If you’re looking for the ultimate family holiday destination, then Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur is for you. We recently spent seven nights at Sunway Hotels & Resorts thoroughly kid-testing two of their properties.
For those that don’t know, Kuala Lumpur is so much more than a one-night stopover. It’s a family friendly, activity rich destination and as we discovered over the Easter school holidays, deserves at least a week to fully explore and enjoy.
For the first part of our holiday we stayed Sunway Pyramid Hotel where we enjoyed shopping, entertainment and a theme park all in the one convenient location.
The remainder of our stay was with Sunway Putra Hotel in central Kuala Lumpur where we unearthed what we believe are the top things to do here with kids!
We hope you enjoy the read, and like any of our reviews, please add comments and questions below. We’d love to help you discover wonderful Kuala Lumpur.
PART 1: STAYING AT SUNWAY PYRAMID HOTEL, SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
We’ve just returned from our second family stay at Sunway Pyramid Hotel. Our last visit was back in 2010. This was when we had one child only and I was pregnant with our second. We stayed at this hotel for six nights while my husband was working at an office nearby. When we booked the trip, I knew that I’d be on my own with our inquisitive toddler 99% of the time and would need to find things to keep I’m occupied outside of the hotel room every day; but the reality of this only started to sink in on the flight over.
My husband who had stayed at Sunway Pyramid Hotel before assured me that I needed to “relax” and that I “would be fine”. I love it when he says that, it’s always so calming. 😉
Despite my panic attack, it was clear from the moment that we arrived that he was actually correct. I had a great time at Sunway Pyramid Hotel because it was part of a huge leisure and retail complex which made it the perfect place for us to be. I wasn’t too keen on venturing far from the hotel and thankfully, I didn’t have to.
I felt safe to explore the surrounds on my own and had fun every day going on different adventures. The only thing that could have made our trip better was if my husband was able to experience some of it with us. I vowed to come back again which is how we came to visit this past school holidays.
At the time I also remember thinking what a perfect place this would be to holiday with our extended family and this feeling has not left me after our second visit. Sunway Pyramid Hotel is even better than it was before and it’s highly likely that last month’s visit will not be our last!
SUNWAY PYRAMID HOTEL IS A HAVEN FOR FAMILIES
Sunway Pyramid Hotel was great before, but it’s even better now. Malaysian hospitality coupled with a recently completed RM125 million renovation has transformed the hotel to a superior standard.
BACKGROUND
Located in Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Sunway Pyramid Hotel is part of development that spans 800 acres and includes three hotels…Sunway Pyramid Hotel, the 5-star flagship Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa and the newly constructed Sunway Clio Hotel which has been built to attract business travellers.
Each of the hotels is interconnected so that you can enjoy an expanded range of facilities and together they offer guests a choice of over 1,400 hotel rooms and suites. There is a room option for every conceivable preference and budget.
Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall and Sunway Lagoon theme park and water park are also located within Sunway City and the entrances to these are quite literally at the doorstep of each hotel. If you decided to visit Kuala Lumpur and did nothing more than stay here, you would have a wonderful holiday with kids.
REASONS WHY WE LOVED OUR 4 NIGHT STAY SUNWAY PYRAMID HOTEL
1. THE FOOD
Food is always at the top of my priority list and thankfully, it’s a focus in Sunway City!
DINING WITHIN THE HOTEL
The Resort Cafe
The hotel employs forty-two Chefs with different specialties and together they service each area of the hotel. We had a multi-course banquet prepared nightly by a different Chef, all of which was served in the Resort Cafe with Sunway Lagoon Theme Park as our backdrop.
The three kilograms that I put on during the stay are a testimony to the fact that it was ALL good! The quality was AMAZING, the standards high and each course was impossible to turn down.
Food From All Over:
Night one: Chef Ala’a (Middle Eastern Treats) – He tried to break us I’m sure with the sheer volume of delicious eats!
Night two: Chef Kumar and Chef Parthiban (Indian Delicacies) – Each mouthful was a unique experience and we were educated on the order to try the food to maximise the impact of each bite, but also aid in digestion.
Night three: Chef Raymond (Chinese Cuisine) – “Uncle Raymond” as he’s affectionately known is 70 years old and served me the best Laksa I’ve ever had! What a treat!
Night four: Chef Parthiban Nalliah (Malaysian Cuisine) – Firm family favourites were the order of the day including a Honey Yam desert that he had originally created for his son.
Executive Chef Peter Lee and his team headed by Chef Parthiban Nalliah thoroughly consider the needs of families in their menus. Each cuisine that we tried was authentic and tailored to suit our families needs – not too spicy for the kids.
We tasted food that we had never had before and the boys loved it. Each Chef spoke with such passion that our boys have added this to their growing list of ‘what they want to be when they grow up’.
Our breakfasts and a lunch were also enjoyed buffet style in the Resort Cafe. The cuisines of Indian, Malaysian and Chinese were well covered but what impressed us most was the two fresh stations each dedicated to fruit and make your own salads with ingredients changing daily.
Within the hotel, you can get a good cup of coffee and also grab some quick eats from Taste Enclave which is in between the lobby and the shopping centre.
DINING WITHIN SUNWAY CITY
Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall is connected to the hotel and here you will find a range of eateries and restaurants including a Hello Kitty Cafe.
Slappy Cakes Restaurant was a standout experience for us. The boys made pancake creations using a choice of four flavours on a cooktop at our table! They then decorated their precious works before devouring them!
Tip! Don’t dismiss the fast food outlets in the mall. Tokyo Secret Hanjuku cheese tarts were absolute heaven…along with deep fried ice cream and McDonald’s soft serve ice cream made from Hershey’s Chocolate. Pray for my arteries.
2. FUN-FILLED ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
You will not be bored at Sunway Pyramid Hotel – everything you could ever want for is so close and there are activities that will keep the entire family happy.
Sunway Pyramid Mega Shopping Centre: It’s open daily from 10am to 10pm and boasts over 900 outlets. Entertainment within this multi-story shopping mall includes: Ice skating , Archery, Bowling, Laser Tag and Movie Theatres. There is also a kids indoor play zone complete with carnival games, carousel and amusement rides.
Sunway Lagoon Theme Park: Is a theme park on steroids and opens daily between 10am to 6pm.
There are more than 90 attractions across six parks spread over 88-acres to explore! Included: A Water Park, Amusement Park, Wildlife Park, Extreme Park, Scream Park and the latest park and our personal favourite – Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon.
Here we hung out with Ninja Turtles, high-fived Sponge Bob and got slimed on a grand scale!!! We spent a fun but full day here and recommend that you visit for at least two days if you can.
The Parenthood: This is the largest indoor family playground in Malaysia for children aged two to twelve, but that’s not what makes it awesome… The Parenthood will take care of your ‘me time’ because you can leave the kids here while you hit the shops or have a massage like I did back at the hotel! It’s a dream come true!
From a safety perspective, we were always warned in Kuala Lumpur to keep our children near us but felt comfortable leaving them to play at The Parenthood. The area is fully supervised and monitored by multiple security guards on site and video surveillance. There is only one exit and a sign out system that requires you to show proof that you are the parent of that child by producing a numbered bracelet that matches your child.
The Parenthood also operates a fully accredited International school on site and children’s gym – it’s a professional operation.
For parents still not keen on venturing too far away, you can have a coffee onsite and also visit their hair and beauty shops within precinct which is themed to look like the streets of London. It’s all very cute.
Sunway Pyramid Hotel Facilities and Relaxation
Hotel Pool: When you’re on holidays sometimes all you want to do is relax at the hotel. Sunway makes it hard by offering so many other things that you can do, but I was really grateful for the time that we did have to spend time in their swimming pool which is complete with cascading waterfalls and two splash zones for kids.
I had a great lazy afternoon by the lagoon-like pool which is located at adjacent hotel Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa.
Gym: For those that love to work out on the holidays, the gym here ‘looked nice’…said me from my vantage point – a deck chair by the pool! 🙂
Mandara Spa: We don’t always do this but we were so glad that we did. While the kids were at The Parenthood we enjoyed a one-hour spa session at the hotel’s award-winning spa. We had a couples massage and the experience was absolute bliss.
3. ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME AND THEN SOME!
Never underestimate the power of a fabulous hotel room – especially when your days are action packed. It’s when you’ll really appreciate it as a place to rest your weary head and feel instantly invigorated.
Sunway Pyramid Hotel boasts 564 deluxe rooms and suites, featuring five different categories of guestrooms and suites.
Options include a deluxe park room (you can see views of Sunway Lagoon Theme Park), Deluxe Executive Room (30 to 32 square meters in size) but most interesting to us were the twenty-one purpose-built family rooms (60 square meters) and suites.
This is the room category that we stayed in and in our opinion is one of the best-equipped rooms that we have ever seen for families. Here’s a walk through.
The Family Suite is out of this world and really is the most suitable option for those travelling with young children.
It is spacious enough to sleep up to six people and boasts two bathrooms, a bar fridge, microwave, coffee machine, 42″LED Smart TV, night lighting for kids, complimentary wi-fi and wired broadband internet access, bedside USB charger and more power points than I’ve ever seen in a hotel room.
Tip: These take AU plugs- no adapters needed. There was also plenty of additional seating for the whole family.
ps. Watch out for new rooms featuring bunk beds soon! I’ll keep you posted about their release!
Apart from all the luxury and all that space… what I really liked was the possibility for large families to stay together in the one room. Whether it’s families with more than three kids or those that like to bring the grandparents along, this hotel room is absolutely perfect.
I toured a number of the rooms and all were equally stylish and the feeling that I got was that no matter your preferences, this hotel will do its utmost to deliver what you require.
GETTING THERE
Sunway Pyramid Hotel is located just 25 minutes from Kuala Lumpur’s CBD and 35 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). We travelled by airport taxi, organised on arrival in the departure hall.
PART 2: SUNWAY PUTRA HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR AND KL WITH KIDS
Location, location, location! The second part of our adventure was a three-night hotel stay at Sunway Putra Hotel which is perfectly placed in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. THIS is the place to be when exploring the sites of Kuala Lumpur.
SUNWAY PUTRA HOTEL DELIVERS ON LOCATION AND COMFORT
With 5-star amenities and proximity to Kuala Lumpur hot spots and iconic attractions, our family enjoyed our stay in comfort at this hotel.
Sunway Putra Hotel Food & Beverage
All-day dining, a Japanese restaurant including nightly buffet and light meals served in the Atrium lounge guaranteed that we did not starve at this hotel!
Daily breakfast in The Coffee house was delicious and a great start to our action packed days. The boys love a good buffet and found it easy to choose new and old favourites.
Access to Sunway Putra Mall, located next to the hotel was also great. We had a couple of quick but enjoyable meals here. There were over 80 outlets to choose from so we were grateful for some local recommendations.
Burger Kaw Kaw was a standout. This is a growing chain in Malaysia so if you see one, be sure to try it out.
Sunway Putra Hotel Accommodation
Once again we discovered that this hotel has families well and truly covered. We stayed once again in one of their over-sized family suites and had enough room for us and about 20 other people.
The suite was huge and included three TVs, two bathrooms (bath tub included), a combined lounge and dining room and two bedrooms. It was absolute heaven to have so much space.
There are a total of 650 rooms in this hotel and I toured a number of other room categories within the hotel also. Superior, Deluxe, Club and Executive suites with many of them renovated to a very modern and comfortable standard and featuring all the comforts of home.
Our family of four could have easily fit into a much smaller room and still been happy, but we are glad for the opportunity to kid-test the family suite and would have loved to have brought the grandparents with us.
One of our favourite things in this hotel was also the view from our balcony and many others. Seriously, does it get any better than this?
Sunway Putra Hotel Recreation
During our hotel stay, we didn’t have a lot of time to hang out at the hotel but I did make sure that we spent one afternoon by their amazing pool! The boys liked the kid’s splash pool and spa and I liked that the pool also had a lifeguard on duty.
The view even from this lower level of the hotel was sensational and shows just how close to the action this hotel is – less than 3 kilometres away from these iconic sites.
With Sunway Putra Mall also next door, we also checked out the shops and went to the movies! The boys hadn’t seen The Smurfs film so this was a treat for them.
Tip: When you book a stay, look out for offers that give you complimentary TGV movie passes!
Also, check in with customer service desk in the mall before you shop to inquire about their discount card. There is over 600,000 sq.ft of extraordinary shopping to check out here over 7 levels to check out!
I also found some time for a bit of necessary pampering and got my nails done (hey someone had to do it) while the boys got to check out another The Parenthood play centre also within the shopping centre.
The playground was much smaller than the one at Sunway Pyramid Mall (pictured), but the boys didn’t mind and had a ball. They literally begged us to leave them here so that they could play.
Five must visit attractions near Sunway Putra Hotel
A short journey from Sunway Putra Hotel will bring you to some of the cities most amazing attractions. Check out what our ‘kids in the city’ we were able to experience in three days!
1. Kidzania
Have you heard of KidZania? It’s an indoor ‘edutainment’ theme park currently in 24 locations around the world designed to teach kids about life through role play in a mini city built just for them. This place is amazing and up there in our top three theme park brands for kids!
At KidZania kids play dress-ups, and have the opportunity to learn around 100 jobs. Each job training takes around 20 – 30 minutes and kids earn KidZos (money) to spend or bank for use in the future. This place is so unique that they even have their own language! #zankyou
Our boys learnt to be Policemen, Air Asia Pilots, McDonald’s workers, Firemen and research analysts during our visit. We spent a few short hours here but could have easily been here all day.
Tip: Due to its popularity it can get quite busy at KidZania, but it’s managed well with a ‘fastpass’ system where you are assigned a time to come back. Make sure you register your children for the activities they definitely want to do first. You can sign up for three ‘jobs’ at a time.
Ticketing: https://www.kidzania.com.my/
2. Kuala Lumpur’s City Centre (KLCC) including the Petronas Twin Towers
KLCC for kids must include a visit to the Petronas Twin Towers (currently the seventh tallest in the world standing at 451.9 metres high) and a walk through the sky bridge. Book online to avoid disappointment (tickets to each session are limited) and allow 45 minutes for a guided tour.
Have lunch in KLCC shopping mall or pick up a few things for a picnic lunch and have a lazy afternoon in the splash park and playground below the towers. Remember to bring the kids swimwear.
Ticketing information: www.petronastwintowers.com.my
If you have time take a visit to KL Tower – we have been here on previous trips and it is also good for the kids to see the city from above.
3. Batu Caves
Featuring the world’s tallest statue of Murugan, we really enjoyed the Batu Caves Hindu temple and shrine. There are three main caves to look at but the most exciting thing for the boys was the sight of many cheeky monkeys on the way up.
Tip: Don’t carry anything in your hands or you might lose it!
Climbing to the top is a great way to see Kuala Lumpur from above. Note: There’s 272 steps to climb, so don’t bring the pram.
This is a free activity.
More: http://www.malaysia.travel/en/places/states-of-malaysia/selangor/batu-caves
4. Zoo Negara
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Set aside a full day to explore this amazing zoo and bring a picnic lunch to have by the lake. This zoo which features over 476 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish is set on 110 acres of land.
A highlight for the boys was seeing three Pandas in action in their conservation centre. Some sleeping but others full of energy and creating real ‘pandemonium’! We could have spent all day watching them.
Ticketing: http://www.zoonegaramalaysia.my/
5. KL Bird Park
If you love beautiful Flamingos, then visit here! KL Bird Park is home to the world’s largest free-flight walk-in aviary.
This park is very popular with families and includes a deer park, orchid and hibiscus garden, butterfly park and a kids playground.
Pack a picnic lunch to make a day of it, and remember to wear a wide brimmed hat! It won’t just protect you from the sun, if you know what I’m saying…there’s 3000 birds flying around above you!
Ticketing: https://www.klbirdpark.com/
GETTING THERE
Sunway Putra Hotel is centrally located with the KTM Komuter (Putra Station), Rapid KL Ampang Line (PWTC Station) and Monorail (Chow Kit Station) at its doorstep making it very easy and convenient to get around.
It is located just 3 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur’s CBD and 45 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) by car. The hotel offers a daily shuttle service to KLCC.
DETAILS
Sunway Hotels & Resorts operates a portfolio of 11 hotels in Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, representing over 3000 guestrooms, suites and villas.
For one of the best family stays that you will ever experience, please visit sunwayhotels.com. Book directly with their website www.sunwayhotels.com to save.
DON’T MISS
Currently, Sunway Hotels & Resorts is running special promotional WOW rates, starting from RM338++ per room per night which will end on 28 June 2017. Again, go via their website to make a booking or email directly srhs.reservations@sunwayhotels.com
CREDITS
We were media guests of Sunway Hotels & Resorts during a 7-night stay across two properties. This really was a stay like no other and we highly recommend it for families. All opinions are own and correct at the time of publication.
