alynn

hi guys,

I would like to ask for opinions regarding retiring in Malaysia...
Would you retire in Malaysia? and why?
has any of you retired in malaysia? any feedback ?would love to here it...

ex reg

A few years ago it crossed our minds as a possibility.

Now security issues are becoming a greater and greater concern.

alynn

security? what do you mean?
please explain further, i would like to know.

ex reg

Look this is all a personal feeling, but we live in Singapore now and have stopped going across the causeway to Johore Bahru just because there is a possibilty of car jacking or malicious damage to the car.
A lot of kidnappings have occured in JB recently as well.

Of course I say a lot of, etc., these may be considered minor but they have escalated quite a lot in the last couple of years.

If you don't put yourself in the way of harm then nothing will happen but a lot of these things happen in Mall car parks.

But the police don't do a lot, not sufficient police available and they get paid so little that the Traffic Police are involved in a lot of scams.

Not wishing to sound anti Malaysia because we actually love the place.

Hopefully our view will be balanced by posters who say I am talking rubbish but I've been in the region and worked in Malaysia off and on for 30 years and it's now worse than its ever been.

We still go on holidays to Malaysia and will continue to visit, but the odd off the cuff drive across the causeway for some seafood and cheap shopping now is off limits.

Can't comment on KL or anywhere outside of Johore and Malacca but suspect things everywhere are on a downward spiral.

Unfortunately.

alynn

well i can't really argue with you on that one....
Johor does have high crime rates...in fact... i think its has the highest crime rates among other states.

I live in KL. I won't say that its crime free coz its happen everywhere. if you say its getting worse...not sure in JB but in Kl i think its the same..not all that bad . I love my country with its good n bad....but not all places/state have high crime rates. example in Bangsar, have you been in Bangsar? we Malaysian would call the town The Malaysian version of Beverly Hills as there's many expat, hip & rich people living around there. all the foreign grocery stuff can get it from there (very difficult to get english herb in other part of KL or even M'sia) but crimes? its there but not as bad as u seen on TV. petty theft,pick pocket its always there...

mmm i think that its almost the same with any other country...there should be some precausion when you go out. me myself never been mugged or anythink (thank God). There are many other states in Malaysian that have alot less crime rates like Kuantan, Pahang. A small state its less an hour (i think its around 25mins or so) drive to its beaches from town. when 1 retire, you wouldn't want to retire in the buzzling town such as KL or even JB for that matter. you'd retire in places like Bangi (near to sepang KLIA) in country heights, cameron highland,penang, Kota Bahru etc. unless u want to do business the KL it is....

anyway i know that is all your personal opinion n thoughts...but its good for me to know what worries people esp. the expats. coz i do work in the Tourism Industry. i appreciate your feedback. thank you.

ozrag

I would consider Penang. I live in Sydney which is a great place but the good food in Penang is very tempting. Along the beaches up north of the island is a great place to retire. Cost of living is very cheap.

ex reg

Yeah but how tatty is the Pasar Malam along Batu Feringghi.

Actually the stretch along the road at the Paradise Hotel, Crab Village restaurant to as far as Tulang corner, is much much better than Feringghi now.
And with that massive condo development and others being built it is surely the up and coming area.

The new Indian restaurant opposite the Paradise is better than anything along Feringghi.

Penang would be a possibility if we were to retire to Malaysia but we are settled in Singapore now so that is that.

jakarta lad

every once in a while i consider retiring to taiping in perak

slowsmile

Yes I would but I would avoid KL and other cities. The most up and coming town in Malaysia is Kota Kinabalu(KK) in Sabah. Very modern but very beautiful. Natural, unpolluted jungle surrounds KK. Beautiful beaches and wonderful food.Ten times better than the other congested towns or resorts like KL or Penang......Check it out on the internet...

Best regards,

Bill

britainsamess

Well, it's developing a fundamentalist edge and nothing works.

amienleo

if you are really planning to retire in Malaysia, then you should consider the Malaysia My Second home program. This program do provide some benefits such as buying a tax free car, hiring a foreign maid, tax free offshore income and many more...

KK is good but the process of staying in east Malaysia is not as easy as in west malaysia. also the cost of living is different as well...

katongkaren

If you like Malaysia, can afford to do it, then why not? There are a lot worse places. We considered it but changed our mind and have decided on Thailand.

KLCherry

My view is that if you are in good health and active then Malaysia is worth considering as a retirement option. However, if access to medical and care facilities is important, then you may have some concerns.

Amazing Grace

My husband and I lived i Kuala Lumpur for 4 and a half years and loved every minute of it. We lived in Bangsar which was near but far enough way from the city centre which was very enjoyable to travel to with the monorail and the train service into the KLCC (Twin Towers). Bangsar is a very popular area with expats and Malaysians alike and has many nice places to eat and drink. We are from the UK and would love the chance to go back there one day. We found no problems with healthcare in fact I would say in some cases better than UK. It s a very personal choice about countries, we loved Penang but it wasnt the most modern of places but we found it very pleasant for our getaways. I hope you find what you are looking for. Good luck

marsi

Am I the only one who seems concerned about/uncomfortable with the rainfall and humidity? I have lived in rainy places (British Columbia (Vancouver) Canada), but it's the humidy of the Malay Peninsula that really got to me when I visited years ago. Even so, (maybe because I have sufficiently forgotten ) I am rethinking it as a retirement place (maybe in the hills).