If you’re planning a business trip, short stay, or full vacation in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, where should you stay? We give you the best tips on where to stay in Kuala Lumpur, for your needs.We’ll also tell you where to avoid, from our experience. These locations in KL, with accommodation at multiple price points, should give you the best stay in Kuala Lumpur possible!
Where to Stay in KL
We stayed in Downtown Kuala Lumpur most recently in 2026 and had a bad experience with a suite we had booked. It was so dirty that we refused to stay. Instead we checked into a hotel (this one), which was good, but not perfect. We’ll tell you about all of this below. Be very careful with booking apartment suites in Kuala Lumpur, look at reviews carefully and make sure there are a lot of them. Also, be aware that various taxes and fees will be added to your costs in Malaysia.
Please check room configurations, locations, prices and facilities for yourself as these things can change over time.
Stay in Central Kuala Lumpur
Central Kuala Lumpur, KLCC, is very modern, clean, and has a wow factor. If you want to be near the Petronas Towers, or even have a view of them from your hotel’s rooftop pool, you need to be here. The shopping nearby is superb, and you’ll be footsteps from the nightly fountain show, good dining, and nightlife.
Standards drop the further you get from The Petronas Towers, Suria Mall and KLCC Park. If you stay as far out as, for instance, The Vortex building, which is still in easy walking distance, the grottier KL gets. This area wasn’t nice at all when we were last there. It didn’t feel very safe, either.
The area close to The Pavilion Mall at Bukit Bintang is also nice, with access to the covered walkways. The Pullman Hotel, KL City Centre is here, Pullman is a brand I would trust. This was formerly The Prince Residence, I believe, I could be wrong. The JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur City, is also close to The Pavilion.
Be very careful with trusing review scores for apartment suites. We’ve seen perfect 10 scores often with just a few reviews, they are obviously being tampered with. The apartment suite we booked had an excellent review score, and I’ve never seen a dirtier place. And it wasn’t cheap, it was around $100 per night.
The hotel we booked instead, a 4 star, was good. The staff were lovely, the location was great, but cleaning standards weren’t what most of us would expect. That said, we enjoyed our stay and the buffet breakfast, and would 100% use this hotel again.
Hotel vs Suite Apartments in Kuala Lumpur
Try the following hotel options. Suites are often a cheaper option and can accommodate families, but be extra careful with booking suites. The building is normally a high-rise with suites owned by various companies or businesses. Prices will vary within the building, as will cleaning standards. I probably wouldn’t book a suite in KL again, but I’ll give you a couple of examples below.
- Expressionz Suites By iHost Global is affordable and has modern and family suites with kitchenette and pool. When I last checked, these suites had over 3000 reviews, so I would probably trust those .Check it out on Agoda here, or see prices on Booking.com here. It is 3 Km from the Petronas Towers and has that rooftop pool with view.
- Novotel KLCC is also along one of the walkways. Novotel are a solid family-friendly brand that we have learned to trust. It’s less expensive than most of the bigger hotel brands, generally. This Novotel is also on Agoda.
- The Mandarin Oriental is in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, between the Petronas Towers and the gardens at their base. This is a beautiful hotel in the best KL location you can imagine. One of the best hotel chains in the world, check out this beautiful hotel here.
- Double Tree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur The Doubletree chain are much loved by business travellers, and this one, just a few minutes walk from the towers, is likely to please. It’s actually very affordable too!
- The Impiana Hotel, KLCC, was the hotel we used in 2026. It’s a 4 star, we had a huge suite with views towards the twin towers and the buffet breakfast was pretty good. We’d recommend this place if you don’t want to spend a huge amount of money and be within easy walking distance (via covered walkways and tunnels) of the Conference Centre, Aquarium, Petronas Towers, Malls, and Bukit Bintang. Check it out here on Booking, or here on Agoda.
Stay in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
Chinatown is a good choice when considering where to stay in Kuala Lumpur. There are plenty of accommodation options in this area. You will be within walking distance of many attractions, including Chinatown’s Petaling Street, Chinese and Hindu Temples, Masjid Jamek, the Colonial District, bus and train connections and the Central Market. This is a good place to stay for the Thaipusam Festival as the procession to Batu Caves begins in Chinatown, at the beautiful Sri Mahamariamman Temple.
There are good food options nearby, Indian, Chinese and Western and an easy (free) bus connection into the centre of Kuala Lumpur It will likely be cheaper to stay in Chinatown than near central Kuala Lumpur. Accommodation options in Chinatown include the following.
- This space-themed capsule hotel is a good budget option, Space Hotel Chinatown. The space age capsules are a lot of fun and cheap for a short stay. We have stayed here and enjoyed our 4-capsule family dorm with shared bathroom facilities. The kids thought the slide between floors was a winner. Book it here on Booking.com
- There is a Sheraton in the heart of Chinatown. For a better quality international hotel, well located, with family rooms, but still very affordable, Book the Four Points Sheraton Kuala Lumpur Chinatown here on Booking.com
- For a hotel with lovely old-world charm, take a look at the Tian Jing Hotel, it’s in a beautifully restored Chinese shop house very close to Petaling Street, the Indian and Chinese Temples, Masjid Jamek and the Central Market. See it on Booking.com. Not so great for families, they don’t have rooms for four or more that I can see.
- We often used a nice hostel called Back Home Kuala Lumpur, unfortunately, we believe it is closed in 2026. It was an easy walk from the Masjid Jamek mosque and train station. This was a slightly more expensive, modern, hostel with family rooms for 3 and private dorms for 4 or more. It also has couple dorms and private rooms. There was great Indian food on the next street and the bus into central KL stops nearby. This one is on the outskirts of Chinatown, but not far to walk to Petaling Street or the Central Market.
Where To Stay in Kuala Lumpur for Sunway Lagoon
Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa is the perfect place to stay for Sunway Lagoon. It’s on-site, giving you maximum time at KL’s premier water and amusement park. Your family should be thrilled to stay here.
If you'd like to hire a car during your stay, use this car rental comparison tool to find the best deal!
We also suggest you take a look at this company to get a quote for all kinds of the more tricky adventure or extended travel insurance.
Try Stayz / VRBO for an alternative way to find rentals on homes/apartments/condos in any country!
