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Trip Report
Best hotels, food, islands and activities in Malaysia
Staying at Hotel Bangi Putrajaya in Kuala Lumpur while enjoying the massages, the huge buildings, the good food and the mixed culture while taking a couple days off to go snorkelling on Perhentian!
+ 14
Highs & Lows
The snorkelling will stay one of the most intriguing experiences i ever had in the seas!
A lot of water, as well as the water in the sky as the water in the sea can cause some inconveniences...
Itinerary Overview
It was my third time flying with my mom to Kuala Lumpur to stay in my the most amazing Bangi Putrajaya hotel just outside the city with its beautiful pool and superfriendly staff. We stayed there a couple of days to get some massages, see some highlights in the city and to eat some delicious foods. The two times before we went to Malaysia, we went to the island of Pangkor, which is on the west side of the Peninsula, but this time, since it was rainy season in summer, we went to the east side, where the weather is a little softer and less wet that time of the year. Here are two islands that are a 5 minute "swim" apart from each other called Perhentian Islands. After a short flight to the other side of the country and a relatively long ferry ride we arrived at the islands, where we stayed two nights and mostly did snorkelling, which was a lot of fun to do, since the water is nice and the tourguides can be funny if you have the right one, which we did. We also went snorkelling on our own, which was just as interesting. After a couple days spent on the island we went back to the capitol to spend a couple of days before returning back home, and to just have one last massage. A short trip, but very worth it, and always a privilege to go with my family!
Perhentian Islands We wanted to relax on the beach, be away from the city, do some snorkelling, and just enjoy the feeling of a tropical island!
7+It is a touristic place, but it is not too bad. The local people are very nice and helpful, and they keep doing their own thing, instead of trying to get you to buy something or whatever. You can book a snorkelling tour, and just hope for the best. We had a nice guide, but we also had an annoying group of tourists that didn't manage to show any respect to their surroundings, the rules of the tourguide or the coral reefs. You wil swim with sharks, some turtles, and see many colourful other things. Do mind that the quality of the coral reef is going down globally, so a lot of parts were already a bit grey and lifeless. Also mind that you will not be on any solid ground for many hours, only on the small boat and in the water. But you will get a nice lunch afterwards, at least where we booked, but i reckon most of the tours will be kind of the same. You will be tired for the rest of the day so you can relax at the beach, grab something to eat or hang out at a bar. There is a lot more to explore around the islands, but snorkelling and the beaches are the stuff you will want to do here. If you want just a little bit more adventure in a tropical island in Malaysia, i recommend you to go to Pangkor, this island is a little bigger and there is more to do, but the snorkelling will be of less quality. Don't go here in summer (northern hemisphere), it will be rainy.
Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur We stayed here because it is the crew hotel where my mom stays when she has to work. It's my favourite hotel in the world.
4+The hotel is in a rich neighbourhood next to a huge golf coarse, but you can easily get to town with cheap taxi’s. The city of Kuala Lumpur is relatively safe, so you don’t have to worry about nightfall too much, which means you can relax more and take some more time to do the stuff you want. You can visit nice neighbourhoods, get massages everywhere and eat the most amazing food. We only ate street food these days, it is very tasty and of good quality, and we occasionally grabbed a smoothie in a mall. There is a lot of sites to check out, there is big shoppings malls, even one with an amusement park inside, there is some beautiful religious places such as the Batu caves (very touristic), and architectural achievements like the twin towers, which for a long time were the tallest twin towers in the world. Don’t count on doing much around the hotel, really take long days or afternoons in town, or you can spend your days playing golf next to the hotel.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
Make sure to find a good place to stay, and in time. Book ahead so you don't have to worry about this when you are there. There are a lot of accommodations but it is also very touristic, so places will fill up quickly.Anything go wrong during the trip?
No, but just beware of the weather. You have to be the type of person that will still enjoy their time even though it's raining. But that counts for everywhere in the tropics.Restaurant recommendations?
Coral bay has some really good restaurants and bars, and is in general a very nice place to hang out. Somewhere on the north side of the beach was the bar where we had the movie night, which was a delightful experience, so make sure to check this place out.Any surprises?
I got scared to death while we were swimming with the sharks, because while i was focussing on the sharks circling around me i didn't notice a huge murene swimming beneath me through the grim-looking water plants on the bottom. I also did see a kind of translucent deep sea jelly creature with illuminating colours swimming in a place where i think it shouldn't belong, so keep your eyes open, you will see much more than what everybody is pointing at.Booking details?
Make sure to find a good place to stay, and in time. Book ahead so you don't have to worry about this when you are there. There are a lot of accommodations but it is also very touristic, so places will fill up quickly. We only stayed on the Kecil island, i feel like Besar has less nice accommodations, and otherwise you will have to take the boat back and forth all the time, even though it's one minute, this is annoying.
Lodging
We stayed one night in BuBu villa for one night, which is a very great place to stay! It is a little expensive, bur for that you get a very clean, pretty and modern cabin for yourself, with an outdoor shower and a stone path leading up to the central area where they have palm trees, a bar, the main building and the beach. You can take boat taxi's to anywhere or walk a bit through the jungle, the island is very small, there are no real roads. I can highly recommend this place! The second night we hadn't booked yet, so we had to find a place on the spot, and ended up at Shari-La Island resort, just a 5 minute walk to the other side of the island, which is a horrible place. There was no one else in the weird looking disney-like fake themed cabins that were clearly under no maintenance except for the cockroaches in the bathrooms, and the staff was not really present. Luckily we got to catch movie night at the local bar with a lot of other people, and we had to leave early the next morning, so we didn't spend much time in this resort.
In all my childhood and more recent memories, Hotel Bangi Putrajaya is the best hotel I ever stayed. Normally I am a very adventurous traveller, especially with my mom, who is just as adventurous as I am, but this hotel just makes you want to stay. We are very privileged to have this hotel as the place for the airline crew to stay, but I don’t think the rooms are too expensive, even though it’s a five star hotel. The staff is super nice and helpful, and there is a lot of facilities in the hotel and a lot of activities happening. There are many parties and weddings, the pool is sometimes open to locals, so you will occasionally have some people that don’t stay in the hotel. And believe me, it’s not overwhelming or chaotic, it is just enough to make it vibrant. All the food in the hotel is amazing, and I have no words for the pool, you just have to see for yourself.