Malaysia
March 20 - 24, 2018 (5D4N): Second stop of our 2018 Asia trip. We were at Singapore prior to landing in Penang. Given it is our first time in Malaysia, we picked few highlights to visit. So if this is also your first time, this will serve as a good introductory itinerary to Malaysia. During this trip, we visited Penang (18 hours only, you def need 2 days here), Pangkor Laut Island/Resort (read my experience here), and Kulua Lumpur (KL). Penang is an old city full of street arts and also known as the food heaven of Malaysia. KL is your typical major city but we found the visit to the Old City particularly interesting, especially if you want to capture the British colonial era. All in, adding one extra day to each of the destination below would be an ideal timeline for this trip.
*Highly Recommended
Day 1 (Penang)
- Noon flight arrival to Penang from Singapore
- Uber to Jawi Peranakan Mansion* (Taxi ~RM40 vs. Uber RM22; 40 mins)
- UNESCO World Heritage Zone (~ 4h hr duration)
- Penang Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (photo only)
- Pinang Peranakan Mansion (RM20+tax; 1 hr tour)
- Queen Victoria Memorial Clocktower (skip if limited on time)
- Kapitan Keling Mosque
- Khoo Kongsi
- Armenian Street / Search for Penang Street Art (a must do!)
- Try some durian ice cream along the way
- Clan Jetties of Penang/ Chew Jetty (closes at 9pm so make this the last stop on your tour)
- Cool down @ Hotel pool
- Walk down Lebuh Muntri heritage street (Kung fu Girl street art)
- Dinner @ Mews Café*
Other points of interest & food in Penang
- Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kuan Yin Teng)
- Colonial Penang Museum
- Penang Hill / Bukit Bendera
- Lunch @ Laksalicious
- Dinner @ Junk Cafe
- Mee Goreng @ Bangkok Lane
- Dinner @ Gurney Drive Foodstalls (closes on Tuesday)
- Drinks @ Three Sixty Revolving Restaurant Skybar (good view)
- Get dessert (please note most places close at 530pm)
- Cendol (bowl of shaved ice topped with coconut milk, palm sugar, kidney beans and pandan-flavoured starch jelly) @ 27 & 29, Lebuh Keng Kwee, Georgetown or Penang Road Famous Teochew Chendol @ Joo Hooi Café
- Ais kacang 红豆雪 (similiar to Taiwanese shaved ice) @ Kafe Kek Seng (格成)
- Apom Manis (sweet Indian crepes) @ Kedai Kopi New Cathay
Day 2 (Pangkor Laut Resort)
- Order Grab to Marina Island Pangkor (RM400: ~3hr)
- Check-in to Pangkor Laut Resort’s office at Marina Island Pangkor
- 2:45pm: Speedboat to Pangkor Laut Resort* (15 mins)
- Relax by Spa Villa pool
- 6:30pm: Happy Hour @ Royal Bay Beach Club
- Dinner @ Fisherman’s Cove*
Day 3 (Pangkor Laut Resort)
- Breakfast @ Feast Village
- 10:30am: Jungle Walk to Emerald Bay (30 mins, free)
- Relax by Emerald Bay beach
- Lunch @ Royal Bay Beach Club*
- Relax by main pool
- Couple’s massage (50 mins, free)
- Happy Hour @ Royal Bay Beach Club
- Gym
- Dinner @ Fest Village
Day 4 (KL)
- Breakfast @ Feast Village
- Relax by Spa Villa pool & room balcony
- 12pm: Speed Boat to Marina
- Pick-up from Rosli (RM400; ~3.5hr including rest stop)
- Check-in @ Face Suite* (book a room with a view of Petronas Towers)
- Walk to Petronas Twin Towers (pic only) & KLCC Park
- Visit Suria KLCC Mall
- Metro to Masjid Jamek station
- Follow the Old City Walking Tour:
- Jemek mosque
- Sulan Abdul Samad Building
- Mahkamah Perusahaan
- Merdeka Square
- Walk across Leboh Pasar Besar bridge for Masjid Jamek Lookout Point (best right before sunset)
- Central Market Kuala Lumpur
- Sri Maha Mariamma
- Guan Di Temple
- Petaling Street Market
- Walk down Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock
- Dinner @ Jalan Alor street – Restoran Sai Woo*
- Grab coconut ice cream 🥥 from the street vender (you get free coconut water from your order)
- Foot massage @ SOHO Spa & Beauty*
- Walk around Bukit Bintang (shopping district + nightlife)
- Take monorail back to hotel
Day 5 (KL)
- Sky Deck infinity pool @ The Face Suites
- Uber to Temple and Batu Caves (40 mins ride RT; buget 30 mins at the caves; free)
- Uber to Airport (45 mins)
- Afternoon flight to TPE (Plaza Premium Lounge for Eva Business class)
Other points of interest & food in KL:
- Petronas Twin Towers - sky bridge viewing deck (need to book ahead)
- KLCC Aquaria
- KL Tower (A.K.A. Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower)
- Sunset @ SkyBar
Tips
- Uber and Grab were relatively inexpensive in Malaysia. But for long distance trips, please reserve for a driver ahead of time. For instance, when going from Penang to Pangkor Laut marina, we had to pay our Grab driver extra money to take us because the rate quoted from Grab was too low.
- If you are headed to the KL airport during rush hour, take KLIA express from KL Sentral instead.
