Where to go stay/visit in Rome? and Malaysia (honeymoon)

wakkaday · 03-07-2011, 18:44

Hey guys
i'm planning to go to to Rome and Malaysia for my Honeymoon.

First stop is Rome and a few weeks later Malaysia (islands?)

Which are the best places to stay and visit in the respective countries.

Your help is appreciated....

danielf · 03-07-2011, 18:52

Generally, the East coast of Malaysia has a larger Muslim population, which means that getting a beer may be a bit more difficult. If that's an issue the West coast may suit you better. We stayed at Pulang Pangkor island for a couple of days, but that was mostly as it was on our route (Penang to KL by bicycle). We thought it was a nice laid back place.

We liked Penang as well as KL. Lots to do in KL. Malacca is supposed to be nice, but we haven't visited, so I can't comment.

Oh. The food in Malaysia is absolutely amazing, and the people are even friendlier than the Thai (which takes some doing).

Gary L · 03-07-2011, 18:53

Stay in the bedroom and visit the toilet

danielf · 03-07-2011, 19:09

Oh, and the wildlife in Malaysia is another thing altogether.

We spotted a 6-7 foot specimen of one of these lurking by the canal outside our hotel bedroom in a small town. It's definitely worth going out of your way to see some of the wildlife.

wakkaday · 03-07-2011, 19:28

should i get a flight to kuala lumpar? the capital. is it easy to get to the islands from there? or is it best going to an island... i'm not sure what's the best route. we only going to be there for 5 days.

danielf · 03-07-2011, 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakkaday

should i get a flight to kuala lumpar? the capital. is it easy to get to the islands from there? or is it best going to an island... i'm not sure what's the best route. we only going to be there for 5 days.

You could fly to KL or Singapore, whichever is cheaper. We flew into Singapore than onto Penang. Rode our bikes the 500 km to KL (we were going to ride to Singapore but lost days due to the snow disruption). KL-Singapore is about 500 km as well, so it's not that big a place. Having said that: do you want to fly halfway around the world for 5 days (or is it a stopover to OZ/NZ)?

wakkaday · 04-07-2011, 07:10

just Malaysia, not a stop-off.

danielf · 04-07-2011, 09:51

Hmm. Not sure if that's worth it. You'll be sat on a plane for at least 12-14 hours, be jetlagged on arrival, and will probably need about a day to get to the island you've chosen. It'll give you 3-4 days holidays and depending on when you go air fare can easily be £1000 per person.

You're better off finding a short break nearer home and leaving Malaysia for when you have a bit more time to spend imo.

Oh. One thing I realised. That island I was at is Pulau Pangkor, not Pulang Pangkor.

DocDutch · 05-07-2011, 18:50

Wakkaday for Rome the wife and me stayed in a hotel near the Trevi Fountain the hotel itself was called Hotel de Trevi and from there it was only a 15 mins walk to the Vatican and around the same time to all the other lovely sites in rome

Malaysia I dont know much about.

wakkaday · 06-07-2011, 12:34

thank you guys, very helpful

spiderplant · 08-07-2011, 13:57

If you want to get away from it all (and don't mind a bit of wildlife in your room) I can recommend http://www.japamalaresorts.com/Malay...an-Island.html. Fly there with Berjaya Air from the Old Kuala Lumpur airport (Subang), then you need to get a 10 minute boat ride from the airport to the hotel.

If you're feeling flush, for more luxury but still in the jungle, The Datai on Langkawi is good too.

A 5 day trip to either would just about be doable. (But that's coming from someone who went to Seattle for a weekend!)

wakkaday · 08-07-2011, 19:48

i was hoping to get an inclusive deal, but it seems that will mean i miss out on going to the islands? what's the best way to arrange a trip to Malaysia from the U.K?

spiderplant · 09-07-2011, 09:30

It depends on how much you want to pay, and how much effort you want to put into arranging it. For an easy life, nip down to your local travel agent, tell them what you want, and let them sort it all out.

Or ring one of the specialist long-haul travel companies such as Hayes&Jarvis or Kuoni. They will sort out a package of flight & hotel. You'll get good service, but pay for it. Do your homework on their website before you call to get an idea of what's available, but they will be happy to customise to exactly fit your needs.

To save money, book it yourself online. You'll get the cheapest flights with Air Asia X, who fly direct from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur, but they are a low-cost airline so you won't get any luxuries such as food without paying extra.

There are many choices if you want to go with a full-service airline. I think Malaysia Airlines are the only ones to fly direct from the UK, but with a change of planes you can use KLM, Qatar, Emirates, Singapore, Thai or many others. I generally use netflights.com to find flights & book, though occasionally you'll get a better deal by using the airline's own website.

If you only want to visit one of the larger islands such as Langkawi or Penang, you could bypass Kuala Lumpur, and fly to the island straight from Singapore or Bangkok. Air Asia have a good network within south-east Asia, and are super-cheap. (I've crossed Malaysia with them for £6 including taxes). Other airlines are available, and also tend to be cheap because of the fierce competition. The web is your friend.

The same goes for hotels. tripadvisor is a good place to do your homework. You can then book either via the links on tripadvisor, somewhere like hotels.com, or on the hotel's own website.

danielf · 09-07-2011, 10:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant

To save money, book it yourself online. You'll get the cheapest flights with Air Asia X, who fly direct from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur, but they are a low-cost airline so you won't get any luxuries such as food without paying extra.

I've never flown Air Asia, but I had a chat with one of their Stewards once. Apparently, you need to book meals in advance, or risk them running out of food. Not nice on a long haul flight.