B Family Travels: Kuala Lumpur

We landed at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Kuala Lumpur an hour later and had a 20 minute wait for our luggage. Similar to Langkawi, they had a nice cab system where you go to a desk and prepay for your ticket. This transfer was about $30 and we had to take a “premium” cab since we had 4 people and luggage. We had a difficult time figuring out where to get our ride since things were not well marked as this terminal was basically a cargo terminal that is being used for budget airlines until the new one is completed. We eventually found it and had to walk 5 minutes to the premium cab area.

Some seemingly random guy with no uniform or identification took our slip and told us to get into a car. It was a bit concerning but everything was legit and the driver was quick and friendly. It was about an hour into the city (something I did not know when I booked the trip) with no traffic and we safely arrived at the Grand Hyatt.

We were very excited about this hotel because we had used a suite upgrade and had heard the rooms were very nice. Someone took our bags as we entered the ground floor and were told the Hyatt lobby is on the 38th floor of the building. We went to the check in desk and a woman took us to our room on the 32nd floor. It was interesting that the lobby was the highest floor of the hotel.

The room was simply stunning. It had the highest ceilings of any hotel room we have ever been in and was absolutely beautifully decorated. It was around 1,200 square feet with a bedroom and 1.5 baths and a huge living room with a desk area. The bathroom was enormous with a giant circular tub, a dressing area and great views of the city. After 5 minutes of being in this room, we wish we would have stayed here for a week. Everything about it was great and we were already sad to think we would have to leave in less than 48 hours.

Bedroom

Too much vacation

I headed down to the grand club to get a drink and to get the girls some milk. It had expansive views of the Petronas Towers, and the view was even better at night when they were fully illuminated. After getting settled back in the room, we headed out on foot to try to find the Suria KLCC mall, located beneath the towers. We made it there in about 10 minutes and were pleasantly surprised to find a very Western-feeling mall. I think part of the reason we liked the area so much was that a lot of it felt like the US and I had been away from some of those comforts for quite awhile.

It felt very crowded for a weeknight but we wandered around seeing what all was there. We saw an Auntie Anne’s Pretzel shop and in one of the best moments of Joe’s life, they were selling them for under $1 each. Seriously, major trip highlight for him. I told him to get 2 because the girls love them, but he ate 90% of both of them. Dad of the year!

Jackpot

We had dinner in the food court, looked around for a little more and then headed back to the hotel to check out the dinner offering in the lounge and to put the girls to bed.

Parents of the year

In another highlight of the trip, Joe surprised me with getting the Bachelor on iTunes (it was Juan-uary after all) so we watched some of that and went to bed.

We had a leisurely breakfast at the lounge and it was one of the better ones of the trip. The selection was not nearly as extensive as some of the other places but there were not very many people and had some great things like berries and good eggs. We then headed out to the Aquarium near the hotel (Aquaria Kuala Lumpur City Center) and had a great time there.

I read a great blog post about Things To Do With Kids in Kuala Lumpur and it recommended this aquarium. Right when you enter there was a touch pond where you could pick up different fish and other sea life. Annie was too squeamish to touch anything but Lizzy was happy to touch starfish, a sea cucumber and other things. Joe and I had to pick up a few things for Lizzy to touch and I think both of us were very uncomfortable... the things you do for your kids!

One of the best features of the aquarium was its giant underwater tunnel that took you through a tank full of sharks, stingrays, fish and turtles. It was so cool to see the underside of a giant sting ray as it swam right over your head. There was a moving walkway you could ride on and hop off if you wanted to take a closer look at something.

Touch Pond

Riding through the shark tank!

There were feedings scheduled throughout the day at the various exhibits and we were able to see the otter feeding and a fish feeding, where divers went down into the tank to feed the fish and stingrays. It took us about an hour and a half to get through the entire aquarium and then Annie and I stopped to look at every single stuffed animal in the gift shop on the way out. I really wanted to get her one, but our playroom is already taken over by every Disney character in plush form.

Joe and the girls went back to the room for a room service lunch and naps, but I decided to walk around the mall and do some shopping and grab some food for myself.

Annie woke up first from her nap so Joe took her to the huge playground in the park right next to the hotel. Unfortunately, they got stuck in a torrential downpour for more than an hour that they waited out under some cover in the playground. Annie played some games on Joe’s phone, watched some Mickey Mouse episodes, and spent most of the time on Joe’s shoulders because she felt she stayed drier that way. In hindsight, we made a big mistake by not doing the outdoor activities in the earlier part of the day since Kuala Lumpur had been consistently getting afternoon downpours.

When Lizzy woke up we walked out to meet Annie and Joe at the playground but it was right at the start of the downpour so we ran into the mall for shelter. We walked around and I let Lizzy go on some mall "rides" and bought her a pretzel. We ran into Joe and Annie on the way back to the hotel. We cleaned up the girls and headed up to the lounge for some dinner and drinks and to show the girls the Petronas Towers at night. The rain finally let up so we headed out to see the fountains and the buildings all lit up, which the girls liked. Another night, some more bachelor, and time to start gathering things for the flight the next morning.

Think this might be our only family photo from the trip. Thankful that it's such great quality.

The towers really are breathtaking and sparkly at night!

Love this picture

View of the Grand Hyatt from the fountains

After breakfast in the lounge, we had a bit of time before we had to pack up and get to the airport for our next flight to Krabi, Thailand. Since our previous day's playground plans were thwarted by mother nature, we took this opportunity to try for the playground again. We got there early so it was completely empty and the girls had a blast swinging and running all over the different structures. It was absolutely massive and very well kept. There was also a track around the park so I went for a quick jog while Joe and the girls played. The park had a giant wading pool area that wasn't open yet, and we were sad we didn't get to take the girls. Will definitely plan on it for next time!

Am I the only person who wants to yell "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" every time I see the towers?

Playing at the park with the Petronas Towers in the background

Awesome FREE wading pool area for kids

After our visit to the playground it was unfortunately time to leave KL. Since it can be a bit difficult to get a cab to airport from the city without having to do negotiating, and because we were lazy, we arranged the airport transfer through the hotel. It was much more expensive this way, but made it very easy and could be charged to the room. We were taken in a very nice 5-Series BMW and made it in well under an hour.

It was very difficult to figure out where to check in since we were again in the makeshift cargo terminal. I took the girls to McDonalds (fancy!) while Joe checked the bags and got us all checked in. Teamwork. After finishing lunch, we got in the security line which led to a small gate area with just our flight. With at least 45 minutes until departure time, a couple came into the end of the line and pushed their way to the front saying that their flight was leaving and they couldn't miss it. After pushing through, we thought it was hilarious that they had to stand and board 30 minutes later with everyone they had lied to about being late for their flight.

And now, some more pictures from Kuala Lumpur - wish we could have stayed longer!