Bukit Bintang

Location

Nestled within Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, the Bukit Bintang district begins with Bukit Bintang Road which starts at Raja Chulan Road and ends at Pudu Road. The two other roads that border the Bukit Bintang district are Sultan Ismail Road which intersects it and Imbi Road at the south. Walter Grenier Road, Bulan Road, Changkat Bukit Bintang and Alor Road are considered part of the entertainment district.

History

Tong Shin Road in Bukit Bintang was the focal point of the Malaysia's deadly May 13 race riots. Back in the late 1980s, corporate magnate Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay proposed a rejuvenated retail cluster in Kuala Lumpur. He started retail developments in this area through a conglomerate YTL Corporation and branded the area as Bintang Walk. The district has since undergone a transformation to become one of the hippest destinations in the city, though the decentralisation of malls in Kuala Lumpur of late has seen more sophisticated malls sprouting around the fringes of the city proper at an unprecedented rate.

Overview

Bintang Walk refers to the more developed stretch along the main Bukit Bintang Road and Sultan Ismail Road roads, with the intersection of these two roads as its axis. This place has been transformed over the last 5 years to become one of the most trendy and busiest shopping clusters in the city.Street furniture lines the pavements here. Upscale cafes, restaurants and clubs continue to make their presence felt here. On weekends, thousands of locals as well as tourists throng Bintang Walk and its shopping centres. Many major nightlife events take place here such as the New Year's countdown, Merdeka eve celebrations, street concerts and parties. The annual Malaysian F1 Grand Prix pit stop and Guinness St Patrick's Day Celebrations are held here too.

There are two major annual fashion events held here annually. The STYLO Fashion week as well as the annual glitzy Malaysia International Fashion Week (M-IFW).

Shopping

Bukit Bintang is one of the city's shopping districts. Many of the city's major retail malls are located in this area, including Berjaya Times Square, Bukit Bintang Plaza, Imbi Plaza, Fahrenheit 88, Low Yat Plaza, Starhill Gallery, Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10 and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Imbi is a commercial area located near Bukit Bintang and being a popular tourist spot, the district is especially crowded during public holidays and peak hours. The Berjaya Times Square shopping complex and hotel is located in Imbi. Imbi Road is the main road running through this area.

List of shopping malls

Bintang Walk

Restaurants dedicated to Arabian gastronomy have been sprouting along the core of the Bintang Walk of late as a result of a recent general initiative to lure Arab tourists to this region. Popular Maghreb and Lebanese alongside Iranian delicacies are increasingly served by restaurants. However, there are still plenty of trendy and chic restaurants catering to international fare, especially in the BB park area.

"Hutong" on Lot 10

Hutong (Chinese: 胡同) is referred to as Malaysia's first gourmet heritage village, a food court inspired by the Old China influences. The term Hutong is commonly associated with narrow alleys in Beijing's oldest neighborhoods. Located on the lower ground floor of Lot 10, this newly revamped food court features 25 street food stalls selling locally renowned and established Chinese eateries scoured across Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It is directly connected to Bintang Walk via an escalator.

BB Park

Previously an entertainment park owned by Low Yat plaza and Sons Realty, BB Park has been extensively revamped to keep abreast with changing times. Its axis is located along the lower section of Bintang Walk, its concept revolves around social dining and cultural themes. It hosts themed-restaurants in a semi-open air setting which serves up mainly foreign foods including French and German cuisines. The park features Live entertainment in the form of Live bands and cultural shows, and are held during some weekdays alongside during weekends. Besides food joints, some of BB Park's tenants include local art galleries.

Changkat Bukit Bintang

Changkat Bukit Bintang is located perpendicular to Bintang Walk and Alor Road. This is the upmarket gastronomy district of Bukit Bintang. Fine dining joints line the street. It boasts pre-war, colonial buildings which have been refurbished into upmarket restaurants and pubs, serving up Western dining. Changkat Bukit Bintang is also home to one of Kuala Lumpur's hippest and happening party venues.

Alor Road

Alor Road is an entire street dedicated to cheap hawker food of mainly local Chinese cuisines. Located within walking proximity of Bintang Walk, it is popular among the locals for offering food served in a traditional open-air atmosphere, with chairs and tables dotting the curbs and road-sides. This is a place burgeoning with activity both during night and day. While some hawkers erect stalls along curbs, others operate food stalls from utilitarian restaurants. The food served in local hawker stalls is generally cleaner than their counterparts in Malaysia's less-developed neighbouring countries. For local and foreign Muslim, most of the stalls are non-halal.

Indoor theme park

Berjaya Times Square Thema Park is a theme park located between level 5 and 7 of Berjaya Times Square. It is Malaysia's largest indoor theme park, measuring 133,000 square feet (12,400 m²). It features both children rides and thrill rides.

Spa and foot reflexology

The Bintang Walk district is famous for its specialist foot/body massages and spas-related services. There are numerous shops along the district offering different types of massages inspired by Chinese traditions. These stores also offer exotic foot treatments. These incorporate reflexology, which stimulates acupressure points on the foot. Among the claimed benefits of foot massages are better blood circulation, cures to certain ailments and a balanced, detoxified body. In these shops, patrons sit on reclining long chairs and spend up to an hour or more getting their feet treated to a thorough massage. Charges are measured by duration and types of the massages. The shops are usually open till the wee hours of the morning, which is when the bulk of the business comes.

Monorail

Bintang Walk is accessible via Bukit Bintang Monorail station, which is located at the intersection of Sultan Ismail Road and Bukit Bintang Road; Imbi Monorail station which is located right next to Berjaya Times Square and Raja Chulan Monorail station which is connected to the elevated pedestrian walkway from Suria KLCC to Bukit Bintang.

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

Under the upcoming Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT), one station has been designated for Bintang Walk under the finalised Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, namely Bukit Bintang. The previous proposal to have two stations- Bukit Bintang East and Bukit Bintang West -have been etched and consolidated into one. Operations will begin in 2017.

Other access

In 2011, Petronas spent RM100 million under its social contribution programme to build an elevated, air-conditioned walkway from Suria KLCC shopping centre to Pavilion shopping center in Bukit Bintang. The walkway includes a 562m long and five-metre wide elevated walkway that traverses through the busy areas of Pinang Road, Perak Road and Raja Chulan Road with escalator and staircase entry and exit points at strategic and convenient locations as well as security guards for the safety of the pedestrians. The walkway is also linked to the Raja Chulan Monorail station, Impiana Hotel and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. An average walk from Suria KLCC to Pavilion through the elevated walkway would take approximately 15 minutes.