The latest Strong Money Adventure took us to Malaysia.
Following our Thailand trip in December (which you can read about here), we were keen to explore another nearby country with great food, warm weather, and good value.
We spent roughly two weeks in Malaysia – about 5 days in Kuala Lumpur, 4 days in Penang, and 4 days in Langkawi.
In this article, I’ll share what the trip was like, how much things cost, what we loved (and didn’t), and how Malaysia stacks up against Thailand from a travel and lifestyle point of view.
Let’s kick things off with a few photos.
Our time in Kuala Lumpur was split into 2.5 days at the start and 2.5 at the end.
After a long drive to the hotel from the airport, we went for a quick bite to eat and grabbed some supplies for the next day.
View on the first night:
Our first hotel was quite nice – we stayed in the Bukit Bintang area. It’s an interesting mix of high-end shopping, hotels, and endless places to eat – extremely lively at night.
I liked this pretty water feature:
One thing threw me a bit though.
Between some of the hotels around the corner from the fancy shopping district, there were streets that could best be described as slum-like. It’s a weird mix I didn’t expect to see so close by (this Reddit page is an example)
Despite being in a big city, it was nice to see so much green mountain areas not far away. The food scene at night was crazily abundant! The only issue is picking a damn place since there are so many to choose from – probably 100 places to eat in one street.
A short walk from the food market is a strip of more touristy bars and restaurants. The food was more expensive there obviously, but it was surprisingly good (even better than the market in some cases). But the drinking area itself was a lot more chill than Thailand 😅
We visited the Sky Deck KL Tower and did a short forest walk nearby. It was decent enough, with fantastic views, but not quite as good as Mahanakhon Tower in Bangkok.
I also became a big fan of the local coffee shop chain Zus Coffee – escaping the heat on many afternoons for the cool air-con and a strong iced coffee.
We explored some of the shopping areas as Mrs SMA was keen on that. We also went to KLCC Park next to the impressive Petronas Twin Towers – which look gorgeous at night (see my first picture, background, right hand side).
In the second part of our KL stay, we did a bit more exploring, swimming, and of course, headed out for food and drinks at night.
I also discovered the largest snail I’ve ever seen in the hotel gardens. The front outdoor lobby area also had large pools of water with plenty of fish (I’ve never seen that before).
Penang, which is an island with a smaller city had a much more relaxed vibe. Naturally not as busy as KL, and a bit slower paced.
I found it to be a pretty cool place – a nice mix of city and nature.
I’ve actually heard it’s particularly popular with Aussies. Likely due to the beachy proximity and laid back style.
Our hotel in Penang was fantastic. I may be frugal but I definitely appreciate nice hotels and fancy places – they’re just lovely environments to be in.
Here, we visited a few places including Penang Hill, which had incredible views of the area and lush forest to walk through.
Lucky for us, we stumbled on a family of Dusky Leaf Monkeys – 15 of them. It was amazing to watch them hang out in the trees, feeding their babies, chilling and jumping between branches.
The city area itself – George Town – is an interesting mix of old and new culture. Lots of heritage buildings, tons of street food (especially at night), with fancy ice cream and coffee shops.
On my recent travels, I’ve noticed the sheer contrast in lifestyles. We (and I think most Westerners) typically just stay home at night and relax, whereas night-time is when everything happens and it’s lively and vibrant in many Asian countries.
Maybe that’s part weather, part culture, part cost. It could also be because of population density, and that some of these are touristy areas. But it’s an interesting and obvious difference you notice.
On one particularly hot day we visited the Botanic Gardens. While it was pretty underwhelming, we did get to see multiple groups of Long-Tailed Macacks, before doing a bit of shopping nearby.
I also spotted a celebrity as we explored George Town on foot. It was Nomad Capitalist – a YouTuber with over 1m subs, who talks about relocating to other countries and being more of a ‘global citizen’. He was sitting down in Starbucks as I walked in, with a pen and pad, deep in thought. I decided not to bother him.
A short drive from George Town is an area called Batu Ferringhi. A touristy stretch of beaches, resorts, shops, food and bars. On our last night in Penang, we had a beautiful dinner there with a few drinks – a very relaxing spot.
This is where it went downhill. We both got the flu.
So for a couple of days we were moping around not doing a whole lot.
Also something else happened. It was Ramadan. Which is all fine and good, except our accommodation was next to a Mosque, which had speakers blasting prayers until 10:30pm which start again early in the morning.
Although not ideal, mostly that wouldn’t be that bad. But we were exhausted and trying to sleep early, while having no idea when it would stop 😅
Anyway, we paid to move rooms to the opposite side of the building, and soon felt better, letting us enjoy what Langkawi had to offer!
There was actually far more here than expected. The main township has everything you need, all along a huge strip of shops adjacent to a beautiful beach.
In terms of activities, we went on the Skycab. Honestly, views from the top – even going up – are breathtaking. You just see this cluster of islands, mostly untouched jungle, and gorgeous water. And more of those amazing monkeys.
We even went to a fancy beach club one afternoon. It was a really nicely designed place, in a perfect spot, and thankfully quiet so we got spend the arvo swimming and hanging out with only a few other people there.
As we were about to leave, a couple of these amazing toucan-looking birds flew in and hopped around the trees. Hard to get a shot of them, this is the best I could do:
It’s a type of Hornhill, but I’m not sure which one. After googling, it looks like people often argue over which one’s which so I dunno – incredible either way!
To finish, we went on a private boat ride for a mangrove tour. That was awesome too. We saw kingfishers, eagles, and even a family of otters!
Our boatman also showed us these little jumping fish and Archer fish, which will shoot water to catch things (showing us with a bit of bread). Super cool to see that in real life.
A few things I noticed on the trip:
KL was busy, but less hectic than my pictures might suggest.
For accommodation, luxury apartment buildings seem to be far more common than actual hotels. Not sure why, but it’s quite interesting.
Sometimes that makes it a little unprofessional, since you’re dealing with a random guy with thongs and an iPhone rather than hotel staff. But overall, it’s fine.
Flying around Malaysia was funny, where flights are often 1 hour or less. The crew is rushing to bring out food. It’s basically takeoff, hit cruising altitude, coffee/food comes out, “we’re now descending into…” 😂
Although I only saw parts of the country, I definitely liked what I saw.
It’s warm, there’s plenty to do, and it’s very affordable. $3-5 per meal if you go to the right places. Restaurants are more like $5-8.
Transport is cheap, with Grab rides being extremely low cost. As for accommodation, it’s possible to rent a nice apartment for far cheaper than you would in Australia.
I would definitely return to Malaysia. I enjoyed the trip and there’s a great balance of lifestyle options for different tastes. But – and this won’t be a popular comment – I didn’t find the food anywhere near as good as people say. In fact, the best meal we had was actually at a Thai restaurant. But that could just be personal taste.
Why am I comparing the two? Well, because they’re neighbouring countries that are both popular destinations for Aussies to visit or stay. Plus, I only just went to Thailand so it’s still fresh in my mind.
Here’s what I noticed:
People do seem less friendly in Malaysia. Only a few days into the trip I started thinking, “Oh no, we’ve done these trips the wrong way round – Thailand might have spoiled us.”
In fact, I’ve actually seen a few people say this on travel forums – they feel Thailand ‘ruined’ them, and when visiting other places it’s never quite the same open, warm, friendly energy.
It could be that Thailand has mastered the art of catering to tourists – especially in terms of service and helpfulness – and perhaps Malaysia isn’t really interested in replicating that (especially the drinking scene for obvious reasons given the majority Muslim population).
In terms of specific locations:
— KL was quieter than Bangkok, and more modern in parts.
— Penang was more chill than Phuket, similar lifestyle without the party scene.
— Langkawi was just a beautiful spot to stay (haven’t been to any Thai islands to compare)
The cities and streets were also cleaner in Malaysia. Not as many broken paths to trip on, and a lot more rubbish bins around. In Thailand, bins are damn near non-existent. You’re lucky if you find a half-filled garbage bag on the path you can use 😂
In terms of costs, here’s what I noticed in Malaysia compared to Thailand:
— Accommodation is slightly more expensive
— Food costs are similar
— Transport is cheaper (Grab)
— Drinking is more expensive
— Groceries and supplies from 7/11 are similar
— Activities and attractions are similar
I found the money itself easier to use in Malaysia. Basically because the notes look a bit like ours, the colours are more distinct, and the conversion is 3×1 multiple rather than 20×1 in Thailand.
Overall, I liked the laid back vibe of Penang, the beautiful nature in Langkawi, and the developing city vibes of Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia has a lot to offer and a nice balance of stuff to do, so it’s safely on my ‘visit again’ list.
The trip cost around $4k overall – that’s 2 people for 2 weeks. And we definitely didn’t cheap out either, with nice accommodation, plenty of activities and unlimited meals and drinks. You could do it on far less.
As most of you know, we operate with no budget – that’s the same when on holiday too. The only difference is, before FI more choices would go in the “Nah, not worth it” bucket, whereas now many of them go in the “Yeah, why not?” bucket.
I hope this little update gave you a good glimpse into our trip. At this stage, the next overseas trip won’t be until next year after doing two in the last 6 months.
We’ll probably continue meandering around Asia, since it’s both close and affordable. The next places on the list are Japan and Vietnam.
If you’ve been to Malaysia, where did you go? What did you enjoy most? What would you recommend to others? Let me know in the comments below.
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After going through a difficult divorce, Ronald rebuilt his wealth in his 50s, focused on his future, and managed to retire at 59.
All about our Malaysia trip. Lots of pictures of what we got up to, how the costs stack up, my thoughts on the country. I also compare it to Thailand as a destination.
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You refer to the city of Penang…
Penang is the island… Georgetown is the city
Oh ok, sorry about that – thanks I’ll fix it 🙂
I guess Phuket is an island too but most people just think of it as a city since you can also drive there (bit like Penang).
That’s great that the flu did not spoil your trip. Great photos.
In Malaysia I have been to Kuching, Sarawak which is the gateway to the Malaysian Borneo (Sarawak). As I’m not much of a city person like to get out into nature so it was easy to be out in nature and explore Borneo. Unfortunately at the time I visited September 2019 there were some burning off forests in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) so there was smoke haze which you would also experience in the jungle but it was not as intense in the city. If planning a trip to Borneo be sure to check out haze predictions.
Good tip, thanks!
I definitely want to head that way too – certainly looks like my cup of tea! Did you find it to be pretty easy to get around over there?
I spent a long time travelling South East Asia in my mid 20s (20 years ago). I would second this – I think you would like Borneo. I spent time in Kuching and traveled to Brunei. The highlights were: Seeing Orangutans in the wild, trekking to the Pinnacles (https://mulupark.com/pinnacles/) and climbing Mount Kinabalu – https://www.mountkinabalu.com/)
I spent 9 months in Asia in total, and Thailand was my favourite…
Interesting, thanks very much
If you’re planning another trip to Asia and passing through Singapore, you might want to consider a visit to Johor Bahru. It is just across the border in Malaysia. I had planned to go there on a trip that ended up being cancelled due to COVID.
I was planning to use a bus from Changi Airport and the fare was around $10 each way when I looked into it. There’s also a train option which is quicker but though at the time the bus seemed more straightforward. Bus trip was around an hour.
Singapore is amazing (I love it there too), but Johor Bahru is much more affordable. Our plan was to say at a resort and check out the Lego Land. We planned this stopover to see something a bit different as we had been a few time before in Singapore. This could be another easy way to see some more of Malaysia depending on your plans.
You’re welcome. Yes it was very easy to get around using Grab and booking transport on ground (hiring a driver). There are many national park hikes and wetlands within a 20 -50km radius, including a sanctuary for rehabilitated Orangutans “in the wild.”
For really good food in Malaysia, you need a local to guide you or write down places based on food groups before you go. Random food stall will be hit and miss. If you like laid back, try East coast of West Malaysia next time, the islands with the good reefs are all on the East coast.
There’s also East Malaysia to consider for your future trips but there are no longer direct flights ever since Malaysian Airlines stop doing so post Covid.
Will definitely head to those other areas next time, looks like a bunch of nice spots, including Borneo etc. Thanks mate
Hi Dave, can’t believe it. We booked Malaysia a couple of months back, and are going soon. We didn’t really have a clue where to visit. We are going to the 3 places where u went, over 12 nights. FIRE minds think alike😀
Haha very nice. Those are the top 3 visited spots I’d say, so it’s good for a first trip and to get a good glimpse into country (I’d happily go back to each again). But as others have said, a second trip is a good idea for more of the nature-focused and somewhat less touristy locations. Too much to do on one trip! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Definitely not to be missed in Penang is the Countryside cycling. Good insights of Malaysia countryside from the tour.
We also visited Taman Nagara when in Malaysia a couple of years ago. The national park rain forest is estimated to be 130 million years old and the boat ride up the river here was definitely my favourite activity in Malaysia.