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

Malaysia tips

30 replies

TrulyMiss · 29/05/2025 22:16

We're heading to Malaysia next week with our 4.5 year old son. We travelled a lot pre-kid but this is our first long haul trip with him. Any tips for Malaysia with a small boy? Or just for travelling long haul generally?

OP posts:
Kucinghitam · 02/06/2025 17:31

Couple of extra things that came to mind as I was chatting with teen DC about our own plans next month.

Make sure you have a local SIM or better yet eSIM. You'll need it for navigation, Grab, Googling.

Allergy and food intolerance awareness is, um, limited. It's very much buyer beware, although most staff will try to be as helpful as possible, in a politely bewildered way. (One of my DC has a nut allergy).

Very close to your KL hotel, all the tourists go to the famous food street Jalan Alor, most of the stalls open afternoon onwards until late at night. It's an exciting bustling place, pretty lights, vast range of international food options and English printed menus with photos so you know what you're ordering. (I can't comment on the food quality though, KL locals almost never go there - I think I've been once in my whole life!) In the daytime, there's great street art in the side roads around Jalan Alor.

Smaller shops and many restaurants don't take credit cards so make sure you have cash.

The mass transit in KL is excellent, clean and cheap (and utterly rammed at rush hour - avoid at this time unless essential). You buy tokens at the ticket machines. I have never, and I mean never, found one where the card payment works - ensure you have plenty of change. You can get change at the information kiosk inside each station. While on the LRT, try to stand right at the front especially going underground between Pasar Seni and Masjid Jamek - it'll be fun for your DS!

The rain, when it comes, is torrential in a way that will destroy your shoes, soak you to the skin in minutes if you have no brolly and bounce up to knee height if you do. And it is warm, and accompanied with terrific flashes of lightning. Rivers of water will pour down the roads and local flash flooding can occur. Very exciting, but I suggest getting under shelter rather than dancing in it.

Finally! The two universal Malaysian gathering points for food and socialising are the kopitiam (Chinese for coffee shop) and the mamak shop (Indian Muslim food). One serves breakfast classics such as kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs plus a huge range of noodles/rice for lunch. The other serves all-day essentials such as roti canai, thosai, another huge range of noodles/rice. These establishments are found in every neighbourhood, so essential are they to our society Grin But they are not air-conditioned and might feel overwhelming to visitors as sometimes there's no menu, we just 'know' what to order. So... there are a few chains which have branches all over (just Google) which replicate the setting and food very well, but which have written menus in English, QR ordering, take credit card payment and crucially provide air-con!

  • Ali, Muthu & Ah Hock
  • Oriental Kopi
  • Bungkus Kaw Kaw (pronounced cow-cow)

(Other Malaysians will eye-roll a bit at the lack of local neighbourhood authenticity, but we all go to these chains too!)

Kucinghitam · 02/06/2025 17:33

Agree @Wanttobeanonhere07 the flights are expensive but once you get there, accommodation is cheap, and so is food especially if you eat local.

Oh, and have a brilliant time @TrulyMiss!

saraclara · 02/06/2025 17:42

You're all making me want to book a flight and go back again! We have relatives in Australia, and always used to have a holiday in Malaysia with our kids on the way or way back, and I LOVE Penang.

We never had a remotely generous budget, but were were lucky enough to stay at the E&O during its soft opening after years of renovation more then a couple of decades ago. We got a sea facing suite for the cost of a family room in a Novotel! We were all blown away and thoroughly spoiled. I have such good memories (and still own the pair of free room slippers they give you!).

Langkawi is wonderful for wildlife. Our kids couldn't believe the creatures they saw just walking from our chalet to the restaurant of our hotel.

Now excuse me while I go on Skyscanner, and dream of frangipani flowers and that amazing smell.

TrulyMiss · 11/07/2025 14:47

Just updating @Wanttobeanonhere07! We had a super time! My favourite was Georgetown for the culture and sightseeing. We were limited in what we could do with a 4 year old but you could definitely see more as your kids are older. Fantastic food and the hotel was lovely too!
We also enjoyed Langkawi but there's less to see. More a relaxing beachy place but suited us. I think you could seek out activities like water sports with older kids. We stayed outside the town but you might prefer to be closer to the action (even though the town itself is only ok).
We enjoyed KL less but I feel that was really our own fault. We were disappointed with our hotel and I got ill which limited us. I think to get the most out of it you'd have to plan your sightseeing well and defo book tickets for the patronus towers the day before. I'd probably also visit a few of the more interesting neighbourhoods, we just didn't get a chance.
Overall the food was fantastic and the people were really lovely! I never felt unsafe or anything - although common sense applies, I wouldnt walk in the dark in a dodgy neighbourhood at home either...
if you have any other specific questions let me know!

OP posts:
Wanttobeanonhere07 · 17/07/2025 18:35

@TrulyMiss thank you for coming back and updating - that’s really kind of you!
Glad you had a great time

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