Malaysia, Singapore & the Desaru Coast – Premier Collection

Start your holiday with an overnight flight to Malaysia.

Touch down in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, where you’ll be greeted at the airport by your friendly local tour manager, and transfer to your five-star hotel. This evening, you’ll have the chance to get to know your fellow travellers over a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, which will give you a memorable introduction to Southeast Asian flavours.

After breakfast, you’ll be introduced to Kuala Lumpur’s major highlights on a guided tour, starting with a walk to the iconic Petronas Towers, a pair of twin skyscrapers which have become symbols of the city’s skyline. You’ll have the chance to admire the view from outside and take pictures, before crossing the uniquely shaped Saloma Link Bridge to the smaller Malay community of Kampung Baru. This charming suburb is a hub of food stalls, street markets and traditional buildings set against the backdrop of Kuala Lumpur’s hypermodern skyline. Here, you’ll be free to interact with locals, soak up the bustle of the market, and try a few local Malaysian delicacies.  

Next will be the Moorish Masjid Jamek, a sprawl of pillars, minarets and vast onion-shaped domes, and the colourful Brickfields neighbourhood, known by locals as Little India. Here, amongst the pastel-coloured buildings, saree shops and jewellers, you’ll learn more about Kuala Lumpur’s diverse cultural influences and the significance of its South Asian community. Finish the tour at Merdeka Square, where you’ll see the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, once the administrative heart of British colonial rule in Malaysia, and the Royal Selangor Club 

After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to the Batu Caves, a fascinating religious site carved out of limestone. Dedicated to the Hindu god, Murugan, this fascinating site welcomes thousands of pilgrims each year and is home to one of the largest Hindu statues in the world. If you’re feeling up to it, you can climb the 272 steps to the main cave temple, where you’ll be met with an intricate shrine, magnificent views of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline, and occasionally a wild monkey or two!  

This afternoon, head back to Kuala Lumpur for some free time, where you can opt to see the city from a different perspective with a visit to the famous Petronas Towers and their panoramic observation deck. 

At the towers, you’ll travel by high-speed lift to the 41st and 42nd floors, where you’ll have some time to take in the city’s sprawl from the two-storey skybridge that connects the two buildings. Suspended more than 170 meters in the air, you’ll enjoy a unique perspective on the towers and the streets below, before continuing to the 86th floor for the famous KLCC Observation Deck. Here, you’ll be free to soak up the sweeping vistas and marvel at the most recognisable pieces of the city’s skyline. 

This morning, you’ll board a coach for the journey to Malacca. This ancient city, set across a narrow strait from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is a treasure trove of Peranakan (descendants of 15th-century Chinese and Indian immigrants) culture. After checking in at the hotel, you’ll be served lunch at the on-site restaurant and can enjoy a few hours at leisure.  

This evening, head to the Quayside Jetty for a river cruise as the sun sets over the city. As you meander along the waterfront, you’ll be introduced to Malacca’s timeless heritage sites, from Dutch-colonial landmarks to the oldest traditional Malay village, Kampong Morten. 

Back ashore, tuck into dinner at a local restaurant and join your tour manager for a walk along Jonker Street, with its antique shops, galleries, and famous night markets, before turning in for the night at your centrally located hotel. 

Get ready for a morning of sightseeing with breakfast at the hotel and join an expert guide for a memorable tour of Malacca’s UNESCO-listed heritage sites. Set out on foot to the Middleburg Bastion, one of nine reinforced buildings which made up the Portuguese A Famosa fortress. This stalwart building is an original part of the city walls and has stood watch over the city for almost 400 years.  

Continue your exploration as you stroll past an eclectic mix of Dutch, British and post-war buildings for the Galeri Warisan and the Porta de Santiago, before climbing St. Paul’s Hill. On the way, you’ll pass the Malacca Sultanate Palace, a wooden museum which faithfully reimagines the royal palace of the city’s Islamic sultanate. Take in the Proclamation of Independence Memorial, which was built to mark Malaysia’s secession from the British Empire in 1957, ahead of a visit to St. Paul’s Church, the oldest Catholic church in Southeast Asia. From here, you’ll pass the Dutch Graveyard and finish the morning’s tour at the Dutch Square, an enclave of colonial architecture which offers further insight into the country’s recent history.  

After the tour, head to a local restaurant for a traditional Peranakan lunch ahead of the rest of the day at leisure.  

Having witnessed the city’s colonial landmarks earlier in the day, you can see Malacca in a different light with an optional guided tour as night falls. Start at Heeren Street, better known as Millionaire’s Row, where you’ll see rows of Peranakan mansions, before returning to Jonker Street, the heart of old Chinatown.  

You’ll also visit Temple Street, where three places of worship - the Hindu Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple, Kampung Kling Mosque, and Chinese Cheng Hoon Teng Temple - stand side by side. Next is Second Cross Street, with its ornate heritage buildings, before finishing the tour by the Malacca River at Kampung Jawa, a former trading centre. After a fascinating evening’s exploration, head to a local restaurant for dinner, before returning to the hotel.  

Board a coach after breakfast and drive south through the palm-dotted countryside to Johor Bahru, the southernmost city on the Malaysian peninsula. Upon arrival, join your tour manager for a tour of the remarkable Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque, one of the most impressive Islamic landmarks in Southeast Asia. 

You’ll then pass the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum, another regal landmark which tells the tale of the city’s Sultanate past. Learn more about Malaysia’s indigenous communities, as well as their time-honoured practices and traditions, with a visit to a local house and the Malay Cultural Museum. Later, you’ll discover some of the region’s most popular exports with stops at a nearby pewter factory and batik centre, where patterned textiles are produced using wax resist. Finish today’s excursion with a visit to a Hindu temple and the city’s central market. 

Later this afternoon, continue to the neon-lit skyscrapers of ultra-modern Singapore. This vast city-state, which was once part of Malaysia before being expelled in 1965, has become a haven of modern innovation and unique eco-friendly landmarks.  

Upon arrival, head to your hotel for check-in and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not head into the city for some initial exploration at your own pace and experience Singapore’s famous hawker stall culture for yourself?  These open-air food halls offer an extraordinary range of cuisines from their family-run food stalls and characterise the city’s multi-cultural heritage.  

Get ready for a fascinating day’s sightseeing with breakfast at the hotel and join your tour manager for a guided tour of Singapore’s innovative modern attractions. Begin in vibrant ‘Little India’, a bustling district known for its Bohemian shopfronts, where you’ll be introduced to the city’s cosmopolitan atmosphere.  

Next, drive through the Civic District, the former heart of colonial rule in Singapore, for a taste of the distinctly British side of the city. Marvel at the Victoria Concert Hall, National Gallery of Singapore and Parliament House from the comfort of your seat and gaze out over the Esplanade Park and its neighbouring cricket green. Next, cross the Singapore River to Merlion Park, home to the iconic statue of the same name, where you’ll have time to take in the waterfront before heading to Chinatown. After taking in the narrow alleyways, colourful shopfronts and traditional tea houses, you’ll stop for lunch at a local restaurant.  

After lunch, you’ll head to the top of the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel, three identical towers connected by a gravity-defying Skydeck. Head to the top of the hotel to see the city at its most scenic, with nearly bird’s-eye views of the sprawl below and view the iconic Gardens by the Bay, the final stop on your tour, from above. The Gardens, spanning 105 hectares, are home to more than 1.5 million plants and feature tree-shaped observation decks, floral domes and innovative landmarks that have seen Singapore dubbed ‘the Garden City’. Back at ground level, finish today’s tour at the Supertree Grove, a collection of fascinating vertical gardens.  

If you’d like, you can opt to explore the Gardens by the Bay further with a visit to the magnificent Cloud Forest. Assembled around a 35-metre-tall indoor mountain, this innovative oasis features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and hundreds of colourful plant species. You can also walk above the jungle canopy on a series of aerial walkways, before finishing this optional excursion at the Flower Dome, which holds exotic plants from five continents in nine different gardens.  

This evening, return to the hotel for an evening at leisure. 

Once you’ve had your breakfast, you’ll be free to spend the rest of the day as you see fit, perhaps heading back into the city to revisit your favourite spots from the previous day or making the most of the hotel’s first-class amenities.  

For a memorable day’s exploration, you can delve into the history, lifestyles and traditions of the Peranakan people. Begin with a visit to the Joo Chiat, where you can admire rows of colourful 1920s shophouses and see traditional Nonya Kebayas (traditional dress). Next, head to the fascinating Rumah Kim Choo, which recreates the living quarters in a traditional Peranakan shophouse. As you wander through each room, in the company of an expert guide, you’ll learn more about what it means to be a Peranakan, before trying your hand at shoe beading in a workshop.  Later, enjoy some delicious Nyonya desserts, the fitting finale to a fascinating day. 

Alternatively, you can take part in an optional trip to Sentosa, Singapore’s ‘State of Fun’. This 500-hectare island is home to an array of themed attractions, including the Singapore Oceanarium, one of the largest in the world, and The Fort Siloso Skywalk, a raised, treetop walkway 11 storeys above the ground. While here, you can also ride a cable car to the top of Mount Faber for spectacular aerial views of the harbourfront or perhaps settle in for the marvellous “Wings of Time” light show in the evening.  

Please note: The optional excursions featured on day eight of the itinerary run simultaneously, and therefore customers are unable to take part in both.  

Leave Singapore behind this morning and head east to the palm-fringed beaches of the Desaru Coast. Your base for the next three nights will be the five-star Anantara Resort and Villas, where you’ll be free to rest and relax as you see fit. Amongst the resort’s first-class amenities are two outdoor swimming pools, which you can cool off in after check-in, and a number of exquisite dining options. 

You’ll have the rest of the day free to enjoy Malaysia’s idyllic east coast. As the sun sets this evening, why not enjoy a leisurely stroll along the gold-sand beaches nearby?  

Enjoy an easy-going morning, with breakfast at the resort, and unwind with the first of two days at leisure. For a more relaxing day, be sure to make the most of one or two more treatments at the resort’s spa or perhaps soak up a few more hours of sunshine on the South China Sea.  

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can join a kayaking or water sports session on the beach or perhaps take in the area’s exquisite natural landscapes with a walk along one of the resort’s nature trails. 

It’s your final full day in Malaysia, and you’ll have the entire day to spend as you see fit. If you haven’t already, this is the perfect opportunity to tick off any remaining wish-list experiences at the resort, explore the local area or simply unwind amongst your glorious surroundings.  

This morning, spend a few final hours at leisure on the Desaru Coast, perhaps enjoying one last spa treatment or spending a few more hours on the beach, before heading to the airport in Johor Bahru for your overnight return flight. 

You’ll land back in the UK this morning at the end of a truly unforgettable East Asian escape.