I spend 11 days in Malaysia: Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, George Town
From May 5 to May 15, 2026, I went with my wife and 5 years old child on a trip to Malaysia for 10 nights and 11 days.
We visited 4 cities: Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Ipoh, George Town.
Advantages of the trip:
+ Baskin Robbins ice cream as from childhood in all shopping malls
+ it was convenient enough to pay everywhere with an electronic Touch&nGo wallet
+ I’ve been to the ocean (but it’s a hundred times better in Shenzhen)
+ There are many historical buildings in Malaysia. There is practically no such thing in China.
Cons of the trip:
— being so crowded in the city or living with Muslims is not my thing (sorry)
— I’m not comfortable with Hindus either
— Malaysia is a deep village where there is no urban development at all
— real estate prices are super high
— the climate sucks (rain, heat, rain – repeat every day same shit)
Conclusion: The South of China is the best place for me.
I was planning to move to Singapore for permanent residence from China, but after visiting Malaysia, I realized that better dont!
Illusions about Malaysia’s business potential have also been shattered — there is none. Lack of investors and entrepreneurs, poor population. The market capacity is small.
I took 745 photos in 11 days. I chose 89 photos for this article. For other social networks – 10 best photos.
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May 5, 2026
At 8:50 departure from Guangzhou by China Southern Airlines to Kuala Lumpur. It’s a 4-hour flight. The economy ticket cost about 1200 rmb per person. I filled out an online Arrival card in advance.
12:30 arrived in Kuala Lumpur
I liked that entering and leaving the country via Egate is an analog of the E-channel in China and Hong Kong.
I immediately bought esim in the Trip com app. Very cheap and fast!Thats why i bought my REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G phone.
Only 15 rmb for 11 days/500 MB per day — enough for maps and messages and the taxi — Grab app.
We have withdrawn cash from Mybank ATM. A 10% withdrawal fee was charged from a Singapore bank card. Shock.
13:30-15:30 transfer by Toyota Alphard 40 minivan to Melaka city. The transfer price was 900 rmb.
2 hours on the toll highway, drove 145-150 km per hour all the way!
We arrived at the DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka Hotel. The hotel is quite tired. And it’s 15-minute taxi ride away from the historical center.
And immediately jumped into the pool. The pool is great! The Hilton Shenzhen Futien reminded me.
Then we walked to the cool Mcqueks’s cafe — fish balls and tofu with curry sauce. Mmm.
Dinner at the Turkish restaurant in Damasqus Gate. Such a thing. But what an entourage around!
Melaka is known for its unique location, which has made it the largest trading port in Asia.
In the 16th century, the city was captured by the Portuguese, in the 17th century by the Dutch, and in the 19th century by the British.
Gasoline in Malaysia is very cheap. I’ve seen 2 electric cars in 11 days! Almost everyone drives their local brands cars.
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May 6, 2026, the second day in Melaka
Breakfast on the Jonker walk pedestrian street
Then i learned about who are Baba&Nyonya are — chinese who moved to Malaysia and mixed with the local population.
Nyonya — women, Baba — men.
Next stop:
Portuguese settlement. There restaurants.
Cruise on the brown River is not a pleasure. Nothing remarkable!
Fan Bingbing, the richest Chinese actress, received a Malaysian residence permit after paying billions in taxes and is now very popular here!
Wow! The Maritime Museum is inside a replica of the Portuguese ship Flor De La Mar. That’s what I love!
Great view from St Paul’s hill
Red Square is the most beautiful place in the city.
Old Famosa fort with cannons.
The Baba&Nyonya Heritage museum is the home of a local wealthy family. I was very impressed with the Chaozhou furniture.
Then swimming in the pool at the DoubleTree by Hilton Melaka
Visited expensive Cantonese restaurant Tong Sheng for dinner. Nothing special.
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May 7, 2026, day three
11:00 Breakfast at Nancy’s Kitchen
The museum of Zheng He, the great Chinese navigator. I even wrote an article about him. A great museum!
14:00-16:00 transfer by Toyota Alphard to Kuala Lumpur
Arrived to: Hilton kuala lumpur.
It’s a pretty worn-out old hotel.
But what a pool is mega cool!!!!!!
I swam with my child in the pool
View of the 118-storey skyscraper (Park Hyatt Hotel there)
I wanted to go to the Kuala Lumpur tower, but in the end it seemed too expensive for three people. We didn’t go.
We went to Nu sentral mall
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May 8, 2026, Day four, in Kuala Lumpur
It’s been raining all day!
11:00-12:00 brunch at local restaurant
Then: Suria KLCC shopping Center
I went with my child to Petrosains, the Discovery center. It’s like a science museum. We spend 2 hours well!
Photos from the Petronas towers
Lunch at the Suria KLCC shopping center food court
TRX Mall Shopping Center — expensive brands. We were at bookstore for a couple of hours!!!!
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May 9, 2026, Day five, in Kuala Lumpur
09:00 Breakfast at the hotel
11:00 National museum. 4 halls.
13:00 TRX Mall — back to the bookstore!
15:00 Jalan Petaling street market, China town
Merchants there sell everything from Guangzhou, but 1.5 times more expensive. A huge market!
We had a great meal at a Chinese restaurant!
I swam with my child in the pool
Visited again Nu sentral mall (because located next to the Hilton Hotel)
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May 10, 2026, sixth day, Ipoh city
09:00 train to Ipoh city. 2.5 hours. The train itself is basically normal. But the speed is max 120-130 km per hour. Chinese trains are better!
11:30 a.m. friends met us and took us to the D Kelly hotel 1969. The hotel reminded me of the Central hotel Macau.
15:40 lake boat trip Task Cermin Ipoh
I swam with my child in the hotel pool.
20:00 big expensive dinner with 2 families
The city of Ipoh is famous for tin mining. All. The whole city is a private houses, villas.
It is the capital of Perak State.
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May 11, 2026, seventh day, Ipoh city
09:30 breakfast at the hotel
11:00 walk through the historical city center
We checked new villa, which for sell. The price is 2 million rmb. Nothing special! It’s very expensive for such a village! Even 500 thousand yuan is too much!
Lunch
Kellie’s Castle. It’s an amazing place, very beautiful!
To the hotel to relax
A big dinner with 2 families outside, in a simple way, on the street cafe.
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May 12, 2026, the eighth day, Ipoh city and transfer
09:00 Breakfast at the hotel
10:30 Arlen house museum is a museum about the city and a little bit about everything, related to China.
Street of Secret Mistresses — Concubine lane
There are 2 more museums and a bookstore in the bank building — i was very impressed with the safe deposit boxes in the basement!!!
We also went to one of the temples, but there is nothing interesting there.
15:00-17:30 transfer by Toyota Alphard minivan to George Town. The transfer price was 900 rmb.
Road took 2.5 hours.
We arrived to two-storey apartment The Maritime. A very cool 180 degree view of the Melaka strait.
I immediately swam with my child in the pool of this residential complex
20:00 Dinner at Hwa ting restaurant
1st Avenue Mall
George Town is a mix of Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Hong Kong — because of the beaches and the funicular to the mountain
Guangzhou — because of the historical development
Shenzhen — due to the fact that a special economic zone was created in George Town in the 1970s and attracted many industries (Intel and others).
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May 13, 2026, Day nine, George Town
Breakfast
The Komtar skyscraper, built in 1985, is the dominant feature of the city.
Bicycle rickshaw tour. Just 30 ringgit in 30 minutes is very cheap! The bikes themselves are very authentic!
We got a tour, a photo tour!
We went to the SunYatSen Museum. Oh, my God, he’s been everywhere. He traveled a lot in his life! I have already visited 8 museums in his honor. Again impressive furniture from Chaozhou.
15:30 We are going to Penang hill by funicular! Penang hill lower station
The funicular impressed with its speed!
Cool observation deck. It reminded me of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong — a similar experience!
We’re went down by funicular
18:00 Gurney Plaza Shopping Center
19:50 Long-awaited dinner at Tek Sen restaurant
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May 14, 2026, Day ten, George Town
10:00 Breakfast at Duo Tian Cafe was great!
Penang Peranakan Mansion Museum. Like a rich family’s house. Young chinese girls were massively photographed in local outfits.
12:00 Visited wild Moonlight bay beach
14:30 Visited public beach – Batu Feringghi beach
14:45 Boat for 470 ringgit to Monkey beach. There really were monkeys and they stole the cream from us!
We spent a wonderful 3 hours there and back to Batu Feringghi beach.
18:00 restaurant in the shopping center
Gurney Paragon Shopping Center
Gurney Plaza Shopping Center
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May 15, 2026, Day eleven, George Town
12:00 Lunch at the 1 Michelin star Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Restaurant
14:30 Quennsbay mall. I noticed that the prices for Garmin watches are lower than in China.
19:55 flight to Guangzhou by China Southern Airlines.
A fairly heavy flight of 3.5 hours.
23:30 Arrival in Guangzhou T2.
0:30 At Home
In total, we took a Grab taxi 40 times.
It must have been 50+ times, but in Ipoh city we were driven by friends in a Toyota Alphard.
In general, the trip was quite cheap, with the exception of air tickets. Before the covid, they cost 2 times cheaper!
Will I go to Malaysia again? Only if you go to the islands! Lankavi and others. And I’ll take a SUP board with me!
Alex Iurlov tour guide and bloger in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hongkong, Macau, Yangshuo, Guilin
alex@yurlov.com
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