Accommodation in KL city centre

This post was updated on 2nd August!

Being a Malaysian, everything more than 10 minutes is far away. Being an Australian, everything less than half hour is close! Therefore it’s a tough question if you ask us about the “distance”. We can however try our best to advice the best way to get around!

If KL City Centre is where you want to be, we recommend you stay around the 2 areas highlighted below:

1.       Bukit Bintang

2.       KLCC (Petronas Twin Towers)

Ben said it is only 10 minutes walk between these 2 places. Wee Kin disagrees, and have never walked between BB and KLCC before (feels it is too far for walking!). But we will let you try it out (or not)! :)

Bukit Bintang

1.       Lots of shopping here – as highlighted in red above

-          Berjaya Time Square (from memory it does not have fantasic shops many years ago, but there’s an indoor theme park and it’s huge)

-          Sungei Wang Plaza and Bukit Bintang Plaza (heaps of shopping and low prices – most places are fixed prices as per the price tags, but there are some (especially on the electronic / electrical items) which can be sold way lower than their price tag. If you are a foreigner, or sound / look like one, chances are their first offer is overpriced).

-          Low Yat Plaza (best place to get all your techy computer, electrical, mobile phones etc – we do not know if you need to negotiate because we normally go there as “locals” and normally the price is already reasonable. I guess you need to know your price bracket to ensure you are not cheated as foreigners)

-          Lot 10 used to be a Japanese style shopping mall (I think), but it has brands from everywhere now

-          Pavillion (this is one of Ben’s favourite shopping place, it’s new and clean – 2 years ago, and sells medium to expensive brands , and do check out the food court at the lowest floor!)

-          Starhill Gallery (supposed to be a high class shopping area, but haven’t been there in a long time – we suspect it is only high class (not extreme high class))

2.       It’s normally crowded with people, and easy to spot dodgy people too. There are a lot of asian foreign workers that hang out in this area, some hawkers, wild youth.

3.       There are 2 monorails stations (at Berjaya Times Square – Imbi Monorail Station) and (Bukit Bintang Monorail Station). We will write more about public transportation in a separate post to give you some idea how to get around.

4.       There are also a lot of hotels here (from budget to 5 stars). We did not need to stay in KL much so really can’t give personal opinion of the quality of the hotel itself. We suggest to check the reviews online for the hotels in this area if you decide this is the spot you want to hang out.

KLCC

1.       Less shopping here, but more relaxed and “slightly higher class” feel because more corporate people hang out around this area. This is not saying there are no dodgy people around (it’s Asia! There are dodgy people everywhere!), but less than in Bukit Bintang area.

2.       There’s a park next to Suria KLCC (shopping centre), also where the tallest building in Malaysia is located (Petronas Twin Towers).

-          You can go up the sky bridge for free (provided you get to the registration counter  early in the morning, they have limited tickets for visitors to go up the bridge during the day). If you are friends working in the towers, they may be able to bring you into the office (which may be located higher than the sky bridge)

-          Suria KLCC is a shopping mall targeting foreigners and corporate people, so expect medium – high class type of shops and restaurants. We think Avenue K (opposite Suria KLCC) is a shopping mall too.

-          Do not be at the park late at night for your own safety – I think there is Pak Guard (Mr Security Guard) around the area, but to be safe, just stay away from dark quiet area while in Asia!

3.       There is 1 monorail station (Bukit Nanas), and 1 LRT station (KLCC). Note that they are 2 different trains / line (which we will explain further in another post on public transportations)

4.       Lots of clubs in the area (highlighted in blue). Happening area for alcohol and partying!

5.       Accommodation – there are limited budget hotels in this area compared to Bukit Bintang, but there are still many hotels to choose from.


Hopefully the above information will be able to help narrow down your search for hotels / serviced apartments in KL city centre. We may not be a position to verify the quality of the accommodation itself (you will have to depend on internet reviews) but if you need any assistance to book, speak with the hotel, or advice on your shortlisted accommodation (for location and/or possibly other comments), do feel free to reach out to us for assistance!  

 To help make the search for hotels a little easier we've also taken the liberty of shortlisting our own suggested list of hotels in KL. This list contains primarily hotels, but also has some serviced suites too. They range in price, and are ordered below based on what our own personal preference would be on the basis of hotel quality, user reviews, and ideal location. 
And so, the list:

1. Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur City Center
2. Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur 
3. Parkroyal Serviced Suites
4. Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur
5. Piccolo Hotel
6. Parkroyal Hotel
7. Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel
8. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel
9. Traders Hotel by Shangri-La
10. Ascott Kuala Lumpur
11. Hotel Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre
12. Prince Serviced Apartment Kuala Lumpur
13. The Royale Bintang Hotel
14. Bintang Fairlane Residences
15. Fahrenheit Suites Kuala Lumpur
16. Crown Regency Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur