All Inclusive Malaysia & Thailand Discovery

Singapore is one of the world’s most efficiently extraordinary cities and two nights here before boarding give genuine time to move beyond the main attractions. The hawker centres at Maxwell Food Centre and Newton Circus, the colonial architecture of the Civic District, the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay illuminated at night and Jewel Changi Airport’s indoor rain vortex are all within easy reach. February in Singapore is the dry season and the Chinese New Year celebrations are typically at or near their peak in early February, giving the city a festive energy unique to this month.

A sea day in the Strait of Malacca heading north toward the Andaman Sea. The Malaysian coast is visible to port and the warm, calm waters of the strait are one of the most historically significant sea lanes in the world, a natural passage between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea that has shaped the trade routes and cultures of Southeast Asia for 2,000 years. The Thalassotherapy Pool, the Solarium and the Cellar Masters are all excellent companions for a warm February sea day at this latitude.

Phuket in February is the island at its finest: the northeast monsoon that shapes the wet season has passed, the skies are clear and the Andaman Sea is the most turquoise and calm it will be all year. The island’s west coast beaches, Patong, Kata and Karon, are at their best swimming conditions. The Buddhist temples of the island’s interior, Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha on the Nakkerd Hills with its 45-metre marble figure, give the day a cultural depth beyond the beach circuit. The Phuket Old Town’s Sino-Portuguese shophouse architecture, Thalang Road and Dibuk Road in particular, is some of the finest preserved colonial streetscape in Thailand. Phuket’s night markets, operating from the early evening, give the extended stay its finest expression.

A second full day in Phuket and the island reveals its quieter face. Phang Nga Bay, accessible by longtail boat or organised tour from the Ao Chalong pier, is one of the most extraordinary natural landscapes in Southeast Asia: limestone karsts rising from emerald water with sea caves, lagoons and the floating village of Ko Panyi accessible only by boat. James Bond Island, officially Khao Phing Kan, is the most visited single point in the bay and is worth the morning trip despite its fame. The Similan Islands, a marine national park accessible by speedboat, give the finest snorkelling in Thailand in February conditions.

Langkawi is Malaysia’s most distinctive island group, its 99 islands rising from the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Penang. The island’s UNESCO Geopark status covers some of the oldest geological formations in Southeast Asia. The Sky Bridge, suspended 700 metres above sea level with a cable car approach, gives the finest aerial view of the archipelago. The Kilim Karst Geoforest Park, accessible by boat, passes through a mangrove forest of extraordinary density with monitor lizards, sea eagles and the occasional crocodile in the river channels. As a duty-free island, Langkawi’s main town of Kuah has the most accessible luxury goods shopping in Malaysia. The February dry season gives the island its clearest skies and calmest seas.

Penang’s George Town is the finest UNESCO World Heritage city in Southeast Asia, its three-square-kilometre historic core containing the most intact layering of colonial British, Straits Chinese, Indian Muslim and Malay cultures available in a single walkable area. The Khoo Kongsi, the most elaborately decorated Chinese clan house in Malaysia, the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the Kapitan Keling Mosque and Fort Cornwallis all stand within a few streets of each other. The street art of George Town, where murals and steel wire sculptures by Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic have become as celebrated as the historic architecture, give the city a contemporary cultural identity that works alongside the heritage without replacing it. Penang’s food culture, widely considered the finest in Malaysia and one of the finest in Southeast Asia, centres on the hawker centres of Gurney Drive and the coffee shops of George Town, where char kway teow, laksa and nasi kandar are served at tables that have been in operation for decades.

A second day in Penang and the overnight advantage makes itself fully felt. The morning light on George Town’s streets before the day tourists arrive gives the city a completely different character from the afternoon. The Penang Hill funicular railway, climbing to 821 metres above the city, gives the finest elevated view of the island and across the Strait to the Malaysian mainland. The Batu Ferringhi beach resort area on the north coast, accessible by bus from George Town, gives the afternoon a completely different register from the heritage city below. The Penang Botanic Gardens, established in 1884 and known locally as the Waterfall Gardens, give a green and quiet alternative. The night market on Gurney Drive returns the evening to the food culture that defines Penang at its most vivid.

Port Klang is the gateway to Kuala Lumpur, 45 kilometres east along the expressway, and the capital of Malaysia gives the day a cultural and architectural scale that no other port on this itinerary can match. The Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, are accessible by the KL Sentral express train from Port Klang station. The Batu Caves Hindu temple complex, 13 kilometres north of the city, gives 272 steps of rainbow-painted staircase to the limestone cave temple above, with silver langur monkeys along the way. The Central Market, the Petaling Street Chinatown night market and the KLCC park beneath the Petronas Towers give the day three distinct areas of the city. Port Klang departs at 11pm, giving a full day and a long evening in Malaysia’s capital.

Celebrity Millennium heads south through the Strait of Malacca on Valentine’s Day, Singapore arriving tomorrow morning. The Murano restaurant specialises in occasions like this — a reservation for tonight is worth making before the day itself. The Cellar Masters wine bar and the Grand Epernay are both excellent alternatives. The passage back through the Strait gives the last views of the Malaysian coast before Singapore’s skyline appears on the horizon tomorrow morning.

Celebrity Millennium arrives in Singapore and the Malaysia and Thailand Discovery voyage concludes after nine nights covering the Andaman Sea at its finest. Nine nights have covered two full days in Phuket’s beaches and temples, Langkawi’s geopark islands, two days and an evening in Penang’s UNESCO heritage city and a full day in Kuala Lumpur. Transfer to Singapore Changi Airport for your flights home, or ask your Cruiseabout specialist about extending your Singapore stay.