Hi

Bangkok and KL are different- Bangkok is a lot more manic and in your face than KL.

Most eating places are in Batu Ferrenghi and from what I remember most restaurants are not on the beach, but on the main strip in the town part. Or pop into Georgetown at night for the fab hawker stalls.

Cost wise I don't remember much difference though.

We're back to KL later this year- we love it with its wide streets, hawker food, China Town

We love Bangkok as well- been 4 times and know our way round really well now.

Do you have any hotel recommendations on where to stay in both KL and Penang? We have 2 kids who will be with us aged 13 and 10

Also are the beaches and sea as nice in Penang as Koh Samui?

Not been to Koh Samui so can't really compare- the beaches in Thailand are generally better though than those in penang, nothing wrong with the ones there though.
Last time in KL we stayed at The Federal this time at The Royale Bintang- both on Bukit Bintang which is within easy reach of the pertonas Towers, Menara Tower, Petaling Street for China town and all the major shopping malls as well.
Would recommend the butterfly farm in Penang- we caught the local bus up to the village and walked down to it, then on the forest park as well- lovely.
There is plenty to do for everyone really, research before you go and ask about when you get there,
The best restaurant we found in penang was The restaurant at the End of the World, unfortunately it was washed away in the tsumani though- but it may have been rebuilt

Are the beaches in Penang as nice as Koh Samui...afraid not - the water quality is pretty murky. Swimming is mostly done in the hotels swimming pools.

KL wise have stayed in the Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton Imperial and the Mandarin Oriental and can recommend them all but favour the Mandarin Oriental simply because I liked being next to the Petronas Towers and Suria shopping Mall. Hotel prices maybe a bit better value than Bangkok. KL still has a flavour of the East about it but is not as choatic as Bangkok

I have not been to Penang but found the beaches in Langkawi very good.

In KL I Can recommend Istana (although it has changed owners and reviews are mixed), Shangri La, Park Royal (great location), We are going back in 3 weeks and will be staying at Manderin Oriental partially because of the recommendations on this site and the glowing reviews on trip advisor.

Mmmm not sure Penang will live upto my expectations, though KL sounds fab.
Did you prefer Penang or Koh Samui Sunbear? Is Penang as good value as Koh Samui for eating out etc?

Did I prefer Samui to Penang? I've been to both places twice so I'm happy to visit either. Depends what you want from a holiday...Penang has plenty of cultural interest to offer - more so than Samui and theres some good sight seeing. Eats wise if you eat at the local hawker complexes - proper Malaysian food - then its probably going to be cheaper to eat in Penang than Samui. If you use the more tourist orientated restaurants in Penang than it may well be more expensive or on a par with Samui.

If the beach is more important than maybe Samui although I prefer other areas of Thailand myself. Having said that Batu Ferringhi in Penang is a good beach just you may not wish to swim in the sea. What time of year are you thinking of visiting as differing rainy seasons may influenece your decision.

How lively do you like your resort. Penang is the busiest of the Malaysian resorts, but its not as lively as the main Thai resorts - tourism is a bit more low key in Malaysia.

p.s its always possible to combine KL with a Thai beach resort. I've done KL Phuket in the past.

Thanks Sunbear. We are thinking of mid August Is that a good time weather wise? In answer to how busy do I like a resort - when we were in Samui, we stayed at the Imperial Boathouse which was quiet and then several evenings we got a taxi to the more lively resort of Chaweng just for a change. I loved the peace and quiet of the Boathouse but enjoyed the change of pace in Chaweng though wouldn't choose to stay there.

KL is great but only for a couple of days. It is calmer than Bangkok but still quite hectic. Penang is ok, but doesnt really compare to Koh Samui. Penang is much more built up and the hotels are probably better but Koh Samui has a more asian feel to it.

Overall Malayia and Thailand are completely different countries and need to be treated as such. Things that are perfectly acceptable in Thailand are not in Malaysia

Would August be a good time to visit Penang?

I go out then and have a great time.

Where have you stayed?

Bayview once and Golden Sands 5 times- Batu ferringhi. wonderful people and great food. Can't wait to go back. Went to Phuket once and didn't enjoy it so much although the beaches were better there. Stayed in KL twice and enjoyed it- stayed in the Shangri-la in the centre of town.

thanks, I will have a look at those hotels

Just got back from Batu for the fourth time love the place.We stayed at the Golden Sands on our first visit it is a nice hotel but we prefer the Holiday Inn, found it to be a much quieter hotel especially at the weekends.