- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Roof over your head
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- The perfect trip to Malaysia
Divided by the South China Sea into the West and East, Malaysia does not often fall into the zone of attention of Russian tourists. But those who decided to go on an exotic tour, despite the thousands of kilometers separating our capitals, did not regret their decision for a minute. Traveling to Malaysia opens up amazing opportunities for beach holidays, diving, and merging with nature, and the close symbiosis of Eastern traditions and Western trends in Malaysian cities looks surprisingly harmonious.
Important points
Hospitable Malaysians do not require a Russian tourist to comply with visa formalities if the period of stay in the country does not exceed 30 days. A valid passport is sufficient to cross the border. Index fingerprints must be left by all guests upon entering the country.
Malaysia is quite safe for tourists compared to other states in the region. The only rule that should be strictly observed concerns the use of only bottled or boiled water. For the same reason, it is worth avoiding ice in drinks if you are not too sure about the status of the restaurant.
Choosing wings
Direct charters from Moscow and Novosibirsk to Kuala Lumpur fly during the New Year and May holidays. During the rest of the year, tourists from Russia will have to use transit regular flights, which are in the schedules of several air carriers:
China Southern Airlines evaluate their services quite democratically. Their boards fly through Guangzhou. You will have to spend about 13.5 hours in the sky. Ticket price - from $ 350.
A ticket for an Air China flight with a transit stop in Beijing will cost about $ 400. The travel time, excluding the transfer, will be 14 hours.
Emirates estimates the special comfort on its flights from the Russian capital to the Malaysian airline at $ 450. The docking takes place in Dubai, and the flight without transfer takes about 12.5 hours.
The second most important international airport in the country of Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah in East Malaysia receives flights of the same China Southern Airlines. A flight from Moscow with a connection to Guangzhou will take about 15 hours, and you will have to pay $ 400 for a ticket.
Roof over your head
The huge and varied hotel base of Malaysia allows you to meet the demand of tourists with any income and preferences.
The capital has both cheap hostels and luxurious "fives", and in Kuala Lumpur there are hotels of all famous world chains. A day in 5 * in the capital during the "low" season will cost $ 40 -50 $ if the hotel has local "roots", and $ 80 -120 if we are talking about Sheraton or Marriott. "Treshka" can be rented for $ 20-$ 30, and the price will include the obligatory free internet, but you will have to pay extra for breakfast.
Bungalow hotels are common on islands and beach resorts. Prices for accommodation in such hotels depend on the range of services provided. In a bungalow with conveniences in the form of a mosquito net and a shower with cold water, you can stay for $ 10 -15 $ per day, and for a night in a house with the benefits of civilization, you will have to pay from $ 30 to $ 50.
Transport subtleties
Malaysia has six international and several domestic airports, and flights are inexpensive. This allows you to move around the country quickly and without special material costs. For example, the cost of a flight from the capital to the island of Langkawi and back on the wings of Air Asia is only $ 45, and the journey will take just over an hour.
Railway communication is also popular in the country. Trains can travel to neighboring Thailand or Singapore. The trip will be very comfortable if you buy a ticket for class 1 or 2 carriages equipped with air conditioning.
The famous "Asian Express" traveling from Thailand to Singapore via Malaysia may be the most luxurious sightseeing tour of the region. The price of a train ticket depends on the length of the route chosen and the type of carriage, but in any case it starts from $ 2,000. For this money, passengers receive the luxury of exquisite interiors, comfortable beds, private bathrooms, imperial service and full all-inclusive.
Ferry services connect the Malaysian islands, and tourists can reach most of the main beach resorts by sea.
Bus routes connect the capital with the main cities located on the Malacca Peninsula. Intercity buses are equipped with air conditioners and dry closets, and some of them have full berths, which makes long night journeys very comfortable.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
Malaysian cuisine has absorbed not only coconut milk as an invariable basis for all kinds of sauces, but also the national traditions of several peoples at once - Chinese and Thais, Filipinos and Vietnamese. Most of the local dishes are made from rice, beef, chicken and seafood with the addition of a huge amount of spices and herbs.
The cheapest food in Malaysia is at food courts in shopping centers in large cities. National dishes will cost $ 3 -4 $, moreover, the portion will be substantial enough to satisfy even an adult European. The streets also sell a huge amount of Malaysian fast food, from fried noodles with shrimp to rice with anchovies and nuts. Issue price - no more than $ 3 per serving.
Respectable restaurants offer fresh grilled fish, seafood prepared according to national recipes, a variety of desserts and drinks. A dinner with watching a show program in such an institution will cost from $ 30 to $ 40 for two.
In ethnic cafes with a pronounced national flavor, you can try, for example, Peking duck, a portion of which will cost about $ 20. A cup of Tom Yam soup - classics of Thai cuisine - will cost $ 2, and fried noodles with shrimps and vegetables will "pull" only $ 3.
Useful details
Keep an eye out for valuables, cameras, and sunglasses while touring the city. They can become easy prey for monkeys, who are not too shy even for adults.
If you cannot imagine your vacation without nightclubs, choose the capital of the country to travel around Malaysia. After sunset, this is the only place where you can find entertainment for all tastes.
In most hotels, guests will be charged a deposit, which is refunded upon check-out in full if the property has not been damaged.
In accordance with the dates of the onset of the "high" season in a particular region, you should book hotels in advance.
It is not recommended to rent a car in Malaysia. Traffic in the country is left-hand, and away from major highways, road signs are made in the local language and are absolutely incomprehensible to a European.
The perfect trip to Malaysia
Located in close proximity to the equator, Malaysia offers a comfortable holiday all year round. The air temperature is almost not subject to seasonal fluctuations, and the lowest thermometer values are recorded in November-January - up to + 26 ° С.
In the rainy season, thrifty tourists prefer to rest in Malaysia, because hotel prices are falling quite noticeably. The rainy season in the west of the country lasts from mid-autumn to the end of February. On the islands of Langkawi, Penang and Pangkor, intermittent rainfall occurs daily in autumn and in the second half of spring. The optimal time for a beach holiday in the west is late autumn and winter, and in East Malaysia - from May to September inclusive.
For those who cannot tolerate high humidity, Malaysia is not the most suitable place to travel. Combined with the heat, this weather is not very comfortable for children either.
