Category Archives: Reviews

OUM Convocation 2025 (MK29): Part 2 – Sunway Putra Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

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Apart from Sunway Putra Hotel, graduates could also choose to stay at Seri Pacific Hotel, which is located 30 steps from PWTC. I chose Sunway Putra Hotel because it is attached to a mall, and it would be easy for me and my husband to do our 10K steps and have our meals without leaving the premises. KL is a nightmare to drive in. After all, Sunway Putra Hotel is still within (safe) walking distance to PWTC. Just use the bridge. It took me less than 10 minutes to walk from the ground hotel lobby entrance to PWTC. In fact, it is cut down to less than 5 minutes if I use the exit at the mall.

I booked a superior room for 3D2N at a total of RM 656.23 including free breakfast, tax and fees. Upon arriving at the check-in counter, my room was not ready but the nice young man at the counter said, “I will give you a better room!”. I did not think much of it and said my heartiest thanks until I reached the room.

Surprise, surprise, it was actually an executive suite!

I felt so blessed. My husband and daughter have yet to arrive, as it was a Friday. I was expecting them to reach KL by 9pm once my husband finishes work at 5PM. So, I lazed around in the room and went to the mall for dinner.

Dinner was steak at a place called Alya. I requested my meat to be medium rare. The consistency was OK, but it was heavily seasoned with salt. The mashed potatoes were also cold. I was confused about whether it was meant to be served as such or a mistake.

By 9pm, Mr Husband and my daughter arrived. This hotel has 2 lobby. One on the ground floor and the main one on the 9th floor. I registered our vehicle with the concierge. We are free to drive in and out until it was time to checkout without any parking charges. Mr Husband still had the energy to do the 10K walk at the mall once he got to the room.

Graduates for Sidang 1 were expected to be at PWTC starting at 730am. We were reminded to bring our Smart Card and to put our mobile phones and other precious belongings into the little pouch given by OUM. The key point is to travel light. Will write about the ceremony in the next post.

I had a quick breakfast whilst the duo enjoyed a longer breakfast at the hotel coffee house. I paid extra for my daughter. Thankfully, the food options and selections were good. I love that they provide huge mugs for our coffee instead of little cups. Room service is also available at a given price. Or one could just go to the mall later and have a late breakfast.

Mr Husband utilised the gym very well. He used the treadmill. The gym has a good view of the pool. Apart from the mall, he also gathers his 10K steps by walking around the hotel. I used the express check-out service where I dropped the key into a box and just like that, our staycation ended on a good note. I would definitely stay here again once I have enough money to splurge again. Ha ha.

Sahur at Swiss Garden Hotel

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

I thought my husband was joking when he said we were going to have Sahur at a hotel. Turns out he wasn’t. Thus, the usual Speedy Gonzales packing method that I despise. I had no time to plan my OOTD and dumped whatever I thought was necessary in the suitcase for our staycation.

Ee couldn’t join us as it was not during his PB weekend. Hence, it was just the 3 of us being enthusiastic about the experience. Thankfully, Anim could wake up for sahur without any tantrum. In fact, she really enjoyed the food choices. As usual, the other Malaysians were in their modest pyjamas, kain pelikat and slipper jamban. In other words, guests made themselves so comfortable eating Sahur at Swiss Garden.

The price is reasonable for the type of food offered. I wish I had taken more pictures. InsyaAllah, we would opt for a similar Sahur experience next year instead of a packed Iftar buffet at hotels. Sahur seems calmer and more appealing to introverts like myself.

Amverton Heritage Resort Melaka – an escapade for exhausted parents

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

The room, food and activities are nice for exhausted parents with energetic children. I booked a room with two single beds on Agoda. Com. Total was RM 442.45 including tax and fee for a 3D2N stay. This time I did not include breakfast. I wanted to see whether the menu is nice. If not, we will have our meal nearby. This resort is located at Ayer Keroh. Thus, near a few main attractions and MITC of course. That is where the food is. However, we did get 2 free waterpark tickets (priced at RM15/each). I bought an additional 2 tickets.

We checked in on Friday just after our Rejab Iftar at Mi Tarik Lanzhou. Mr. Husband brought his inflatable mattress. We pushed the single bed next to each other, giving enough room for the Queen-sized mattress. There were the usual expected amenities: FREE WIFI (with a very long password), a mini fridge, an iron with a board, and a TV. Plus points, a bathtub, and room service! Although we do not need it, the idea of it being available made me happy.

Even chilling at the lobby is nice. The breeze, the ambience is just relaxing and cooling.

In-house breakfast started at 7am. The price was RM30 for adults and RM20 for children. The options were satisfactory. They had bread but not other forms of pastry. The bihun and curry were delicious. There’s nasi lemak, lontong, congee etc. I loved that they provided mugs for our hot beverages and not those tiny cups. That is the way to go! Mr Husband had a meeting that morning at a nearby hotel, so I didn’t bring the kids for a swim due to safety reasons. I worry that I won’t be able to keep an eye on both. But we did play at the playground and the kids’ zone. The entry bracelet could be worn for both days we were there. In other words, you can enter and exit the park no matter how many times you like, as long as you wear the bracelet. We went to the waterpark later in the evening once Mr Husband came back from his meeting. The employees even use the stapler to make it easy to remove and fasten again.

Our humble breakfast buffet.
After breakfast, I brought them to the playground near the waterpark. For Vitamin D.
There’s also an indoor playground – the Kids Zone. With a mini library and lots of little tables for self-activity.
There’s also a little sand area where kids can build sandcastles and stuff. There were lots of slides too. My daughter tried the ‘tall’ one. That one is only for kids between 6 to 10 years old.

That’s why I believe this is an excellent spot for tired parents. Personally, I don’t have the stamina to spend over four hours at a water park just to get my money’s worth. But at Amverton, we could enjoy an hour of water play, take a break for a meal and a nap, and then head back in the evening for another session. Later, we’d pause for dinner and even continue the water park fun the next day until checkout. It’s perfect for parents to sneak in some much-needed rest between activities. I believe the adults would enjoy the swim at the huge pool just beside the mini water park. I’ll do that with Haneem once she’s a bit older. Amverton is also lenient with swimwear. I love that we can wear T-shirts instead of a burkini.

The normal swimming pool roughly 4ft over here and the waterpark just beside it.

We used GRAB for our lunch and dinner. There’s an in-house restaurant and cafe where you can have your meal. I might consider that during our future visits. Yes, we love this place so much that we’re thinking of making it our getaway place at times when we feel that we need to go to a kiddie-themed waterpark.

Hotel Tamara, Melaka

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As usual, I booked this room through AGODA. COM. The tax rates are palpable nowadays. On top of the room rate, there is an additional 5% service charge, 8% tax (no mention what) and 10% tax (also, no mention what). So my total was RM272.67 per night after a cashback reward of RM22.67. It is carrying itself as a 4-star hotel. We will see how it is for many years to come.

This stay was for our 14th wedding anniversary. Since I was not able to take leave on the 31st due to ‘quota cuti MO per day‘ issues, I thought we’d celebrate it a bit later during dinner. Nowadays, I have decided to take on the ‘NVM, What to do’ approach to all things that do not go my way. I cannot bend the rules, I can only control the way I react to it.

Hotel Tamara just started its services in September 2024. It is hidden in a residential area near Kampung Tujuh. It turns out that it shares the same compound with an apartment complex, Kenanga Residence. I had to go through security as it was a gated residence. Parking was plenty at the hotel grounds. Check-in was a breeze. I did have to pay a deposit of RM50 and a Melaka tourist fee of RM2. There is a FREE WIFI. There is also a mini fridge and a hairdryer in the room. I like that they provide soap too.

The air-conditioner took its time to cool the room. I tried my best to be calm and patient in waiting for the air-conditioner to take its effects. It finally did after an hour. Initially, I wanted to enjoy the Xmas buffet but perhaps due to a less enthusiastic response from the public, it has been suspended. So, I ordered our dinner from Zikgu Burger, had it delivered to our home first and then packed it to bring to the hotel.

I loved the breakfast buffet. Especially, the sambal ikan bilis for the nasi lemak. The selection of pastries and food on the menu is adequate for hotel standards and multicultural Malaysia. Insya-Allah there is something for everybody. The pool is open to the public. I had no idea they had one. I would have brought extra clothes for that. However, there is no staff or lifeguard on duty. Hence, parents with small children need to be careful.

Overall, I enjoyed our little staycation. My husband gifted me perfume and I bought him the Pua Kumbu tumbler from ZUS for our wedding anniversary presents. It has been a year full of kesabaran on my part. I pray that Allah will grant me more patience and resilience as I sail through this marriage.

GBW Hotel, Johor Bahru

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

This is what I said on Google Reviews. Mr Husband booked a room here during the Deepavali holidays. Coincidentally, school is also out so we get to go for a staycation at Johor Bahru.

My daughter was really looking forward to our stay here. She said it’s been a while since we went for a holiday. Although I believe we’ve just had a weekend stay at The Everly Putrajaya a few weeks ago.

Kids waiting at the lobby while Mr Husband checked us in.
Little fashionista going up the lift with her new hat and Anya

The moment I stepped into our Premier Suite, I immediately loved it. It was a lovely room that had a kitchenette equipped with a microwave, a fridge and a kettle, a dining space, a living area and a separate bedroom. There were two writing desks which is great. I could continue doing my assignments in the room and he could do his work in the living area. My daughter enjoyed the bath tub of course and the son just loved being in an air-conditioned room. Staying in a dorm means that he is deprived of life luxuries. This room probably cost us roughly between RM250 – RM270 per night through Agoda.

Free WIFI is available but only 4 gadgets are granted access. There’s an ironing board with iron as well. The pool is on the 7th floor. We wanted to have a look but then we got stuck in the lift. Hence, the mission was aborted.

Breakfast for 2 adults is included in our room rate. So we paid extra for the kids. The breakfast menu was top-notch for a 4-star hotel. As mentioned, I loved their nasi lemak paru. The restaurant is also not overly crowded making it a pleasant experience in the morning. If you prefer having breakfast outside, either order a GRAB and have it sent to the lobby or walk across to the R&F Mall.

During our stay there, we were out and about mostly until after lunch. We would just order our dinner through GRAB but that is when an unfortunate incident happened. Our Kacang Pool and rice meals were stolen by a fellow hotel visitor. The hotel cooperated by giving access to their CCTV. Mr Husband had a good look of the culprit’s face, requested a refund from GRAB and was hoping to confront this guy during breakfast time. We didn’t see him. Most likely he enjoyed our meal as breakfast. HA HA HA.

Since this hotel is near the main road, we could hear motorcars honking almost every 30 mins during rush hour. It’s almost normal to see some shameless car owners cutting the queue. I understand the frustration.

Overall, it was a very comfortable stay. I would definitely repeat a stay here although I’d be more likely be trying out other hotels if we are ever going to JB again. It would be nice though if the big windows were cleaned as the view seems amazing at night. Minus the smudge.