Where to Stay in Kuala Lumpur

Here are the best areas or districts to stay while visiting Kuala Lumpur. For a look at the various types of accomoodation Kuala Lumpur has to offer, look at the types of accommodation in KL.

Bukit Nanas

This area is where KL Tower and KL Rainforest Eco park are located. It is also known as a business area due to high amount of office buildings in the area. This makes the place very quiet at night after the working hour is over.

However, the view of the KL Tower and the opportunity to spend time in the Kuala Lumpur’s first and only green lung is not something to be missed. It’s hard to find the hostel in the area. However, there are budget hotels and decent hotel services from mid-range to high available in the area. There are also plenty of serviced apartments in the area.

Despite not being lively at night, the place is within walking distance from KLCC and Bukit Bintang. For those who love peace and quite but one to experience a little bit of happening night can always go to both places in search for something interesting to do.

This area is also well connected by public transportation. There are LRT and Monorail services that connecting the place to other places.

Petaling Street & Chinatown

As what is written in the name, the majority population of this area are Chinese. This area is not only a Chinatown, but it is one of the old towns that is still standing and protected by the government amidst the rapid development at the surrounding areas.

This area is infamous for their cheap items. It is indeed a heaven for the bargain hunter. However, those are not the only thing Chinatown has to offer. Here in this area, visitors can find authentic and delicious Chinese cuisines. The curry mee sold here is ranked number two in Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Eatlist. The best part is, the price of the food is pocket friendly.

If the visitors stay during the festivity time. The visitors will have the opportunity to experience the festivity themselves. Lots of shops and building will be decorated with red colour decorations. Business place will usually invite lion dance troupe to perform and the sound of firecrackers can be heard everywhere.

Finding a hostel and a budget hotel here is easy and the cost is low compared to other places but it is quite a challenge to find a high-end hotel in the area. It is also quite noisy at night. The area is not suitable for visitors with children. It is too crowded and a bit messy. However, the place is accessible by public transportation and strategically located nearby almost all the must visit attractions in Malaysia.

Bangsar

For tourist who are not so fond of the hustle and the bustle of the city centre, they can opt to stay a little bit further in the area called Bangsar. Don’t be duped by its location at the outskirt of city centre, Bangsar is one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Kuala Lumpur. The population of Bangsar consists of majority of Kuala Lumpur’s upper-class inhabitant. This area is also expatriates’ number one destination in search for a place of living.

Bangsar offers several malls in and nearby the area. It also hosts several clubs and pub for night entertainment. There are rows and rows of chic boutique and shops available for the visitors. However, Bangsar also has its humble side. If one knows where to find, they can find a place that sell fish head curry (one of Malaysia famous delicacies) at a cheap price.

There are lots of serviced apartments and bungalow lots that could be rented at the area. Hotels can also be found easily. However, searching for hostel or budget hotel could be a challenge. This area is also connected to other places via public transportation. So, the visitors don’t have to worry about connectivity.

Kampung Baru

This area is a predominantly Malay area. The area is preserved from the encroachment of development surrounding the area by the government. Kampung Baru is known for its Delicious Malay food. The place is filled with stalls and restaurants selling all type of Malay traditional food. The visitors can easily find Ikan Bakar, Nasi Lemak and many more here. Some dining places are also open 24 hours a day.

During the festivity, the whole place will be decorated nicely and at night the colourful decoration light will add to the festivity atmosphere. During Ramadhan, the mosque in the area will distribute one of the most famous Malay delicacies “bubur lambuk” to anyone for free.

This area also houses the biggest morning market in Kuala Lumpur. Everything from raw food to cooked food can be found here. For those who plan to cook themselves during the travel, this is the great place to spend your money shopping for groceries.
Since the area is not allowed to be developed. High rise buildings and hotels are not easy to find inside the area. There are serviced apartment, budget hotel and high-end hotel services within the walking distance from the area. However, staying inside the heart of Kampung Baru is possible. The visitors can opt to use homestay or airbnb services. The visitors also get to experience staying in a Malay traditional house by choosing this option. This place is highly accessible. There is an LRT station connecting the area to other places.

KL Sentral & Brickfields

This area is the most integrated and accessible by public transportation services because of KL Sentral. The connectivity makes it the most famous choice for those who transit here before they go outside the Kuala Lumpur and for those who want discover Kuala Lumpur.

Brickfields is an area with Indians as its majority population. Hence, it is also knowns as “Little India”. Lots of Indian lifestyle and culture can be seen here. There are plenty of Indian restaurants around the area. For those who love spices, they come to the right place. No one knows spices like Indian does and spices are sold everywhere here.

Staying here during festivity activities will ensure amazing experience. The whole area will be decorated with festivities theme and at night, the visitor can enjoy the amazing view when the colourful decoration lights lit the areas. If they are lucky, they to see the procession and the rituals held during the festivity time.

There are several historical buildings can be visited around the area. So, while enjoying what Brickfields has to offer, they can also immerse themselves in this area history. There are a few temples and ashram to be visited.

Brickfield is also famous for selling cheap liquors. Be wary and do not be influenced easily because liquor is heavily taxed in Malaysia. If it’s cheap there a possibility of it being a moonshine. Other than that, Brickfieds is really an interesting place to stay

Bukit Bintang

This area is coined as Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle. It houses the most shopping complexes in Kuala Lumpur that makes it a shopping heaven. The visitors with the tight pocket will find the area difficult to stay in. For every five minutes’ walk at Bintang Street, there is a high chance that the visitors will stumble at one new shopping mall.

However, Bukit Bintang also offers other type of attractions. For families, they can go and play in the first and biggest indoor theme park located in Berjaya Times Square mall. Not only that, in every shopping mall, there are always entertainment outlet like cinema, karaoke house, bowling alley and game arcade.

At night, Bukit Bintang also offers a variety of nightlife entertainment for visitors. There is always a pub, or a club opened for visitors to chill and enjoy themselves till 3.00 every night.

There’s a place called TREC, around 5 minutes’ drive from Bukit Bintang if there’s no traffic that visitors can go at night for nightlife activity. That place is the biggest entertainment zone in Malaysia. Bukit Bintang is an affordable place to stay. There are a lot of hostels, budget hotels and high-end hotels in the area. But the place can be quite noisy at night due to the nightlife activity.

There is a food court called Jalan Alor open at night that offers an array of good Malaysian food for the visitors to feast on. Bukit Bintang is also accessible by public transportation. There are MRT and Monorail services located in the area.

KLCC

KLCC area is the most recommended area to stay for the first-time visitors. It has a lot of attractions that caters to everyone’s need. KLCC has the famous landmark of Petronas Twin Towers that offer a stunning view at night for tourists who stay in that area.

Tourists can enjoy upscale musical entertainment performed in the orchestra house. Those with children can visit Aquaria, and oceanarium that houses various sea creatures or Petrosains, a science gallery presented in a fun way.

There are plenty of malls and restaurants available here. There is an open space field where the food truck vendors assemble to peddle their food called Tapak Urban.

However, staying in KLCC area is a bit expensive. It’s hard to find budget hotel or hostel in the area. The best way is to stay at the hotel. There are a number of mid-ranges to high end hotel around the area. Visitors could also use airBnB or homestay services. Some condominium units can be cheap, but it really depends on luck. KLCC is also quite accessible via public transportation.

Trains and buses services are well integrated there. There is also a free bus service called GOKL that tourist could ride. The bus goes to lots of interesting places in Kuala Lumpur.