At the moment- and for the rest of the year-Nothing!
Showing posts with label Info. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Info. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Flying Air Asia from Stansted UK to Kuala Lumpur
Travelling direct from the UK to Kuala Lumpur has recently become 50% cheaper.
Air Asia,the region's leading budget airline fly the route in a no-frills Airbus for about RM 1,800( 300 Sterling) return as opposed to MAS charging RM 3,800 (650 Sterling) You get what you pay for and with the Air Asia flight you have to pay extra for everything including blanket,meals,water and mediocre entertainment.
On the plus side it's cheap.On the minus side,well if you get a day-flight it could well be the most boring and miserable 13 hours you'll ever spend.The seats recline all of 10 degrees and there's nothing to look at unless you want to stare at the not-unattractive cabin crew or gaze out of the window and guess where you are.
The food is inadequate and bland,best to sneak-on your own (officially not allowed) and it's probably best to take your own entertainment along with you as well.
But,having said that,it's cheap and direct.The cabin crew are friendly and always happy to sell things to you.
MAS http://www.malaysianairlines.com.my/ sometimes offer good deals on their website to nearly match the above pricing and you get all the benefits of flying a scheduled service.
As alternatives you can also fly with a variety of the Gulf State's airlines (Emirates,Etihad,Qatar) all of whom offer competitive pricing with a stop-over to break-up the boredom of long-haul travel.
Air Asia,the region's leading budget airline fly the route in a no-frills Airbus for about RM 1,800( 300 Sterling) return as opposed to MAS charging RM 3,800 (650 Sterling) You get what you pay for and with the Air Asia flight you have to pay extra for everything including blanket,meals,water and mediocre entertainment.
On the plus side it's cheap.On the minus side,well if you get a day-flight it could well be the most boring and miserable 13 hours you'll ever spend.The seats recline all of 10 degrees and there's nothing to look at unless you want to stare at the not-unattractive cabin crew or gaze out of the window and guess where you are.
The food is inadequate and bland,best to sneak-on your own (officially not allowed) and it's probably best to take your own entertainment along with you as well.
But,having said that,it's cheap and direct.The cabin crew are friendly and always happy to sell things to you.
MAS http://www.malaysianairlines.com.my/ sometimes offer good deals on their website to nearly match the above pricing and you get all the benefits of flying a scheduled service.
As alternatives you can also fly with a variety of the Gulf State's airlines (Emirates,Etihad,Qatar) all of whom offer competitive pricing with a stop-over to break-up the boredom of long-haul travel.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Accommodation-Bukit Bintang Area
Hotel/Guest House Accommodation in Kuala Lumpur is going through a mini-boom at the moment with a new hotel appearing every month or so.Prices are competitive and whether you book online or walk-in,it makes sense to shop around.
The area around Changkat Bukit Bintang/Jalan Tong Shin/Jalan Alor is fast-becoming the place to head for and there are hundreds of Guest Houses,Budget Hotels and Boutique Hotels in the area.It's a city-centre location,so expect a fair bit of noise but if you want to stay in the centre of things it's a great place to be based.You're within walking distance of some great restaurants and bars as well as the shopping delights of KLCC and Bukit Bintang.
Needless to say,if you're staying in lower-prices accommodation,always check-out the room first.
Amongst the favourites in this location are:
Pondock Lodge above Ceylon Bar on Changkat Bukit Bintang has been going for over 10 years and constantly gets good reviews.Prices start at RM50 for a clean,decent room,but I hear it may be getting a bit shabby-so check it out first.
Number8 Guest House,around the corner on Jalan Tong Shin is an interesting alternative.Nearby is the Corona Inn starting at RM130,around the corner on Jalan Alor is the Hotel Nova from RM 160.Slightly more upmarket is the Alpha Genesis (RM 200) on Jalan Tong Shin and the big Radius International with a pool starts at RM160.
The area around Changkat Bukit Bintang/Jalan Tong Shin/Jalan Alor is fast-becoming the place to head for and there are hundreds of Guest Houses,Budget Hotels and Boutique Hotels in the area.It's a city-centre location,so expect a fair bit of noise but if you want to stay in the centre of things it's a great place to be based.You're within walking distance of some great restaurants and bars as well as the shopping delights of KLCC and Bukit Bintang.
Needless to say,if you're staying in lower-prices accommodation,always check-out the room first.
Amongst the favourites in this location are:
Pondock Lodge above Ceylon Bar on Changkat Bukit Bintang has been going for over 10 years and constantly gets good reviews.Prices start at RM50 for a clean,decent room,but I hear it may be getting a bit shabby-so check it out first.
Number8 Guest House,around the corner on Jalan Tong Shin is an interesting alternative.Nearby is the Corona Inn starting at RM130,around the corner on Jalan Alor is the Hotel Nova from RM 160.Slightly more upmarket is the Alpha Genesis (RM 200) on Jalan Tong Shin and the big Radius International with a pool starts at RM160.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Getting Around Town
Kuala Lumpur City Centre is compact enough to walk around but any attraction more than about 30 minutes away may leave you feeling drenched and exhausted.
BUS. There is a pretty good-value bus service using (mostly) clean,fairly new buses with aircon
Around the city,RapidKL http://www.rapidkl.com.my/ is the main operator.The service can be a bit overwhelming and best avoided at peak-hours but they go just about everywhere,and at RM1 per trip it may be worth getting lost every now and again.
TAXI. If you are very,very lucky you may find an honest taxi-driver who has a clean cab,uses the metre and knows where he's going.Otherwise you'll get overcharged by about 3 times the meter rate-or higher if you look very wealthy or very gullible..or both.
Taxis should,by law use the metre but few in the city do,mainly because the fares are so cheap that the driver wouldn't make any money if he used the meter (they say)
Fares will be increasing from 1st August- by about 40% let's see if the situation improves.
If you're selected cab refuses to use the metre,you can walk away and try another one,or you can try negotiate the fare.Anything more than RM10 around town should be questioned
MONORAIL. http://www.monorail.com.my/ Although it's a confusing walk from KL Sentral, the monorail is an interesting way to traverse the town but apart from Bukit Bintang station for Shopping,Medan Tunku station for Kampung Baru and Bukit Nanas station for Hard Rock Cafe and the bars on Jalan P.Ramlee it doesn't really serve the visitor that well.But you do get an interesting "roof-top" view.
LRT. There are 2 LRT lines serving the city centre and suburbs.It's fast and efficient (most of the time) and inexpensive.The 2 lines are not very well integrated except at Masjid Jamek station
KL Hop-on Hop-off. http://www.myhoponhopoff.com/ Is a bus service specifically aimed at visitors.The buses run in a continuous loop around the city covering 40 attractions,served by 22 stops.There is an audio commentary and you can get-on and off as many times as you want.First bus is at 8.30am and the last at 8.30pm. and run at 20-30minute intervals.It's a good way to get an overview/orientation of the city.A day ticket costs RM 38,whilst a 48hr ticket is RM65
BUS. There is a pretty good-value bus service using (mostly) clean,fairly new buses with aircon
Around the city,RapidKL http://www.rapidkl.com.my/ is the main operator.The service can be a bit overwhelming and best avoided at peak-hours but they go just about everywhere,and at RM1 per trip it may be worth getting lost every now and again.
TAXI. If you are very,very lucky you may find an honest taxi-driver who has a clean cab,uses the metre and knows where he's going.Otherwise you'll get overcharged by about 3 times the meter rate-or higher if you look very wealthy or very gullible..or both.
Taxis should,by law use the metre but few in the city do,mainly because the fares are so cheap that the driver wouldn't make any money if he used the meter (they say)
Fares will be increasing from 1st August- by about 40% let's see if the situation improves.
If you're selected cab refuses to use the metre,you can walk away and try another one,or you can try negotiate the fare.Anything more than RM10 around town should be questioned
MONORAIL. http://www.monorail.com.my/ Although it's a confusing walk from KL Sentral, the monorail is an interesting way to traverse the town but apart from Bukit Bintang station for Shopping,Medan Tunku station for Kampung Baru and Bukit Nanas station for Hard Rock Cafe and the bars on Jalan P.Ramlee it doesn't really serve the visitor that well.But you do get an interesting "roof-top" view.
LRT. There are 2 LRT lines serving the city centre and suburbs.It's fast and efficient (most of the time) and inexpensive.The 2 lines are not very well integrated except at Masjid Jamek station
KL Hop-on Hop-off. http://www.myhoponhopoff.com/ Is a bus service specifically aimed at visitors.The buses run in a continuous loop around the city covering 40 attractions,served by 22 stops.There is an audio commentary and you can get-on and off as many times as you want.First bus is at 8.30am and the last at 8.30pm. and run at 20-30minute intervals.It's a good way to get an overview/orientation of the city.A day ticket costs RM 38,whilst a 48hr ticket is RM65
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Arrival in Kuala Lumpur
First of all though,you've got to get here.
If arriving from the airport,you'll either be at the budget airline terminal LCCT-Low Cost Carrier Terminal (unkindly called the Low Cost Crap Terminal) or you'll be at KLIA the International Airport
Both are about 80 kms from the city centre.
LCCT
The cheapest way into town is by bus/coach from the terminal to KL Sentral and will cost about RM9.KL Sentral is the main transportation hub where trainlines and many bus routes converge.
It also houses the KL Hilton and Meridian Hotels and a host of offices and shops,but despite it's name it's not very central to the rest of Kuala Lumpur.
From here you can access the monorail which is a slightly confusing 10 minute walk away and the LRT/KTM train services are in the same building.
Taxis from KL Sentral are usually plentiful and operate on a coupon system which you buy at the booths either where the bus drops you of,or inside the station complex once you've exited from the train.
KL Sentral can be noisy,chaotic and confusing especially for tired travellers but is well-signed and shouldn't be too much of a problem to navigate.
KLIA
You can chose from the very fast KLIA Expres http://www.kliaekspres.com/ train service at RM35 for a half-hour journey,a taxi,again using the coupon system for RM70 or there are bus/coach services for about RM 20
If arriving from the airport,you'll either be at the budget airline terminal LCCT-Low Cost Carrier Terminal (unkindly called the Low Cost Crap Terminal) or you'll be at KLIA the International Airport
Both are about 80 kms from the city centre.
LCCT
The cheapest way into town is by bus/coach from the terminal to KL Sentral and will cost about RM9.KL Sentral is the main transportation hub where trainlines and many bus routes converge.
It also houses the KL Hilton and Meridian Hotels and a host of offices and shops,but despite it's name it's not very central to the rest of Kuala Lumpur.
From here you can access the monorail which is a slightly confusing 10 minute walk away and the LRT/KTM train services are in the same building.
Taxis from KL Sentral are usually plentiful and operate on a coupon system which you buy at the booths either where the bus drops you of,or inside the station complex once you've exited from the train.
KL Sentral can be noisy,chaotic and confusing especially for tired travellers but is well-signed and shouldn't be too much of a problem to navigate.
KLIA
You can chose from the very fast KLIA Expres http://www.kliaekspres.com/ train service at RM35 for a half-hour journey,a taxi,again using the coupon system for RM70 or there are bus/coach services for about RM 20
The problem of touts hanging around the arrival hall has largely been eliminated.Buy your coupon from the official booths,don't deal with the taxi-touts.
Depending on where your hotel accommodation in Kuala Lumpur is and how much luggage you're lugging around the taxi service is probably the best bet.The journey takes about an hour. and can be a bit boring...
Overview
OK,here we go.....I always get a little frustrated when searching for things to do in Kuala Lumpur. Most of the "official" sites offer glowing reports and just tell you how wonderful everything is,whilst many other sites are somewhat dated and list establishments that closed-down ages ago.
If you are new to Kuala Lumpur,just arrived or passing through for a few days,what should you do and see to make the best use of your holiday in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia?
and...what's not really worth the effort to go and see?
This is not an exhaustive listing,just a selection of attractions and fun things to do when you're here on vacation. It's probably a little biased but feel free to comment and add your opinion.
If you are new to Kuala Lumpur,just arrived or passing through for a few days,what should you do and see to make the best use of your holiday in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia?
and...what's not really worth the effort to go and see?
This is not an exhaustive listing,just a selection of attractions and fun things to do when you're here on vacation. It's probably a little biased but feel free to comment and add your opinion.
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