Past and Present - Kuala Lumpur

Menara Kl Tower looks much like the Seattle Space Needle and the Stratosphere in Vegas. KL Tower also has a rotating restaurant on top, but the tower’s main function is to provide the nation with a telecommunications and broadcasting tower. KL Tower is one of the tallest concrete towers in the world at 421 meters and is also the fourth tallest telecommunications tower in the world.

The view at the top is amazing to say the least. You can purchase a ticket up to the observation deck for about 15 ringgit (about $4). I was with a group, and we had the privilege of having lunch at the top. There was a HUGE buffet, and I do mean huge. There were several buffet stations with both Western and Asian dishes. The restaurant revolves ever so slowly, and you’ll pass by The Petronas Towers a couple times during your meal. The restaurant is open to the public, but it is a bit pricey. At the bottom of the tower is a food court, as well as souvenir shopping. A reflecting pool and fountain are also at the base. There area GREAT picture-taking opportunities at both the top and bottom.

With a height of 1,453 feet (88 stories), the Petronas Towers house a variety of offices, restaurants, and a shopping mall. Between the 41st and 42nd floors, there's a sky bridge that connects the two buildings.

When you visit the towers, the sky bridge is the highest point you can reach. There is also a restaurant at this level. You can pick up your free tickets on the ground floor before 10am, and the views from the sky bridge are unmatched.

Trinket-shopping at its best at Central Market. This is a one-stop center to get all your Malaysian souvenirs, with two levels of vendors with everything from batik to chopsticks--a shopper's paradise. The best part is that the locals also shop here. Take cash, as most vendors do not take credit cards. The ATM was down when I was there, so come prepared.

Fly the friendly Malaysian skies with Malaysia Air. I do a lot of flying and have to say that the service and amenities in business class on MAS are above par. This particular trip was from LAX to KUL and back. This is a 19-hour flight, with a small layover in Taipei.

To start off, the ticket counter agents are very nice at LAX. Once my bag was sent through an x-ray machine, the agent let me lock it before he put on the conveyor belt to heaven, which I truly appreciated (I don’t trust anyone).

The aircraft was a 747, and my business-class seat was in the upstairs cabin. It’s nice to sit up there; it’s kind of like your own space. There are no crying babies in economy class waking you up and a lavatory for upstairs passengers only. The flight attendants’ uniforms are gorgeous. They are long print dresses reminiscent of Singapore Airlines’ flight attendants’ uniforms.

Now, the food and entertainment are the best parts of this trip. Your personal entertainment center is located at your seat and offers many options: a movie/TV library with over 20 different movies and TV shows to choose from, a huge CD library with a diverse blend of music, and several video games. The greatest part of watching a movie is the pause function. You can actually pause the movie, which is wonderful for people like me, who have to pee every 15 minutes. There is also a rewind and fast-forward function on the remote.

Now, let’s get to the food. Malaysia Airlines’ food is not your typical airline food. With each meal in business class, the menu offers three choices, usually one Indian, one Asian, and one Western option. On these long flights to Taipei, there are two meal services (dinner and brunch) and one meal service from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur (breakfast). The food is remarkably tasty and plentiful, meaning that you’re full after each meal. I like having the three different options, the selection of hot breads they come around with, and the basket of wines they offer with each meal. A word to the wise: the satay is AWESOME! It’s almost better than the satay I had IN Malaysia. This particular trip, one of the dinner choices was lobster. YES, lobster. I'm no idiot; I ordered it! And it was amazingly good. After dinner and during the flight there is a small snack bar with sandwiches, cookies, juices, and water if you feel a little hungry 9 hours into the flight.

The seats are pretty comfortable, with automatic footrests and lumbar support. They don’t lie flat in business, but they’re not too bad. The blankets are nice and warm and have a Burberry look to them. If you’re lucky enough to get a window seat on the upper deck, there are small storage compartments next to the seat to put your small things in, instead of having to put it overhead and crawl over the person next to you.

My biggest gripe was the business-class lounge at LAX. It was horrible as far as airport lounges go. It was a small room with a couch, TV, couple of tables and chairs, and a computer. The website talks about having a snack in the airport lounge so you can sleep through the flight instead of getting disturbed for dinner service at 11pm, because the flights leave at night. HOWEVER, the only things available in that lounge were some chocolates and cheese and a small bar to have a drink. The room pales in comparison to any American or Delta lounge I’ve been in, and the MAS lounge in Kuala Lumpur is amazing, nothing like this sad excuse for a lounge. See my review on the MAS lounge at Kuala Lumpur.

If you have a choice when flying over to Malaysia, give Malaysia Air a chance. I really had a nice experience other than the lounge.

KL airport has a Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge that is a wonderful place to relax and unwind before your flight, or while waiting for your connection. This lounge is one of the nicest and largest ones I’ve been in. Almost every amenity you need, is there. Soothing colors and crisp, white tablecloths make this place very special.

The lounge is divided into two section: one for first class passengers and one for business class passengers. The sections are divided by frosted glass and a stream that runs through the room. There is a great view of the runways, and there are TVs, comfortable chairs and couches to relax, massage chairs, and a business center with free-Internet computers with free printing and fax services. The lounge offers wireless Internet if you prefer that, also.

The lounge has a place for kids to hang out in, called The Creative Kids’ Corner, that has toys, games, books, and a computer to keep kids busy for a while. A lifesaver for parents.

There are showers, a smoking room, and slumber rooms to shake off the long flight, as well as a HUGE buffet fit for a king. The buffet is set up in the middle of the room and offers both American and Malaysian hot and cold items. Pastas with different sauces, roasted meats, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, different kinds of bread, and of course, dessert. There is a self-serve bar, complete with Dom Perignon champagne and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, plus a coffee bistro. There is even a Muslim prayer room for those who need it.

Unfortunately, the lounge is only available to passengers flying first or business class, and I encourage those flying in the aforementioned classes to visit the lounge.