Page 55 - Globale Traveler

CITY SIGHTS:
Kuala Lumpur skyline with
Petronas Twin Towers (far
left), view of the city from the
Petronas Towers (top), Kuala
Lumpur monorail (bottom left),
and National Sports Complex
(bottom right)
PHOTOS: © TOMAS1111 |
DREAMSTIME, © SALVADOR MANAOIS
III | DREAMSTIME, © RAVINDRAN JOHN
SMITH | DREAMSTIME, © BOKGALLERY |
DREAMSTIME

LODGING

ALOFT KUALA LUMPUR
SENTRAL
Situated opposite Sentral
Station, the Aloft sports
cool décor with plenty of
quirky facilities, including
free-to-use computer
terminals and a food truck
in the entrance serving
drinks and snacks.
5 Jalan Stesen Sentral
$$

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL
KUALA LUMPUR
Enjoy 5-star luxury in
an excellent downtown
location set within verdant
tropical gardens. Upgrade
to the Horizon Club
for extra facilities and
services, including use of
a private lounge.
meeting point of two rivers, the Klang and the Gombak, from 1998 until 2004 (when the Taipei 101 Tower topped 11 Jalan Sultan Ismail
Kuala Lumpur means “muddy confluence.” out in Taiwan). The cost was enormous (around $1.6 $$$$
From humble beginnings as a settlement for tin miners, billion), but the twin towers served their purpose. They
the city became a trading hub (thanks to those two rivers) firmly entrenched Kuala Lumpur, and the state oil company VILLA SAMADHI
and eventually the administrative capital of British Malaya. Petronas, in the global popular consciousness. Inspired by traditional Ma-
At independence in 1957 it was still something of a backwa- Within the next decade, the city’s ambitions will also be laysian architecture, this
ter, with city life largely centered on the British colonial club proclaimed in speed. Work is just beginning on a new 220- small city hotel exudes a
and the adjacent cricket field. mile high-speed rail link from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. tropical resort vibe. From
From that point on, Kuala Lumpur flourished against The project, expected to cost around $15 billion, will cut the ground-floor rooms
the odds. With an industrious, multicultural population (50 journey times from the current four to five hours by road you can dive directly from
percent Malay, 24 percent Chinese, 7 percent Indian), the to just 90 minutes. The provisional date for completion is your veranda into the
city fearlessly embraced new opportunities and established 2026. At the signing ceremony for initiating the project, swimming pool.
itself as one of the powerhouses of the 21st century. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak insisted the linking 8 Persiaran Madge
This is a city that doesn’t lack ambition. In the 1990s, of Kuala Lumpur to Singapore will be a game changer, $$$
that ambition was expressed vertically. The 1,483-foot providing fresh economic impetus for both cities.
Petronas Twin Towers reigned as the world’s tallest buildings Despite Kuala Lumpur’s relentless progress, the city

FEBRUARY 2018 globaltravelerusa.com 55