Hotels in Alor Setar City Center

Alor Setar formerly known as Alor Star from 2004–2008, is a city and the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia, which is the second largest city in the state after Sungai Petani, Kedah. The city is home to the Central State Administration Centre and is the administrative centre of Kota Setar District.

Alor Setar was founded in 1735 by Kedah's 19th Ruler, Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin II. The earlier administrative centres were located in Kota Bukit Meriam, Kota Sungai Emas, Kota Siputeh, Kota Naga, Kota Sena, Kota Indera Kayangan and Kota Bukit Pinang.

The majority of population of Kedah is Malay Muslims. And most of them speak Kedah dialect of Malay language. However, some are speaking Thai language as vernacular. There are two kinds of Thai-speakers in Kedah. One of them is the people called the Samsams. They are Malay-Muslims. Another Thai-speaker in Kedah is the Siamese. Most of them lived in Pendang district.

How to Get There

By Plane

Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, Malindo Air and AirAsia fly daily to and from Alor Setar and Kuala Lumpur. You can board your flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1&2 (KLIA) in Sepang to reach to Sultan Abdul Halim Airport in Kepala Batas where it is a 20 minutes’ drive from Alor Setar.

By Car/Bus

You can take a five-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar using the North-South Expressway. Air-conditioned express buses to Alor Setar can be boarded at the Jalan Duta Bus Terminal in Kuala Lumpur where it takes 6-7 hours of travelling time.

By Train

The Senandung Langkawi Express train departs from KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur daily and stops at major towns in Kedah such as Alor Setar, Sungai Petani and Gurun before proceeding to Haadyai in Thailand.

By Ferry

Passenger ferry services to and from Langkawi to Kuah Ferry Service are provided at Jeti Kuala Kedah, Alor Setar. The jetty is located 15 km west from city. Travellers can take bus or taxi from city to the jetty.

Tourist Attractions

Alor Setar is blessed with many attractive and beautiful places to visit. A famous landmark in Alor Setar is Masjid Zahir, features black domes. A prominent landmark in the city is Alor Setar Tower.This tower is 19th tallest in the world and the second highest in Malaysia after the Kuala Lumpur Tower. To know all about Alor Setar, you may visit Sultan Abdul Halim Gallery features over 2000 items from the personel collection of the Sultan Kedah, official documents, place attire and accessories. After visiting this gallery, you can walk to nearby attractions like the Balai Nobat, Balai Besar, Masjid Zahir, Balai Seni Negeri, Pekan Rabu, Rumah Merdeka and The Alor Setar Tower. During your stay in Alor Setar do not forget to visit Tun Mahathirs Birth Place Alor Setar. Malaysia’s fourth and longest serving Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad, was born in this traditional one room wooden house in 1925. Besides that you may visit Paddy Museum that is situated at the foothills of Gunung Keriang. Apart of that you may spend hours at Gunung Keriang Cave to enjoy the nature where the cave is about 8km from Alor Setar. Alor Setar is famous with shopping activity for you to go to Pekan Rabu to purchase handicrafts and local food.

Alor Setar is the state capital of Kedah that is known as richest in Malay culture. The location near the border with Thailand, there would be elements of Thai Culture in the building, the local cuisine as well as in places of worship.

Try the delicious northern delicacies of Kedah and sample traditional delicacies like the laksa Kuala Kedah, gulai rebung, pekasam and nasi ulam. You may also try vegetarian food at Chinese Restaurant. In the evenings, you can head towards Tanjung Dawai to enjoy the popular ikan bakar and seafood dishes. Alor Setar also offers delectable Thai food.

You can visit Alor Setar all year around except for monsoon season to avoid inconvenient trip. Read up some Kedah Travel Information to plan your trip to Alor Setar. Do not forget to bring enough money for shopping local product and duty free outlets at Bukit Kayu Hitam. Bring along camera to take photo of the beautiful scenery of Kedah paddy field.

Hotels

Holiday Villa Alor Setar City Center Kedah

This 4-star luxury hotel, situated at the heart of Alor Setar's city centre. Holiday Villa City Center Alor Setar is linked to City Plaza shopping complex and offers comfortable rooms and leisure facilities. Rooms are elegantly furnished and are fitted with air conditioning, television and en-suite bathroom. Free internet access is also provided along with 24-hour room service. The other facilities include fitness centre, sauna, business centre and shopping arcade.

Grand Crystal Hotel Alor Setar

Grand Crystal Hotel Alor Setar is a 3-star hotel features modern colonial-styled hotel, situated in the business district of Kedah, is located 25 minutes from the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Danok. Guest will enjoy easy access to the nearby duty-free complex that offers amazing deals on a wide selection of imported goods. They provide the best facilities for guest that include free wifi in all rooms and wifi in public area,free carpark, outdoor swimming pool, laundry services, family room and room service. Located near to bus and rail station, hospital, clinic, farmacies, bank and convenient store.