misleading but it wasn’t the worst. It was a little scary when people just happened to be in the kitchen but apparently it is just the host who uses it.

Eating There

Similar to Thailand and Singapore, the street markets are a cheap alternative when eating out. The food is really good, and you will definitely save when compared to eating in a restaurant.

We headed to xx market on our first night, but made the mistake of getting take out. The food was still really tasty but it didn’t travel that well and by the time we had walked back to our apartment it was a little on the soggy side. Andrew was devastated! We had watched other people get their food as we waited, and it looked amazing so definitely choose to eat out.

Pinchos

I had completed exams in Holistic and Sports massage before we set off on our adventure and got the results when I got home that evening! So, we decided to celebrate the following day. We headed to a local spot called Pinchos, which is a tapas bar (my favourite!), and ordered a selection of dishes and a jug of sangria. It was so good! Definitely drop in if you are staying in this area. The place was packed so it is clearly a favourite among locals too.

Greyhound

Another place we ate in was called Greyhound Cafe, which was near the shopping street and right beside X Mall. They serve Thai-inspired dishes and I have to say the food was pretty good. They had the best desserts including apple crumble.

VCR

If it’s brunch you are looking for VCR is where you want to go. The best brunch I have ever had and that is saying a lot! The photo speaks for itself.

kuala lumpur

Things to do

There are not that many sights to see in Kuala Lumpur to be honest. We had planned to go to the Batu caves but didn’t quite make it there. We still managed to squeeze in some things:

Petronas Towers

These twin towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world.

kuala lumpur

sky bar

After reading the SkyBar at the Traders Hotel has the best view of the Petronas Towers we went along to try get a photo. However, when we got there, we were pretty disappointed. The building is enclosed so any view is through glass and it isn’t the clearest to look out from. We left pretty quickly, wandering into a nearby park to catch a glimpse of the towers out in the air.

Go Shopping

Malaysia is the first place we actually did some shopping and the prices were about the same as home for highstreet brands like H&M, Zara and Topshop. I picked up some gold layering necklaces and a headband (clearly essential!) while Andrew got new shorts and a t-shirt. I really had to try hard to not pick up some cosy winter knits in H&M – they are so pretty! I’m almost excited to get home to the cold to stock up!