Credit: Markiell Styles
A City of Contrasts and Diversity”
Blogging takes a lot of time and energy.
Astonishing, I know. My plans to debrief and dissect every single destination that I traveled to this summer fell by the wayside once it was time to get back to real life. I have since decided to talk about my most favorite place and more importantly, try to convince you to visit as well. You’re probably thinking, “if you are talking about your favorite place, why aren’t you talking about Bali?” Bali was a dream destination of mine for many years, and while I did love it, Bali didn’t change my life . I do remember having some sort of an epiphany on a remote island in Lombok, but in terms of expectations versus reality, Kuala Lumpur was the real MVP.
Originally, I was supposed to only have 9 days in South East Asia. I was going to spend a few days in the Philippines and hop over to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore for a short period. I spent SO. MUCH. TIME researching which country was the, “best” and worth the effort. Ultimately, most sources simply said, visit both, but if you had to pick, Singapore wins over Kuala Lumpur. This is a great example of the need to visit countries on your own and to not always rely on the experience others. I would absolutely place Kuala Lumpur over Singapore, and here are the reasons why….
KL is super affordable.
I stayed in the luxury FACE Suites for only $70 USD a night! The “room” was more like a one bedroom apartment with gorgeous views of the city. On top of the 56th floor, was an infinity rooftop pool with an unreal presentation of Kuala Lumpur’s landscape. I also stayed in a hostel for a night which was around $8 USD. Taxi’s were also cheap. My one hour ride from the airport was around $13. Unfortunately, some drivers will try and take advantage of you. Ask them to turn on the meter as soon as you get in. We had one driver refuse to turn his on. We kindly asked to get out, because he was acting very suspect.
KL is very diverse.
Above is Kuala Lumpur’s new city tagline, “the city of contrasts and diversity.” KL is very diverse, but in a very good way. Differences are celebrated and praised rather than looked at as a hinderance. The multicultural environment reminded me a lot of the Bay Area, which is probably another reason I loved it so much.
KL has inexpensive activities/sights to see.
I feel like I got to see a lot of Kuala Lumpur for a great price. I hired a driver to take me around for $30 for the full day. I then had to pay either nothing or affordable entry fees to all of the sights or attractions. I’ve linked everywhere I visited to give you more information.
- Batu Caves: Free
- Bird Park: ~$16
- City Gallery: $2
- Heli Pad Lounge: Free
- Petronas Towers: $20 to go up
- Connaught Night Market: Free
KL has amazing FOOD!
I overly enjoyed all of the food options and choices that were available in Kuala Lumpur. I love Asian cuisine, and I was able to satisfy all of my cravings with not only traditional Malaysian food, but Chinese and Indian as well. I meant to take a picture of my food multiple times, but forgot because I was too excited and it looked so good!
KL has a beautiful city skyline/ landscape
I was able to enjoy Kuala Lumpur’s beautiful skyline from my hotel room, the pool, the Heli Lounge, pretty much everywhere! Buildings are modern and huge and are gorgeous while lit at night. I shared with a friend that it was humbling to finally be able to enjoy the scenery in person. It was surreal and like a dream.
KL is centrally located.
I know we are talking about reasons to visit Kuala Lumpur, but I think it is important to acknowledge how cheaply you can hop to another country. One way flights to Phuket and Singapore are on average $20 bucks. YES, only twenty dollars. They are budget airlines, but are fine for the short one hour flights. How awesome would it be to be able to visit Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore all in one go?!
Well, that wraps up my 6 reasons why you should think about visiting Kuala Lumpur. I wanted to write this to one, show Kuala Lumpur some love, and two, remind folks that everyone will experience countries differently. One individual could have a marvelous adventure in one place and another could experience the exact opposite. From all of the blogs and reviews of Kuala Lumpur, I did not expect to love it, but I did! I hoped you either learned a new fact or have decided to explore this beautiful city even more. Thank you for taking the time to read! Ciao.
Follow @calidreamtravels on IG: I am a 26 year old educator from the Bay Area. Growing up in one of the most diverse cities in America, I have always been exposed to and interested in many different cultures and people. I am very early in my quest, but I would like to visit 30 countries before my 30th year is over. Tall task but I know that I can do it. Saving money, budgeting and living minimally is how I plan accomplish it. My blog is where I will document all that comes my way!
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