I arrived in Kuala Lumpur early in the morning of Jan 3. Despite an overnight stay in the lounge at Singapore airport with little sleep, I decided to immediately go exploring after checking into my hotel.
A Fantastic Hotel
Twenty years ago, when I got my first job, in India, I planned a trip to Malaysia. I planned to stop for 10 days on my way to India to visit KL, Penang, and the highlands. This was going to be my first overseas trip, and I was very excited. But then, everything fell apart. India denied me a visa, and so I ended up canceling that whole trip.
So this visit, although much abbreviated, is a long time in coming. I decided to stay at the EQ Kuala Lumpur in a club room.
The EQ was my best hotel stay ever. What made it so awesome was not only the amenities but also the extraordinary staff. I know it’s their job to take care of guests, but I appreciate that the staff at the club did so very well.
The second-best thing about the hotel is the view. There are incredible views of both the Petronas and KL towers. My room on the 49th floor had a wonderful view of the Petronas Towers. I enjoyed some complimentary snacks and drinks (no alcohol) while enjoying the view. After sightseeing, when I returned to my room that night, there were chocolates and fresh fruit waiting for me, perfect to enjoy during my bath, using the bath salts that were provided.
Because I stayed in a club room, I could access the club on the 50th floor for breakfast, afternoon tea, sundowners and anytime snacks. The staff were very friendly and provided excellent service.
The gym was on the 29th floor, with a nice variety of free weights and machines. I just started the Stronglifts program and couldn’t find an appropriate bar, but was able to use dumbbells. Afterward, I used the steam and salt saunas and enjoyed the shower series – waterfall, mist, rainfall. If I have one complaint, it would be that the dry sauna is only about 60 degrees.
Petronas Twin Towers
That first day, I walked to see the Petronas Towers up close and to Saloma bridge. I did some window shopping in the towers, but there wasn’t anything on my shopping list except one of those TikTok famous crossbody Uniqlo bags.
Since I had so little time in KL, I decided to take the hop on hop off bus to be able to see it all I did both the red and blue circuits, but my fatigue was catching up with me and I didn’t visit any of the sites. I headed back to the hotel for the complimentary afternoon tea and a rest.
Exploring Chinatown
My original plan was to go to the Taman Connaught Night Market but it was supposed to rain that night so I decided to stay closer to the hotel.
I took Grab and went to visit Merdeka square and the River of Life. I like that work is ongoing to revitalize the area, and I lob the murals that have been added. There is an observation deck for viewing the murals, although I thought that the view from the path was not much different.
The Central Market is right next to the river, so I stopped there next. I was looking for fruit and postcards. I’m sure I paid too much for fruit, but at the equivalent of USD$3, I was happy for my bounty. All items cost the same, and you could just pay by weight. I didn’t get any mangoes because everything else is rare to find in Europe and I thought 1kg of fruit was more than enough for 2 days!
