Kuala Lumpur & Sepang Gold Coast Hotels
Kuala Lumpur & Sepang Gold Coast Information
Nightlife
KL has a remarkably varied nightlife. Music clubs, Karaoke lounges, jazz bars, pubs, discos, dance clubs, wine bars and funky restaurants are all over the city, catering to an affluent and sophisticated young local crowd as well as visitors.The city centre of Kuala Lumpur, along with some choice urban spots, lights up with excitement at night as crowds of youngsters, revellers and yuppies frequent clubs, bars and pubs on the streets. The hive of activity usually begins from 10 pm onwards though some nightspots open earlier. As Malaysia is a Muslim country, the Authorities enforce a 3 am closure ruling for nightspots in Kuala Lumpur city areas, while clubs and pubs in urban areas in the vicinity of residential estates have to close at 1 am. Occasionally, the police will conduct raids on random places to check for illicit drugs, prostitution and other vices of society.
The area around KLCC is Kuala Lumpurs hotbed of night-time entertainment and excitement. Clubs, bars, pubs and lounges are scattered around the roads of Sultan Ismail, Pinang and Ampang with some prominent names like Hard Rock Café and Zouk. During the day, they assume a low profile but come night, the young at heart gather at their favourite watering holes to party and dance the night away, especially on weekends!
Around Sultan Ismail - this is the most popular area for clubbing and partying at night. The lower stretch of the road which connects to the Kuala Lumpur Tower entrance on the right and KLCC on the left is host to a wide range of night clubs that boost atmosphere and music. One of the oldest and most popular establishments is the Hard Rock Café, located near the Concorde Hotel. The place attracts a strong following of locals and expatriates, with frequent live band performances.
Beach Club - has a heavy concentration of international tourists, especially Caucasian visitors from the middle-age group, which also means there are lots of local and Philippine girls trying to be picked up! It follows a Hawaiian concept with an open-air bar along with glittery lights and loud music while the weekends are truly packed with both locals and tourists.
Just opposite the Beach Club is another old-timer, Nouvo, which is a bar on the ground floor and a club upstairs. The bar is pretty well-decked in red and feels like a lounge with plenty of cushions and dark colours. The environment is elegant and spacious, which is good for urban professionals and older clubbers.
On the other hand, look out for Espanda, another cool and chic club formerly known as Emporium. Over here, visitors can choose to dine in an al-fresco environment in the landscaped garden outside or head inside for some dancing and loud music. Ruums is another new joint in Sultan Ismail, which has two main areas; one which follows a tropical theme with an island-styled lounge while the other is a space age-like party zone with a spacious dance floor.
Around Ampang - there are some fantastic nightspots located either along the main Ampang road or the roads around it, such as Jalan Perak, Jalan Perak and Jalan P.Ramlee. Start the night out at the biggest club in the area, located at the start of Jalan Ampang near the Malaysian Tourism Centre, and none other than Singapores Zouk club. The Zouk club has one of the biggest dance floors and a large following of youngsters.
For a total contrast, check out Alexis which is further down the road, nestled in the ground floor of Great Eastern Mall. This is a very elegant bar and restaurant, with an international menu and weekend performances from jazz bands. Alexis attracts patrons who prefer to sit and dine while listening to music with feeling, rather than lunatic dancing.
A new but very popular place in P. Ramlee road is Poppy Collection, which also houses the Passion lounge upstairs. Downstairs is where good food is served along with a fine selection of liquor in the mostly R&B bar but upstairs is where most of the clubbing action takes place in Passion, with a heavy feature of techno. Theres also an attached bar thats open to the sidewalk called Bar Mandalay.
Thai Club & Bistro follows an adventurous approach and lends a distinct Thai craziness and flavour to Kuala Lumpurs nightlife. Located in Jalan Perak, the Thai Club has a blend of Thai and Asian design in its exterior and interior, featuring plenty of wood, sharp arches and red dim lights. The Thai Club also has some of the best Happy Hour rates, and is popular as a venue for product launches and corporate functions, as well as good, all-round music from various genres.
Finally, another up-and-coming popular night club is Rum Jungle, located in the corner of P. Ramlee and Pinang Roads. Shaped like a giant hut, the Rum Jungle truly feels like an urban jungle with hot action throughout the night. Outside is where a large circular bar that serves an astounding variety of drinks sits while inside is a spacious dance floor, with a platform for performances.
Eating out - Malaysian cuisine incorporates many influences including Chinese, Malay and Indian Enjoy a fusion cuisine called Nyonya Baba - a blend of Chinese, Malay and other influences. You can also find western and other cuisine in this food conscious city. If you want to experiment, try one of the many lunch and dinner buffets offered by many city hotels.
Shopping
Kuala Lumpur has become a shoppers paradise with several prominent malls and shopping areas around the city offering a wide choice of goods and services. Some of the most popular areas are listed below:
Mid Valley Megamall - is an extremely popular mall thats also one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. Located near Bangsar facing the Federal Highway, the mall has an area that is 4.5 million square feet in total, which consists of the mall, office blocks, a boulevard and two hotels. Since opening in 1999, it has attracted droves of visitors and shoppers for its wide variety of shopping outlets, entertainment features and dining opportunities.
Suria KLCC - this shopping mall is nestled between the worlds second tallest structures, the Petronas Twin Towers. An upmarket shopping mall, the choice and standard of shops here reflect its classy atmosphere but the mall still attracts many locals, wealthy or not. The mall has six levels of retail outlets that include big names in categories fashion and accessories. These include Marks & Spencer, Tiffany & Co, DKNY, Calvin Klein and Polo. The famous Japanese department store Isetan has a branch here along with a Japanese book store called Kinokuniya.
Times Square - in Bukit Bintang is one of the latest shopping malls to hit the Klang Valley. With a massive 3.4 million square feet in total build-up area, the mall is stacked with shops galore. However its sheer size is not so evident from outside, as most of the space comes from having many floors, making into a tower-like mall. An adjoining hotel and office block completes its architecture, giving the appearance of a modern, European-like twin tower block.
Bukit Bintang / Sungai Wang Plaza - these two plazas located in Bukit Bintang have a long history in Kuala Lumpur. They are both connected and housed within the same structure, though the administration is different. Today, it remains one of KLs most popular shopping malls for its sheer number of establishments and trendy shops with a culture for bargaining. These two malls are the place to look for wild and unorthodox fashion with a distinct Chinese flavour. You can also get a good number of electronics, especially cell phones and other mobile accessories.
Petaling Street is Kuala Lumpurs dedicated Chinatown zone, though you get people of all races and international tourists flocking to this area from afternoon till late night. The entire street is a night market that has a multitude of traders hawking all manner of goods, from food stuff to toys and fancy watches to bootleg fashion. This place is not to be missed for first-timers in Kuala Lumpur.
