Relaxing Trip to Kuala Lumpur

Relaxing Trip to Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is definitely a place you can visit endlessly. It embraces a rich blend of cultures and offers a diverse array of delicious foods, luxurious shopping centers, and extensive airline connections, making it one of Southeast Asia’s key transportation hubs. The vibrant entertainment options ensure that you have a memorable experience.

Whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, staying at a hotel in Sunway City is an excellent choice for a relaxing Kuala Lumpur vacation and culinary journey. From a certain perspective, it combines many of Kuala Lumpur’s famous attractions while catering to various needs for dining, entertainment, and leisure. In recent years, it has become a top choice for families and couples traveling together!

Currently, Sunway Resort City has three hotels: the five-star Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, the four-and-a-half-star Sunway Pyramid Hotel, and the four-star Sunway Clio Hotel.

For this trip, I stayed at the five-star Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa.

It takes about 30 minutes by car from Kuala Lumpur Airport to reach the hotel, which means you’re also very close to Southeast Asia’s largest water park.

THE RESORT CAFé

This is a restaurant in the hotel that serves food around the clock and is also where guests enjoy their breakfast. The restaurant features popular dishes from around the world, and during my stay, I probably spent over 30% of my time here, as food is a fundamental part of life.

Sunway Lagoon in Kuala Lumpur features six main themes: Water Park, Amusement Park, Wildlife Park, Extreme Park, Scream Park, and Asia’s first Nickelodeon Theme Park. One of the advantages of staying at the hotel is that you can directly access the park entrance from the hotel’s corridor or the pool area on the first floor (with your room card), making it extremely convenient.

Independence Square is one of the walkable attractions in Kuala Lumpur. I’ve heard that Malaysia has a population of 34 million, with 34 million registered cars—meaning there’s practically one car per person. As a result, Kuala Lumpur is a city designed for transportation, with affordable fuel and an intricate network of elevated roads, making it ideal for driving.

That said, Independence Square draws quite a crowd, being one of the city’s popular landmarks. There’s a massive Malaysian flag and a large lawn here, perfect for photos. Naturally, I couldn’t resist—so I strolled around, snapping pictures as I went.

The weather was scorching, and by the time I reached Petaling Street, it felt even hotter. I had heard that this area is essentially a large market selling various goods, and it was packed with people—lots of tourists, including many from Western countries. After exploring Petaling Street, I found a random Bak Kut Teh restaurant for lunch. The prices were neither cheap nor expensive, which is to be expected near a tourist area. The food tasted decent, but by that point, I was too exhausted from the heat to take any photos.

After lunch, we figured that with so many people around Petaling Street, it would be hard to get a ride, and Grab prices had temporarily surged. So, we decided to walk further out. Our next plan was to head to a hill in a wealthy neighborhood to capture a photo of the road framed with the Petronas Towers. We walked toward the elevated highway to get closer and eventually reached the gate of Masjid Jamek, where we managed to book a Grab to head to the upscale villa area.

It was after seeing someone else’s photo that I specifically borrowed a 70-200mm telephoto lens for this trip to Kuala Lumpur. I had been using an 85mm prime for a long time, and for a while, I became obsessed with the 35mm GM. I even went on a trip to Thailand with only the 35mm, but since the trip was short, I didn’t write a travel journal. After getting used to the 35mm, composing with a telephoto lens started to feel much easier.

One thing to note about this spot: even though it’s a wealthy neighborhood, there are still quite a few cars. Be careful if you stand in the middle of the road to take photos—safety first!

After resting at the hotel, we headed out in the afternoon, planning to grab dinner and look for snacks afterward. As we walked from the AC Hotel toward PWTC (Putra World Trade Centre), I casually glanced to the left and realized that this spot was also a great place to see the Petronas Towers. Of course, I immediately snapped a photo.

On a side note, I have no idea what was going on with Google Maps. The nearest metro station to our AC Hotel is clearly Titiwangsa Station, just a right turn out of the hotel. It’s on the SPL Red Line, and Titiwangsa is also an interchange with the AGL Yellow Line. But for some reason, the navigation directed me to walk nearly 2 kilometers to PWTC Station to board the train, which left me confused. I decided to follow its directions this time, but the next day, when I went to the bus station, I trusted my own judgment—and sure enough, the station right by the hotel was the closest and most convenient option.

I tried quite a few places in Kuala Lumpur, but this was the only one where I took proper photos. The noodles were genuinely delicious, and the staff spoke multiple languages. The location is a bit out of the way, but their chicken was incredibly tender and juicy, with a rich soy sauce flavor. The roast meats were also very authentic. Overall, it was well worth the long metro ride—no disappointments at all.

This must be what a cyberpunk city looks like. Unfortunately, the best spot to shoot from is on the rooftop of the neighboring building, accessible through a café’s balcony. I thought about it for a while but decided to skip it. I figured a drone could easily replace the shot, but with so many people around, it wasn’t the best place to fly one, so I gave up. There’s always room for a bit of regret, after all—and the main focus of this trip was to capture the Petronas Towers with my drone.

I finally captured it—what an unbeatable night view! This drone has been with me for four years. While flying it in Vietnam, one of the batteries started swelling, and ever since, I’ve been considering getting a new drone. In the end, I didn’t replace it and managed to fix the swollen battery. I thought I’d give it one last flight here in Malaysia since I had checked on trade-in options before coming. It turns out I can still trade it in for a discount on the Air 3, so this flight over the Petronas Towers is truly its final dance.

Without an altitude boost, 500 meters was the max I could reach. I initially planned to get close to the top of the towers for a downward shot, but the signal started cutting out as soon as I got near. I decided not to take the risk—there were so many people below, and if the drone fell, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After finishing my shots, I brought the drone back and headed to the hotel. Honestly, I was surprised that a place like the Petronas Towers wasn’t designated as a no-fly, restricted, or controlled zone—and that I could fly up to 500 meters. It was unbelievable and definitely a thrilling experience.

With so many people around, I had to walk nearly 2 kilometers before I could discreetly catch a ride back to the hotel.

In the morning, I looked out over the residential area below—perfect sunlight. I headed downstairs for breakfast. Thankfully, there were fewer tour groups today, but the breakfast was just so-so, nothing special. The only meat option was chicken, but the Indian flatbread was surprisingly delicious.

After eating and resting for a bit, I took the SPL Red Line from Titiwangsa to Plaza Rakyat Station. Once you get off there, you’ll find yourself at Pudu Sentral Bus Terminal, where buses depart for both Kuala Lumpur Airport T1 and T2. This way, I didn’t need to go all the way to KL Sentral to catch the airport bus. If you’re staying near Petaling Street or Independence Square, this is a much more convenient option.

Penang Airport isn’t very large, so I grabbed a ride straight to the hotel. The hotel was close to the airport, about 15 minutes away. Yes, it was another AC Hotel, but this time I used Marriott points—just 10,000 points for two nights. It’s rare to find hotels at 5,000 points per night in the Marriott system these days, so it saved us quite a bit on accommodation. However, in Malaysia, a 10 RM tax per night is required upon check-in.

After checking in and settling into the room, we headed out right away for a light exploration of Penang. The plan was to check out a few places, enjoy some local food, and rent a motorbike in George Town for a ride around the island tomorrow. Since our hotel is near the airport, it’s about 10 kilometers from George Town. A Grab ride only cost 12 RM—cheaper than a plate of Char Kway Teow. What a steal!

I walked countless kilometers, snapping photos along the way, and the biggest takeaway is exactly what people say online—Penang truly has the most authentic South Seas vibe, with some of the best-preserved architecture. We made our way toward the mural street, and though it was a long walk, I never got tired of it. Every casual shot felt like a postcard-worthy picture.

My first impression of Penang is far better than Kuala Lumpur—it’s much more approachable and charming. If you keep your eyes open, you’ll find cinematic moments everywhere, hidden in the streets and alleys.

The “Boy on a Bike” mural, paired with the real bicycle attached to the wall, has truly become an iconic photo spot in Penang. When it’s busy, people line up to take their turn for a picture.

If you continue along the street toward the sea, you’ll soon reach Chew Jetty. As you walk further in, the space opens up. One thing to note is that the smell of the sea is quite strong here, which makes sense since it’s right on the water. The wooden structures show signs of erosion over time, adding to the rustic feel. On both sides, small vendors sell various trinkets and souvenirs. Keep walking to the end, and you’ll reach the pier, where the smell fades, and you can enjoy the view.

After exploring enough for the day, we decided to rent a motorbike for tomorrow’s island ride and then grab dinner before heading back. I noticed the rental shop wasn’t far from Chew Jetty, so we naturally chose to walk there, snapping photos along the way as usual.

After breakfast, we set off from the Penang AC Hotel. Since the hotel is close to the airport, we decided to follow a clockwise route around the island, stopping at various points along the way—one of them being Pantai Esen.

When we arrived by motorbike, we realized that the last stretch required walking down a muddy path. I decided to park the bike next to a football field nearby and continue on foot. I walked about 1 kilometer under the scorching heat. Along the way, I encountered a giant lizard, which was quite a surprise. The farther I went, the weaker the phone signal became—until eventually, there was no signal at all.

There are so many crows and ravens in Malaysia, almost as big as chickens, and they don’t seem particularly afraid of people. On my way back, a group of local Malaysian girls asked me to help take a photo for them with their phone—just a small favor. After that, I headed back and continued clockwise to the next destination.

Riding the motorbike with the wind in my face, the journey became more and more enjoyable. As I got closer to the destination, I saw rice fields on both sides, coconut trees, and mountains in the distance. The ride was incredibly pleasant, and I’m glad I decided to rent the motorbike—otherwise, I would have missed out on these beautiful landscapes.

This is the full view of Acres Cafe, a great spot to take a break. It’s located halfway up the hill, surrounded by greenery, with an open-air balcony. You place your order on the first floor, and right at the entrance, there’s a stand selling durian and other fruits. Most people probably stop here to try some durian.

A friendly tip: the signal here is poor—almost nonexistent—so you’ll have to rely on the cafe’s Wi-Fi.

After that, I continued along the route through Balik Pulau. This stretch of road had plenty of uphill and downhill curves. On both sides were dense forests, and beyond them, the ocean. Along the way, I passed several durian farms and even spotted many monkeys—they weren’t afraid of people at all. Since I needed to stay focused on riding the motorbike, I couldn’t stop to take photos.

This seems to be a small pier, and we’re now in the northern part of Penang Island. We’re just a few dozen kilometers away from successfully completing the island loop. Since we’re doing more of a whirlwind tour, we skipped a few parks along the way. There are still plenty of hidden gems waiting to be discovered!

I rode for what felt like forever and finally realized we’d reached the city, meaning the island loop was almost complete. With all the stops and breaks along the way, the whole ride took around 4 hours. Since we still had time before returning the motorbike, we stopped at Starbucks to rest and enjoy a coffee. Honestly, this was my fourth cup today.

After checking the map, I decided to head to the northern part of George Town to fly the drone one last time—after all, I had one battery left, and I needed to use it up!

After returning the motorbike and completing the island loop, we felt a sense of accomplishment. My friend joked about having a sore butt, but agreed it was totally worth the ride. If I get the chance to come back, I’d definitely want to explore the island more deeply.

Feeling a bit hungry, we headed to a food street not far from the rental shop. As soon as we entered, several people handed us menus. You just pick whatever you want, pay on the spot, and then grab the nearest available table to sit and enjoy your meal.