Following an absolutely awesome post in Ozbargain my family of two adults and four children (8 to 14) are leaving shortly for a week in KL (business class, thank you again bghunter).
Two things - as a true Ozbargainer it really burns me up that so many attractions in Malaysia have one price for tourists and another (lower) price for locals. And I'm not talking about a hush-hush, under-the-counter, foreigners just don't know how to haggle price. I'm talking about an official price posted on their website. Does anyone else find that irksome? I know we make more money, they want to encourage locals, yadda yadda yadda - it just makes me feel like I'm being gouged.
Secondly, never been to KL before. Does anyone have any good tips for fun and good value family activities?
Thanks.
Family trip to Kuala Lumpur
Comments
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g298570-Kuala_Lumpur_W…
Depends on what kind of holiday you and your family is after. You have to try the local food of Malaysia - avoid roadside stalls and go for indoor/food courts. Keep valuables REALLY close to you as Kuala Lumpur is infamous for it's snatch thieves. Avoid being in/around public transport places during peak hours - it will be jam packed!
There's a hop on-hop off buses which brings tourists to the popular attractions around KL. http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowUserReviews-g298570-d45658…
And stay hydrated as the humidity can hit 95%
Menara Tower revolving restaurant was nice if you like views. Food wasn't that bad. It was on groupon at the time so definitely a bargain. Yeah, check groupon malaysia site. Last month, there were some good stuff there.
I would do KL Bird Park as well. They have an area there where you can feed ?lorries for RM2 and the lorries really flock to you.
Check out trip advisor
enjoy your holiday. KL is interesting.
do not stay at Regalia Residence apartments.
the bird park and butterfly park are pretty good/interesting.
the museum of islamic art was really good.
legoland.when you get a taxi ake sure the meter is on. if it isn't then tell the driver to turn it on. I had only one dodgy driver in KL.
If you want to go up the Petronas Towers, which is quite good for that sort of thing, you need to book a session, and it fills up. We had to book in for a few hours later the same day, but friends missed out because they went on a busier day.
Nearby is the Aquarium, which was pretty good too, if you want to kill a few hours.
My kids are a little younger than yours, but they enjoyed both.
One trip we stayed a couple of nights at the Le Meridien. They have a weekend deal which gives a suite and adjoining room for about $200 a night. This was a great choice, next to the central train station, with a cool roof top pool/waterslide. We packed our four kids into the double room with an extra single.
The only down side is it is a little way out of the CBD, but taxis are cheap.
I would like to visit Lego land next time I go, and I am interested in the Genting highlands resorts too.
There is a Singapore based aggrator of groupon style deals called Coupark. They have a KL site too. I seem to remember there was another MY based one as well, but I can't find it.
Worth a look for touristy things at prices attractive to locals. http://kl.coupark.com/As others have said, there's lots of info on Tripadvisor.
I've been over in October for a few days for the last couple of years as part of bigger holidays and have enjoyed it thoroughly.The main standout for me has been the food. I quite enjoy going to the food court beneath 'Lot 10' - I think this is the complex with H&M in it.
Like altomic, I also went to the museum of Islamic Art and found it very interesting. Lots of different weapons and things if the kids are into that.
If you choose to do the Petronas Tower tour, I can recommend getting there (beneath) the towers very early to line up for tickets, Before 8am. You're more likely to get a time suited to your plans.
KL is a shopping haven, and as you're an OzBargainer, that's probably your thing. Heaps of different shopping malls around. Between KLCC Suria centre and Sungei Wang plaza, my girlfriend came out with a dozen pairs if shoes. "There was a lot more variety", she told me…
Last year we did a cultural heritage tour walk (the one with different food stops). Info for this is also on tripadvisor. It was good to see and hear more about the culture. There was just the two of us and the guide, so quite a personal tour. The tour finished off with us eating Indian cuisine in the traditional manner, from a banana leaf with our hands.
In any case, I'm sure your family will have a great time!
I can confirm what OP's complaining about - if you have a Malaysian IC (Identity Card), you can go into the Petronas Twin Towers for a fraction of the price that tourists have to pay.
I think twin towers was free… But entry prices are different for tourists/locals at the bird park and the aquarium.
Entry prices for Twin towers are not free any more.
You can buy tickets online now.
One word: rotiboy.
oh, and nasi lemak. grilled sting ray. maggie goreng.. lima ice…
Ais limau. LIMA ICE = 5 ice?
I stand corrected.. I barely know the language :)
Grilled stingray = ikan bakar… very yummy.
We did it a couple of years ago when a $200 return fare SYD-KL was on at Air Asia launch in Sydney.
We went for short trip to KL, basically rented a car and drove through the peninsular Malaysia. Route was quite scenic. KL (towards Ipoh) through Cameron Highlands to Taman Negara and back to KL.
Suggest restricting yourself to within the KL if your trip duration is short.
How's the highway/roads there? Traffic rules and etiquette similar to Australia?
Etiquette probably not so good… it is a common sight to see cars double and sometimes triple parked.
For a family, I recommend a day tour in a small people mover. We went to Batu Caves, Putrajaya (Admin Capital of Malaysia), and Royal Selangor Pewter Visitor Centre, plus the obligatory stop at the chocolate factory and batik shirt shop. I was very impressed with these attractions and they would be great for a family day tour.
For food, I'd recommend Jalan Alor for loads of hawker/street-style food. Also, CHEAP. Try Wong Ah Wah's chicken wings (last restaurant at the end of the road). Artery-clogging but truly sublime.
If you're not opposed to paying, you can check out Marinis on 57. It's a fine dining restaurant next to the Twin Towers with some amazing views of the city. It's also pretty pricey for food that is not anything special (when compared to what we get here). BUT, the views are spectacular at night.
You cannot fight blatant discrimination in Malaysia. It is ensconced in legislation. Just ask the Chinese Malaysians.
Indeed, there is legislated privileges, but Malaysians are way less racist than Australians in unlegislated sense. I guess you can say that the people are better than the law, in this sense. It's the 'friend' culture. Same can't be said with Australia.
We enjoyed the genting highlands and sunway amusement park.
There is a reason why people call KL, K-Hell. It sure can be crazy but there's so many incredible things that Malaysia offer. I've never 'toured' KL before but I've been there countless times. If you want to enjoy the best of Malaysia leave KL, you can see the most beautiful places out of there. The caves, the islands(Christ you should see Pulau Tioman), the jungles, the animals, the food. They put Australian spots to shame.
As for the ticket prices, I don't know. I kinda wish Australia would do the same thing when it comes to taking students in from poorer nations and charging them exorbitantly. For example $4,064.00 instead of $1,076.00 for ABPL10003 Visualising Environments, which is just one subject(you need 24 subjects for a 3-year UG course). Many of my friends were actually under HECS-HELP, CSP or others that then don't pay, or pay much lower. But I digress.
Alldealsasia is the other provider of aggregate social buying sites but some of these don't accept foreign cr cars. The Govt. Has been fighting taxi drivers for years to use their meters but majority wont. Batu caves easily accessible by public bus. Most leave from near Central Market all huses have their on off points posted on side of bus. One person can collect all group tickets for Petronas Towers but get there early and choose a later time to suit. Go for roti (ahh roti canai sedap sekali) for brecky or after 5pm. Love KL and am counting down the days till May 19
Have you been to other places/countries?
Yes, its normal to charge different rates for local/foreign tourists.