we did a trip last xmas that took in langkawi and kl, i booked the hotels on http://www.asiaroom.com . we used malaysianairlines they do a ticket that includes a free stopover in langkawi. we stayed at the sheraton beach resort which was fabulous then stayed at the mandarin oriental in kl a top of the range hotel overlooking the petronas twin towers .

The Federal in KL is an absolute dump. It's rated 4* but doesn't compare with other KL 4*'s.

When I was looking for decent rates for Langkawi I found more often than not the hotel websites were the same price as the so called discount site so I booked direct with the hotel I chose.
For the price of the Federal I think there are much better hotels in KL try this site and tripadvisor.com for reviews

Have a look at Premier Holidays website...they do accommodation only..check out the special offers for each hotel...eg. stay three nights at Sheraton Imperial KL and get upgraded to a suite etc. In KL its worth checking out the better hotels...one of the cheapest places to stay in a world class property.

Thanks for the advise guys!
Found this website also if anyone else is looking http://www.asiatravel.com and http://www.asiarooms.com as toondoug said looks good.

Found some good deals on the Equatorial Hotel KL, anyone stayed there?
Not sure if this is a good area? as we would like to be in walking distance of the hawker stalls and markets!

Cheapest i've found the Pelangi is £75 a night room only.. is this a good deal? seems a bit expensives for room only!

Been using asiatravel for six or seven years now. Heard mixed things about asiarooms so have steered clear.

You dont say when you are going..In Kuoni brochure extra nights are working out at between £68 - 86 per night for a superior room only.

we are not off till september.. just doing some advanced research!

i saw a return flight to KL on ebookers for £486, but its jumped up to £610 now!
any suggestions on where to go for flights??

like i said kev we booked with malaysian airlines and went to langkawi first stop direct that was a free stopover we stayed 5 nights then flew to kl, ive used asiarooms a few times and never had a problem booked hotels in thailand ,australia and new zealand with them.

The first thing is to decide what part of KL you want to be near.

I have used the maps on the site below to help me decide

http://www.hoteltravel.com/malaysia/kualalumpur/hotels.htm

Most of the best hotels are at or near Bukit Bintang (I like to stay as close to the Bukit Bintang area as possible as there is more going on there and the transport connections are good)

Or

near the twin towers & KLCC such as the excellent Manderin Oriental and the newly opened Traders (as the underground at KLCC also provides a good transport connection)

Or

in between the 2 with the Shangri La seemingly stratigically placed almost exactly half way between the two areas.

In KL I would recommend the Concorde Hotel if you can book a Premier room. They are excellent and the hotel also houses the KL Hard Rock Cafe. It is withing walking distance of the Twin Towers and good for shops / restaurants etc.

In Langkawi I have stayed at both the Pelangi and the Casa del Mar next door to it and both are first class resorts. Pelangi much larger and Casa del Mar much more intimate. Rooms at Pelangi are larger too but I can recommend both places. It is a good area very close to the airport (transfer time about 10 minutes) and there are a few nice restaurants nearby if you prefer to eat out of the hotel occasionally. The prices are quite expensive and the rate of £75 room only is probably as good as you will find. Always worth contacting the resort directly and saying how long you would like to stay and they sometimes come up with a package for you if they are not so busy.