Thailand / Malaysia holiday

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  Natt on 06/04/2009 - 15:53

  Hiya

  I am doing the same thing

  have you looked at tune hotels for malaysia?

  they seem to have mixed reviews but they are cheap, we have booked them for some of the nights

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  zack2020 on 06/04/2009 - 17:09

  In KL airport, you are required to purchase a coupon ticket before boarding any taxi (You will find a taxi counter after you claim your luggage). Don't answer to any tout that may want to offer you taxi service as they may charge you higher and no insurance cover.

  Or alternatively, take the fast train to KL Sentral, the rail/bus hub for Kuala Lumpur. (If you are arriving at the low cost carrier terminal, then the best way is to take the AirAsia Skybus for RM9 ($3.50) per person.

  Hotels in Malaysia are one of the cheapest around, 4-5 star hotel can well be under AU100. Hope that helps. Reply back for more questions and I will try my best to answer you.

  Zack

  • 

    Davo1111 on 08/04/2009 - 08:17

    What Zack said, take the fast train, the grab a taxi in the city centre

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      Davo1111 on 08/04/2009 - 08:24

      Just found the place we go to when we are at KL - PNB Darby Park

      http://www.kl-hotels.com/pnbdarbypark/

      It's a stones throw away from the tube (i forgot which station, but it's around 100-200m away). It's also very close to the Mosque and shopping center at KLCC. For the record we just book a night or two here on either end of our journey, then backpack around Malaysia (with no bookings). The place is huge! (bigger than our house lol) and is very nice/clean.

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  pork chop on 06/04/2009 - 19:45

  Hope this helps:

  Refers to the link below, I used the RED bus from LCCT terminal to KL Sentral. One stop express and very safe and comfy. This is the cheapest to get to KL Sentral. The Express train is not located on LCCT Terminal if you are flying on Air ASia or Tiger airline so it is a bit of a hassle coz u need to take the bus to KLCC terminal to board the train.

  http://www.lcct.com.my/bus_services.php

  You can just walk up to the bus and paid your fare without the need to buy the voucher at the many ticket boxes. In fact, I saw many people did this.

  Hotels are quite cheap compare to Singapore. Tune hotels are cheap but my research says it is in a red light district and they rent the room by the hour. The rooms are tiny and you do pay extra for aircon in which you pay for 6 hours block or thereabout. It is for the budget conscious travellers.

  My recommendation is to stay near the Golden Triangle area, somewhere near the Monorail so you can get around conveniently, safe, and cheap. If you've decided to splash out and stay at a 5 star hotel, eg. Shangrila, Imperial Kuala Lumpur (highly recommended), is to contact the hotel directly and ask for a quote. I did this and I was amazed that the room rate was quite cheaper than through many of the online reseller.

  Taxis in KL is not as user-friendly as you might think. Most do not use the metre so unless you have a rough idea how much the trip cost, you are certain to be ripped off. I was with a few local friends in the golden triangle area and even they have to haggle for an agreed price.

  Have a nice holiday…

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  zack2020 on 06/04/2009 - 22:08

  Tune hotels are only 2 stations away from the Golden Triangle of KL, the shopping and entertainment district, so is not really a red light area. It DOES NOT CHARGE by the hour, but just a normal nightly rate. It uses the AirAsia-style rate system, where it is cheap when booked ahead and add-ons charged extra (such as 24 hr air-cond is about RM13/$5).

  On that note, if you want to splurge a bit with limited cash, then KL is the way to go, as 5 star hotels are among the cheapest in the world.

  Agree with Stevo, if you are taking AirAsia/Tiger, then the best way to the city is the Skybus as the flights land in LCCT. The best way for the other airlines are the KLIA Ekspres fast train service.

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  zhenjie on 07/04/2009 - 16:55

  Ohh goodness please stay away from Tune hotels, pay a little extra and you can stay in far better places in Chinatown or Bukit Bintang area (main shopping area). Tune hotels sounds great as a concept but poorly executed in their downtown KL branch. You'd think a new room, even budget, would look ok but they look like they are run down 1980's joint. Read tripadvisor reviews for more info.

  Agoda.com is a Thailand based service and I found many cheap fares that way. Of course, checkout Asiarooms as well and comparison websites to get the cheapest rates.

  If you are going to islands and smaller areas its best to google up places to stay. Alot of good, small guesthouses/hotels are not on the big booking agency websites.

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  poiter86 on 07/04/2009 - 18:54

  +1

  Hi Mick, I just came back from a holiday to Thailand(bangkok & pattaya,)& Malaysia. Decide what areas of Thailand & MSIA you want to stay in and stick with trip advisor for reviews. My partner & I did a lot of travel in 3 weeks so we were quite budget minded. Once you have hotels in mind, in many cases the hotel website often offerred the best rates & specials. Latestays.com is a good resource depending on when you are flying.

  We flew air asia on several occassions - it wasnt comfortable (i'm 6ft tall) but it did the job. If you are going air asia, on arrival in KL LCC terminal, you can take the airport shuttle bus to the city (there is 2 companies ) one is $7RM(aerobus) and the other 8RM(Skybus) - no difference in quaility, so just take the cheaper 1. They arrive at the same place - KL Sentral station where you can taxi to your hotel from there. Try to avoid catching a taxi from where you arrive off the bus. There is another taxi rank if you go upstairs and to the other side of the terminal which involves a 5 minute walk, that will save a few bucks if you care. The taxi rank is licenced, so you buy a voucher from the counter and give it to the taxi driver, so there is no issue with being ripped off there (unless you decide to flag a taxi or take a ride from one of the touts who may seem very helpful (at a price). If you are arriving at KLIA, just take the airport train to the city.

  In KL, if you want to eat & shop, stay in Bukit Bintang area. Highly reccomend Piccolo hotel (under$100aud a night) as it is at the heart of about 5 major shopping malls and countless food places. The best rate for money changer is available at BBplaza, downstairs from the outdoor cafe which is on the Jalan Alor streetside. I'd highly avoid tune hotels - there is absolutely no reason to stay there. If you want cheap, there are so many better alternatives for price, location, quality.

  As for booking hotels via air asia, they do have some good deals, but we decided to book direct from hotels websites or other online booking services anyway.

  Taxi from Bangkok airport, follow the signs to official taxi stand - say you want a meter taxi. Once you get in a taxi, insist the driver uses the meter (they are supposed to, but they will often not, if you dont say anything). Depending on time of the day, you may expect to pay anywhere around 300-400baht to the city. One tip, make sure you take a business card from the hotel where you are staying or keep a hotel pamphlet with you as many taxi drivers dont speak english - it will save you some translation issues.

  Thailand is generally cheaper for everything compared to Malaysia, so shop around online for the best deal. Quite frankly, taxi drivers in bangkok will try to rip you off at every point if you are a tourist. So if you can, ask the concierge/hotel staff what you should pay from 1 spot to the next and then hail a taxi and confirm a price. Theres plenty of taxis around, so ask the next taxi if the price seems dodgey. Make sure you bargain for stuff everywhere unless its a department store.

  Enjoy!

  • 

    Davo1111 on 08/04/2009 - 08:26

    Poiter is right about the taxi's, always bargain when the price seems dodgy. Lonely planet guides can help here when visiting popular destinations.

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  mick123 on 08/04/2009 - 08:51

  to all of the above.

  thanks greatly for your help. I'm at work at the moment so will read all this tonight @ home, but skimmed through it and saw really good advice.

  Its great to have a site like this where people help each other out and I thank you for taking the time in helping me.

  Once I read this, if I have any Q's, I will let you guys know.

  once again, thanks to u all

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  Natt on 08/04/2009 - 14:18

  I forgot to mention I did not book into the KL tune - but am planning to give a couple of the others a go

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  Natt on 08/04/2009 - 14:18

  I forgot to mention I did not book into the KL tune - but am planning to give a couple of the others a go

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  kellerd on 08/04/2009 - 14:23

  kind of on the topic, are you best to book tours for Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore before you go, or just do it while you're there? Some of them on Octopus Travel seem reasonably priced…

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  pearldrops on 21/04/2009 - 01:39

  For Thailand & Malaysia is best to enjoy the place if you know someone local or stay in the main city / tourist area. Y'all do hear lots of scary stories.
  Use the webs to check out the photos of the hotel rooms, surrounding area, reviews, etc.
  www.agoda.com
  www.asiatravel.com
  www.asiarooms.com

  From KLIA, use the train, as it goes direct to the city (SENTRAL). Stay far away from taxis at the airport. Dodgy.
  From LCCT, use the red bus, as it also goes direct to the city (SENTRAL).
  Hilton and Le'Meridien are 6 stars hotels. A night stay probably equivalent to the porter's monthly paycheck, so pray hard our Australian Dollar go very very high!
  I like new hotels (Royal Bintang at Curve Damansara, One World Hotel at 1 Utama) and KLCC Twin Tower area. Avoid all Tune Hotels.
  Tip on taxis: Before getting in, give the location to the driver, ask how much. If you like the price, then jump in. If not, try another one. You will be surprise how the price differ so much from one taxi to another!
  I got offered RM15 the first taxi, RM10 the second taxi, I went with the third taxi at RM8.

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  mio amor on 06/08/2009 - 18:51

  You might be better asking in the Thai forum as well. And one of the best sites that I could give you is in Kuala Lumpur, and some great parts of Malaysia, like Penang.

  The prices of staying there increases around 2nd week of December up to New Year, then prices goes back to its normal peak by nearly Easter in March / April When the weather is warm and dry the prices are high. When it's more likely to rain, and a low season, prices will drop.

  Look in HOTELS IN . . in each forum to see what appeals to you and your pocket. There are lots and lots of hotels out there, and most have a review on TA. An average price per night is also indicated.

  Also look in THINGS TO DO… for some ideas on what you can see and do.

  Getting around by plane, train, bus or ferry is easy within South East Asia.

  October and April are cheaper times to fly from the UK. Best deals are on sale 330 from departure date. Most airline have deals during the year. The European Autumn and Spring is a better time for prices in hotels.

  Happy researching and planning.
  <a href="http://explorehawaiitours.com/volcano.php">hawaii volcano tours</a>

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  [Deactivated] on 17/08/2009 - 16:15

  AirAsia fly to LCCT. No train. Both buses the same - just get the fullest one as it will leave soon.

  Asia rooms are good.

  I stay in Brickfields - just across the carpark from where you get off the bus (brickfields.) Loads of yummy Indian restaurants at rock bottom prices there, too.