Kuala Lumpur: Why the Malaysian capital really does offer the best of South East Asia

You may have heard somewhere that journalists strive to be objective and unbiased in all things? Well, not this time, I’m afraid. That’s just impossible when it comes to Kuala Lumpur, my favourite city in South East Asia.

KL, as we old hands refer to it, may not be as well-known to Scots travellers as near neighbours Singapore and Bangkok, but that’s a state of affairs I’m more than happy to address.

While Singapore is undoubtedly clean, efficient and easy on the eye it can also be a little, well… dull. And the Thai capital may be an thrilling riot of colour and energy but it can be exhausting, exasperating and the service – outside of top establishments – is often sketchy, at best.

Kuala Lumpur, however, enjoys the very best of SE Asia without the downsides. It offers all the glitz and modernity of the Lion City without the tiresome rules and regulations, and its street life has all the enlivening buzz of Bangkok without the grime or occasional seediness.

Not only is English widely spoken, there is glorious colonial architecture and the finest and most varied cuisine in Asia. Add the fact that Malaysians are probably the friendliest, nicest people in the world and you have a winning combination. Oh, it’s extraordinarily good value too.

Accommodation, eating out and getting around is inexpensive and, in the case of public transport, sometimes free. The city’s many tourist attractions won’t break the bank either. Admittedly, high alcohol taxes mean drinks are pricey – but there are ways around that.

If a trip to KL is part of a rare, long-haul treat -perhaps as a stopover on the way to Australia – then you might be looking to indulge yourself to a luxury hotel as well. In which case, you’re in the right place. KL teems with quality four and five-star hotels with room rates a fraction of that even in other Asian countries.

Most are scattered around the Golden Triangle, which comprises shopping and nightlife area Bukit Bintang and adjoining Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), home of the twin Petronas Towers and some of the city’s top visitor draws.

Do any kind of search into recommended hotels in KL and, as often as not, the top choice will be Traders – and with very good reason.

Situated on the fringe of KLCC park this thoroughly modern, yet traditionally welcoming, hotel is popular with tourists and business travellers alike.

Close to the Suria KLCC Mall, the shopping district, public transport links and with plenty of restaurants, bars, clubs and cafes in the area, the location is ideal.

There are almost 600 stylish, comfortable and well-equipped rooms and suites which make for a blissful retreat from the city. For a modest supplement, you can upgrade to a Traders Club room which offers dedicated check-in and check-out, concierge service, free Wi-Fi and complimentary beverages, breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails in the Traders Club Lounge.

Friendly staff are discreet yet always on hand if you need something, and facilities include a choice of restaurants, 24-hour health club and a rooftop pool The hotel’s undoubted crowning glory is, however, aptly found on the 33rd floor – the multi award-winning SkyBar. Stunningly designed and with the best views in the entire city, it’s a must-visit; no wonder the hotel likes to say: “If you haven’t been to SkyBar you haven’t been to KL.”

If you’re lucky, or insistent, you’ll have been looking at KL’s number one attraction out of your hotel window: the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers. As well as the 58 metre-long, double-decker Sky Bridge connecting the towers at the 41st and 42nd floors, there’s an observation deck on level 86, from where the views are, as you might expect, remarkable. It gets busy, though, so best to get there early – easy enough since you’re just a five-minute stroll away.

Even closer to home is the Aquaria KLCC, part of the same complex as Traders, featuring more than 150 species of marine life including tiger sharks, deadly sea snakes and rays.

Out and about, KL’s next most famous attraction is the Batu Caves, a series of historic subterranean limestone Hindu temples 11km outside the city. The somewhat daunting-looking stairs are well worth the effort, and the ever-present monkeys will keep you entertained on the slog uphill to the awesome Cathedral Cave with its 100 metre-high arched ceiling.

Back in the city, Kuala Lumpur doesn’t sneer at its colonial history, best experienced by visiting Merdaka Square with its Moorishstyle buildings, such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building – originally HQ of the British administration – and the sublime old KL Sentral railway station.

From there it’s a short walk to Central Market, an unmissable Twenties art deco gem packed with handicraft, jewellery and souvenir stalls, as well as some excellent cafes and restaurants, such as the Precious Old China.

Travelling around Kuala Lumpur is a breeze, there’s a light railway system, metro and even a monorail, though that’s of more use for sightseeing than getting anywhere you might actually want to go.

Tickets are cheap, but not as cheap as the purple Go KL buses – a completely free service linking most of the city’s top attractions.

Taxis in Kuala Lumpur are cheap, in theory. However, as is common in this part of the world, persuading the driver to use the meter can be a trial. If you have a smartphone, I urge you to download the Grab app. It’s not dissimilar to Uber but fares are paid in cash. I used it several times during my time in KL – including a trip to the airport – and found it to be quick, safe, reliable and inexpensive.

That said, you can – and will – experience KL at its best by foot. Traders offers direct access to a kilometre-long elevated Bintang Walkway, an air-conditioned corridor high above the traffic leading to the tourist, commercial and nightlife centre of Bukit Bintang.

It emerges at the Pavilion, one of the city’s largest and glossiest malls. You can linger to do some high-end shopping, or head on to experience what draws me to the city again and again – the food!

The country’s cultural mix means that you can enjoy Chinese cooking of all types, authentic Indian dishes and – a unique combination of the two, with a little something special added – Malaysian cuisine; sometimes called “nonya” and personified by the traditional -and utterly delicious – beef rendang.

Hang a right at the exit of the Pavilion Mall and it’s a 10-minute amble to Jalan Alor, Food Street, where you can try it all.

Some will tell you that this is little more than a tourist trap. Don’t believe them. On any given night, hungry and demanding locals vastly outnumber visitors.

After dark, Jalan Alor resembles a huge, outdoor food court… lined by restaurants. As ever in this situation, the best advice is to look for the busiest stall and join the queue. You’re unlikely to be disappointed but, if you want a tip, try the chicken wings and salted egg yolk calamari at Wang Ah Wa, and finish off with coconut ice cream at the stall at the Pavilion end of the street.

If you enjoyed it, or would like to know more before you plunge in, KL has a number of food-orientated tours you can sample. I can recommend Food Tour Malaysia (www.foodtourmalaysia.com) which will chauffeur you around several popular city food courts and “kopitiams” to sample local specialities on a hugely entertaining evening out.

If that sounds a bit overwhelming, or you have issues with street food – though there is nothing to worry about hygiene-wise in KL – then a gentler introduction awaits in the nearby basement of the Lot 10 mall.

Some years ago the local authorities, worried about the future of traditional food stalls, decided to bring together some of the city’s finest exponents under one roof – and this is where they ended up. You can sample all its top-rated dishes here in enclosed, air-conditioned comfort. Prices are slightly higher than you’ll find on the street, but not by much. By Western standards the food is absurdly cheap; a glass of Tiger Beer to wash it down may cost twice as much as your meal.

Which leads to another thing at which KL excels, nightlife. A sumptuous choice of restaurants we can take for granted, but there are also plenty of nightclubs, chic rooftop bars and expat pubs.

As chance would have it, just three minutes from Jalan Alor is Changkat Bukit Bintang, which has the lot, contained in just four blocks of lively, neon-lit fun. Cocktail lounges, classy whisky bars, and pubs both relaxed and boisterous, whatever your preference, it’s here.

As alluded to earlier, alcohol is expensive in Malaysia. Fortunately, every establishment in CBB has a Happy Hour, and the local interpretation of “hour” is elastic, to say the least. In any case, the combined cost of a night out would scarcely cover a fish supper and bottle of Irn-Bru back home.

The best night out in KL, though, offers spectacle, shopping, eating and drinking. Petaling Street Night Market in Chinatown is judged by many to be the best in all of South East Asia. There are plenty of stalls selling “genuine fake” clothing, watches and handbags which I’m, ahem, told can be of surprisingly high quality, as well as others selling hand-crafted souvenirs and all manner of wild and wonderful knick-knacks.

This being Chinatown, you needn’t look far in search of a bite to eat, or a little roadside stall where you can park yourself on a plastic stool, enjoy a tall bottle of beer and watch the spectacle unfold.

It may be that I’m just a cheap date but, after a few days in KL, doing exactly that, on a sultry Asian evening… there are few places I’d rather be.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Graham stayed as a guest of Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, part of the Shangri-La group.

Rates for a Deluxe Room, without breakfast, start at 440 Malaysian Ringgit, subject to 10% service charge & 6% GST.

Details: www.shangri-la.com/kualalumpur/traders/