Monday, December 21, 2015

The Complete KL-SG Itinerary



It's been a month since our KL-SG trip. Some of my friends on Facebook were so adamant that I should post our itinerary as soon possible. If you knew me well, I rarely post itineraries on my travel blog because to be honest, I'm actually too lazy to write about it! Well, for the sake of friendship (and some of them are getting annoyed by my mouthwatering food photos from my recent gastronomic adventure in Cebu), here is our detailed KL-SG itinerary.

November 13

0600PM - Before flying out of the country, we need to pay the travel tax (Php 1620 each). There's no need to pay for the international terminal fee of Php 550 since it's already included in our ticket. We were scheduled to depart Manila at 8:55PM. The flight was slightly delayed for 20 minutes, but wait there's more! Upon taxiing towards NAIA's runway 06, we were advised that we were number 4 in the departure sequence. To cut the long story short, we left Manila at around 10:10PM.

November 14 - Around KL

0130AM - Three and half hours of figuring out the most comfortable sleeping position inside the aircraft, we have safely finally at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. After clearing the Malaysian Immigration and changing our USDs to ringgits, we met up with our van driver. My friends who have already been to KL told me that KLIA is far from the city center. Far was an understatement. Our driver drove like Paul Walker, yet it took us more than one hour to reach our hotel at Bukit Bintang (Sunbow Residency Hotel).


Travel tip: Taxis and car rental have a midnight surcharge. If you're traveling with a big group, it's better to hire a van. It's more comfortable, more convenient, and cheaper.


0245AM - We checked in at Sunbow Residency Hotel at Bukit Bintang and paid our 3-night stay.

0730AM - The sun rises in KL at around 7AM, which is quite unusual for us since we're used to waking up at 5AM and the sun's already up. Blame it to its location. KL's time should be +7GMT instead of +8GMT, but it's none of our business.

First stop: Batu Caves.




0800AM - We all wanted to experience commuting around Kuala Lumpur. We boarded the monorail at Imbi Station (the closest station from our hotel) and alighted at KL Sentral Station. We then exchanged trains to Batu Caves via the KTM Commuter Train (Red Line; Port Klang). Surprisingly, KL's mass transportation system is highly efficient.

0845AM - Batu Caves is the last station of the red line, and it's right beside the station! Anyway, we went inside the limestone cave and paid MYR5 each for the entrance fee. We also climbed the famous Hindu shrine of Batu Caves. I'm talking about climbing 272 steps while dodging ourselves from those mischievous monkeys along the way.

1145AM - The heat was unbearable and made us really hungry. We stopped by at a mall near KL Sentral and ate lunch at a coffee shop. Malaysian food is <3

0100PM - Siesta time! Napapagod din ang mga artista!




0400PM - Feeling refreshed! Next destination: KL Tower (Menara KL). We planned to take two taxis going there since there are no MRT/monorail station connected to our destination. Good thing, there's a big taxi waiting near our hotel,  and the fare's still the same.

0430PM - We bought tickets to KL Tower's observatory deck which by the way offers a spectacular view of the Malaysian capital. However, the visibility was really poor due to heavy rain. But lo and behold, the Hindu gods and goddesses heard our prayers, and the weather started to clear up. Visiting the Hindu shrine of Batu Caves earlier that day was actually worth it. We were blessed. Haha! Aside from touring KL Tower's observatory deck, our ticket also includes a tour to 3 additional attractions (5D Cinema, Mini Zoo, and F1 Simulator)

0700PM - From Menara KL, we took a big cab to KL's icon - Petronas Tower! Believe me, seeing the icon in person was a surreal experience. 226 selfies later, we went inside Suria KLCC and ate dinner.

0900PM - Back to our hotel at Bukit Bintang. Sleep.


November 15 - Genting Highlands


0800AM - Wakey wakey!

0915AM - Left Bukit Bintang with our van driver. Destination: Genting Highlands! The reason why we took the van instead of commuting all the way to our destination was this - we didn't want to compromise comfort and time. Commuting with a large group can be a logistics disaster. The fare difference between hiring a van and commuting was not that big. Just add a few hundreds of pesos and you'll be guaranteed a comfortable trip.

1030AM - Arrived at the lobby of Genting Highlands' cable car.

1050AM - Safely arrived at the Genting Highlands Resort. The weather was cool at 16 degrees Celsius. The first thing we did after disembarking was to look for a decent restaurant. #TeamForeverGutom

1200PM - We strolled around First World Hotel's mall property. They have an indoor theme park, including the Snow City. 5 seconds later, we bought tickets to Snow City. LOL #YoloDaw




0220PM - Cameras and smartphones weren't allowed inside. We attempted to snap one photo using our smartphones but decided not to because the guards/photographers were everywhere. Not to mention that they're as big as The Mountain of the Game Of Thrones. Yikes!

0320PM - Ended up paying almost a thousand pesos for 36 photos. Oh well, but at least we have souvenirs from our quick trip to the cold. I just realized that I hate the bitter cold. The winter season will definitely kill me.

0400PM - Left Genting Highlands with a big smile.

0530PM - Back to the hotel. Freshened up and charged our smartphones.

0630PM - We went around Bukit Bintang district to shop and eat dinner! There are so many malls around the district. A very convenient location, if you'll ask me.

0900PM - Went home with thinner wallets but with a heavy stomach. Gotta sleep early for we have an early flight to catch tomorrow!

November 16 - Journey to the First World


0630AM - We left our hotel at around this time and Nittis, our van driver, was already waiting for us at the lobby. Another long journey to the airport.


0800AM - Finally, KLIA2! Leaving a place that you learned to love and had so many happy memories was the hardest, but life has always taught us to move on and cherish every moment. LOL what the?! Anyway, our flight to Singapore wasn't delayed, so yey!


1100AM - Touchdown Singapore! It's great to be back here!

1200PM - Left our baggage at Beary Best Hostel since check-in time was at 2:00PM. We then walked to Maxwell Road Hawker Centre to try out some local Singaporean dishes. Chicken Rice and sugar cane juice for the win!

0200PM - Checked in and after that, we rode the MRT to Sentosa Island.

Gardens by the Bay

Fullerton Road


0500PM - After taking 300 group photos at Sentosa Island, we rode the MRT to Marina Bay Sands. We visited the Garden by the Bay. It was also my first time there since GBBB wasn't part of my itinerary when I went to Singapore two years ago.


0600PM - We went inside Marina Bay Sands because we were all hungry again. It was quite a long walk to the food court, located at the lower ground floor of MBS.


0800PM - We went back to our hotel and went last minute shopping at Chinatown. Keychains, souvenir items, and other items were sold at a cheaper price. If you know how to haggle, then you won't struggle with your funds (lol it rhymes). I even bought a CK One perfume worth Php 800 (it's a tester, so it's not a fake one) from an Indian seller and he even gave us some life 'tips' on how to give back to our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

1000PM - Went back to Beary Best to chill, drank hot chocolate from the pantry, then slept after a few hours.

November 17


Basically, all we did this day was to fly back to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore, and ultimately, from KL to Manila. Leaving was the hardest part of the trip, most especially when everyone's having a great time.

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Notes:

1) Apps used in creating this itinerary: Cebu Pacific Air, and Air Asia for booking our tickets, and Booking.com for our accommodation in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

2) If you're looking for a reliable van service in KL, please contact Raymond at +60173228535 via WhatsApp.

3) This itinerary is designed for those who are traveling in a group (we were 7 when we went to KL-SG). I don't recommend this to solo travelers, but knowing that you're a creative nugget...

4) Budget for this trip was Php 15,000 excluding the airfare. Actually, I still have Php 5,000 when I went home.

5) We only spent a total of Php 5,000 for our airfare (MNL-KL roundtrip: Php 3,000; KL-SG roundtrip: Php 2,000). Pretty cool huh?

6 comments:

  1. Love the SG photos, looks so magical.

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  2. The gardens by the bay looks even better now. I love your shot at Fullerton. You also had a great tour in Malaysia.

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  3. thanks for this guide...hopefully my KL trip will be push through this 2016

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  4. thanks for the guide and also for touring us around and sharing your travel experience in Malaysia an Singapore.. I now have the idea on how much you can spend when visiting these countries

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  5. thank you for sharing your trip. makes me want to travel again in SG and KL.

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