Kuala Lumpur Hotels

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <h2 align="center">Kuala Lumpur Hotels</h2> <p>Find a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Get the best discounts on <a href="http://www.hotels-travelnow.com/asia/malaysia/">Kuala Lumpur hotels</a> - up to 70% off the regular rate. Make reservations online. Malaysia travel information.</p> <p><b>Hotel Grand Maya<br> Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur<br> Melia Kuala Lumpur</b></p> <p>Founded in the mid-nineteenth century, KUALA LUMPUR , or KL as it's popularly known, is the youngest Southeast Asian capital and the most economically successful after Singapore - and it's still growing: building sites abound and the city is awash with stunning examples of modern architecture, not least the famous Petronas Towers and the recently opened Museum of Islamic Arts. It's not one of Malaysia's most charming cities perhaps: it doesn't have, for example, the narrow alleys, bicycles and mahjong games of Melaka or Kota Bharu or the atmospheric waterfront of Kuching. But it's safe and sociable, and with a population of nearly two million, it's usually exciting in the day and always buzzing with energy at night. From a cultural standpoint, it certainly has enough interesting monuments, galleries, markets and museums to keep visitors busy for at least a week.</p> <p>Kuala Lumpur began life as a swampy staging post for Chinese tin miners in 1857 - Kuala Lumpur means "muddy estuary" in Malay - and blossomed under the competitive rule of pioneering merchants. But as fights over tin concessions erupted across the country, the British used gunboat diplomacy to settle the Selangor Civil War and the British Resident, Frank Swettenham, took command of Kuala Lumpur, making it the capital of the state and, in 1896, the capital of the Federated Malay States. Swettenham imported British architects from India to design suitably grand buildings, and thousands of Tamil labourers poured in to build them; development continued steadily through the first quarter of the twentieth century. The Japanese invaded in December 1941, but although they bombed the city, they missed their main targets. Following the Japanese surrender in September 1945, the British were once more in charge in the capital, but Nationalist demands had replaced the Malays' former acceptance of the colonizers, and Malaysian independence - Merdeka - finally came in 1957</p> <p>Despite much modernization, much of Kuala Lumpur's appeal - markets, temples and historic mosques - remains untouched. The city centre is quite compact, with the Colonial District centred on Merdeka Square; close by, across the river and to the south, Chinatown and Little India are the two main traditional commercial districts. One of the most prominent (and busiest) of KL's central streets, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, or Jalan TAR , as it's often known, runs due north from Merdeka Square for 2km to Chow Kit Market; closer in, west of the square, are the Lake Gardens , while to the south lie the Masjid Negara (National Mosque), the new Islamic Arts Museum , the landmark Railway Station and the Muzium Negara (National Museum). From Merdeka Square, the congested Jalan Tun Perak leads southeast to the Pudu Raya bus station, a kilometre further east of which is the Golden Triangle . This fashionable consumer sector is delineated by three main roads - Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi and Jalan Sultan Ismail - and contains most of the city's expensive hotels, nightlife locations, modern malls, and the lofty Menara and Petronas Towers which, at just over 490m high, is currently the tallest building in the world.</p> <p>All the restaurants we've listed are open daily from 10am until midnight, unless otherwise stated. Phone numbers are given where you need to book ahead. Most Malay restaurants in KL serve a limited range of dishes, so for a wider selection you'll need to dine out at one of the big hotels, many of which offer special buffets. Finding good Chinese or Tamil and North Indian food is much easier: it's served in cafés and restaurants in both Chinatown and Little India. In Little India especially, the cafés and hawker stalls do a manic trade at lunchtime in excellent banana-leaf curries, murtabak, dosai and roti. The trendiest area in KL to eat and drink in the evening is Bangsar , around 4km west of the centre, with over a dozen top-notch restaurants, two hawkers' areas - one inside a giant hangar, the other in the adjoining street.</p> </body>