Malaysia

[LiverBurd]

I've got 3 weeks off in July and thinking of going to Malaysia.

I know it's rainy season so not ideal but my experience in Thailand and Vietnam is that there's usually a massive downpour then it's ok again.

We can fly to Singapore or KL. or into one and out of the other.

Any ideas for good places to go or an itinerary with kids 16 & 13? They love beaches, sea, wildlife, forest. Not too keen on historical stuff or museums!

Thanks x

Years ago we started in Singapore and travelled up the East Coast of Malaysia. I will never forget Tioman island, stunning place and would be great with beach loving teens. A quick google suggests it is still just as beautiful.

Thank you - tioman island definitely on the list. I went there as an 18 year old backpacker and it was lovely!

Maybe a few days in Singapore too - although not long as hotels are ridiculously expensive. KL much cheaper!

East coast of Malaysia (and the islands off that coast e.g. Tioman, Redang, Perhentian, Rawa, Kapas) will be "in season" in July, i.e. the monsoon winds won't be blowing, this means less rain and importantly the sea calmer and clearer.

Also: go for a mangrove cruise.

I LOVE Malaysia. I've been twice and would go again in a heartbeat.

We went to KL in July on honeymoon. It was very humid but ok. We went to the Islamic art museum one day which was really interesting.

We also went to a bird zoo place. I forgotten the name. It was lovely but sooo humid that day.

A bus tour around the city was also fun.

We didn't go into the Petronius towers though I've heard it's ok.

We both love Malaysian food so basically pigged out while there lol. We stayed at the shangri la and OMG I've never seen such a breakfast buffet.

Second time we went to Penang. Also a beautiful place. We stayed at the Rasa Sayange resort. Another crazy amazing breakfast buffet.

There we did a self guided tour of street art in George Town. We went to a museum and went for a hike through a local national park.

Food was again amazing.

I'd like to go back again and go to the beach just outside KL where the allies landed for the liberation of Singapore. My grandfather was part of that. He loved Malaysia as well.

@Kucinghitam mangrove cruise?? That sounds great, where was that?

George Town, Penang is amazing for food and street art. We went to Langkawi island by boat, great beaches.

Depends where you decide to go! Mangroves can be found in many mainland coastal regions of Malaysia. There will no doubt be tour operators near wherever your destination is. (Apart from the really tiny islands in the South China Sea may be too small to have mangroves).

Last July as part of our short stay on the East Coast we did these (one in the daytime, one at night. Both were excellent:
www.cheratingfirefly.com
www.facebook.com/kuantanrivercruises/

You'd need to organise transport to get to the venues.

We flew to Singapore which I loved and didn't think 3 or 4 nights (I forget) was long enough as there's so much to see and eat.

Tioman for a week made us properly switch off, the nature there is incredible and you say you've been before so you know what to expect.

We went to Malacca, it was so humid and uncomfortable to do much but the night market was a real highlight but I don't think you'd need more than 3 nights there.

What a great idea for a big family holiday!

I went to Malaysia in November for 2 weeks and I loved it!

Started my holiday in Langkawi for 4 nights and stayed at the St Regis. Fabulous room - we stayed in a suite with a private pool and garden. I will never forget the gorgeous view every morning and the breakfast buffet was out of this world! The resort was a destination in itself. There isn't too much to do on the island but I went to the night market, Temuran Falls and went to the new Maha Tower.

Moved onto Georgetown, Penang. Another gem but I wasn't too crazy about it. The traffic from the airport was horrific and took nearly two hours to drive 11 miles! There was some great street art, food and I loved the colonial style buildings. I visited the Blue Mansion which was fun. I wouldn't recommend more than three nights there.

Ended our trip in Kuala Lumpur! My favourite part of the trip... so much to do and see. We stayed at the Four Seasons which was a great location. We went to the many malls around KL, visited a few museums, Chinatown, went to the zoo (which has a panda -- love pandas), visited the Batu Caves which was just outside the city & Bukit Bintang which is basically Kuala Lumpur's answer to Piccadilly Circus. I found the city to be very walkable and taxis are incredibly cheap.

I would definitely recommend visiting. I'm very jealous!

Stay in Taman Negara National Park - amazing rain forest. Palau Perhentian Besar is amazing, turtles, reef sharks, rays and of course Nemo 😀

KL then Taman Negara then Perhentian Besar is a fantastic trip.

We went in August last year. A few days in KL then 10 days in Borneo. We stayed at the Sepilok Nature Resort for a few days, it’s right next to the orangutan sanctuary - amazing! Hotel was simple but my favourite place we stayed at. They took us on a night walk into the jungle one evening and several other wildlife day trips available. Then beach at a Shangri-La hotel. Enjoy whatever you decide

Thanks everyone- going to look into all these recommendations!