With possible
extensions in Borneo, Thailand & Sri Lanka
Tour summary:
Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, easy-going destinations
in south-east Asia: optimistic, wealthy and with a varied
mix of cultures. Kuala Lumpur is an example of how enthusiastically
Malaysia has adopted Western-style commercialism, but it
also possesses an attractive, hilly interior and excellent
sandy beaches. Cricket is thriving in a modest fashion in
Malaysia: it hosted a tri-nations tournament in 2006 between
Australia, the West Indies and India and staged the 2007
U19 World Cup. Malaysia also featured cricket in the 1998
Commonwealth Games (which is more than Manchester did).
Cricket's history stretches back to 1884 when British planters
founded the Royal Selengor club. But it is the variety of
extensions that give Red Dot’s Malaysia tour a special
flavour – with the choice ranging from from the jungles
of Borneo to the golf and beaches of Langkawi and the cultural
or hedonistic delights of Thailand. Malaysia tours can be
run from January to September. When planning your tour please
recognize that midweek cricket matches can be difficult
to arrange in Malaysia, so it is best to concentrate cricket
at the weekend.
Tour
highlights:
• Kuala Lumpur – A modern
and cosmopolitan capital city with great shopping and nightlife
and endless smiles.
• Cameron Highlands – A cooler
hill-country resort offering tranquil hills and good golf.
• Penang – Rich in culture,
heritage and beache
The following sample itinerary shows four matches in
12 days, with a two-day extension in Penang or Singapore,
a three-day extension in Langkawi, Thailand or Sri Lanka,
or a four-day extension in Borneo, but Red Dot’s itineraries
are totally flexible
Itinerary:
Fly Malaysian
Airlines on the 12-hour flight from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur,
one of south-east Asia’s most ambitious and exciting
cities. (Note: If you opt for a tour combining Sri Lanka and
Malaysia, we recommend that you opt for SriLankan Airlines).
Day 1: Arrive Kuala Lumpur - Arrive early morning
at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We recommend that you
catch the fast express train service which whizzes you in
25 minutes from the airport to KL’s Sentral Station,
where you are met by a Red Dot representative and transferred
to your hotel. An eight-hour time difference from the UK insists
that you use the rest of the day to relax and unwind before
exploring a dynamic yet compact city.
Recommended hotels: Shangri-la,
a sophisticated and elegant 5-star; The Renaissance, with
5-star and 4-star alternatives; or Park Royal, a relaxed,
good-value 4-star in the heart of the city.
Day 2: Kuala Lumpur - After breakfast, we
take you on a tour of Kuala Lumpur where you see how a city
of humble beginnings became a modern cosmopolitan city. Highlights:
National Monument, Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Independence
Square, the Selangor Club – once a popular cricket ground
– and the King’s Palace. Enjoy a breathtaking
view of the city from the KL Tower. The afternoon is free,
although we can arrange cricket nets on request. To help you
settle in to Malaysian way of life, in the evening we can
arrange a tour welcome with dinner at a KL restaurant –
perhaps Bijan, a fine-dining restaurant with traditional Malay
cuisine. After dinner, visit Chinatown. This is a bustling
night market, which offers tourist and locals alike a diverse
selection of shopping items like clothes, 'branded' watches
and shoes.
Day 3: Kuala Lumpur - MATCH 1: Midweek cricket
is not easy to obtain in Malaysia, but Kelawar CC provide
excellent initial opposition. Don’t be put off by their
artificial surface. This team, made up of Australian, New
Zealand, Sri Lanka, Indian and English ex-pats, with a sprinkling
of Malays, plays decent social cricket and can give you the
advice you need about the best watering holes for the approaching
weekend.
Day 4: Kuala Lumpur - Take a full day’s
tour to the southern state of Malacca. Malacca, forged during
a tumultuous and intricate history, epitomizes the spirit
of the nation. See the Dutch Stadthuys, St Paul’s Church
and Porta De Santiago, remnants of Portuguese and Dutch colonial
rule. Jonker Street is popular with visitors - a street of
old shophouses famous for antique items and peranakan handicraft.
The oldest Chinese Temple - Cheng Hoong Teng's Temple –
was built in 1646 and retains fine craftsmanship in the form
of mythological figures, carvings and lacquer work. Enjoy
lunch in a Peranakan Restaurant. Peranakan or Nyonya Cuisine
is a blend of Malay & Chinese cuisine.
Day 5: Saturday: Kuala Lumpur - MATCH 2:
Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia hosted an ICC international tournament
in 2006, proof the country’s respectable cricket tradition.
Discover more about one of the capital’s leading grounds.
After the match, you have a final chance to sample KL’s
nightlife.
Day 6: Sunday: Kuala Lumpur - MATCH 3: Kuala
Lumpur. This is your last day in KL. We think the city will
have surprised many of you.
Day 7: Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands (4 hrs)
Travel to the cooler hill country of the Cameron Highlands via
the highway with a rest stop at Tapah. This is the town leading
to Cameron Highlands. On the way up to the mountain resort,
we will stop at a small aborigine village and a teahouse.
Accommodation: Once you reach
the main town of Tanah Rata, we recommend that you settle in
at the luxurious Cameron Highlands Resort – a wonderful
resort facing the Golf Course. More budget alternatives are
also available.
Day 8: Cameron Highlands Morning tee off at
the golf course otherwise relax & enjoy the facilities of
the resort This golf course is the only one in the highlands.
The 18-holes, par-71 Cameron Highlands Golf Course is quite
challenging with tricky greens, undulating fairways, thick rough,
meandering streams and fine sand bunkers
Day 9: Wednesday - Cameron Highlands to Penang
(6 hrs) Visit one of the tea plantations owned by the Boh Plantations
to watch the processing of black tea and later to sample various
kind of tea in the teahouse. Also visit the Rose Garden and
Butterfly Farm. Depart the Cameron Highlands via the Simpang
Pulai Highway to Bukit Merah Laketown. Visit the Orang Utan
Island and see this extraordinary animal and the in-house infant
care unit. Continue to Penang and cross the Penang Bridge into
the island of Penang.
Accommodation: We propose that
you spend the next four nights at a beach hotel. However, if
you wish to avoid 45-minute trips between the beach area and
Georgetown, then consider the Eastern and Oriental Hotel in
the town itself. Or mix and match.
Day 10: Thursday: Penang - Today you can explore
Penang - the Pearl of the Orient and the oldest British settlement
in Malaysia. Visits include the Khoo Kongsi (Dragon Mountain
Hall) clan house, which attempts to capture the splendour of
an Imperial palace, the historical Fort Cornwallis and the Thai
temple of Wat Chayamangkalaram, which houses a 32 metres reclining
Buddha. About 30 minutes drive from the city is the military
fortress built on Penang Island in the 1930's by the British.
British Royal Engineers and local labourers blasted into the
hill to create a fort with underground military tunnels, an
intelligence and logistics centre, halls, ventilation shafts,
canon firing, sleeping quarters, as well as a medical infirmary.
This is a memorable visit to one of the significant battle scenes
in Malaya during World War 2.
Day 11: Friday: Penang - At leisure. You may
wish to explore George Town, most happily surveyed on foot or
by trishaw, which enables you to appreciate the old-world charm
of the old shops and coffeeshops. The cultural diversity of
the place is expressed in the minute details of architecture
and lifestyle, which normally escape those who only see the
city from the tour bus. If you are in search of more activity,
consider cycling along the quieter back routes on Penang Island.
Day 12: Saturday - MATCH 4: Penang Sunday:
Depart for Penang airport for a flight to Kuala Lumpur International
Airport on onward to Heathrow.
Example of extensions:
The possibility of extensions on our Malaysia tours
are rich and varied. If your time is limited, and
you wish to allow more time for these extensions,
consider removing the trip to Cameron Islands from
the Malaysia section of your itinerary. Red Dot’s
cricket tours are tailored to your exact requirements.
Borneo:
A haven for adventurers and naturalists,
Borneo must be one of the most enchanting choices
for a cricket tour group. Two regions – Serawak
and Sabah – belong to Malaysia. We use one
of Borneo’s most knowledgeable and imaginative
ground agents. Adventure activities include jungle
and mountain trekking, mountain biking, rafting
and diving and visits to underground caves. Employees
are fully-trained and licensed adventure, birding
and wildlife local guides.
Penang: This is the simplest and most economical
option. Spend two additional nights in Penang before
departing by flight to Kuala Lumpur International
Airport and onward connection to London. Penang
Island is a melting pot of cultures and traditions.
You could stay in Georgetown, studded with temples,
churches and old colonial buildings, and convenient
for Penang Cricket Club. Or travel 45 minutes to
the north-eastern coast to Batu Ferranghi, for a
selection of budget and luxury beach hotels, and
a host of watersports.
Sri
Lanka: Why not use Sri Lanka to warm up
for your tour? You could practice in Colombo and
play your opening match in the capital before moving
on to KL. Or you could just chill at a Negombo beach
hotel, near to the airport, before heading off for
KL. Alternatively, opt for a Malaysia / Sri Lanka
combo with a week or so in each country. You could
then combine Colombo and Galle beaches in Sri Lanka,
before adding Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia.
Langkawi:
Depart by flight from Penang to Langkawi. The Datao
or Andaman resort is a luxury choice, with a prized
isolated beach front. We recommend Pelangi Beach
resort as a medium-range choice in a livelier beach
area. The outstanding landscape of the Langkawi
Islands proclaims a true tropical paradise. White
sands, clear tropical waters and lovely island sunsets.
Located off the northern most tip of Peninsular
Malaysia, Langkawi is a group of 104 islands where
only three are inhabited. Golfers could enjoy a
round at the Datai Bay golf course, which has established
itself as one of the leading courses in Malaysia.
This 72-par course, surrounded by towering tropical
trees, nestles on the edge of the rainforest, with
spectacular views across the ocean. Small islands
dot the horizon while in the distance, stretching
across the bay you can see Thailand. Return flight
from Langkawi to KLIA and back to Heathrow.
Bangkok: The chances of cricket
in Thailand are slim – if not impossible –
but a final three days exploring the hedonistic
delights of the capital, Bangkok, might suit a younger
and more energetic tour group. But there is more
to Bangkok than non-stop nightlife. This frantic
and fascinating city offers ancient temples, floating
markets and river cruises. And after such an assault
on the senses, why not consider a traditional Thai
massage or spa treatment?
Phuket:
Phuket is Thailand’s most famous beach destination,
a land of warm, blue seas and tropical sunsets.
Consider golf, diving, speedboat trips and cruises
-- as well as the pulsating Patong nightlife, where
more than 100 bars vie for your attention.
Cost: TBC
Package price includes:
• Return flight
with SriLankan Airlines (inclusive of all taxes)
• From 12 night’s accommodation on twin-sharing
basis
• Breakfast at all hotels
• Air-conditioned coach for duration of the tour
• Match costs including venue hire, umpires, packed
lunches and water
• Full-time cricket liaison officer for tour duration
• Cricket assistant for organizing dressing room,
kit, drinks and assistance during
practices/warm-ups
Notes:
• Buffet lunches at games can be organized on
request
• Accommodation can be booked on half or full
board, cost on request
• 5 litres of water per player will be purchased
per game
• Venues are subject to change at the last-minute
due to first class and international
commitments
• Tour clothing can be organized, on request
Red Dot's Sri Lanka holidays and Sri Lanka tours
are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority as long as you buy Sri Lanka
flights from us. So, for full protection on your Sri Lanka holiday book your Sri
Lanka flights with Red Dot, as well as your Sri Lanka accommodation. Red Dot has
the largest selection of Sri Lanka hotels, villas and guest houses at competitive
prices and offers independent advice and flexible itineraries. Trust Red Dot for
your holiday needs in Sri Lanka, Kerala and the Maldives. ATOL protection extends
primarily to customers who book and pay for their Sri Lanka tours or Sri Lanka
hotels in the United Kingdom. [ Check
our licence ]
Tour
highlights:
Borneo:
A haven for adventurers and naturalists,
Borneo must be one of the most enchanting choices
for a cricket tour group. Two regions – Serawak
and Sabah – belong to Malaysia. We use one
of Borneo’s most knowledgeable and imaginative
ground agents. Adventure activities include jungle
and mountain trekking, mountain biking, rafting
and diving and visits to underground caves. Employees
are fully-trained and licensed adventure, birding
and wildlife local guides.
Penang: This is the simplest and most economical
option. Spend two additional nights in Penang before
departing by flight to Kuala Lumpur International
Airport and onward connection to London. Penang
Island is a melting pot of cultures and traditions.
You could stay in Georgetown, studded with temples,
churches and old colonial buildings, and convenient
for Penang Cricket Club. Or travel 45 minutes to
the north-eastern coast to Batu Ferranghi, for a
selection of budget and luxury beach hotels, and
a host of watersports.
Sri
Lanka: Why not use Sri Lanka to warm up
for your tour? You could practice in Colombo and
play your opening match in the capital before moving
on to KL. Or you could just chill at a Negombo beach
hotel, near to the airport, before heading off for
KL. Alternatively, opt for a Malaysia / Sri Lanka
combo with a week or so in each country. You could
then combine Colombo and Galle beaches in Sri Lanka,
before adding Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia.
Langkawi:
Depart by flight from Penang to Langkawi. The Datao
or Andaman resort is a luxury choice, with a prized
isolated beach front. We recommend Pelangi Beach
resort as a medium-range choice in a livelier beach
area. The outstanding landscape of the Langkawi
Islands proclaims a true tropical paradise. White
sands, clear tropical waters and lovely island sunsets.
Located off the northern most tip of Peninsular
Malaysia, Langkawi is a group of 104 islands where
only three are inhabited. Golfers could enjoy a
round at the Datai Bay golf course, which has established
itself as one of the leading courses in Malaysia.
This 72-par course, surrounded by towering tropical
trees, nestles on the edge of the rainforest, with
spectacular views across the ocean. Small islands
dot the horizon while in the distance, stretching
across the bay you can see Thailand. Return flight
from Langkawi to KLIA and back to Heathrow.
Bangkok: The chances of cricket
in Thailand are slim – if not impossible –
but a final three days exploring the hedonistic
delights of the capital, Bangkok, might suit a younger
and more energetic tour group. But there is more
to Bangkok than non-stop nightlife. This frantic
and fascinating city offers ancient temples, floating
markets and river cruises. And after such an assault
on the senses, why not consider a traditional Thai
massage or spa treatment?
Phuket:
Phuket is Thailand’s most famous beach destination,
a land of warm, blue seas and tropical sunsets.
Consider golf, diving, speedboat trips and cruises
-- as well as the pulsating Patong nightlife, where
more than 100 bars vie for your attention.