Malaysia with family of 6

We were in the Cameron Highlands last year with our kids (aged 7 and 9) and all of us really enjoyed it. It was a nice respite from the tropical heat -- since it's at altitude, it's much cooler. There are some really spectacular hikes you can do up there although for the best ones you'll need a guide and a 4X4. We liked the hike up to see the giant rafflesias. There was also a cloud forest with carnivorous plants. The tea plantation was interesting as well. It's a bit of a drive if you don't like hiking, though, since that seems to be one of the main things to do. It's very pretty. We stayed at Jurina Guest House. It's nothing special and we found the room smelled a bit damp, but it wasn't pricey and they do have a family room capable of accommodating at least 8 people, with a nice balcony. Also, I'm not sure where you're headed after that, but we were able to get transportation directly to the Perhentian islands.

we liked the atmosphere of Penang in the North West of ML.

We were in Cameron Highlands earlier this year with our 3 and 5 year olds as part of our 12 months trip around Asia. We all loved it. Yes there's not a whole heap to do but its a nice place to relax for a few days and enjoy the cool air. The half day trip to the strawberry farms and tea plantations was a lot of fun. With older kids you could even do some of the hikes. Of course if anyone gets car sick, its not a fun trip up and down the range. We stayed at Fathers GH. the rooms were only average but the grounds and atmosphere was wonderful.

Penang is great. We ended up stopping there for 5 months out of our 12 as we loved it so much. The beaches aren't that interesting but there's a lot of great things to do there for families. Good parks, a giant indoor playground with massive slides even your teens will love, the toy museum, butterfly farm, boat trips, hikes and canopy walks. And the food it just amazing. In Penang you could try Annies GH out in Batu Ferringhi if you want to be near the beach. The owners have children of a similar age to yours so they'd be a great help in finding things to do. Otherwise we have plenty of info on our blog about things to do in Penang for families http://www.ourtravellifestyle.com One quick trip is don't do organised tours through the operators in Batu Ferringhi, particularly boat trips. You can catch the buses just about everywhere and boats trips arranged from the operators at the national park are a fraction of the cost.

Langkawi was really nice too. A good place to relax for a few days. We didn't like the accommodation that we stayed in so I won't recommend it! But it was a lovely relaxed island.