Taking young kids on a weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur

With the weeklong March school holidays approaching, many parents are scrambling to plan a short getaway with the kids. As our four-year-old son (nicknamed Barnacles) has not started primary school yet, we usually enjoy off-peak travel outside the school holidays. However, when close friends with two boys aged seven and four recently suggested we joined them on a short getaway to Kuala Lumpur (KL), we decided it would be a good opportunity for the kids to have some fun together.

Planning the trip brought back to memory a conversation we recently had with other good friends who don’t have kids. They thought that they would have to give up travelling if they had kids. That led us to take stock of the differences between the trips we took when it was just the two of us and our holidays with the kids. The latter are getting more enjoyable as the kids grow older and can share more activities with us.

We have been to KL several times as it is a convenient destination with two kids. Our last trip was almost a year ago when we flew there for a few days to relax, shop and dine while the kids – mostly our then three-year-old Barnacles as our younger son was barely three months old – enjoyed some kid-friendly activities.

Flying to KL

For this trip, we decided to book a flight instead of driving (like we did when we went to Malacca). The flight to KL takes less than one hour, but the taxi ride to the city adds 45 minutes of travel time.

We found that Malaysia Airlines had the best deal and was even cheaper than budget carriers. Our fare amounted to less than SG$310 for two adults, a child and an infant.

Choosing a hotel

Boulevard Hotel at Mid Valley is our favourite hotel in KL because it is directly connected to a mega mall area (bigger than Singapore’s Suntec City) and the room price is lower than most other hotels within the KL city centre area. Thanks to our strong Singapore dollar, we can expect our hotel stay with daily buffet breakfast will cost us less than SG$500 for four nights. If you have a bit more money to splurge, Gardens Hotel – also directly linked to the mega mall area – is another excellent choice.

Kid-friendly activities in KL

At the mega mall area, which includes the Mid Valley and Gardens mega malls, you can do what Singaporeans do best – eat! There is no shortage of dining places and cuisines to choose from. Funnily enough, we are such creatures of habit that we often end up at the same chain we like to patronise in Singapore – but we get to enjoy our meal at almost half the price.

For the kids, there are two large indoor playgyms – Megakidz at Mid Valley and Kid’s e-World at Gardens Mall. During our last trip to KL, Barnacles enjoyed both playgyms so much that we brought him back a second time during our short trip. Apart from these, Mid Valley also has many children’s rides and arcade games, some of which are suitable for younger kids.

From there, you can also venture out to KidZania, a large theme park where kids can experience real-life role-play. It is just a 30-minute taxi ride away, and tickets are priced at RM76.50 for children aged 4 to 17 and RM36.90 for adults. Do remember to book your tickets online as it is slightly cheaper than on site. Kids below four pay a discounted rate as there’s a limited number of activities they can participate in. Our three-year-old son still enjoyed himself and we spent close to two hours there. If you have older kids, be prepared to spend several hours, as kids may not want to leave.

Another day could be spent at Sunway Pyramid mall, which has a number of amenities for kids such as the indoor T&T Kidz Park, an amusement park with rides. The Sunway Lagoon theme park is also just a 10-minute walk from the mall. The theme park has six adventure zones — Water Park, Amusement Park, Wildlife Park, Extreme Park, Scream Park and Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon. Among other shows, the theme park features marching band performances and meet-and-greet sessions with cartoon characters such as Dora and SpongeBob. We did not manage to take Barnacles there during our last trip, but it is definitely on our to-do list. For online purchase, tickets are priced at RM126 for children aged 12 and below, and RM153 for those above 12.

With the strong Singapore dollar, now is a good time for Singaporeans to head north for some family fun. Our advice: don’t plan too many activities in a day and definitely leave room for change of plans. Remember to relax and go with the flow, so that you don’t return from a holiday needing another holiday.

Mummy and Daddy Daycare are the pseudonyms of a Singaporean husband and wife who are raising two young boys aged four and one, nicknamed Barnacles and Kwazii from the children’s Octonauts series.

Get into the minds of this couple who describe parenthood as a lifetime adventure – you are always learning something new! Whoever said parenting was a walk in the park?