Travel to Malaysia

MFA | August 23, 2010 | 0 Comments

Since budget airlines started extending their wings with long-haul flights, you can get to South East Asia for less than £200 each way.

And with internal flights from as little as £35 and cheap accommodation, it’s perfectly possible to have a three-week holiday of a lifetime to Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam for just under £1,000. Here’s how I did it…

Days 1&2: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia You can’t go to KL without a trip up the Petronas Towers, until 2004 the world’s tallest buildings. But get there early – there are limited free passes and people start queuing at 8am.

The other must-seeis the 400million-year-old Batu Caves 10 miles outside the city (Sri Subramaniam Temple, Selayang, taxi £4, entry free). The most popular Hindu shrine outside of India is home to mischievous macaque monkeys and the world’s tallest statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity covered in 300 litres of gold paint.

Eat: Cheapest – and tastiest – are the hawker stalls, where you can eat handsomely and still get change from a fiver. Try the pedestrianised Jalan Alor and dine with the locals outdoors on plastic tables.

Sample the famous Malay chicken satay or whole steamed fish with lime, chilli and ginger. Stay : Number Eight guesthouse (8-10 Tengkat Tong Shin, 603 2144 2050, www.numbereight.com.my) is a buzzy boutique style budget hotel with doubles from £17pp.

Days 3 to 6: Pangkor

After a long flight, me and my group of friends were ready to hit the beach – especially Coral Bay, a gorgeous palm tree covered cove with emerald sea and views of a pretty island that you can walk to when the tide is out.

Eat: At Daddy’s Cafe, right on Coral Beach, dine by candlelight on Malay chicken curries and fresh fish with fancy veggies for around £4 for a main course.

Stay: Splash out at the Anjungan Beach Resort and Spa (6610 Nipah Bay, 05 685 1500, www.anjungan resort.com, doubles from £30), close to Coral Bay.

Getting there: Pangkor is four hours by coach from KL. Take a taxi to Puduraya station and go to the Transnational counter (tickets around £5, call 03-20705044) where buses leave for Lumut several times a day. From Lumut it is a 35-minute ferry ride to Pangkor for £2 return.

Days 7&8: Penang

It’s worth heading up to Penang Hill for spectacular views of the island. Refresh your feet at a fish spa where garra rufa fish nibble away at the dead skin on your tired feet. Try Happy Feet Fish Spa (3a Jalan Sungai Emas, 604 229 6916).

Eat: Little India is a highlight with stalls selling snacks beyond the usual samosa and pakora. Also try out Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant (60 Lebuh Penang, 04 263 9764), which is packed with local Indians all times of day and night enjoying the delicious grub for under a pound – rice, dhal, potato masala, raita and a sweet.

Stay: Cathay Hotel (15 Lebuh Leith, Georgetown, 04 262 6271, double rooms from £12) is an old Chinese mansion with bags of character in the centre of Georgetown, Penang’s “downtown”.

Getting there: Catch the ferry back to Lumut, a bus to Butterworth (five times daily, £4), then the ferry from the station there to Penang (20p) and finally taxi or rickshaw to your hotel.