I’m going on a two week excursion with my bestie through Malaysia, Singapore and Phuket. We chose these three countries for the simple fact that Americans can enter them easily and without a visa. I’ve previously been to Kuala Lumpur (read about that here), so I knew it would be a great place to start the trip. I’m going to give a price break down in this article for preliminary costs, but stay tuned for follow up articles about each place we visit!
Kuala Lumpur (3 nights)
Chiang Mai » Kuala Lumpur AirAsia flight (OW) – $65 USD
Dorms KL hostel – $19 USD/pp
- includes breakfast
Update: This hostel was phenomenal! I would recommend it to anyone visiting Kuala Lumpur. The front of the hostel is home to an absolutely amazing Indian restaurant. It was amazing starting my day off with daal tadka, roti and a warm teh tarik. The staff is kind and the location is right next to the party street and easy to find.
Malaaca, Malaysia (3 nights)
Transport KL » Malaaca -$7 USD
Ringos Foyer Guest House – $23 USD/pp
- includes breakfast
Update: Ringos Foyer was cute. It was a bit rundown, which is to be expected because Malaaca is a small cruise town. The staff was nice, but they were volunteers and weren’t able to give us much information about the area. The location was really impeccable as it was only a 5-minute walk to the main walking and sightseeing area. The breakfast was good too. There was a chef who made various western breakfasts.
Singapore (2 nights)
Transport Malaaca » Singapore – $9 OW
Quarters Capsule Hostel – $25/pp
Update: This hostel was really nice. The location wasn’t amazing, but it was ok because we only spent one night there. The breakfast here was basic. I would recommend because it’s a very clean, nice and cheap place to stay in Singapore.
Gayleng airbnb – $55 USD/pp
Update: We loved this place. The Airbnb was in a space with four bedrooms, a shared bathroom, kitchen and washing machine. This place was a 10 minutes straight walk from an MRT station and close to really great food options. We were able to eat very cheaply. Gayleng is the red light district, but we weren’t near any of the hoopla. It was a very quiet and safe area. It was my favorite accommodation of the entire trip.
Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia (3 nights)
Singapore » Penang JetStar flight (OW) – $57 USD
Ryokan Muntri Boutique Hostel – $19 USD/pp
- includes breakfast
Update: Ryokan was cool and in a wonderful location. The breakfast was basic, but good and it was in a location that was walkable to many of the things we wanted to see and visit.
Phuket, Thailand (4 nights)
Penang » Phuket AirAsia flight OW – $22 USD
Memory Boutique Patong – $90 USD/pp
- includes breakfast
Update: I didn’t stay at the hostel because I was cast to be in a Spike Lee Joint (an article about that coming later) but I was told the place was really nice and well maintained. Breakfast was a standard hotel breakfast.
Total price? $366 USD per person for our accommodations and transportation to and from each place. I’m going to follow up this article with how much was spent daily, how the accommodations were, what excursions were worth it and anything else that I think will help your trip go smoothly. Happy travels and stay tuned!
One Cup of Tee 