Category Archives: Reviews

Langkawi 2023 : Our sloth-ish itinerary

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Since we are regulars, in fact, parents looking for a place to take care of our children in a different city, there wasn’t really anything strikingly new in our itinerary at Langkawi. Definitely not for international travellers to find interesting. I did record a few clips during the trip – will upload that soon on Youtube.

Laksa Power Ikan Sekoq

Just before we checked into our hotel, we went to the airfield area for a simple lunch. There are a few Laksa Ikan Sekoq stalls here but we chose the one with the yellow signboard. Cause we remembered it as the one serving the non-spicy one. Perhaps the new thing about the menu is that it now has telur sarang on the laksa. Which brings the price up to a whooping RM10 per bowl. I didn’t have pictures of it because I was too hungry. Thankfully, the laksa was delicious and was quite hoping to get a second in a few days but it was closed on the other day we came.

Langkawi Wildlife Park

This place is eerily quiet during the school holidays but we have always enjoyed coming here. The animals seemed to be well fed and the kids enjoy the interactions with the animals – by giving food. This time we met a racoon instead of a crocodile at the station where we can touch and pet the wildlife creatures.

The new thing about this place is that they have a pony ride and soon, it seems that they will bring in tigers. They also have new merchandise – this snow-like glass frame for your photo. They don’t sell the little magnets on their own anymore which is such a pity. They should just let visitors get the small magnets as a purchase option. Better something than nothing kan.

Langkawi Geopark

We went to the cable cars this time as we wanted to see the SkyBridge. That was new for us and boy it was magnificent. You could get to the bridge either by the gondola or the nature trail. We opted to go there by the trail and come back with the gondola because it’s just too tiring to hike up later on. We bought the tickets through Klook but the queue was still super long when you want to collect your tickets as they provided only one counter for online purchases.

Maha Tower

This place is new and its attraction is the sunset view. So it is better to go there later in the evening. While waiting we get to rest in the very luxurious feeling waiting area and have beverages. Do you know how sunsets look so beautiful when you see them online? Well, it’s thanks to the photographers and the video makers for making a timelapse of it. Otherwise, it is quite difficult to appreciate the sun going down bit by bit. That is why I tried to capture my own video.

I should have brought a tripod.

Because someone knocked my camera on the rails and the raw footage was somewhat ruined. I tried to edit it but it didn’t really come out that nice. Here is what I managed to capture.

Underwater World Langkawi

We always loved the penguin place when we came here. Reminds us of Happy Feet. Again the place is very quiet for school holidays. The merchandises they offer are the usual photo stuff. I just feel the merchandise team could explore more on this apart from the photo.

That’s pretty much what we did. We usually go to these places after breakfast and come back to our hotel room by noon. Then the little one and my dear husband will sleep while I finish my assignment on the laptop. Then we go out again for dinner and see the Langkawi lights at night. Even though it’s the holidays, our bedtime is still by 900pm. We feel so old. Ha ha ha. We came to Langkawi with one piece of luggage and came back with two!

I also bought a duty-free YSL Libre perfume for myself because I got influenced. And of course my favourite chocolates – Bounty & Maltesers. We returned to KL using Batik Air this time and felt way better. Kudos to management for giving complimentary bottled drinks to kids.

Langkasuka Hotel

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We went to Langkawi again this year from the 1st of March till the 5th for the pre-Ramadan and school holiday trip. We departed from KLIA with the new low-budget airline MYairline Malaysia at noon. The queue was expectedly long because it’s ‘budget’ but the check-in process was I feel, messy. We had less than 90 minutes before the departure and we were still in the queue despite already checking in online when the lady at the counter screamed out to the crowd ‘last call Langkawi.. last call Langkawi!”. It was honestly annoying and probably lack of insight because everyone in the line IS BOUND FOR LANGKAWI!. Just speed up the process, my gawd.

Anyway, nothing eventful happened on the flight. It had the same vibes as Air Asia – the red and the black. In-flight purchases and meals, if you wish as well.

Upon arrival in Langkawi, we were a bit surprised to see the very quiet airport. It is the school holidays after all but where is the ‘holiday crowd’? Did everyone go to Hatyai? Mr Husband rented a Myvi and we headed to our hotel, Langkasuka.

Langkasuka Hotel

It is situated very near The Grand Continental Hotel in Kuah. Only, this hotel is connected to a mall. I liked it. It is a 3-star hotel but the service is impeccable. The room was spacious but the air conditioning was freezing. They have the usual amenities: a mini fridge, a kettle with complimentary beverages, a hot water heater, an ironing board with the iron, a prayer mat and FREE WIFI. Mr Husband also included breakfast during our stay. I super love the food we had for breakfast at their Lemongrass restaurant. They also serve in-room meals at a reasonable price.

The hotel may look ugly and suss from the outside. Especially with the construction going on outside but the place is fine. And safe.

Our room was a Superior Triple Room with 3 single beds. The price at the time was ranging between RM240 – RM280 per night. I’m not quite sure about the exact amount my husband paid for it. We parked our car at the parking space behind the hotel/mall. There is also a mini swimming pool and gym just outside the breakfast restaurant.

In the mall, they have the usual marhaen retail stores, a food court on the top floor and a fast food restaurant on the Ground Floor. In the evening it is quite lively because they are other eateries open nearby for your meals. I recommend this hotel to families with small children. It’s pretty cool. Even then I really hope we are not going to Langkawi again next year. The dear husband really loves the place too much.

East Riverine Boutique Hotel – bringing Sarawak into KL

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So.. is Chow Kit like a mini New York? Macam tetiba ada hotel tema Sarawak?

Hello East Riverine Hotel

Our little family arrived at the hotel near 9pm and the first thing that surprised me was the tribal pattern on the wall near the reception. Another family came through the door, speaking in the Sarawakian language headed to the lift. I was like, “OK… this is an interesting boutique hotel”. Soon after, I caught sight of some kek lapis inside the display fridge near the entrance and that kind of triggered me to have a quick swipe on Instagram and find out more about this hotel.

Apart from its very strategic location, it offers various types of rooms suitable for a family staycation and is priced from as low as RM 100/night. Ours is a Family Room with 2 double beds, and a cute living area with a mini fridge and an ironing board. They provide a safe, body soap and shampoo, a hair dryer and complimentary beverages. The hotel also has FREE WIFI but is only accessible via coupons. We received two coupons for our room. I guess it means that only 2 devices can use the WIFI at one time. It has a lounge area too but we didn’t have time to explore much of it as we were chasing time to go Genting.

Breakfast is provided at the Sugar Bun restaurant next door. It is served as an ala carte meal. You have to make your choices the night before and let the receptionist know. It has a very ‘mak-mak’ vibe to it cause it’s like those breakfasts you have at home where you just eat what your mom cooks for you. The coffee and tea are very basic with only sugar to taste. The cakes are nicely lined up on the plate – the usual bahulu and banana cakes that any Malaysian family would eat in the morning. Even the ‘American breakfast’ meal wasn’t American enough. Haha. The breakfast is fulfilling and decent considering the price you pay for your room. So yeah, not too bad. If you want a fancier breakfast – there are always other options available elsewhere. In fact, at night, this area is lit! There are so many things to see and eat.

We parked at a common parking area nearby the hotel as they don’t have this facility. However, you don’t really need a car to enjoy Chow Kit because the LRT is just around the corner and even on foot, there are so many things you could explore. Overall, the stay was pleasant. Would definitely recommend this place to those who are on a budget but still wants to make the best of their stay in Kuala Lumpur.

Heritage Hotel, Cameron Highland

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I hate surprises so I made sure to know where our holiday destination is. Mr Husband said we would go to Cameron Highlands during the long Lunar New Year break. The land of tea plantations and strawberries. We were expecting the crowd because CH is always full of tourists but we overlooked the fact that it will be raining a lot there, this time of the year. January, 2023 – raining season.

Hence, it was not only cold but very wet. The high humidity is felt in our rooms and to an extent quite uncomfortable. I under-packed. I should have bought a few more jackets or long sleeves, throws/blankets and a portable dehumidifier.

Mr Husband booked a room at the Heritage Hotel although it went viral in Malaysia some time ago for its supernatural sightings specifically LEVEL 4. It is a 3-star hotel with a nice view, and a strategic location to the nearest bustling, lively area. We were in Room 438. meh. Ours was a Superior Triple Room with 1 Queen Bed + 1 Single Bed & Breakfast/ Free WIFI. Mr Husband said he paid over RM300 for the room. We booked it for 3D2N. It has a shower and bathtub which delighted our daughter very much. The hotel has a very English Tudor design and is situated at Tanah Rata – a place where all the good food is.

We checked in at 3PM at the very red, prosperous lobby. I really love this mini snowing decor. I found it on Shopee. Search for ‘Spot New year’s lights’ – shipped from China. Seller is jkczyy521.my.

The breakfast spread was simple yet fulfilling. I was careful to try and follow my DSSS regime. I do not want to pile on too many kilograms during this trip. The decor at the restaurant was very festive. Then, we had a walk around the hotel and checked out its facilities.

There was a mini library that has lots of Chinese books that I do not know how to read yet, a play area for children and a gymnasium.

At the lower ground, there was a fish pond with a goth-like garden that needs more maintenance to it. There were a few massage chairs available too, a laundry area and basically a lounging space with a fake chimney to just relax. We had a chilling stay but still fun nonetheless. We did not do much in Cameron Highlands due to the heavy rain and I will share it with you in the next post.

ZONE Hotels, Teluk Panglima Garang

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It was an odd choice but I was glad I made it. We needed a place to stay overnight before we go to my sister’s house for Xmas brunch. Our usual staycation spots are Putrajaya and Cyberjaya. This time, I thought ‘why don’t we find somewhere else’. Agoda led me to this hotel, Zones Hotel.

It is a two-star hotel but with facilities good enough for a comfortable stay. There are water dispensers and an ironing board on both floors. Guests get complimentary drinks on arrival – packet drinks (iced lemon tea). I booked a premium quadruple cause the kids are getting bigger. A normal King is not going to fit all of us. since it is a premium, the price is of course on the premium side. I paid RM317.80 / night including tax. We have Free WIFI, a hot shower and the usual.

There was no breakfast included but there is a MAMAK downstairs. There are also loads of eating places just down the road within walking distance. I have to mention LAKSA BUMBUNG. It is now my favourite laksa. Costs RM7/bowl because of it’s telur sarang. The gravy is to die for!

QIDOT CAFE

This place is roughly 10 minutes away from the hotel. I made a reservation online for 4 people. It serves Western as well as local delicacies. I loved their grilled lamb. The kids loved to take photos there though. It’s very English and cute. Price-wise, my lamb grill was about RM37 which has two cuts, mashed potato on the side with salad. The salted egg croissant is RM11, and the pizza was RM24 with cake slices ranging from RM12 to RM15. You can browse through their menu by clicking on the link in their bio on Instagram.