Kuala Lumpur is an amazing city, but it can be difficult to pick a good hotel since there are so many options. In this blog post I will share the best hotels in Kuala Lumpur with private pool so you can enjoy a luxurious stay during your visit. This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.
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Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur
Imperial Lexis Kuala Lumpur is a luxury hotel located in the Golden Triangle area, about a 10-minutes walk from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
They offer rooms and suites that come with a private swimming pool. Some of them have a view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline, including the Petronas Towers.
Every hotel room has a king-sized bed, a walk-in wardrobe, a bathroom with a separate toilet and shower, complimentary coffee and tea, and its own pool.
The hotel has a fitness centre, a spa, and an observation deck located on its 51st floor where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the city skyline.
They also have many dining options on-site: a cafe, a coffee house, a poolside bistro, a Japanese restaurant, and a rooftop restaurant and bar. At the same time, you can enjoy teh tarik and nyonya kuih in the vibrant ambiance of Lexis Lounge.
W Kuala Lumpur
W Kuala Lumpur is a 5-star hotel located very close to the Petronas Towers. The W hotels are always decorated in bright colors and have a fun, modern vibe. This is the case for the Kuala Lumpur location too.
Their EWOW Suites have a private infinity pool. They are located on a high floor so you can enjoy views of the breathtaking skyline of Kuala Lumpur.
They have an all-day restaurant on the 8th floor and a Chinese restaurant on the 11th floor.
Banyan Tree
Banyan Tree is a 5-star hotel near Kuala Lumpur City Center. Their Sanctuary Suite has an indoor private pool with views of the Petronas Towers.
The suite also comes with a complimentary aromatherapy kit so you can fully relax during your stay. If that’s not enough, you can also sign up for additional services at their spa.
The bedroom has a king-sized bed, a smart TV, and an audio system.
The hotel has six premier dining venues, including a Peruvian restaurant and a bakery.
Villa Samadhi
I stayed at Villa Samadhi, a 5-star hotel that offers so much lush greenery and serenity that you forget you’re in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. This top hotel is located in an upscale neighborhood in the heart of the city and it is surrounded by embassies, bungalows and high-end private residences.
It’s the perfect place if you want a more quiet stay, but you still want to be in the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
The hotel is about 10 minutes away by car to the Petronas twin towers, KL Tower, the Bukit Bintang neighborhood, and the broader Kuala Lumpur city center.
Grab is the most popular e-hailing app in Malaysia and it’s quite affordable, so you can get a car to get to the city center from Villa Samadhi. I recommend you do this since the weather is very hot and humid. So even though you could walk to the city center it’s not a very pleasant experience because of the weather.
Check in at Villa Samadhi Kuala Lumpur
Check-in time starts at 3pm. For me this was perfect as my flight landed around 4pm.
Once I got to the hotel the friendly staff welcomed me and offered me cold tea and water as welcome drinks. I loved the tea! It was very refreshing and it had a nice aroma.
The check-in process was very smooth and it took only a few minutes. After that I was taken to my room and a staff member brought my luggage to my room.
Rooms at Villa Samadhi Kuala Lumpur
Villa Samadhi has 20 private villas with a different layout and a rustic-luxe room design, drawing inspiration from traditional Malay architecture and using natural materials.
I stayed in a luxe sarang suite, which is a spacious villa on the ground floor. There was a hot tub on the left-hand side and an outdoor terrace where you can relax and drink complimentary coffee and tea on the right-hand side.
Then you open another set of double doors and you get to the villa itself. First you have a nice living room with a sofa and a table. I loved how they had fresh tropical fruit waiting for me on the table.
And they also surprised me with delectable treats such as snacks, sweets, and a bottle of port during my stay. The hospitality at Villa Samadhi is unmatched. It made my stay there extra special.
On the left-hand side of the living room I had the bathroom which had a separate area for their rain shower.
And as you walked straight from the living room you got to the spacious bedroom that had a comfortable king-sized bed and plenty of storage space for my luggage.
The room had air conditioning, free wifi, a mini bar and a flat-screen tv, excellent amenities you would expect from luxury boutique resorts.
From the bedroom you could then open the door to get to a private outdoor terrace with direct access to their lagoon pool.
I highly recommend you book a private villa with outdoor pool access because starting and ending the day with a swim was fantastic.
The hotel also provided a sarong skirt to wear during my stay. And if you like it, you can also purchase one to take home as a souvenir when you leave.
Breakfast at Villa Samadhi Kuala Lumpur
Villa Samadhi offers a breakfast buffet every morning. The options are varied and include both local cuisine such as nasi lemak or roti canai and more Western food such as eggs.
There are also plenty of fresh juices, coffee and tea, and fresh fruit. I also tried the famous kaya jam for the first time while having my daily breakfast at Villa Samadhi.
Kaya is a delicious jam specific to South East Asia made from coconut and eggs. Local people usually eat it on charcoal toast and they dip the toast in half boiled eggs.
I loved kaya! I even brought 2 jars back home with me. You should definitely try it for breakfast.
On one of the days I was there I requested to have breakfast in my room. I just told the front desk the night before what I wanted for breakfast and when to bring the food.
They were punctual and got all items of my specific request right. I loved having breakfast by the pool. It was an excellent choice. Sometimes room service is exactly what you need.
In-house Dining Room restaurant
Villa Samadhi has an all-day in-house restaurant. They serve breakfast in the dining area here. And for lunch and dinner they offer a selection of Thai dishes.
I had dinner here on my first night in Kuala Lumpur and the food was so good!
The satay was so flavorful, the salads had just the right amount of heat, the main courses were very tasty, and the mango sticky rice was perfection.
Sunway Resort Hotel
Sunway Resort Hotel is a 5-star resort located about 30 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur City Center by car. It’s very close to the Pyramid Shopping Mall.
The resort has one-bedroom and two-bedroom private pool villas which are perfect for a romantic getaway or spending quality time with a small group of friends.
The villas are decorated in a tropical luxury style and have all the amenities you would need for a luxurious stay.
The resort has six dining options, including a Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill and Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza.
FAQs about Kuala Lumpur
What should I visit in Kuala Lumpur?
You can find all my recommendations here.
What should I eat in Kuala Lumpur?
There are 3 cultures that co-exist in Malaysia: Malay, Chinese and Indian. The Malay people come from Indonesia and they were the first to arrive in Malaysia.
The Chinese came to set up the tin mining business. Malaysia used to be a big exporter of tin and they needed the mining knowledge that the Chinese people already had.
During the British colonial era, the British brought Indians to Malaysia to work on rubber plantations and to build the railroads.
Both the Chinese and Indians stayed in Malaysia and these 3 distinct cultures are still preserved in today’s Malaysia. Which also means that you get to eat Malay, Chinese and Indian food when you visit Malaysia.
You can do a food tour to try as many dishes as possible.
Banana leaf (Indian food)
For the best Indian food you need to go to banana leaf restaurant where they actually serve you the food on a large banana leaf.
You will be served rice, a lot of different kinds of veggies, some pickles, curries, and meat (if you eat meat). The veggies are the same for everyone, but you can pick the type of rice you want (plain or biriani) and the type of meat or fish.
The place where my local friend took us was Sri Nirwana Maju. The food here was delicious.
Chinese food
When you’re in Kuala Lumpur you must eat on Jalan Alor Food Street once. It’s a street full of street food stalls and restaurants that becomes alive at night.
We ate at Meng Kee Grill Fish and shared a bunch of dishes. It’s nice if you’re eating here with a larger group since you’ll be able to try more dishes.
Everything we had was really good, so pick whatever sounds good to you from the menu.
Malay food
If you visit Kuala Lumpur during Ramadan, you have to go to a Ramadan Food Market. They are open only during the period when they fast from 4-7pm.
This way, people who don’t have time to cook can grab some food to eat after sunset when they break fast.
I went to the Bazar Ramadan Kampong Baru. They had so many street vendors selling traditional food. Try everything! It’s some of the best food I had in KL.
If you visit outside of Ramadan make sure you try nasi lemak, one of the most popular dishes in Malaysia. It’s made from rice, chicken, egg, peanuts, small dried salty fish, and some cucumbers.
What is the best time to visit Kuala Lumpur?
I visited late March and the weather cooperated for the most part. No matter when you visit it will be hot and humid and temperatures will be around 25-32 degrees Celsius (77-90 F). However, because of the humidity, it feels like it’s even hotter.
There will most likely be thunderstorms. It happened almost every day when I was there. But the good news is that they mostly last for a few hours. And other than that it tends to be pretty sunny.
How can I get to the city center from Kuala Lumpur International Airport?
Public transportation
You can take the KLIA Ekspres train from the Kuala Lumpur airport to KL Sentral, the main train station in the city. The trip takes about 30 minutes. Trains run every 15-20 minutes, depending on the time of day.
You can also take the bus from the airport to get to KLCC. This is the cheapest option, but it usually takes over an hour to get to the city. So I recommend this option only if you’re on a very tight budget.
Grab
Grab is the most popular e-ride app in Asia. It’s basically the Uber of Asia. So make sure to download the app before your trip.
The app is super easy to use. The service is very reliable and you can easily get a car.
This is the most convenient option to get to your hotel from the airport.
Plus, Grab is really affordable. The trip from the airport to the city center takes about one hour and it cost me only about $15. The same trip in NYC would cost you 10X this amount.
If you don’t want to download yet another app, then you can schedule a private transfer.
How can I get around Kuala Lumpur?
The capital city of Malaysia is a huge city and I didn’t find it very walkable. Pretty much everyone drives there.
If you need to get from one destination to the other I recommend you get a Grab car. The prices are really affordable. It usually costs only a few dollars and it’s the easiest way to get around.
How to get cell phone data when visiting from abroad?
The cheapest and most convenient way to get data while visiting from abroad is to buy an eSIM. An eSIM is a digital SIM that lets you activate a data plan from a provider without having to use a physical SIM card. They are super easy to use.
I use Airalo. You can go to their website, select the country you’re traveling to, select how many GB of data you want, and how many days you want the eSIM to be active for. After you pay you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to activate the eSIM.
You can activate it on your phone and the process takes under 1 minute. Once the eSIM is activated you don’t have to do anything else. When you’re at your destination you will automatically get data.
Is Kuala Lumpur safe for a solo female traveler?
Yes! I felt safe the entire time I was in Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t see any pick pockets or scammers. People are used to seeing tourists and are very friendly.
I have to say that I felt safer in KL than I felt when I visited a Western European capital city.
Kuala Lumpur could be a great destination for a first solo trip to Asia since they use the Latin alphabet, they speak English, and it’s a more developed place compared to other countries in Southeast Asia.
Do I need cash for my trip to Kuala Lumpur?
Yes, you will need cash when you visit Kuala Lumpur. The food markets, some restaurants and some stores only accept cash. Compared to Singapore, cash is a lot more used in Malaysia.
There are plenty of ATMs in the city, so if you forget to get some at the airport there won’t be any problem. If you need to exchange money there are also plenty of exchange places in the city as well.
Pro tip: always get cash from an ATM in the country you’re visiting instead of going to an exchange place. Your bank will always have better exchange rates when taking out cash in a foreign currency from an ATM.
Do I have to tip in Kuala Lumpur?
No, you do not have to tip in Kuala Lumpur. No matter where I ate I never had to leave a tip.
Do I need to book tickets for attractions in advance?
I highly recommend you book all the tickets online in advance of your trip. The popular tourist attractions can get sold out if you don’t book in advance.
Do people speak English in Kuala Lumpur?
Yes, they do. The level of fluency varies from person to person, but I had no problems communicating in English with everyone during my trip.
Do you recommend Kuala Lumpur as a solo destination?
Yes, I think Kuala Lumpur is a great place for a solo trip. There are plenty of things to do, the food is delicious, the people are friendly, and I felt safe.
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Ioana was born and raised in Romania, lived in NYC for 14 years, and is now back in Romania. She fell in love with traveling when she was little and used to visit her aunt in Vienna. Then in high school she was able to visit Siberia, Turkmenistan, Istanbul, and Tokyo through chemistry competitions. As an adult she started to travel solo once she turned 30 and visited 20+ countries so far. Ioana is a full time travel blogger and content creator with an audience of 80K+ people on Instagram. She loves to share travel recommendations and tips.