Off for a week at each with work from Sunday. I know a few of you reside there or have been there. After some clobber for my lads really (21 and 19). Any places to avoid or recommend on that front? Take some measurements for a whistle? Designer gear?
Any 'must see' places?
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Things to do...
Sentosa Island - a bit touristy, so if you go there go on a weekday rather than a weekend as there'll be fewer people around, they have a decent aquarium and plenty of trails to wander around and a few bars on the beach, although the view over the South China seas is spoilt by hundreds of container ships queuing up to use the harbour.
Food - there are Indian, Malay, Thai, Chinese communities and you can eat pretty much something different every night.
Night safari/Singapore Zoo - the night safari opens in the evening, although the zoo is open during the day, of the two the Night Safari is the more impressive, featuring hundreds of different animals in their recreated habitats - from all around the world.
Plus there's a butterfly and bird kingdom place.
For shopping, there are plenty of shopping plazas/malls, some specialise in electronics, others clothes and some are a bit of everything. Take a gander at your shopping/tourist guide when you check into your hotel or ask at reception. Not everything is cheaper than in Europe, so I'd write a list of whatever you want to buy in UK prices and then you can compare prices when you are there, but you should save yourself a fair bit of money on the stuff you do buy. I only really know the Orchard Road area and that has everything from decent shopping to tat and pirated leisure wear. But it's not really worth going there if you aren't local to that area.
There is a pretty good and cheap MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) system that runs all over the island.
And be careful what bars you stray into at night, there is a high population of Filipino girls just waiting to make your aquaintance.
Really enjoy the night safari (night zoo) and breakfast with the Urangutangs who are free ranging in the zoo during the day.
KL is good fun too - Petaling Street Market at night is the place to haggle for your designer gear - it is open during the day but not the same at all - nearly next door is a tourist market whose name escapes me - KCC the area around the Petronas towers has a fantastic modern shopping - did not go up the tower and have heard mixed reviews -
But I enjoyed Petaling Street the most - a they said our stuff is not fake (although some of it clearly was) it has come out of the factory by the back door - fake T-Shirts to fake mobile phones and laptops ......
Petronas Tower is good , also try the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which should be between the towers, not to stay but tea , or lunch. The Hyatt Town and Country Club is a good one as well.
I would reccomend singapore zoo-best i have visited
and the singapore duck tour-on one of them land and sea vehicles. takes you around all the sites,agood way to see singapore just beware of all the duck jokes from the driver, the most eggcelant trip etc etc
when in KL defo visit Petaling market at night, interesting even if you are not buying. was very surprised at how clean the city was and how friendly the locals were.
have a great trip
The bird park in Singapore was good and the station & old post office (I think!) building in Kl are impressive.
Also - have a drink in New Asia bar - highest bar in Singapore at the Swiss Sofitel hotel.
Go at dusk if you can and look over Singapore.
They have now got their version of the London eye called the Singapore flyer.
For drinks go out and about around Clarke Quay for loads of bars.
Good mix of expats and locals.
For live music go to Insomnia in the Chijmes complex just by Raffles.
They also have quite a few restaurants there.
Or if you want to go local go to any of the numerous food courts that are dirt cheap.
And you have got to try the Chilli Crab - pretty much the national dish along with fish head soup.
Just hope my sister-in-law can get me upgraded to Biz class.
The city centre of KL (called the Golden Triangle) is a modern area with good shops, good food and bars, good hotels etc. You will find all the usual shops which sell things at UK prices, plus local shops which good quality stuff at cheaper prices. Once you stray outside of the city centre (which is fairly small), you can easily end up in a fairly dead or boring area. The Petrona Towers are not far to go and worth a visit - many glitzy shops and bars etc. - this area is also known as KLCC.
KL has a lot of secret areas which are outside the city centre, which are good eating out etc. Bangsar (Jalan Telawi is what you ask the taxi for) is full of restaurants and bars - busy at weekends though quieter during the week. Mont Kiara (where I live) is a nice area with Desa Sri Hartamas and Sri Hartamas nearby where you can find good restaurants. The best pub in the city is IMHO The Backyard Pub in Sri Hartamas, where they have good live music at a sensible volume and a great atmosphere.
For 'bargains', you need to go to Petaling Street market which is in Chinatown. The nearest rail station is Pasar Seni. This sells a mixture of cheap crap and decent chap t-shirts, fake watches, fake MU shirts etc., trainers (these are good value) If you hunt hard enough you may find a fake Charlton shirt. Bargain hard in here though and go to a few stalls to find how far you can drive them down. Expect to knock off at least a third of what they initially quote.
One irritating thing about KL is the taxi drivers. They spot a tourist a mile off and in touristy areas want to rip you off. Outside Petrona Towers, for example, they want 25 Ringgit (about £3.50) to go anywhere. I get round this by showing local knowledge if I can, but this is hard when you look like a tourist. The best bet is to walk 400 yards away from popular areas and you will get cheap taxis at a quarter of the price.
As for beer, drink Carlsberg. It is brewed to a different formula in Malaysia from anywhere else and is far better than others. Carlsberg stole Singha's chief brewer from Thailand a little while ago and the results are good. Avoid Anchor, the local stuff, at all costs. Tiger (from Singapore) is fine, of course.
As for days out -it depends what you want. Genting Highlands has a theme park - it's a bit poor by Alton Towers standards, but OK. It takes about an hour to get there by bus. I'm out of touch with taxi fares there. Further afield, Malacca is nice place to visit - it's about 2 hours in a coach. Sunway Lagoon is about £4 in a taxi and worth a visit. It is an entertainment area with a small theme park (which I've not visited), restaurants and interesting architecture.
For high level shopping, there are loads of 'out of centre' malls. Mid-Valley Megamall is good as well as the weidly named 1 Utama.
If you want any more help, please let me know. I have just arrived back in England for a short stay, but will gladly buy you a beer if you are there in early June.
Yeah DA9 I think this is really what he meant
The KL tower has a better view of the city than petronas towers.
As for singapore. I always like going to haw par villa. Its got this courts of hell building with all models being tortured in the underworld. Quite a sight. PLus surrounded by really nice gardens.
Malacca is amazing, one of best places i've ever visited.