PEAK TIMES: View of the Petronas Towers from the Heli Lounge Bar

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I’M STANDING on a helipad, 34 floors up, cocktail in hand, admiring the sun setting over the illuminated Petronas Towers which still tower above me. It may not be Malaysia as it was in colonial days but it has a glamour that you wouldn’t fi nd anywhere else. This is the Heli Lounge Bar; the bar itself is downstairs, fittings and tables fashioned from old aircraft. But here there are no walls, just a dizzying, flat space and 360-degree views over Kuala Lumpur. The city, KL as everyone calls it, is at the meeting of two rivers (the name means, somewhat unglamorously, muddy confl uence) and I can see that as well as parks, historic areas and yet more glittering towers. KL is a mix of old Malay, heavy with temples and mosques, small local cafes and a bustling Chinatown, and steel and glass and western-style shopping malls. What’s right up to the minute is the direct British Airways route from Heathrow, making it the place for an unusual break. I’m staying at the Majestic Hotel, built in 1932 in neo-classical/ art deco style and now with a modern tower alongside. The original Majestic Wing certainly lived up to its name, its elegant rooms featuring a roll top bath, walk-in power shower and a butler. The beautiful orchid conservatory is the place for traditional English afternoon tea and I have pre-dinner drinks in the Smoke House, a decadent 1930s style lounge. The signature cocktail is the Code 55 & 2 Bulat, named after an incident back in the day involving a gentleman, two ladies, a Colt 55 and two bullets. The drink, with the kick of a rifl e, comprises two test tubes of different liqueur in a glass of beer, all to be fi red down at the same time.

HIGH AND MIGHTY: The statue of Hindu god Murugan stands beside the 272 steps leading to the Batu Cav

The cuisine in KL is a mix of the cultures found here – old Malay, Indian, Chinese and Thai. I have a fabulous dinner at the Old Colonial Cafe in the Majestic, where the food is served in a modern way but with traditional flavours (the Hainanese beef soup and honeyglazed cod fish were particularly memorable) but I also loved the Malay cuisine at Bijan where you can find enticing dishes such as rendang curry (an Indonesian beef stew) and tasty banana leaf- filled rice balls. Another memorable spot is the open-air SkyBar on the 33rd floor of the Traders Hotel. There are yet more views of the Petronas Towers (at 1,500ft, the world’s tallest twin towers, linked by glass bridge on the 41st and 42nd floors) which at midnight slowly fade into darkness. In contrast I lit up with the Flaming Lamborghini, an incendiary cocktail that’s set ablaze so make sure you’re not wearing too much hairspray. The swimming pool, however, dominates the middle of the bar, so you’re never too far from water. The following morning after a feast at the Majestic involving anything from croissants to curry, eggs to egg noodles, it was time to actually head to the top of the Petronas Towers. The bridge is another dizzying place, while the 86th fl oor has an unrivalled 360-degree panorama. In the basement is one of KL’s largest shopping malls, glittering with Armani and Gucci.

SPICE OF LIFE: KL's bustling Chinatown