The views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline absolutely blew us away. All it took was an elevator ride to the top floor of our Airbnb condo building on our first day to realize we were in for a treat over the next six weeks.
We had spectacular views of the famous Petronas Towers and the iconic Menara KL tower from the 35th-floor infinity pool. In the evenings, the rooftop was a magical spot to relax and soak in the views.
From that moment, we were on the hunt for the best views and experiences in this vibrant city. From fancy restaurants to rooftop bars to the top of the towers themselves, the number of options was daunting, but after some research and careful consideration, we chose a different spot to check out each week and can’t imagine there being any better places than these.
Helipad bar
The most unique experience was hands-down at the Helipad bar, a fully functioning helicopter pad at the top of a 34-story tower that morphs into a rooftop bar in the evenings.
Nothing beats watching the evening sky turn from shades of orange and pink to beautiful twilight with all the buildings lighting up to put on their own unique, nighttime show.
We had unobstructed, 360-degree views of the stunning KL skyline. That’s right. No walls, no windows. Just a thin rope that might keep patrons from falling off the tower’s edge. We sipped tropical, sunset drinks as the sun dipped behind a building near the KL Tower creating a lovely rosy glow.
Opposite the sunset, we had a great view of the Petronas Towers and the EQ luxury hotel.
The menu at the Helipad was surprisingly enticing, so we couldn’t help but stay for dinner as well to continue to enjoy the amazing night scene. Minced beef croquettes were a delectable starter, and the smoked duck pizza was our favorite entrée.
We were surprised how many people came for a quick drink and then left. We turned the evening into a multi-course affair to be able to savor every bite and every moment. Our third course was another fancy cocktail (hello, passion fruit martini) with a peanut chicken pizza. To finish off the evening, we finally got the Thai/Malaysian dessert staple, banana fritters with vanilla ice cream.
The KL tower gave us a brilliant light show as we relished our delicious meal and fancy cocktails.
With amazing food, locally-inspired cocktails, and unparalleled views, an evening out at the Helipad is hard to beat.
Marini’s on 57th
Located adjacent to the famous twin towers at Menara Petronas Tower 3, Marini’s on 57th is the highest rooftop bar in the city and is at the pinnacle of glamorous nightlife in KL. Marini’s is comprised of different sections including an indoor bar, an open-air bar, an Italian restaurant, and a cigar/whisky lounge, and boasts unrivaled views of the Twin Towers. We started off the evening with sunset drinks at the indoor bar. The vibe was pretty laid-back with chill beats by percussionist DJ CC during the golden hour. Rain hindered the views a bit, but the drinks here were on point.
Our evening then progressed to a six-course dinner at the romantic Italian restaurant, awarded as the best restaurant in the country on multiple occasions. The food was definitely the star at this stage of the evening. The presentation of each dish was impeccable. The first course was the most elegant “scrambled eggs” we’ve ever seen, surprisingly served in an intact eggshell with parmesan cheese foam and black truffle shavings.
One of our other favorite courses was the butter parmesan cheese ravioli with balsamic reduction and black truffle. The main course was La Milanese, a breaded veal tenderloin served with Lyonnaise potatoes, shaved grana Padano, and lemon caviar.
After our dessert course of strawberry mille-feuille, we headed out the glass back doors of the restaurant that led to the open-air bar with the best view of the towers.
Wow! No matter how many times we had seen the towers previously, this view was stunning. The outdoor bar had a dramatically different vibe from the restaurant and played some of the best old-school hip-hop songs. We couldn’t help ourselves but to grab the last empty table and order a little nightcap as we didn’t want the evening to end.
Petronas Towers
After seeing the towers from multiple viewpoints around town, we were even more impressed by the architecture when we finally got the opportunity to see them up close. And by up close, I mean actually in the top of one tower, looking straight at the other tower.
The Petronas Towers are the world’s tallest twin structures and held the title of tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004. A double-decker skybridge connects the twin towers on the 41st and 42nd floors and holds the record for the highest two-story bridge in the world. Our timed tour entry was with a group of about 15 other individuals, and we were first escorted into an elevator that whisked us up to the skybridge where we had about 15 minutes to enjoy the view and take pictures.
We then were escorted to a different elevator for our ride to the 86th-floor observation deck where 360-degree views of the KL cityscape awaited us. Although it was a little bit hazy, we also appreciated being able to see beyond KL to the limestone hills and mountains surrounding the city.
However, the highlight was definitely being able to get an up-close look at the top of the other tower and to see the details in the pinnacle and the facade. The steel and glass façade absolutely sparkles in the brilliant sunshine.
The pinnacle houses aircraft warning lights and external maintenance equipment and features a spire with 23 segments and a ball comprised of 13 rings. The stainless steel and glass façade was designed to resemble Islamic patterns, as a nod to Malaysia’s Muslim religion, and the shape of the tower was based on an Islamic symbol, Rub el Hizb, two interlocking squares that form an eight-pointed star.
We also thought the vantage point from this tower was pretty cool because at the perfect angle, we could line up the three most impressive high-rises in KL…Merdeka 118, the Petronas Tower, and KL Tower.
Another fun fact…Merdeka 118 may not be as famous as the Petronas Towers, but it is currently the 2nd tallest building in the world behind the Burj Kalifa. We affectionately called it the unicorn building because of the odd spire placed on top. The building was recently completed at the end of 2022, and the observation deck on the 118th floor is scheduled to open to the public later this year. So, the next time we visit KL, we can get a whole new vantage point of the city.
Skybar
The multi-award-winning Skybar is located on the 33rd floor of the Trader’s Hotel and is the only rooftop bar to have unobstructed, straight-on views of the Petronas Towers and the Skybridge.
We had reserved a cozy cabana booth by the windows for the best view. Once the rain cleared, the top row of windows were opened up so a pleasant evening breeze could flow through the bar area. We sipped cocktails as the sun set creating a beautiful background of orange, pinks, and purples behind the Twin Towers.
The overall vibe was pretty laid-back, and we felt like we had our own private viewing of the towers given the walls separating each of the cabanas and the pool between the cabanas and the rest of the bar. The tapas and cocktails were creative and delicious. We munched on duck confit baos, braised beef rib baos, teriyaki salmon, and lemongrass crème brulee. Our favorite cocktail was the pandan cocktail called Wild Green Forest (rum, lemon juice, pandan syrup, peach liquor).
From our vantage point above KLCC park, we had a great view of the nightly Lake Symphony light and sound water fountain show in front of the towers.
The night-time view of the illuminated Petronas Towers was most definitely the highlight of the evening though.
Vertigo
On the 59th and 60th floors of the Banyan Tree hotel, Vertigo provides panoramic views of the radiant KL skyline and a wide variety of wine, beer, classic and signature cocktails, and tapas. We lucked out and got seated with the Petronas Towers right in front of us.
The bar had tremendous energy as hip-hop beats filled the air and neon lights created a dance party atmosphere. You could feel the buzz of excitement as new guests arrived in awe of the views, and so many people came over to pose by the towers trying to get that perfect Instagram shot. We definitely had the best seats in the house. But, the KL skyline has so many iconic buildings and twinkling lights that we also took a turn wandering around to see the view from the other side, which included the KL tower, the sparkly Pavilion shopping district, and the Exchange 106, another mega-tall skyscraper with an 11-story illuminated crown.
Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower (KL Tower)
The 421-meter telecommunications tower provides the highest viewpoint in KL for the general public.
In a little theater on the ground floor, we watched a “making of” video, which gave us an appreciation for the artistic details in this simple structure. In particular, the elevator lobby had the most impressive glass-domed ceilings that sparkled like diamonds. Iranian craftsmen were brought in to create the ceiling using a three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture known as Muqarnas.
We almost didn’t go to the KL tower as we thought it might be a little too touristy, but we are glad we did as it provided yet another, fantastic viewpoint to enjoy the cityscape during the daytime. We had fun picking out our favorite buildings, checking out the coolest rooftop pools, and appreciating all the impressive architecture, including a great view of Merdaka 118’s diamond-shaped glass façade and 520 ft spire.
We could even spot our Airbnb condo building, the asymmetric, black-colored twin towers on the right side of this picture:
The two brown towers on the left are part of the mall with the largest indoor amusement park in Malaysia, Berjaya Times Square.
Can you spot the Helipad Bar and Lounge in the picture below?
Of course, we couldn’t resist a selfie with our favorite unicorn building (aka Merdeka 118) as well as more poses with the Petronas Towers.
Visiting KL tower was one of the final activities that we did during our six-week stay, and we thought it was a nice way to get one final birds-eye view of some of the most impressive architectural buildings in the world and one of the most stunning skylines that we have ever seen.
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