Our first impression of Malaysia was spectacular.
We arrived in Kuala Lumpur late at night, tired from travelling but greeted by an incredible view over the city. And then came the second impression:

We were hungry.

So, instead of going straight to bed, we did what felt completely natural to us. We walked around the corner to the Hard Rock Cafe for something to eat.
We collect the Hurricane glasses from Hard Rock Cafes we visit around the world, so it was actually the perfect way to start our Malaysia adventure. One more glass for the collection, something to eat and our first glimpse of Kuala Lumpur at night.
And that was Malaysia.
A little bit of city, a little bit of adventure, plenty of food and, eventually, a lot of pool and beach time.
We chose Malaysia almost by accident. We had found a cheap flight, and when we started looking into the destination, we realised it had exactly the kind of variety we love as a family.
Jungle? Yes.
Cities? Yes.
Amazing food? Definitely.
Mountains and tea plantations? Yes.
Beautiful beaches? Absolutely.
It sounded like a country where we could have the kind of family trip we enjoy most: a bit of everything.
And after travelling there, we can confirm that Malaysia delivers exactly that.

Our Malaysia family trip

Our route took us from Kuala Lumpur to Taman Negara, then to the Cameron Highlands, Georgetown and finally Langkawi, before returning to Kuala Lumpur for the journey home.
We spent two nights in Taman Negara, one night in the Cameron Highlands, two nights in Georgetown, four nights in Langkawi and finished with another two nights in Kuala Lumpur.
Looking back, this was too tight.
We had to work around Evelijn competing at the World Championship hiphop in Blackpool. The finals were just before our Malaysia trip, so our travel window was already fixed. That meant we had to squeeze quite a lot into the time we had.
We therefore made the most of the time we had.
And we packed a lot into those days.
If we were planning the same trip again, we’d slow it down considerably.
Because there is one thing we learned very quickly:

Malaysia deserves more time.

Kuala Lumpur: arriving hungry

So, instead of going straight to bed, we did what felt completely natural to us. We walked around the corner to the Hard Rock Cafe for something to eat.
We collect the Hurricane glasses from Hard Rock Cafes we visit around the world, so it was actually the perfect way to start our Malaysia adventure. One more glass for the collection, something to eat and our first glimpse of Kuala Lumpur at night.
Kuala Lumpur is exactly the kind of city we enjoy visiting as a family because there is plenty happening, but you don’t have to spend every minute sightseeing.
The skyline is impressive, the food is everywhere and there is a constant mix of modern shopping centres, busy streets, markets and different cultures.
But our Malaysia trip wasn’t really about spending a week in Kuala Lumpur.
It was about using the city as a starting point for everything else Malaysia has to offer.
And that is one of the things we liked about the country: within a few days, the scenery and experience could change completely.
From skyscrapers…
to jungle.

Taman Negara: into the jungle

The next morning we left Kuala Lumpur and headed towards Taman Negara.
And this was where our Malaysia adventure really started.
Taman Negara is all about the jungle.
We went on a night jungle walk, which was one of those experiences where everyone suddenly becomes very quiet and starts looking carefully at every branch and leaf.
We also took a longtail boat further into the park towards waterfalls.
And yes, we went swimming.
There is something pretty special about jumping into the water after travelling through the jungle by longtail boat. It felt like a proper adventure rather than simply visiting another tourist attraction.
We loved that Taman Negara wasn’t about ticking off sights. It was about being outside, getting a little dirty and experiencing a completely different side of Malaysia.
For Evelijn in particular, this was exactly the kind of travel she loves.
She is always ready to explore what’s around the next corner.
Anneloes is a little different.
She is happiest when there is a beach, a pool and somewhere to sit with a drink.
And that difference between our children actually became quite noticeable throughout the trip.

Cameron Highlands: tea as far as you can see

From the jungle, we headed into the Cameron Highlands.
And this stop was all about tea.
We got up early to see the sunrise over the tea fields, which meant an early start when, what everyone probably really wanted was more sleep.
But it was worth it.
Watching the sun come up over the endless green tea plantations was one of those moments where you are very happy you got out of bed.
We also visited an actual working tea factory and bought some tea to take home.
The Cameron Highlands felt completely different from Taman Negara.
The jungle had been hot, humid and adventurous.
Here, the landscape was green, cooler and covered in tea plantations.
We also visited the Mossy Forest. Unfortunately, our walk there was much shorter than we had hoped because part of it was closed for maintenance.
It was still worth visiting, but this was another reminder that when you only have one night somewhere, there isn’t much room for changing plans.
With more time, we would have liked to explore the area properly.

Georgetown: street food, street art and a little parent time

Next came Georgetown.
And if there was one thing we were particularly excited about here, it was the food.
Georgetown is famous for its street food, and we were very happy to spend time exploring it.
We even went to one of the famous stalls with a Michelin star where people were prepared to wait for hours.
That is the kind of thing we enjoy doing when we travel: finding the places that people are willing to queue for because the food is supposed to be that good.
But Georgetown isn’t only about food.
We also wandered through the streets looking for the famous wall art and exploring the city.
The girls?
They weren’t quite as enthusiastic about Georgetown as we were.
And honestly, that’s okay.
At one point they took a day off and stayed at the pool while Mum and Dad went exploring.
Which meant something very rare happened on a family holiday:

Mum and Dad got some time alone.

We could walk around, look at the street art, eat something and explore without hearing, “I’m tired,” or “How much longer?”
Sometimes family travel is about doing everything together.
And sometimes it is about knowing when everyone needs a little break from each other.

Langkawi: where everyone found their happy place

Then we flew to Langkawi.
And this is where the trip slowed down.
At least a little.
We had four nights on the island, and Langkawi quickly became a favourite for very different reasons.
For Anneloes, Langkawi brought out the best in her.
Give her a beautiful beach, a swimming pool, a drink and some time to relax and she is completely happy.
For Evelijn, of course, sitting still isn’t quite enough.
So while Anneloes was perfectly happy enjoying the pool, we were also exploring waterfalls, hiking, visiting the Langkawi SkyBridge and finding other adventures around the island.
We did the jet cars, watched sunsets and fire shows, enjoyed the beaches and spent plenty of time in the pool.
It was exactly the combination our family needed after several days of travelling around.
If you’re travelling to Langkawi with children, we’ve put all our favourite experiences together in our Langkawi with Kids guide, including the adventures that kept Evelijn happy and the beach-and-pool time that made Anneloes very happy indeed.

Staying at Holiday Villa Resort & Beachclub Langkawi

Our stay at Holiday Villa Resort & Beachclub Langkawi was a big part of why Langkawi worked so well for us.
After moving through Kuala Lumpur, Taman Negara, the Cameron Highlands and Georgetown, we really appreciated having somewhere that made it easy to stop.
The resort had everything we needed for a few days of downtime, including the beach, pools and plenty of places to eat and drink.
We also had a membership that gave us discounts on food and drinks and access to the infinity pool.
And that infinity pool became one of our favourite places to spend time.
It was much quieter than the main pool, which made it perfect when we wanted to relax for a while.
So while Evelijn could still find plenty to do around the resort, Anneloes could happily settle into holiday mode.
And Mum and Dad?
Well, we weren’t complaining about the cocktails.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Langkawi and want to have a look at the resort we stayed at, you can check Holiday Villa Resort & Beachclub Langkawi on Booking.com.
We’ve also written a separate Holiday Villa Resort & Beachclub Langkawi review, where we go into much more detail about our stay and why it worked so well for our family.

Kuala Lumpur: ending our trip with rooftop views and monkeys

After Langkawi, we headed back to Kuala Lumpur for the final part of our trip. And honestly, having a rooftop pool with a view of the Petronas Towers is a pretty spectacular way to finish a holiday. We could swim while looking straight at the towers, which made the hotel pool almost as much of an attraction as the city itself. How cool is that?
Of course, we couldn’t leave Kuala Lumpur without going up the Petronas Towers themselves. Standing up there and looking out over the city was pretty amazing. After seeing them from our rooftop pool, actually being inside the towers and looking out from that height made it feel even more special.
We also visited the Batu Caves, which turned out to be a slightly more stressful experience for Anneloes than the rest of us.
The monkeys had a lot to do with that.
Anneloes is scared of monkeys, partly thanks to TikTok, which has shown her all sorts of videos of monkeys biting people, stealing things and generally causing chaos. And to be fair, the monkeys at the Batu Caves were pretty cheeky. They were clearly used to people and would come very close, sometimes trying to get attention or food.
So even though we knew they weren’t necessarily out to get us, I was definitely keeping an eye on them. Anneloes, on the other hand, didn’t take any chances. The moment a monkey came too close, she came flying past us!
It was one of those moments that we will probably laugh about for years. And although the monkeys gave her a bit of a fright, the Batu Caves were still worth seeing. It was another completely different side of Kuala Lumpur, and a fun way to finish a trip that had taken us from jungle and tea plantations to street food, beaches and city skyscrapers.

What we loved about travelling Malaysia with kids

One of the things we loved most about Malaysia was the variety.
Our children don’t necessarily want the same thing from a holiday.
Evelijn loves exploring.
She wants to hike, discover things, go into the jungle and find out what’s around the next corner.
Anneloes is happiest when there is time to relax.
Give her a beach, a pool and a drink and she’s perfectly content.
Malaysia allowed us to do both.
We could spend one day hiking through the jungle and swimming in waterfalls and another sitting beside an infinity pool.
We could explore street food in Georgetown while the girls had some pool time.
We could get up before sunrise to see the tea plantations and later spend an afternoon doing very little.
That balance is important to us when we travel as a family.
We don’t want every day to be an itinerary packed from morning until night.
But we also don’t want to spend two weeks sitting beside the pool.
Malaysia gave us the option to have both.

Our Malaysia itinerary was too tight

If we learned one thing from this trip, it was this:

We should have stayed longer.

Our route was fantastic, but we moved around quite a lot in a relatively short period.
And every time we arrived somewhere, we immediately had to start thinking about the next place.
Taman Negara deserved more time.
The Cameron Highlands deserved more time.
Georgetown could easily have had another day.
And Langkawi?
We certainly weren’t ready to leave after four nights.
The itinerary worked because of the circumstances around our trip, but if we were planning a Malaysia holiday purely around the destination, we’d build in more time.
We’d rather have a little less on the itinerary and actually enjoy the places we visit.

Would we go back to Malaysia?

Absolutely.
In fact, Malaysia is definitely not a country we’ve ticked off our list.
There is still a huge part of it we want to explore.
Borneo is still on our list, and we’d love to explore the beautiful islands around Semporna as well.
So our first Malaysia trip gave us a taste of what the country has to offer, but it also left us wanting more.
And perhaps that’s the best kind of travel destination.
You come home feeling like you’ve had an incredible trip…
while already knowing there is another one waiting for you.

Planning your own family trip to Malaysia

If you’re planning your own Malaysia adventure, I’d start by thinking about the balance you want from your trip.
Do you want cities and food?
Jungle and adventure?
Tea plantations and cooler mountain scenery?
Or beaches and resort time?
The great thing about Malaysia is that you don’t necessarily have to choose. You can combine them.
Our own trip took us from the skyline of Kuala Lumpur to the jungle of Taman Negara, from the tea fields of the Cameron Highlands to the street food of Georgetown and finally to the beaches and pools of Langkawi.
It was busy.
Sometimes too busy.
And that’s probably the biggest thing we’d do differently next time: give ourselves more time.
If you’re finding it difficult to work out how to fit everything into your trip, that’s something we can help with. We can create a personalised Malaysia itinerary around your family, your travel dates and the kind of holiday you actually want — whether that means more adventure, more time at the beach or simply a slower pace.
Because a great family itinerary isn’t about seeing as much as possible. It’s about finding the right balance for your family.
And Malaysia has already given us plenty of reasons to come back.
Next time, we’re heading further east.

Borneo, here we come.