http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26050 Also, just walk around the city and you will find impressive places (more impressions on www.fm1721.com/experience/asia/kuala-lumpur/ )
Kuala Lumpur is worth a visit - You'll want to stay there!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26050 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25468 This unique tranquil haven is well away from the rather shabby city of Sandakan and the well flogged tourist trails of Sabah. Simply the best place to stay in Borneo.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25468 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25223 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25223 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24512
Pick up a good bottle of wine from a supermarket and jump into a taxi. But do call early as the restaurant barely seats 25 max and they fill up fast.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24512 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24509
Not the most elegant place but excellent food. Acoustics are poor and it can be noisy on a busy night.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24509 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23894 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23894 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23777
I was recommended a great little island only three hours from Singapore by a friend. Pulau sibu (sibu island) is exactly what those who have a phobia about big commercial resorts need. This small island only 6km by 1km, no roads or mains power.

The beaches are deserted, the locals friendly and the scuba diving in the Mersing Marine Park excellent because there is only 1 PADI Dive Centre on the island.

Sibu Island Cabanas on Pulau Sibu is a really close to Singapore making it a great location for a weekend short break.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23777 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23484
Honey has natural antibiotics in it and was my saving grace against bacterial infection which would have curtailed what turned out to be a brilliant holiday. A small plastic bottle of honey tucked away in your backpack will be your best friend abroad!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23484 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22634
The most important aspect of this festival is the Balearic vibe given by Tiesto during his set in Port Dickson Beach. After the festival ended, it gets the attention by the media and the press positively and negatively.

2 Days of Freedom will return again this year on May 29 & 30 with DJs like Above and Beyond, Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz spinning more tracks and more freedom!

This festival has attracted not just Malaysians, but Singaporeans, Indonesian and Australian ravers and partygoers looking for an awesome time. Definitely a must see if you're into progressive house, Trance and Hard Dance.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22634 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22280
The knowledge and passion of the guides - in particular the founder, Irshad Mobarak - turn an ordinary nature trail or fun boat ride into something that will make you appreciate where you are and reflect upon what role you have as part of nature in this world.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22280 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21966
There's a great view of the Petronas Towers too, in case you spend so much time in there that you forget where you are.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21966 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21962
The restaurant at the top of the KL (Menara) Tower is a revolving one, so within an hour you'll have enjoyed a 360 degree view of the city while eating a whole array of tasty food at the fixed-price buffet.

It's also excellent value - although I'd advise you to stick to water and avoid the overpriced drinks.

Book yourself in for a sunset meal!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21962 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21769 This bar has incredible views and the best time to get here is around 6.30pm to watch the sunset and the fantastic views of Kuala Lumpur. It is expensive and when busy with all the wannabees and wannabeseens, service can be poor. But it is definitely worth a visit.

Hakka Republic Wine Bar, Level 2 Menara Hap Seng, 1-3 Jln P Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur:
This Chinese styled bar has everything going for it. Great music, incredible wine and drinks list and innovative Western food all at a reasonable price. They have a popular set lunch and a great value Sunday Brunch. Good crowd that is focussed on food, drinks and having a good time.

No Black Tie, 17, Jalan Mesui, Off Jalan Nagasari, Off Jalan Raja Chulan, KL:
This quaint little bar that serves Japanese food is a pioneer of live jazz and music in Kuala Lumpur. Great atmosphere though slightly pretentious crowd. Call to find what's on and charges if any.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21769 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21765 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21765 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19965 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19964
The dorms are basic, but there's a fantastic open-sided dining room/common area with the sea lapping against the supports. The food is good and plentiful, and the price is really good value (50 ringgit per night, full board). Make sure you book in advance though, and tell them that you want to dive at Sipadan, as there are only limited spots on the trip each day and people had to wait a few days if they had just turned up.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19964 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18985 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18985 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18917
Other 'tour' options are becoming available. The people working at Uncle Tans are super friendly, informative and great with children. Uncle Tans can be reached easily from Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan.

Sabah is in easy and inexpensive reach from Kuala Lumpur through Air Asia for example (airasia.com).

This has to be one of the highlights of many trips to southeast Asia, a real fantastic, family-friendly opportunity to see crocodiles, wild pigs, gibbons, lizards, proboscis monkeys and if you are lucky, elephants and orang utans.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18917 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18909 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18909 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18235
Now, it is not on the tourist beat, it is not within sight of the Twin Towers, it's not even technically in KL but it is one of the best restaurants in the world.

It is situated next door to La Salle school on Jalan Chantek which is off Jalan Gasing which is off the Federal Highway heading towards Shah Alam. This is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world though. It has a large outdoor dining area shaded by trees and with a charmingly bubbling storm drain running down one side. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.

It is situated in a stand of shops which includes a picture framers, a photo shop and a barber's in a suburban residential area, populated by rather well off Malaysians, with Indians rather more plentifully represented than is perhaps the average. But this is not the reason it's the best restaurant in the world.

The reason it's the best restaurant in the world is because it serves, in the mornings, roti canai - which is the best breakfast in the world.

Basically a paratha-style flatbread of many calories, it is griddle fried freshly so that a crisp, friable crust forms on the dough, which is then punched and broken up before serving. Fairly boring, really. But then add some dal, some fish curry kuah (the gravy, not the actual fish) and perhaps a small piring (dish) of mutton curry, or a piece of fried tengiri, then add to this a teh tarikh (tea made with condensed milk which has been "tarikh'd", i.e. "pulled" through the air from one vessel to another to aerate and cool) and heaven, my friends, is a place on earth.

So. Be seated. There is no reservation, there is no plate captain, no "This way sir" - this is Malaysia old-style. There are many south Indian waiters in white shirts and blue trousers however. Call one over and ask for "roti canai" (pronounced "rotty chan-eye") and a teh tarikh. The dal, some carrot chutney and some coconut chutney are dumped unceremoniously in front of you along with a damp banana leaf. It is perfectly permissible to dry off the leaf with a tissue. I don't bother. And wait. A short time later (longer if at the weekend) and the roti, steaming, fragrant and - a sticking point for many - slightly smaller than average disc of bread is casually clapped onto your leaf. Serve yourself with dal, chutneys in small pools around the circumference. Some pour great ladlefuls of dal all over the roti, mash it into a mush and devour it sloppily in handfuls. A perfectly acceptable way to eat it in my opinion.

But we will choose the dainty option (though not the daintiest - forks and spoons are available, and widely used).

Tear off a small piece of roti, drag it through the dal (whilst arguing with your friends about whether or not the best nasi lemak is to be found in Ipoh or Penang) and pop it in your mouth. There is a faint cuminy, asafoetida tang to the dal, a faint sweetness (not too sweet, oh no) to the roti and a mouth feel (as Mr Blumenthal would have it) which is crunchy, soft, full-flavoured with mild spice (but not too mild, oh no) and completely satisfying. Tear off another piece. Pick up a perfectly tender piece of curried mutton - and although I never had a bad mutton curry when I lived in Malaysia, Raju's has to be the best - and once again, those curious contrasts are there. Crunchy/soft, spicy/bland, tangy/sweet. Take a sip of your scaldingly hot teh tarikh: it is foamy, sweet, strong and in combination with the roti and the curry as precisely perfect as any of the great pillars of Malaysian food when made perfectly. nasi lemak, laksa, prawn mee, char kway teow - roti canai. These are the five. Now you know one. Seek the rest.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18235