Prior to the start of this year, Malaysia had never been on my radar as a potential destination. In fact, I hardly knew anyone who had visited the country.
After spending a month in Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok, two locations I was already acquainted with, I was eager to unearth some new culinary delights. Prior research showed two recurrent themes:
1) That it is a dull city.
2) It boasts exceptional food.
Both of these turned out to be accurate in equal measure.
You won't find many capital cities better suited for a short-term rental. Airbnb is full of high quality new build apartments and you shouldn't have any issues finding a great quality unit for under £800 PCM.
Given the quantity of stock, it's definitely a market worth haggling (politely), especially if staying for an extended period.
I stayed at The Robertson in Bukit Bintang. While it suffers from recurring issues common in large complexes in Asia (under-maintained gym spaces, hot communal areas), it was a peaceful base with all the necessary amenities within the complex.
Before committing to a space, double-check recent reviews of the apartment complex on Google Maps to get a sense of any recurring issues that may not be mentioned on Airbnb.
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New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.
There is no shortage of places to work from, with dedicated coworking spaces found across the entire metropolitan area.
The Common Ground chain offers a number of top-quality options with a conveniently placed option in Bukit Bintang, which would've been my go-to if not having WeWork access already provided.
WeWork has two locations, both with extended working hours. Having sampled both, the Equatorial Plaza one nudges it with a more central location, but Mercu 2 offers better options for food within the immediate vicinity.
If you are only in the city for a couple of days, I'd advise working from the Citizen M hotel which I've written about further below.
Your money goes a long way in Kuala Lumpur, where a quality local meal can be had for as little as 10 MYR (£1.68). Transport around the city via both the metro and taxis are some of the cheapest you'll find across the world.
If you want to explore the rest of the country, domestic flights can be bought last minute for £20 with train tickets equally good value.
Alcohol, however, is one anomaly as it is subject to aggressive taxation. With service charge and taxes added, a pint of local beer can easily exceed around £7.
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The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read moreIt’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Kuala Lumpur feels so unstimulating as a city.
In many ways, it ticks all the boxes for what makes a great city: a large population, diverse cultural interests, and a hub for business.
However, it lacks a clear urban focal point. The high taxation on alcohol seems to stifle nightlife, while the high temperatures make walking during the daytime impractical. Combined with the city’s vast geographical expanse, this means driving is essential to get around.
These factors don't mean that it is inherently a boring place but when you are comparing it to somewhere like Bangkok, it is objectively less enticing and endearing.
Despite being on a similar longitude as Thailand and Vietnam, Malaysia's time is one hour ahead, placing it 6 hours ahead of Central European Time (CET) during the summer months.
On face value, it appears that Malaysia is in the 'wrong' time zone, due to the majority of it's landmass being away from the peninsula to the West.
Assuming you are working into the evening, having an extra hour of daylight is something of an added bonus.
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".
But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.
After spending 10 weeks speaking (limited) Spanish across the rest of the continent, I struggled arriving in Brazil.
While I was far from conversational in Spanish, I quickly realised when I stepped out of the airport my vocabulary didn't extend a single word beyond 'Obrigado!'.
In general, English is generally spoken incredibly sparsely. The most flowing interaction I had ended up being with an Uber driver where we periodically shouted out the names of Brazilian footballers playing in the English Premier League.
You can scrape by for a couple of weeks, but if you're planning on staying longer, I'd 100% recommend learning some basics to get the most out of the experience.
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China Town is one of the more continuously populated areas and a great place to pick up a bite to eat, or a counterfeit watch if desired.
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Large mounds of trash are unfortunately too common around areas such as Bukit Bintang and Pudu. Given how hot daytime temperatures get, they don't make for pleasant sites.
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Nasi Lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. Fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk is served with an egg, sambal (a chili sauce), anchovies, and peanuts. It's often served with a protein like fried chicken (Ayam Goreng) or Rendang. A perfect breakfast or lunch option.
Given the instability in Argentina over the past few years, I found that most advice on key topics, even if written within the last 12 months, bordered on being dangerously outdated.
I have attempted to summarise some of the most misleading points I encountered.
Card availability is now excellent across the city. Even if you are purchasing a single empanada, bananas from a greengrocer, or buying cans of beer off a man in the street before a football match. Some businesses may offer a 10% discount if you use cash, or charge a small surcharge for card payments.
"It's difficult to get a SUBE card"
This was true in recent years, as there had been a shortage of the cards across the city due to a lack of the plastics needed to create the card. I had no problems going to the nearest off-licence and getting a card on my first attempt. It's worth asking your Airbnb host who may have a spare.
The biggest misconception that may still linger, even if you are reading articles from 2023. If planning on eating out heavily, then expect European prices or even higher on more imported day-to-day goods. Eating out aside, day-to-day expenses are still good value by global measures.
This advice would continue to make sense for Americans who already have dollars, but I wouldn't recommend making an effort to purchase with the intent of exchanging them on the ground. Collecting money via Western Union was convenient and good value, which I would recommend to anyone visiting from outside the US.
"Make sure you get the blue-dollar rate"
The dramatic stabilisation of the peso by late 2024 means that this difference is nowhere near as significant as it was 12 months ago. At the time of writing, there was only a 10% difference between the official and blue rate. If you are only in the city for a short period you may not even have to grapple with this.
"Restaurant service is poor"
I did see some evidence of this, especially in cheaper, traditional restaurants. In comical fashion, drinks would not appear or the bill would never materialise. In more contemporary outlets, it was never a problem.
"It is a football mad city"
There is absolutely no doubt that this is as true as ever in 2024.
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