Best hotel staycations in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor

It’s not every day that you wake up to floor-to-ceiling views of the Twin Towers from your hotel bed – but then again, it’s not often that you have a key to the Grand Hyatt, one of the KL’s finest hotels. The 411 guestrooms and suites deliver different perks: some have a marble bathub, others come with a kitchenette and bar counter, while others provide butler service. 

At THIRTY8, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurants, locals often outnumber international guests – always a good sign in a city as food-obsessed as Kuala Lumpur – but if you tire of 360-degree views (and the full-service spa and the pool), the hotel is within walking distance to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Suria KLCC, where you'll find fine dining restaurants, bars, and hawker food.

The RuMa, derived from the Malay word ‘rumah’ for home, is a love letter to Kuala Lumpur; this much we know to be true, from the terracotta bird cage at the foyer inspired by the canaries in cages sent down to the tin mines of yore, to the twin sculptural staircases recalling those found in old colonial houses. For your staycation, the most difficult decision you’ll have to make is the one at the very beginning i.e. which room you’ll book into: some come with views of The Exchange 106, others Twin Towers, with daybeds by the window to drink in said views. No matter what, it’ll be tastefully on-theme with copper vanity basins, rattan furniture and screens inspired by kain pelikat patterns.

There is a spa and a pool, certainly – a gold-graded infinity pool, no less – with sun-soaked chaise lounges and sofa beds dotting the deck. 

Come evening, everyone heads to Atas, a buzzy, modern Malaysian eatery currently helmed by Mandy Goh – treat yourself to the charcoal-grilled coral lobster – before you top off your evening with a nightcap at the Seven.  

Just when you think Kuala Lumpur’s hotels are all starting to look the same, KLoé swoops in to turn the capital’s hospitality scene on its head. Ng Ping Ho and Cheryl Samad – yes, the director-and-actress power couple, now hoteliers – committed to creating “a home for the creative and the curious” with the 85-key hotel. They've collaborated with artists and collectives such as Lain for handcrafted furniture, Our Artprojects for art curation, and Nala Designs for branding. The rooms, arranged around a central courtyard, come with Aēsop toiletries, a Nespresso machine and views of the city skyline or the pool. But if you're looking to unleash your creativity while on staycation, check in to the artist lofts instead: each is one-of-a-kind and outfitted with everything you need to channel the artist in you. 

Room To Draw, curated by Joee Cheong, is equipped with brushes, paint, sketchbooks; Room To Taste, curated by celebrity chef Sarah Benjamin, features a communal dining table, cookbooks, and a personal pantry of artisanal produce (you can fix yourself a little cheese kaya toast, for a treat!); and Room To Grow, curated by Ohsum Mossum, is your greenhouse in the city. Put a record on in Room To Listen curated by fono’s Rudy La Faber, which is specially built with a sound system centred by a vinyl turntable; or curl up with a good book in Room To Read featuring floor-to-ceiling shelves of books dedicated to art, culture, philosophy, poetry and literature, curated by Tintabudi. 

On-site is also Lucky Coffee Bar for your early morning fix, and the all-day modern restaurant Monroe, plating up casual comfort food in a bright, breezy setting.

If you’re looking to hole away from the rigours of the outside world, you might not start with the neighbourhood of Chow Kit, once infamous for its seedy rep — and yet, rather than shy away from its sordid past, the namesake boutique hotel celebrates it: cheeky fringe on a curtain’s edge in a nod to late-night revels in the 70s; snug suites evoking gambling dens; deep banquettes, lounge chairs and rugs finished in fabrics and textiles traded in surrounding streets.

Though the rooms are incredible, it’s the Towkay Soh Suite – meaning ‘The Boss Lady Suite’ in the local Hokkien dialect – you should plump for, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the ever-changing Kuala Lumpur skyline, a rain shower, and luxury linens atop a king-sized bed. Add to that a lounge area and a reading corner, plus happy hour at The Chow Kit Kitchen & Bar, and you’ve got the ingredients for a boss lady escape.

The perfect city staycation, if you ask us, includes ample sangrias on a sun-soaked terrace; the dreamiest rooftop pool to dip our toes into; and a brush with the cool citizenry of Changkat nightlife. These, and more, are all on offer at The Kuala Lumpur Journal, a 112-key stay in the city’s entertainment-and-shopping hub of Bukit Bintang.

Rooms feature all the mod-cons you’d expect from a mid-range boutique hotel: blackout curtains, linens, a mini bar, a coffee machine, a JBL wireless speaker. There’s no restaurant, unless you count The Swimming Club serving up poolside bites and snacks, but with the famous food street Jalan Alor only a 5-min walk away, you won’t mind.

Only an hour’s drive from central Kuala Lumpur lies Villa Ijo, an idyllic escape in the village of Batang Kali. Surrounded by lush greenery and stunning scenery, this airbnb is the perfect antidote to fast-paced city life. A place to disconnect with tech and to connect with loved ones and friends. The open-plan estate has three bedrooms and sleeps up to nine guests. Fix a meal in the fully-furnished open kitchen, bond over a barbecue or a picnic along the river, or while away with drinks, bites and conversations on the balcony as the sun sets.

For those seeking natural highs, the river is a short walk from the villa. Or if you’re more adventurous, trek the moderately-challenging hike through the forests to reach the three-storey Chiling Waterfalls.