Kuala Lumpur Beaches

As you stand in the midst of Kuala Lumpur, it's hard to imagine that relaxing tropical beaches are only a short hop away. This is a bustling, thrusting place, and while it's full of fascinating tourist sights and authentic Malaysian culture, it's certainly not the place to go to if you're looking for a slice of tranquility.

That being said, Kuala Lumpur is a great base for a Malaysian beach holiday, given its proximity to the ocean, and its great travel connections. Far from overlook this capital city when researching beach-dwelling vacations, it can be worth heading directly to it, in order to take in its delights before retreating to the comparative calm of the Malaysian coastline.

After all, a few days spent in the maelstrom will serve to happily multiply that warm feeling of contentment once you're sitting on the beach, cocktail in hand!


Experiencing Kuala Lumpur in Two or Three Days

Suppose you've flown into Kuala with the intention of spending a couple of days sightseeing. What should you do, and where should you go?

Well, for starters, booking a stay at a Kuala Lumpur hostel will help you get to grips with the city while keeping control of your bank balance. These hostels are both affordable and sociable; stay in them and not only will you save money when compared to a hotel, you'll also likely meet likeminded travelers looking for a buddy with whom to explore the city.

In terms of sightseeing, there are two areas that call for attention. The first is the City Center, which includes the colonial architecture of the administrative district (make sure to seek out Merdeka Square) and the alluring hubbub of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown. The second area is the Golden Triangle, which is fully modern and urban, featuring the Petronas Twin Towers, not to mention a host of malls, restaurants, and nightclubs.


Getting to the Beach

Having flitted through KL, the beach at Port Dickson is only 30km away, so you need not prepare yourself for a long journey. There's a range of different beaches here, and while they not be among the top in Malaysia, they still seem pretty impressive to the uninitiated Westerner!

Further field, the full glory of Malaysia's coastline simply awaits exploration. For those willing to spend a little longer on a bus than the hour required to get to Port Dickson, the island of Pangkor sits north of KL and features some of the country's very best sandy stretches of heaven.

Kuala Lumpur is also connected by air to two more of Malaysia's most notable islands - Tioman and Langkawi. The flight to both of these takes a refreshingly short amount of time, and since they are domestic flights, the prices are happily low too.

Langkawi is all about lazing around on the beach and scuba diving in the Andaman Sea. Until recently it was considered one of the country's best-kept secrets: of late, tourists have started heading here in greater numbers however, which means travel here is increasingly easy for the budget backpacker.

Tioman, meanwhile, is often ranked as one of the most beautiful islands in the world. A tiny piece of land covered in dense jungle, it's a wildlife-lovers dream. And, since the beaches here are out-of-this-world, it's not a bad destination for the beach-seeking sunbather either!

Before settling down and becoming a copywriter for HostelBookers.com Jonny Cooper did a backpacking tour of Malaysia and he checked out a variety of hostels including a Kuala Lumpur hostel