The Best Places to Stay and Do in City Centre

A 1930s Art Deco rubber-trade building in the middle of Chinatown turns out to be a surprisingly good place to hide a minimalist boutique hotel. Else leans into the urban-resort idea: rooms named Mantra and Sanctuary, an outdoor pool ringed by cabanas and sensory-deprivation pods, and a boutique gym. The Michelin Guide awarded it one Key. Step outside and you're in one of KL's liveliest neighborhoods; inside, the whole point is that you don't feel it.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Key

Floors 100-and-something inside Merdeka 118, the tallest tower in Southeast Asia, is where you'll find this Park Hyatt, which commits fully to the altitude. The 252 rooms come with soaking tubs, personal dining spaces, and windows that make Kuala Lumpur look like a scale model. There's a spa on the 99th floor offering salt therapy and steam, which is either very calming or very on-the-nose, depending on your mood.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels