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Art Seni
One of several upmarket galleries at the Art Colony in the Starhill Gallery mall, with lots of paintings and photos by up-and-coming Malaysian artists.
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Avenue K
A relatively new arrival, this slick mall is slowly filling up with exclusive designer boutiques (eg CK, Hugo Boss) and upmarket home-décor stores. It's above the KLCC LRT station.
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Ayurvedium
KL's spas draw on traditional therapies from India, China and Southeast Asia, reflecting the diverse ethnic groups who inhabit the city - a perfect way to unwind after a cramped flight or the train ride from Thailand or Singapore. The best place to start your quest for indulgence is the swish Starhill Gallery on Jln Bukit Bintang. The 'Pamper' floor is dedicated to exclusive spa and beauty treatments: Ayurvedium specialises in traditional Indian herbal treatments.
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Bangsar Village I & II
These twin malls offer upmarket fashions (including international brands like Ted Baker and local Malay designers), plus some good stores for kids and a decent Western-style supermarket.
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Berjaya Times Square
Teen fashions and toy stores abound at this youth-oriented mall just south of Bukit Bintang. The Metrojaya department store has good deals on clothes and there's a big branch of Borders bookstore. Regular kids' expos are held here, from comic fairs to pint-sized talent contests. The centre also has a bowling alley, karaoke, a cinema, an IMAX cinema and an indoor theme park with a looping roller coaster.
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British India
The Mid Valley Megamall store of a flashy chain selling sophisticated fashions with an ethnic flavour. (There are branches of this store in most of KL's big malls.)
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Central Market
Housed in a glorious Art Deco building that looks more Miami than Southeast Asia, the Central Market was the wet market for the miners of old Kuala Lumpur. The market was constructed by the British in 1888 and was nearly demolished in the 1970s before the Malaysian Heritage Society intervened to save it for future generations. Today, it houses a touristy but colourful market with some good handicrafts - batiks, wood carvings, kris (Malay daggers), durian candies - and Malay fabrics on sale.
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Chow Kit Clothes Market
A useful market is the nightly clothes market in Chow Kit, which sells similar goods to the Petaling Street market at slightly lower prices.
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Curve
The latest addition to the KL shopping scene, this swish, ubermodern mall has loads of international names, including Ikea and Tesco. It's about 15km west of the centre in Petaling Jaya; a free shuttle bus runs three times a day between the mall and the Royale Bintang Hotel on Jln Bukit Bintang (see the website for details).
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Dive Station
If you plan to do any scuba diving or snorkelling in Malaysia, this store can kit you out with everything you need.
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House of Suzie Wong
Antiques from across Asia are gathered together in informal room settings at this eccentric Starhill Gallery store. Staff can tell you the individual history of where each item was found.
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Imbi Plaza
A good IT mall selling mainly parts, peripherals and blank digital media.
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Jim Thompson Silk
KL branch of the Thai silk company founded by Jim Thompson, who disappeared in 1967 in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands. You can buy sumptuous loose silk as well as ready-made clothes.
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Kinokuniya
Kinokuniya is a huge and highly efficient bookstore with an excellent range of English-language titles in the Suria KLCC Shopping Complex.
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Kompleks Budaya Kraf
A government enterprise, this huge complex on the outskirts of the business district mainly caters to coach tours, but it's worth a visit to browse the shops and stalls selling batik, wood carvings, pewter, basketware, glassware and ceramics. You can see craftsmen and artists at work in the surrounding Art Colony (check www.artkoloni.com) and the complex runs informal craft classes.
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Lot 10
Lots of genuine brand-name fashion stores and a branch of the reliable Isetan department store.
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Mid Valley Megamall
Mega is the only way to describe this enormous mall. The Megamall has 300 stores, two department stores (Metrojaya and Jusco), an 18-screen cinema, a bowling alley, a huge food court and a colourful Hindu temple. The IT World Zone on the 2nd floor is good for electronics. The new KL Komuter Mid Valley station makes getting here a cinch. There are also Rapid KL buses to Chinatown and a free shuttle bus to Bangsar LRT station.
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MPH Bookstore in Bangsar
Strong on local titles and magazines.
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MPH Bookstore in Golden Triangle
Strong on local titles and magazines.
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MPH Bookstore in Mid Valley
Strong on local titles and magazines.
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Mumbai Sé
The first KL branch of this upmarket Singapore store selling iridescent Indian fashions and home bric-a-brac.
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Peter Hoe Evolution
Peter Hoe's original batik designs on sarongs, shirts and dresses are the main draw here but you'll also find many tastefully arranged Malaysian and imported Asian home goods, too. They now have a much bigger store, with a pleasant cafe, around the corner on the 2nd floor of the old Lee Rubber Building on the corner of Jln Tun HS Lee.
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Planet Scuba
If you plan to do any scuba diving or snorkelling in Malaysia, this store can kit you out with everything you need.
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Plaza Low Yat
KL's best IT mall, with laptops and digital cameras on the ground floor and mobile phones and computer peripherals and accessories upstairs. Digital camera memory cards, card-readers and portable hard drives are particularly good value.
