Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi & Penang.


I had an AMAZING trip to Malaysia with my best friend in July 2019, it's THE place to be with your friends, family or even as a honeymoon destination! Malaysia has SO much to offer- so if you're after an authentic & cultural trip, keep on reading!


We booked a spontaneous trip to Malaysia 2 weeks before flying out (the joys of being unmarried & having 0 responsibilities, LOL!) little did we know we'd be visiting during Monsoon season. We didn't actually didn't realise until we landed & were greeted with heavy rain & thunderstorms 😂, but to be honest it didn't affect our trip in the slightest, heavy rain only occurred during the late-night or early morning.

  • Southwest Dry Monsoon: May - September (Kuala Lumpur)
  • Northwest Monsoon: October - March (Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Tioman Island, Perhentian Islands, Terengganu, Redang & Kota Bharu)
  • Westcoast Monsoon: April - October (Langkawi, Penang, Pangkor)


Flights: £500 return (Emirates, economy)

Departure: LHR > DXB > Kuala Lumpur

Return: Penang > DXB > LHR

  • Remember flying to a country in Southeast Asia from the UK always comes with a LONG flight, our flight in total took around 18 hours (including a short transit in Dubai)
  • You'll always end up losing a day when you fly out & return so just keep that in mind when deciding on how many full days you want to spend in Malaysia.


3 cities, 12 days

If you're visiting Malaysia for more than 1 week, I'd definitely recommend city hopping! In total, our Malaysia trip was 12 days, which meant 10 full days so we decided to city hop:

  • Kuala Lumpur: 5 days
  • Langkawi: 3 days (my fave!!!)
  • Penang: 4 days


For domestic flights, we booked AirAsia flights with Trip.com.

  • Kuala Lumpur > Langkawi = £65pp (incl. 20kg baggage)
  • Langkawi > Penang = £20pp (incl. 20kg baggage)


travel TIPS

  • Fully vaccinated ✔️
  • British Nationals = Visa is not required
  • The official language is Malay, but English is widely spoken
  • All food is Halal, but be careful with Chinese food stalls as they don’t all accommodate halal meat, we avoided it completely during our trip.
  • Hotels & food are VERY cheap, as 2 females we felt safe walking around, had no concerns or worries at all, the locals are super friendly and helpful!
  • Download Grab! Easiest & cheapest way to travel (similar to Uber)
  • If you've never tried Durian, try it - It's the world's smelliest fruit.

KUALA LUMPUR

Kuala Lumpur is the capital & largest city of Malaysia, some of the most iconic attractions reside here such as the Petronas Towers (the world’s tallest pair of twin buildings). If I'm being honest, KL was my least favourite city- undoubtedly it's a beautiful city filled with culture, but it was way too busy for me! However, it's worth visiting at least once.


We finally landed at 8am & headed straight to our hotel, we booked a 4* hotel located in Bukit Bintang - the main shopping district of KL.


SUMMARY: KUALA LUMPUR

Personally, I wouldn't visit these, but do your research beforehand:

  • KL Upside Down House ❌
  • Petaling Street ❌
  • Petronas Tower ❌
  • Dancing Water Fountains ❌


[DAY 1: NEGARA MOSQUE, CENTRAL MARKET]

Since it was Friday, that means one thing- Jummah! We slept for a couple of hours to rest off the jetlag & started our day by praying at Negara Mosque (National Mosque of Malaysia). Built in 1965, Masjid Negara is combined with modern & ancient architecture, surrounded by outdoor gardens with white marble pools & fountains!


There's also an Islamic Arts Museum next door which holds 7000+ artefacts from the Islamic world, definitely worth visiting - Entry: RM 14 / £2.50.


After exploring the grounds of Masjid Negara, we headed (via Taxi) straight to Central Market (Pasar Seni). Central Market is located in the heart of KL, it's a paradise for art lovers & shopaholics. Hundreds of stalls line the streets with authentic handicrafts, boutiques, traditional Malaysian batik textile items, & souvenirs.


Just a 5 minutes walk away from Central Market is Petaling Street (China Town), but we were too tired to carry on exploring & decided to visit again later in the week as you need at least half a day! On our way back to the hotel, we spotted Nando's so that was our dinner sorted 😃


[DAY 2: KLCC PARK, PETRONAS TOWERS, KL TOWER, JAMEK MOSQUE, JALON ALOR]

Woke up to a lovely sunny day in Kuala Lumpur & started the day off by having the breakfast buffet provided by our Hotel.


We ventured out & headed to KLCC Park, a 50-acre urban park surrounded by greenery with a perfect view of the Petronas Towers, the park is a great place to people-watch or just have a stroll through! During our walk we met someone selling fish-eye lenses for phones, he demonstrated it to us & even took pictures for us with the lens, by this point, I couldn't say no & ended up buying it, pretty sure I was ripped off 😂.


Located within KLCC Park, is Lake Symphony (a man-made lake) every night you can enjoy a musical water fountain performance to classical music, watch the dancing fountains daily at 8 pm, 9 pm, or 10 pm.


Rather than visiting Petronas Towers, we decided to admire it from afar. You can purchase tickets to enter the tower & have a 45-minute tour visiting the Skybridge & the Observation Deck where you'll find a breathtaking panoramic view of KL. [Entry: RM 28 / £5]



After a pleasant afternoon stroll, we headed to KL Upside Down House, a funny little attraction with 2 floors & 6 rooms & all furniture inside is upside-down, perfect for capturing illusion pictures to show all your friends & family - staff are available to take pictures for you & also guide you on posing. [Entry: RM 25 / £4.50]


Next door to the upside-down house is KL Tower - home to a number of attractions. One being Atmosphere360, which is the highest revolving restaurant in South-East Asia. We didn't get to eat here as reservation in advance is required ☹️


It was almost time for Asr so we went to Jamek Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in KL! It was such a picturesque mosque, there's a path along the river around the mosque which you can follow and a lovely small garden in the back with a fountain. Very serene!


We started to get a little peckish and tired from walking all day, so we decided to head back to the hotel for a short break.


Once our energy levels were finally restored, we went to Jalon Alor- a night street food market. If you're a huge foodie, this is a MUST visit! I had SOO much fun here, walking through the streets, sure it was busy & crowded, but it was a really nice atmosphere & seeing people from all over the world in one space.


Food-wise, I tried coconut ice cream, chicken satay, spicy fruit, lamb chops, mochi ice cream, sugar cane juice, Turkish ice cream & all sorts, the list is endless! You won't just find food-related stalls, some people sell hand-made souvenirs & they make them right in front of you! I purchased a personalised wired keyring, & it was just so fascinating watching him make it, there's so much talent around!


We ended the night with some tea & dessert at Madfoon Palace, a Middle Eastern cuisine - 5-minute walk away from the night market.


[DAY 3: CENTRAL MARKET, PETALING STREET, KLCC PARK]

Yesterday was an extremely busy day packed with lots of walking & exploring, so we decided to relax & have a chilled out day.


After breakfast we went straight to Central Market again, whenever I visit a new country I *always* purchase a painting, it's the one souvenir I buy for myself, so I was on a mission to find a painting to take home with me! Luckily, Central Market has several stalls with amazing paintings & I managed to pick up a few.


Just a short walk away is Petaling Street (China Town), a shopping district filled with stalls ranging from clothes to food! We didn't really buy much, except fresh coconut water (yum!) & avoided all Chinese food stalls as the majority don't sell halal meat, but other than that it was nice walking through the vibrant market!


It started to rain HEAVILY, so we ended up going back to the hotel, ordered some food & relaxed until the evening to go back out & watch the dancing water fountains at KLCC Park. The show lasted around 10 minutes, it was nice to watch but nothing spectacular.


[DAY 4: BATU CAVES, THEAN HOU TEMPLE]

Our last day in KL and to be honest, I was ready to leave. Personally, I'd say 3 days is more than enough.


Today, our plan was to visit Batu Caves and Theon Hou Temple, so a day filled again with lots of walking & sightseeing!


  • Batu Caves is a series of caves and cave temples, it's one of the most popular Hindu shrines! [Entry: Free]
  • Thean Hou Temple is one of the largest and oldest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. [Entry: Free]


After a quick breakfast, we took a Taxi & headed towards Batu Caves (25-min journey). We arrived at 1pm, it was busy & filled with tourists (expected). If you visit Batu Caves, prepare to climb 272 steps & watch out for the monkeys! Keep all bags closed and make sure you don't have any food or open bags with you because they will get stolen (by the monkeys 🐒) The entire visit will take around 1.5 hours - 2 hours, & it'll most likely be your most colourful visit in Malaysia!


From Batu Caves, we went straight to Thean Hou Temple (25-min journey), located on a hill, the temple offers stunning panoramic views of the city! Thean Hou Temple is picture-perfect, it features multiple gardens, a Tortoise pond & a wishing well. It is an active place of worship so please be mindful.


It started to rain heavily again, so we went back to our hotel, ate & packed our suitcases ready for our next flight tomorrow! ✈️


[DAY 5: FLY TO LANGKAWI]

Our flight to Langkawi was at 8 am & we landed at 9.30 am, the journey was pretty short & unproblematic.

LANGKAWI

Langkawi is home to white-sand beaches and crystal clear water, this Island is perfect for beach lovers and water sport enthusiasts.


Langkawi was the highlight of the trip, we stayed at the most beautiful hotel which felt more like a home away from home, the hotel was located right on the beachside, as you open your door you are greeted with a breathtaking view!


SUMMARY: LANGKAWI

- (Thai Island 1.30hr away, the ferry operates during certain months only. Double check beforehand)


[DAY 5: ARRIVAL, RELAX]

We arrived at our hotel & we were amazed - Pictures did NOT do justice to the hotel, it was beautiful! The customer service was 10/10, while we were waiting for our room to be ready, we were given a tray of warm hand towels and lemon & ginger water which was really refreshing.


Langkawi was our relaxing & "do nothing" break, and that's exactly what we did. There was SO much to do just on the beach, there was no reason to leave the area. There's a stretch of food stalls, from fine dining to fast food, shisha is available too. Want a massage? On the beach. Want entertainment? On the beach. You really are spoilt for choice & all on your doorstep! The locals and shop owners were super friendly & gave us plenty of advice for our stay in Malaysia, even let us play our own music on their stalls 😂 - overall the atmosphere was unmatched, 10/10.


Plenty of different water sports are available too, we tried jet skiing for the first time ever, & it was probably the most terrifying moment in my life but it was SO much fun 🤣!


[DAY 6: SKY BRIDGE, SkyCAb, skyglide, eagle square]

Today was our first full day in Langkawi, the breakfast was divine, the views were spectacular, life is good.


We decided to venture out from the beach and do a little bit of sightseeing, which was super fun - we LOVED the panoramic views from all Sky attractions, plenty of photo opportunities and loads of fun memories were made there!


  • SkyBridge, SkyCab, SkyGlide - Enjoy panoramic & breathtaking views of Langkawi from either up high in a cable car, a glass shuttle or on a bridge with glass flooring.
  • Eagle Square - An iconic Landmark of Langkawi, situated over a scenic water plaza. The sunset is amazing from here!
  • A short walk from Eagle Square lives a night street food market, I sure did eat to my heart's content!


[DAY 7: FLIGHT TO PENANG]

Our flight to Penang was at 5pm, so we didn't do much today other than relax on the beach. I didn't want to leave Langkawi just yet ☹️, I'm definitely coming back here for longer!

PENANG

Penang is the food capital of Malaysia, if you’re a complete foodie like me, this city is heaven for you. Penang is also home to several street art murals and sculptures!


We booked our hotel in the heart of Georgetown - the multicultural capital of Penang.


SUMMARY: Penang


[DAY 7: arrival]

We landed in Penang at 6 pm, it was a very short flight, but we were tired from all the travelling and exploring so used the rest of the evening to relax & catch up on sleep.


[DAY 8: floating mosque, little India, kek si lok si temple]

This was our second Friday in Malaysia so we took a trip to the Floating Mosque for Jummah - this mosque is situated along the bay, giving a panoramic view of the sea 🕌.


After Jummah we headed towards Little India, this is Penang's most colourful & busiest area! Good Indian food, traditional Penang breakfast, loud Bollywood music, some of the best restaurants, colourful clothing markets, jewellery, buzzing motorbikes, & century-old traditions are all here to discover! My favourite dish from Little India was Bamboo Biryani - biryani cooked inside a bamboo, delicious!!


Once our stomachs were full, we visited Kek Si Lok Si Temple - the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, it features colourful explosion of statues, pagodas & pavilions, cascading down a hillside. [Entry: Free]


Ended the evening with a stroll through the streets of George Town & a yummy meal at Halab, a middle eastern cuisine.


[DAY 9: negari masjid, penang hill & mosque]

  • Penang State Mosque - The biggest mosque in Penang, it's a beautiful mosque inside and out with amazing architecture!
  • Penang Hill - This is one of the main attractions in Penang & towers to a height of 812 meters above sea level, once you get to the top you can take in the amazing views across to Langkawi & Kedah. [Entry: RM 30 / £5.40]
  • Penang Hill Mosque - We stumbled across this gem during our visit at Penang Hill, it's a small mosque located on the hill giving serene views.


[DAY 10: George town]

Our last full day in Malaysia and the only way to make the most of it is with food!! We spent most of the day exploring the streets of George Town again but during daylight, had plenty of street food and ended with a farewell dinner at Halab.


For the remainder of the evening, we packed all our things ready for the flight back to reality, didn't manage to sleep either as we had to get to the airport for 3am 😭


Malaysia, I'll be back.