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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Malaysia

20 replies

GiveInToTemptation · 12/04/2023 15:57

Has anybody been to Malaysia? I'm planning to go for a few weeks during the Autumn, but I don't know a great deal about this part of the world and have no idea where to start looking!

I'm interested in beaches, activities such as snorkeling and paddleboarding, the natural world, rainforest and animals. I'm less bothered about seeing cities and buildings.

We should have time to visit a couple of different islands. So far I've been eyeing Tioman Island, but am also researching Borneo, which looks amazing and not too far.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities and wondered whether anybody had any tips or advice!

Thanks in advance!

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RideACockHorseToSunburyCross · 12/04/2023 16:19

Following. Planning on heading out that way for the whole of the summer holidays next year with the kids

hattie43 · 12/04/2023 16:29

I went there about 10 yrs ago and it was great . Everyone said to go to Langkawi aswell as it's beautiful but I didn't have time .

ginslinger · 12/04/2023 16:30

Fly over to Borneo while you are there. Will tick loads of those boxes

LuisaMei · 12/04/2023 16:35

Spent lots of time in Malaysia. Langkawi is beautiful for beaches. Penang is really lovely, has some beaches and you can get boats over to 'monkey island' from Batu Ferringhi beach. Georgetown in Penang is an amazingly interesting traditional town. Over the other side of Malaysia you have Tioman Island and Rawa Island which are lovely for snorkelling activities.

Borneo is exceptional - fly into Kuching, Sarawak and you can go to Semenggoh nature reserve where you can see orang utans in their natural habitat. If you get lucky you will see loads, last time we went we saw 15 it was amazing. Kuching itself is a cheap place to stay and is also very interesting.

midsomermurderess · 12/04/2023 16:53

I liked the Perhentian Islands off the north east coast, but I was there w0 years ago so don’t know what it’s like now. The Cameron Highlands would tick boxes for nature and wildlife. You’re not missing anything by skipping cities, well KL anyway. Such a dull place.

Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 14/04/2023 20:13

Thank you for the suggestions. I will look these up.

Good to know that I'm not missing anything in KL. We're planning to fly to Singapore and go on from there, so will miss KL entirely.

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Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 14/04/2023 20:25

@LuisaMei Langkawi looks beautiful, but Google tells me that it will be rainy season there in September/October time, so I'm wondering whether we may be better off sticking to the more southern islands like Rawa or Tioman

Will definitely check out Borneo. I was thinking about booking some kind of package which takes you around different parts of Borneo, but I would need to find one that doesn't include flights. Will check out Kuching!

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MikeWozniaksMohawk · 14/04/2023 20:30

We went to Langkawi in mid-November (over a decade ago) and would love to go back, the weather was wonderful and it’s a great place for beaches, water sports etc.

was completely underwhelmed by KL so I agree with others that you’re not missing anything there.

Noorandapples · 14/04/2023 20:30

Don't forget to check out the night markets wherever you go, food stalls are always amazing! The islands are beautiful, penang has full boat tours that include swimming monkeys, mangroves, a fish farm and a massive bat cave! Langkawi is stunning. I wish we went to the other side with orangutans though, that sounds amazing, you should try to fit it in if you can!

user585684 · 14/04/2023 20:32

I've spent a lot of time in Malaysia and it's a really easy place to visit. I liked KL personally, there's a lot to do like Batu caves, Petronas towers, the national mosque and Islamic museum, Chinese and Indian temples. Loads of amazing food if that's your thing. Malacca old town is nice. Perhentians are great, I stayed in Perhentian Kecil and it was really basic but lovely beaches. Saw giant lizards, and turtles laying their eggs one night.

Penguinsmum · 14/04/2023 20:37

We have been to KL a few times. So great. Lots to see. The food is absolutely delicious!

Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 14/04/2023 21:57

Oooh I like the sound of night markets and boat tours.

We have something planned in Singapore for the first couple of days, so will have to start there. Then thinking maybe a week on a small beachy island, followed by 10 days in Borneo.

Do all these small islands have airports? Is it fairly easy to travel between them?

Has anyone done a package type deal in Borneo where you travel about and stay in different places?

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Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 14/04/2023 22:07

I think that some of the islands have coral reefs which may attract interesting sea life. Has anyone been diving or snorkelling in Malaysia?

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S0upertrooper · 14/04/2023 22:26

Singapore to Kota Kinabalu is a short 2hr flight. Book with Scoot and avoid Malaysian Airlines. From Kota Kinabalu it's really easy to get to the islands by boat for diving, snorkeling etc. To get to the jungle you'll need to take another short internal flight as it's a long drive.

I'd avoid Tioman unless you want very basic accommodation and facilities. Check the weather for the time of year. Some beaches etc will close if it's monsoon season.

Abcdefgh1234 · 14/04/2023 23:12

Indonesia much much better imo. Got komodo dragon island, got gili trawangan beach, raja ampat (must see this), labuan bajo. And many more

somewhereovertherain · 15/04/2023 06:55

Watching with interest as DD1 off to uni in Malaysia for a year in September and hoping to visit next March/ April to tie in with the Rugby 7s in Singapore

Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 15/04/2023 15:30

S0upertrooper · 14/04/2023 22:26

Singapore to Kota Kinabalu is a short 2hr flight. Book with Scoot and avoid Malaysian Airlines. From Kota Kinabalu it's really easy to get to the islands by boat for diving, snorkeling etc. To get to the jungle you'll need to take another short internal flight as it's a long drive.

I'd avoid Tioman unless you want very basic accommodation and facilities. Check the weather for the time of year. Some beaches etc will close if it's monsoon season.

Thank you. This is really useful to know. I think it will be monsoon season in the north, but the south will be ok until November. Tioman closes at the end of Oct for monsoon season - but I hadn't got as far as looking at what the accommodation is like there yet. So many things to consider!

Off to do a bit more research...

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S0upertrooper · 15/04/2023 15:39

@GiveInToTemptation there's a Tioman Facebook group and another Facebook group Travelling in and out of Singapore that has a lot of Tioman posts. It's basic but supposed to be really good for diving. A thing to note about Malaysia is the rating given to accommodation. It's much lower than other countries, so 5 star in Malaysia is probably 3 elsewhere. Always check trip advisor reviews, don't just go by photos on their page.

I prefer Indonesia to Malaysia, I think the food is better and accommodation is usually better too.

Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 15/04/2023 15:48

Thanks @S0upertrooper! Will have a look...

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Original poster
GiveInToTemptation · 15/04/2023 16:04

I think that I'm going to need to make a big spreadsheet of the pros and cons of each place 😂

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