Explore Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is a city in which I felt I could live. It’s the heart of the Far East in my opinion. Nearly every flight I have taken while traveling around Asia has had a layover of some kind here. After stopping here on layovers so many times in the past it was the opportune moment to finally spend some time exploring this city after leaving Japan. Country #58 on my mission to see the world!
Transportation:
Kuala Lumpur is a very walkable city and they do also have a monorail that takes you around the city. I opted to walk everywhere so didn’t experience the trains or buses but there are many stops and it seems quite convenient!
Rideshare apps are popular here and so very cheap! The one I used the most was Grab they also have Uber but I used Grab more often than Uber. I always recommend downloading the apps before arriving in the country so you don’t have any issues trying to download when you arrive.
From the airport you can use the rideshare apps, take the bus (cheapest and longest), take the train, take a taxi, or a combination of these. I found it was actually cheaper to take a Grab taxi than it was to take the train but that is always dependent on the time of day.
Accommodation:
My stay in Kuala Lumpur actually saved me money as it was the first city I had a kitchen in since I left the US nearly a month prior. KL is home to many beautiful luxury high rise buildings that you can find on Airbnb for quite reasonable prices. For example: my 1 week stay in a luxury high rise 1 bedroom apartment with all of the amenities, in the heart of the city, and walkable to everything, was a mere $50/night. This included a rooftop infinity pool, gym, multiple restaurants, and amazing views of the city and the Petronas Towers. There were many grocery stores around the building so off I went to stock up the refrigerator with some tasty treats for my weeklong stay here.
One important thing to note here is about the tap water; always use filtered water when drinking water or washing fresh veggies (and this goes for almost everywhere abroad except Europe). I always travel with Thieves Essential Oil as this is also a natural antimicrobial. Just add a couple drops to filtered water and let your veggies soak for a couple minutes. Rinsing again with filtered water after soaking. I try to be very cautious with water when traveling abroad as I have had just a few too many run-ins with getting sick while traveling.
You really can’t go wrong with the location of your accommodation and with prices (for even nice hotels) averaging $50/night, you really can live in luxury for quite cheap here. The area that my apartment was in was the Kampung Cendana area and was only 15 minutes to walk to the Petronas Towers and city center from here. Bukit Bintang is also a popular area to stay for families and Bukit Petaling is a popular spot for expats and young adults.
Kuala Lumpur is a popular place for Instagrammers/content creators to come and get those famous shots of the infinity pools with the view of Petronas Towers in the background. If that’s something that you are after, make sure you do your research prior to coming as there are buildings going up left and right that are obstructing many of these beautiful views. My apartment was one of those that “forgot to take the photos down” of an unobstructed view of the Towers. I was eventually upgraded to one of their premium view suites with access to the tower that had the new infinity pool with a view. It was a hassle and I lost my kitchen but at least I did get that view for my last night there! Although, the pool was extremely crowded with others trying to get the nighttime shot so I never actually got that photo. But my oh my was the view incredible. The apartment I stayed in was part of the Platinum Serviced Suites/The Face complex. There are tons of listings for this building so just check them all out if that’s where you want to stay. When I moved to the new tower with the view of the Towers from the pool that was the Platinum Suites 2 KL, the newest building of the complex.
Things to do:
First and foremost, of course, THE PETRONAS TOWERS! (As if I haven’t already name dropped them enough in this article.) They are an incredible sight by both day and even more incredible by night. They are beautiful viewing from below and above from one of the many rooftops, or from your hotel infinity pool! You can even take a tour UP the towers!
Surrounding the Towers you will find a massive multi-level shopping center with all of the most famous luxury brands you can think of, your typical shopping center brands, tons of food options, a cinema, and a grocery store! That’s actually something I found to be quite fascinating about KL, there are shopping centers like these all around the city, practically on every corner!
Rooftopping at night is super popular here as it is particularly hot and humid during the day in this primarily concrete jungle. You can find a beautiful rooftop on almost all of the most beautiful hotels in the city center near the Petronas Towers. The most unique one that we went to was the Heli Lounge Bar which is quite literally a helicopter pad during the day that is converted into a bar after 5pm, just in time for some incredible sunset views as well as views of the second tallest building in the world - Merdeka 118.
Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower) one of the tallest freestanding towers in the world with a viewing deck over 300 ft higher than the Petronas Tower’s Skybridge. You can dine with a view at the top of the tower.
Just beyond the towers to the east you will find the beautiful KLCC Park, a popular place to be both during the day and at dusk. During the day there’s evening a swimming pool and wave pool located in the park for the kids and families to cool down.
Every evening there is a free Symphony Lake Water Show at the base of the towers starting at 7:30pm and running every 30 minutes until 10pm.
Sultan Abdul Samad Building- a beautiful sight to see
~30 minutes from the city you will find the famous Batu Caves with the 272 rainbow stairs leading up to them and an incredibly beautiful 140 ft tall gold sculpture of the Hindu God, Murugan. The grounds here are extensive and there is so much more to see than just the caves and temple at the top. I had no idea and was caught off guard with a car waiting outside to take us back to the city when we had only explored maybe half of the grounds! Go as early as possible to avoid the crowds (and the heat!)
There are various food markets throughout the city, Jalan Alor, Chinatown, Petaling Street being the most popular. Many you will find while just walking around. That’s what we did most frequently was either just walking until we found something or buying food from the grocery store and cooking at home in the apartment. Of course there are many amazing restaurants as well. The cuisine here is very eclectic, a true melting pot of Asia. I found some of the best Indian food I had on my entire trip while here!
Changkat off of Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang is the primary nightlife scene area of KL with many bars, restaurants, and nighttime entertainment.
A city full of life on every corner you turn to. I really enjoyed just slowing down in this city and taking in all of the views, living like a local. It’s the first country outside the US I found out that Classpass works in so I had some fun with spa appointments, hair appointments, and a few amazing yoga classes. One yoga class I took in the this adorable area - The Row - was on the rooftop of one of the studios and had an incredible view of the Petronas Towers. It was definitely one of the highlights of my stay there. Sometimes it’s nice to just slow down and live like a local while traveling and I love having the ability to do a bit of both when I’m on these world tours!
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