Kuala Lumpur Famil

In August 2018, I had the privilege of attending a Kuala Lumpur Famil hosted by Malaysia Airlines and Viva Holidays.

Flew

We flew Malaysia Airlines in Economy on the way over and Business Class on the way back. I have always found economy very comfortable with Malaysia Airlines, with great service and great entertainment. As we had Trent from Malaysia Airlines with us, group check-in at the Business counter was quick and efficient. We were able to use the newly improved Golden Lounge in Kuala Lumpur before our return flight. There was an aircraft change at the last minute, so the business class wasn’t the same standard as on the A380 which we had a peek at on the way over. After a bit of a delay for take-off, the meal (snack) service was served, almost the best Satay Chicken and Beef I have tasted. Service throughout was also great, as was entertainment, with a good sleep followed in the fully flat bed.

Stay

We stayed 2 nights at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel which is in a great location, with fabulous facilities. Very spacious rooms and we were spoiled with access to Club Lounge, which served a fabulous breakfast with great service and lovely atmosphere. I even had time to check out the lovely pool area, probably one of the bigger pools in KL I have seen and had time for a quick swim. The last night we stayed at the Melia. The rooms here were very stylish, although smaller, and again, we had access to Club Lounge breakfast. This was nice but not run as efficiently as the Berjaya. The Melia has a lovely pool area, complete with a great bar/restaurant and relaxing lounge area, which we had time to make use of.

Activities

Our hosted tours (Viva Holidays) included an Urban Adventure Food experience, a City sights tour and a visit to Kuala Selangor town where we interacted with forest monkeys, went to a local restaurant for dinner, then proceeded to Kampung Kuantan to board small boats to see the fascinating Fireflies within the mangrove swamp (in the darkness they look like flashing Christmas lights).

Highlights

The walking food tour was a highlight for me and a must do. We had a great guide who was very informative. We learnt about the history and culture of KL and sampled some great food. A local food stall that we stopped at had the best curry puffs I have ever tasted. I would definitely recommend this to clients, but there is a fair amount of walking involved in the heat, and while there were plenty of refreshment stops, it might not suit everybody.