Take late fall being a great time to hop over to Asia, sprinkle in a few references here and there to people loving (or wanting to explore) Malaysia, and voila!
This girl was easily sold on continuing the Javanti tradition of exploring Asia over Thanksgiving.
Just a tiny bit of Google exploring revealed jungle fun, island paradise, a bumping late night metropolis, and last but hardly least, a wellness sanctuary complete with dinner in a cave. Huzzah!
Quick facts
1. Weather – frantic. Super warm thankfully & changes… every 2 min. Pack that rain jacket!
2. People & language – Not. a. single. American. Spotted. Malaysia primarily has Indian, Chinese, and Malay people. Muslim is a prominent religion, as you’ll see manifested in the mosques, food, and culture. I caught earfuls of Hindi here & there but was otherwise in the dark. Plenty of English spoken other than for our hole in the wall adventures.
3. Getting around – Rentals are cheap, roads are generally solid, and Jeff Gordon crushed both country & island driving. On the left side of the road at that.
4. Time zones – 14 hours ahead of Chi throughout in both MY and HK. It’s a whole new day, people.
How to get there.
Flights were just over $1k/pp into Kuala Lumpur & out of Penang, with an overnight stint in Hong Kong. With about 70k Chase Reserve Ultimate Rewards points in tow, we ended up paying less than $1k out of pocket. I mean. You know what they say. Luck o’ the… Scottish? Wait a min.
There & back, we flew Cathay Pacific. Internally, from Penang’s PEN to Langkawi Island, we found flights on Skyscanner and booked direct on Asia Air, at $120/total RT for the two of us for this… um 5 minute flight. Super easy.
Bidding on upgrades did not quite work out. So, peasants we were for these long haul ~14 hours into & out of HK flights. Yoikes. May never do that again.
Runabout tips:
- Yep, here it is. People with Global Entry, download the GE app! Skip the kiosk/pic altogether & fly thru the line. Impossible to make getting back into the U S of A any quicker.
- Ppl w/o GE, get it. Life changing (every hour counts) when you arrive back in the States after those long international flights. Hello, house. Your plastic may even cover the fee, huzzah.
- The Chase Sapphire lounge at Hong Kong’s HGK was nice but underwhelming & super crowded. Perfect to catch up on work tho.
- Multi-city flights to the rescue… again. So lovely to grab a car to traverse the country, ditch it, and fly right out.
- Def grab the app for each airline you’re flying. Clutch for ease of displaying boarding passes, getting up to date gate info., choosing seats, figuring out the terminal for lounging, you name it.
How to get around.
In direct contrast to Scandinavia’s insanely priced rentals, Skyscanner delivered a sweet ride at a mere $270 for our 5-day stint before hitting Langkawi Island.
Jeff Gordon is back! Google told us that IDP (international driver’s permit) is not really needed in Malaysia… and also that it is. In our experience, when renting a scooter in SE Asia, legit companies do require this. So, off went JG to the DMV. Did anyone ask for the IDP? Not a once.
After ditching the wheels at PEN on our way to island paradise, we had a final night in Penang that the Grab app worked beautifully for.
On Langkawi, due to the season, our hotel recommended grabbing a car over a scooter. Given the size of the island & monsoon-prone weather, we took the rec. The whopping $25 total for the 2-day stint didn’t discourage either.
Runabout tips:
- Strong rec to download the Grab taxi app, particularly if you’re not renting a car at all. Super cheap, easy, and reliable. You can link your plastic as well.
- Given its size, def get a set of wheels for the island. If weather serves, grab a scooter with Uncle B! Simply text Unc on Whatsapp at +60 17 472 9522. Heads up that he will require an IDP for the reso. Two days will run you a mere ~$12.
Where to stay.
Ahhh, love booking hotels where there are a million options, the price point is insanely great, and the places are truly majestic.
Sign me up, buttercup. Using our tried & true process, we fared wonderfully.
Hong Kong
We considered staying in the city’s center, but with a ~9PM arrival on Friday eve, figured ditching our bags at the airport’s Regal hotel was a better bet before hitting the streets of HK.
The gym was perfect for an AM exhaustion session before jumping on the final 4 hour stint to KL. Sauna, steam room, pool? Hell yea, and all super nice at that.
At $145 for the single night, highly recommend, particularly given the ease of taking the MTR into the city (& returning) at any hour.
Kuala Lumpur
The EQ was the shit. Under $400 for our 2 nights in KL, with breakfast, infinity pool, a perfect gym, and awesome sauna and steam room to boot. Yes please.
You know the Regent Taipei executive lounge access changed our lives forever. The EQ offered this benefit for a little less than $200 for the stay (~$45/pp per night), to be booked on arrival. Do it. From high tea to happy hour to the in-lounge chef, not too shabby for a second home.
The Cameron Highlands Resort was the only accommodation in the area that offered a gym, sooo…
At $155/night, with breakfast to boot, we pulled the trigger despite the lack of sauna. Gasp. The place offers a ton of services in the cutely dubbed Spa Village, so why not scoop up a 30 min strawberry tea bath + 80 min Balinese massage? At just over $200 for both of us, perfect send off to a delish hot pot dinner.
Speaking of saunas, holy smokes Batman. The Banjaran Hot Springs Resort looked incredible. Dipping pools, geothermal springs, and dinner in a cave?! Hellll, yes. Top it off with a gym on-site, and this girl was in wellness heaven.
~$400/night for this gorgeous Lake Villa treat, with breakfast to boot, and Javanti left ready to conquer the world. Ahhh Banjaran.
No shortage of options on the island, either. We settled on the Riyaz Lavanya, at ~$350 for our 2 night stint, with breakfast, a gym, and sauna to boot, this place was perfectly located 5 min from our dive shop.
While the amenities rocked, the hotel is outdated and service lacking, so would not recommend this place.
If you have some time to enjoy being a bit off the beaten path, check out Ambong Ambong. We opted to be closer to the action given our short stint…. and desire to be in the heart of the funnn.
Penang
For our final night, we crashed at The Prestige. Perfectly perched in the heart of Georgetown, goodness this girl was sad to leave the Whispering Wellness Spa & rooftop infinity pool. Wowowow.
What a steal for ~$130/night. No breakfast to speak of given our early AM departure. This place was awesome. So highly recommend.
Runabout tips:
- Our relatively new process of emailing each hotel – particularly where we booked thru a third-party site – to confirm the reso and ask about facilities (let’s be honest, the sauna), parking, etc. is clutch. Awesome to confirm dates and vet customer service prior to arrival.
- HK’s Regal hotel offers up a 24 hour stay. Super convenient for people long layovers, esp with the hotel’s sprawling 6 restaurants and stellar amenities.
How far does your mula go?
ATMs did us well in both countries. We’re increasingly using these over currency exchanges when traveling abroad. Easy peazy, and (we think) a better exchange rate.
As I write this, ~8 Hong Kong dollars & ~4 Malaysian ringgit to $1 USD.
Your $ goes a long way. Food is insanely inexpensive. And god damn delicious.
Attractions and trinkets follow suit. Like any place, tourist traps are priciest.
What to do.
12 hours in HK!
What a start to our food adventure.
What to do
- Temple Street Night Market just off the Kowloon train station. Holy ease of getting from the airport to this spot on the MRT. Quickly & cheaply at that, at ~$20 one way.
- Head to Central Station & Lan Kwai Fong after for late night fun.
- Insanely good Nepalese food at Maiti Ghar. Portions are generous (fair warning) and everything melts in your mouth. Don’t skip the panipuri!
- Mouthwatering spicy crab & ice cold beer at the many joints coaxing you in, all open super late.
Next time!
- Victoria Peak
- Symphony of Lights
- Tai O fishing village
- Alllll the food.
Runabout tips:
- Take that Airport Express! The train runs alllll night.
- Uber is an easy option in HK and one we opted for given the late night hour, simply for ease of door-to-door service.
Kaula Lumpur
Super easy to get around (sans monsoons), absolutely bustling with activity, and oh. so. much. fun.
What to do
- Jalan Alor night market! Jon’s fave night market to date. Eat. it. all.
- You’ll naturally traverse the vibrant Bukit Bintang hood when hitting this night market.
- KL’s Eco Park smack in the middle of the city is awesome.
- Conveniently perched next door to the Eco Park is the KL Tower. I’m not sure you need to go up, but many seemed excited to (we did not). Walk up to get those steps in!
- Perdana Botanical Gardens – so worth a visit. Very kid friendly as well.
- Petaling Street – super cool artsy area to walk through and putz around in.
- Kasturi Walk – another cute stroll with trinkets & lovely eats.
- Central Market & its Annex – holy awesome art. We went wild.
- Makan Hall – more creatives doing their thang.
- River of Life – not a must but a nice, easy stroll if you have the time.
- Pavilion & Suria KLLC malls are massive malls with tons of activity, particularly when it’s monsooning outside. We visited for a few essentials but clearly locals & tourists alike make a day of this place. Lots of yummy eats as well. Heyy Yoo!
- Batu Caves – a lil stop at awesome temples on the way out of KL. Monkeys galore.
Where (else) to eat & drink
Between the EQ’s delectable lounge eats (heyy, Chef!) & the markets, we had little room in our happy tummies.
Runabout tips:
- Go to KL. Get lost in the bustle. And eat your lil hearts out.
- Zero need for a car in the city. Very nice to have when getting out of KL into the rest of this amazing country.
Cameron Highlands & Ipoh!
Two of our faves of the trip. One-of-a-kind experiences, and each rocked.
What to do: Cameron Highlands
- In Cameron, strong rec to stay at the Highlands Resort and soak in the Spa Village. The tea bath followed by Balinese massage was oh. so. relaxing. Awesome value, super unique, and you’ll be surrounded by ridiculously gorgeous nature.
- Don’t skip hotpot at the resort’s Gonbei restaurant, either. That Tom Yam broth was to die for, the staff incredibly sweet and hardworking, and it doesn’t hurt that you’re nestled outside for the whole experience. The under $100 price tag for a ton of scrumptious hot pot and flowing wine seemed too good to be true. That’s because we hadn’t hit Penang’s food courts yet, goodness.
- To round out resort raving, breakfast was to die for. An Indian chef is currently heading things up, and food is outstanding. Didn’t hurt that trying everything on the menu was highly encouraged. Post-hike heaven.
- Hike! Tons of stunning trails. For a quick but challenging one, hit Cora Hill. For a longer adventure, try the Tea House Loop or look for a ton of options on AllTrails. You’ll catch glimpses of anything from crops being grown & the farmers harvesting them to wildlife and so. much. moss. Welcome to the Jungle.
- Waterfalls! Robinson and Parit are popular falls, but again there are tons in the Highlands.
- Flora Park is super unique, with gorgeous flower beds at every turn. The (mandatory) buggy to the entrance & ~$10 fee to enter does make this place seem a bit commercial, but if you can squeeze in a lil picnic at the park, we recommend spending a short while here.
- Strawberry farms & picking! We opted to snag a few fresh fruits & veggies at the Agromarket instead, which also has a ton of activities & sights.
- Another stellar resort experience, to put it very mildly. Do not miss a stay at The Banjaran Hot Springs Retreat. The combo of nature & luxury takes the cake for this duo, even with the other spectacular places we’ve been lucky to stay at (even those in the Maldives & The Six Senses Oman).
- The resort’s Jeff’s Cellar boasted one of our favorite meals in life. In a cave. Wowza! Our lil field trip with Nachel’s (heyy, N!) into Jeff’s private collection was a nice cherry on top.
- Our words will not do this place justice. From monkey, monarch butterfly, and komodo dragon sightings to wellness caves & hit dipping pots (cutest name for these natural hot spring pools that you have all to yourselves) to exquisite jungle surroundings, do yourself a favor and pay this place a visit. Make sure you see Dr. Fish…
- Oh yea, the (other) food? Pomelo restaurant had amazing pizza, and the breakfast spread complete with bubbles & freshly made juice (you pick the fruits in a lil basket & hand them to chef, people) will make you want to stay forever. The monkeys (politely) accompanying you don’t hurt, either.
- Don’t skip a cocktail at the amazing tree house cafe On The Rocks that overlooks these gorgeous grounds.
Where to eat & drink
Clearly, we enjoyed each resort’s grub to the fullest. Outside of these…
- Michael Su & Co. – homemade scones & masala chai, anyone? Yum. A very cute, pet friendly (rare here) cafe. Heyy TC & Muthy!
- Tambun Laksa Fames – Super local Ipoh spot with awesome laksa & meatball pho-like soups as well as a solid local drink selection.
Runabout tips:
- Looking for a nature fix topped off with ridic good food? We’ve got you!
Penang & Langkawi Island.
The food just kept getting better…
What to do!
Langkawi Island
- Purely based on near 5 star reviews, we opted to dive with Scuba Duckling. Our dive day was to consist of a 40 minute boat journey to Palau Payar, to then be rewarded with awesome underwater creatures. Alas, the wind got the best of this adventure. Highly recommend this dive shop for Qui’s stellar communication. Next dive island stop? Ko Tao.
- This duo wasn’t waterless for long & instead grabbed a private lil boat to cruise around the mangroves in. Eagles, monkeys, and bats, galore! Fun adventure.
- The cable car is worth a short stint if you have the time, followed by the Telaga Tujuh and Seven Wells falls. The Skybridge and Eagle’s Nest are pretty wild, esp for people that don’t love heights… (ahem, Jeff Gordon).
- Pop by Tanjung Rhu beach for sunset or just a seemingly quieter spot than crowded Pantai Cenang.
- Night markets! These vary depending on the night, so check out the schedule.
- Honestly, popping off on the side of the road to grab grub was a fave. Delicious and wildly inexpensive.
- Our last stint on the island was hanging with Peter for far too fun an evening, starting with Smokey’s BBQ and ending at Liquid Valley, the island’s best bar. Our kind of night. Enough said.
Best food of the trip. I know, how much do these people eat?!
- Hands down, a top 5 meal in life. The Sri Weld Food Court, seemingly pretty local and crowded during work lunch hours. Musts – Char Koay Teow with duck – not chicken – egg, Wantan Mee, and pork dumplings, from whatever hawker catches your eye. The fried oysters came in last. The meal, (nonalcoholic) drinks included, ran us about $10. Difficult to comprehend.
- Def pop by the Ten Yee Tea Trading shop. Super friendly owner that will school you on tea & offer a few tasty treats before he sends you off with tea to take home.
- Then, eat more. The Jetty Food Court is lively, particularly late evening, and has every food you can think of + cold beer. The food is better at Sri Weld tho.
- Head to Rasa Rasa for what is prob the least expensive Michelin meal you’ll eat. The owner is lovely and clearly cherishes his craft.
- Then, stand corrected when you see Michelin rated stalls selling Nasi Lemak for a mere 50 cents.
- Be sure to hit the adorable Sama Sama for a very artsy trinket or two. Bites look stellar, too.
- Sip a drink or have high tea in the Prestige Hotel’s Glass House.
Runabout tips:
- Georgetown in Penang is the hood to stay in. Do yourself one million favors by staying at the stunning Prestige Hotel.
Top 5 experiences on this culinary retreat.
- Quite obv, Penang food court #1. Just wow.
- Jeff’s Cellar! Nachel made the experience. The scrumptious food, grappa, and wine didn’t hurt. There’s a theme here…
- Cameron Highlands tea bath.
- CH Resort’s breakfast. The theme is back.
- Meeting Muthy.
- (Can’t end the post without another Banjaran Hot Springs shout out. Holy… steams?)
