With a landscape as diverse as its culture, Malaysia is the new star on the travel block.

With its increasing reputation as a highly friendly and hospitable nation, Malaysia is rapidly climbing the charts of the most favourable family holiday destinations in the world. In a country full of exotic beaches, shopping districts, food festivals and a mixture of breath taking sights and world heritage sights, Malaysia has much to offer to travellers and their myriad likes and appeals.

For children, irrespective of their age, what matters to them the most on a family holiday are the adventurous theme parks. Their love for the Merry-go- rounds, Ferris wheels and roller coasters is boundless and for all this fun, a theme park is just the right place to be. Malaysia is home to many such majestic theme parks with the Sunway Lagoon, Lego land, A’Famosa and I- City to name a few.

I-City: City of Digital Lights

As the name suggests, the best time to visit the city of digital lights is during the night. As night falls, I-City’s mesmerizing nightscape with over 1 million LED lights brighten up the sky daily in a thematic manner. The place comes alive with an amazing forest of man-made maple and pine trees brightly illuminated with seasonal LED lights themes. Next to the forest of lights is Snow Walk, an indoor snow park where visitors can escape from the tropical heat for a while and experience chilling temperatures going below 5 degrees.

The world-renowned Waterworld at I-city has made Shah Alam the splash capital of Selangor. The main feature of this water park is the exhilarating Tornado Ride, the first of its kind in South East Asia. It offers visitors the ultimate aquatic adrenalin rush by taking them on an oscillating ‘near-zero-gravity-twirl’ for a full 28-second through a 160-foot water tunnel, plummeting into a water funnel that is 7-storey high, inclined at a 45 degree angle and eventually emerging at the end of the funnel in calm, serene waters.

This summer, rejuvenate yourself at the Cameron Highlands

An ideal destination for a vacation this summer is Malaysia’s largest highland resort- Cameron Highlands. A collection of peaceful townships perched 1500 meters high on a nest of serene mountains, Cameron highlands is home to cooling resorts, tea plantations and strawberry farms sprawling across lush valleys and meandering hill slopes, the perfect setting for a relaxing holiday.

Some of the major tourist attractions at Cameron Highlands include the Bharat Tea Plantations, Strawberry Farm, Time Tunnel Museum and an extensive network of townships. Tourists can also enjoy the varieties of teas, other drinks and dishes at some of the local cafes which offer a very cosy and comfortable ambience to visitors to the highlands. Cameron Highlands lies less than an hour off the main North- South Highway, and is a pleasant three and a half hours drive from Kuala Lumpur.

Mesmerizing Melaka – A UNESCO World Heritage Sight

A charming city with an abundance of breath-taking sights and rich heritage, Melaka, greatly adds to the historical treasure of Malaysia. The city was declared a World heritage site by UNESCO on July 7, 2008. This declaration is celebrated every year in the form of an event titled TRAIL – Melaka, comprising of various traditional and cultural activities, local food and highlights of its historical significance.

In 2008, Melaka fulfilled the UNESCO criteria of representing multi- cultural trade, heritage and tradition of Asia and European colonial influences attaining the world heritage accreditation.

Laden with priceless historical treasure, Melaka is the perfect holiday getaway for history aficionados.

Langkawi: A honeymooner’s paradise

It is well known that a wedding is never complete without a well spent honeymoon. And a grand wedding followed by a perfect honeymoon is a dream for many married couples to be.  Dreams like these come true at a honeymoon destination like Langkawi. Archipelagos of around hundred Islands, honeymoons in Langkawi are draped in beautiful sandy beaches shining under the sun at one of the many welcoming resorts on the Island.

Most of the holiday resorts here are connected to the dazzling sandy beaches which offer a choice between spending the day shining peacefully under the sun or enjoying the water sports and activities at the beach. Honeymooners can sunbathe, relax or enjoy a swim on the beaches like Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah at the south west coast and Pantai Kok in the west. Nature enthusiasts can trek through the Gurung Raya forest reserves and cloak themselves with the beauty of the flora and fauna and the amazing animal and bird life of the rainforest.

This honeymooner’s paradise is the best place to unwind and have a refreshing break before a new beginning.

Penang – A potpourri of heritage and culture

Bathe in the sun on the sandy beaches, explore the quaint nooks and corners of the towns, feast on delicacies from hawker street stalls, or bargain at the exciting night markets of Penang. A charming mix of the west and the East, Penang is an island of rich Chinese heritage and is also, often known as ‘Pearl of the orient’.

Offering the best of Asia, Penang’s sights and sounds reflect the colourful heritage of the state and its people. Be it lush tropical gardens or richly designed temples and unique heritage buildings, Penang gives a glimpse into a world where nature, tradition and history blend into a rich cultural tapestry.  Some of the popular places to visit in Penang include the Penang National Park, Moonlight Bay, Penang Hill, Batu Ferringhi Night Market and the Tropical Spice Garden.

This is just a small glimpse of all that Malaysia has to offer to its travellers. Besides these places, other star attractions on the list include the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, the crown jewel of Borneo Island and the Taman Negara National Park which boasts a wildlife cover of nearly 130 million years, earning itself the tag of the ‘oldest rainforest in the world’!

With geography as diverse as this, travellers no doubt will have a unique experience in Malaysia, unlike no other. From its dazzling beaches and forests to the man-made marvels such as the theme and water parks, Malaysia will leave you coming back for more.