Dec 30, 2009 01:16 PM
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(Updated Dec 30, 2009 04:15 PM)
Fascinating Malaysia and Singapore- that's what Cox and Kings calls the 6D/5N tour to the two countries of the Far East. Just back after enjoying the tour with family and friends.
Booking: Got the booking done through a local franchisee at Kandivali(E). The visas and information provided were adequate. For my family consisting of two adults and two children aged 12+ and 5+, the total amount paid was close to 1, 69, 000/-. This included some 18, 000+ extra due to peak season(Christmas) period. It included everything except lunch on the first day flying to KL via Colombo, on the day of travel from KL to Singapore and on the last day of travel back to Mumbai from Singapore. A few of the shows and rides that we enjoyed were also not on the itinerary.
Journey: I would give negative markings on this point. The journey was with Sri Lankan Airlines via Colombo. The Airlines is so-so, of the insipid type. On the Mumbai-KL route, the halt at Colombo was just an hour time. But on the way back from Singapore, the halt was 6 hours. Had to book a Day room at Colombo airport for 25 USD, just to let children have some good rest. Besides that all the city coaches at KL and Singapore were excellent ones. But the one alloted for KL-Singapore was not up to expectations. Cox and Kings should ensure that these coaches also are at par with the City coaches.
Itinerary: Boarded the SriLankan flight at 0430 hours on 22nd Dec(Odd timings- but that's where the tour operators cut corners). Arrived at KL at around 0330 pm local time. Guide and Tour Manager were waiting for us at KL airport and we straightway drove to Genting Highlands- a journey of 3+ hours. Had an evening show- children enjoyed it a lot. The next day was a visit to the Theme Park. But the weather was too bad to enjoy- Rains and mists. Enjoyed a few rides and later in the afternoon drove to KL via Batu Caves where they have a very tall statue of Karthikeya(Murugan)- had to tread 272 steps to reach the temple at the top of the cave. On the third day, we had some sightseeings at KL including the twin towers of Petronas, KL Tower, National Mosque, cholcolate factory, Watch emporium and some more structures. KL Tower(MInara) and Petronas towers are worth seeing. Did some shopping at Bukit Bintang which is 5 stations far from KL Sentral where we had put up. It is a lively place. The fourth day we travelled from KL to Singapore by road. It took us around 6 hours including the time we spent at Singapore immigration. These Singaporeans are really strict with what and who comes in and goes out. The buses are also thoroughly scanned after the passengers get down with all their belongings. We lost a considerable time because one of the buses could not pass the test. In the evening, children had a a nice time at the Night Safari where they have hundreds of birds and animals. Fifth day, was sightseeing at Singapore- the Merlion and the upcoming structures, the ferry ride. Afternoon was spent at Sentosa island with the 4D shows, Underwater World. Sky Tower and ended with Songs of the Sea. All of them were marvellous. Forget about attempting to see the whole of Sentosa island in one afternoon, even one full day is not sufficient to enjoy everything there.
6th day, morning hours was shopping time. Spent most of the time at Mustafa buying clothes, shoes and other small items. Afternoon, left for the airport. Again SriLankan Airlines flight to Colombo at 0430 pm, reached Mumbai at 0300 hours of 28th after spending 6 hours waiting time at Colombo.
Hotel accomodation: All 3 star hotels. At Genting Highlands, Hotel Theme Park- quite spacious. At KL, Hotel KL Sentral- a bit small room but still comfortable. At Singapore, Hotel Copthorne Orchid- a good one. Faciliteswise, all good hotels but the staff looked overstretched because of Christmas rush.
Food: I give a very high rating on this point. Excellent buffet for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner everywhere we went with a wide variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian items. Otherwise, if you are on your own, I can very well imagine the time you would spend locating hotels and restaurants which cater to the Indian tastes. The only time I did not at all like the food was on the way from KL to Singapore. The restaurant had nothing other than Chinese dishes and mind you their Chinese is not the'Noodles, Lollypops and Fried Rice'- the Chinese dishes we enjoy here.
Local Guides: The Local guides were quite knowledgeable and of quite an accomodating nature inspite of the time constraints.
Overall, I am satisfied with the services of Cox and Kings. But wish they do something with Colombo enroute- that's disgusting especially on the way back.
A word of caution for future travellers; Do carry a pair of warm clothes so that you don't shiver at Genting Highlands, do carry a bare minimum of Foreign exchange. For shoppings, you will get very good rates at KL and Singapore(Not at the airports but outside) compared to what you get in India irrespective of the currencies you are carrying. And remember to have some USD currencies for Colombo airport. They accept only USD, GBP and Euros.
Except for souveners, do not do much of shopping at KL. Singapore is the best place for shopping. However due to time constraints, we did some shopping at the Mustafa's only. Electronic items are very cheap. I am seen fellow tourists bringing in 32" LCDs in lots.
