Tag Archives: 4 star hotel

The long weekend in Kuching for a wedding

Posted in Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

I was in Kuching over the Malaysia Day weekend. I had a wedding invitation to fulfil. I flew there with Malaysia Airlines. My initial scheduled flights were canceled twice and I almost lost hope of going there. Thankfully, on the day itself, nothing sinister happened and I arrived in KCH safely.

I booked a room at the Grand Margherita Hotel this time.

Once I landed, I immediately walked over to the nearest Bing cafe to get myself a chicken panini. It is my comfort food whenever I am in KCH. As I was too full afterwards, I decided to just stay in and order room service. The rib-eye steak I ordered was disappointing. That will be another post.

The following day, I went for a stroll at The Waterfront. I walked to the end of Carpenter Street and checked out the waterfront mall as well. I bought some T-shirts for my little family and was honestly undecided on whether I should have lunch or wait for my brother from KL to arrive and eat with him. I ended up walking further towards the Borneo Cultural Museum and spent my afternoon there.

Borneo Cultural Museum

I loved the museum. The layout is like Muzium Negara but it showcased more of Sarawak’s history. I enjoyed reading and listening to the explanations about the tribes and their uniqueness. I couldn’t help thinking that if James Brooke never set foot in Sarawak, we’d probably still be fighting among each other for space and power. Somehow Brooke brought in order to the chaos and harnessed the waging spirit to fight into friendly sports like the Regatta we see today.

IG AIS KACANG, Padungan

Once my brother landed and checked himself into Merritin Hotel, we walked along the same lane and came here. They have another nearby branch at Jalan Gambier. I was looking forward to trying their mi belacan and sotong kangkung but they don’t have that in that branch. So we settled for their nasi lemak ayam, Laksa Sarawak, long fries and gula apong ice cream.

The Waterfront and Darul Hana Bridge

Later at night, we walked to the waterfront for photos and went up the Darul Hana bridge. If only they have a food court with more options towards the other end of the bridge in the near future. There was a lantern parade that night and the city was so lively. I felt so energetic during the walk. I liked that this beautiful place is open to the public for FREE. At least, families can come here for low-cost entertainment with their kids.

We had dinner at a halal restaurant. It took ages for the owner to fry our nasi pattaya and daging. Thankfully, it was digestible as sometimes the Sarawak version of these semenanjung dishes can taste awkward.

The Dead Malls

Once my brother checked out from his hotel the next day, I thought we’d go check out the mall. My sister said Riverside Majestic Mall was already dead so we didn’t go there. Turns out Tun Jugah Mall and Sarawak Plaza Mall are equally dead. I suppose the curse of shopping malls set up beside hotels is true after all. So, if say you need to go to a proper mall, my best bets are The Spring or Vivacity. We only had fast food for lunch.

We did get Sam’s ice cream though. The soft serve was OK but I felt Mokti’s gula apong flavour is more intense.

Top Spot

This famous seafood spot was just a 5-minute walk from my hotel. We had our family dinner there. Sadly, Midin was out of stock. But the other dishes that we ordered were, of course, delicious; the Egg Oyster, curry ambal, udang nestum, salted egg crabs, sweet sour fish, crab corn soup, Kerang kicap

I had an early night after devouring all that food. The wedding was happening the following day and I need to get up early.

The Wedding Reception

The event started off early at 830am. Only close family members gather for the akad nikah ceremony. Once that was over, other guests began to come to the hall by 10am for the main wedding reception. It was a short and sweet event, the food portion was adequate and everyone got a photo with the couple.

Lexis Port Dickson

Posted in Leisure & Travel by

I thought my daughter was joking when she said we were sleeping at the hotel for the night. It was after all a Friday evening and I have just completed my work day. Naturally, I was knackered and just wanted to get dinner over with. I’ve even got my weekend planned out with submitting my IOP assignment at the top of the list. Turns out, she wasn’t joking.

Mr Husband had some vouchers for a staycation at Lexis Port Dickson. Which means I pack the bags reluctantly but excited at the same time. I lugged my very slow laptop with me (I need to either have it repaired or get a new one). We reached Port Dickson just after 8pm. Thankfully I have ordered Shopee Food for dinner back in Melaka – Zikgu Burger. So, we brought that along with us.

Tired faces. My daughter slept in the car.

Our staycation was not those Chalet ones but the room was still huge. The layout was a bit odd because upon entering the door, we were met with the bathroom first. Then, there was another door from the bathroom that leads to the main bedroom, which fits 1 King Bed and 1 Double Bed. The bathroom has a separate toilet, shower and tub. Then the usual amenities include a small pantry with a mini fridge, a TV, FREE WIFI, complimentary bottled drinks and beverages, a hairdryer and toiletries.

The odd entrance into the hotel room

My daughter really enjoyed the bathtub.

Our package came with Free Breakfast for TWO adults. We paid for our kids separately. The breakfast spread was great and they even have cards that show how many calories each food has. I did not take pictures of the food because there were so many people and I did not want to hold the queue. I loved that they had mugs for our coffee. It is more satisfying than a miserable cup. After breakfast, we walked around the chalet area where the sea view was so beautiful. Then we stayed in the room all day apart from going out for lunch and dinner. The kids enjoyed watching movies with their dad on the projector we brought with us while I did my assignment. Alhamdulilah, I managed to submit it before the time deadline.

Overall, it was a great stay. Perhaps later when I am less obese and look better in a burkini, I would go for another stay there and enjoy the pool. They have a dress code there. I am looking forward to another staycation but I hope it will be less of a surprise trip.

The wedding stay at Meritz Hotel

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

My cousin’s wedding reception was held at The Meritz Hotel. Do not be fooled by its somewhat biashe biashe exterior appearance because this 4-star business hotel is so worth the money. I was lucky this accommodation was part of Air Asia’s Flight+Hotel promo. Hence, I paid only RM578.49 for a 2D1N stay at the hotel plus return flight tickets from KLIA2 to MIRI.

The hotel is in Miri’s city centre and is attached to a shopping mall. So, although the hotel has 3 on-site restaurants, you could have other meal options at Bintang Megamall. We had bbq.chicken there. I am sure they have similar branches in semenanjung but it was something that we’ve never had before. Father ordered the Jamaican chicken with rice and we sisters had the burger. After lunch, we stayed in our rooms to rest until it was time for dinner.

Bintang Megamall has considerable options of stores to shop in. Initially, I wanted to get my hair done at a salon that said it was Muslim-friendly (on the internet) but when I arrived there, I saw that it was no longer offering said services. This is not the first salon in a shopping mall that does so – in fact, it was something that I observed has been going on in Kuching as well. Although it is the owner’s personal choice to run their business how they wish with a target market in mind – I believe it is also a subtle way for certain businesses to say that they do not intend to serve certain members of the population. Hopefully out of cost-effective issues and not out of prejudice. On second thought, I think the salon at my place in semenanjung is also doing the same. Ha ha ha. Hence, if I want to cut my hair, I could like, these owners would say, find an establishment that could entertain such requests ( yup, I totally understand) or give up my values to receive the services. I thought the haircut could wait.

The room was spacious and it had a bathtub in it. I believe mine was a superior room and I booked one with two single beds inside because my sister and my niece are also staying with me. There was a mini fridge and access to free WIFI. I bought additional bottled water, bread and some cup noodles for breakfast in our room the next day. It took a while to figure out how to switch on the TV as the remote was not functioning. I saw that they have a room service menu which was cool but we did not order any. We also have an iron inside the room which is so convenient.

There was an outdoor swimming pool just a few floors down and I saw that the visitors did not have to adhere to strict swimwear in the pool. I believe that is a plus point for families who come to the hotel. For some women, for example, mothers with a postpartum body, wearing a normal T-shirt with leggings is definitely more comfortable than putting on a swimming suit or a burkini.

The wedding reception was held at a ballroom on Level 7. Nuh Salleh from the indie band, Hujan performed a short song during the event. Singing LIVE is definitely his forte because it just sounded really nice even though it was just him and a guitar. The couple’s dais was very pastel and flowery – I loved it a lot. It was a seated and served wedding – a very Sarawakian way of doing a wedding reception and so you see guests arriving and leaving promptly. The event was done in less than 3 hours. If my other brother, Danial is getting married, we’d do this for him instead of the usual majlis where people come and go as they please within a certain time frame. It’s just tiring to see who is coming and leaving amidst the crowd.

We checked out of the hotel just after 12pm. Then I ordered a MaximCar for our ride to the airport which was roughly 15 to 20 mins away. It cost us RM10. My flight was slightly delayed in leaving to KLIA2 and once I landed, the walk from the god knows which K terminal took ages to arrive to the main arrival hall. I then took the FREE SHUTTLE at the transportation hub of KLIA2 to get to LTCP.

I managed to get a BOOST drink and some onigiri for my refreshments in the car for my drive back home to Melaka. The highway was exceptionally dark probably due to the rain and I think I reached my house just after 2030H that day. Had a quick hot shower and went to bed since I had work the next day.

The Pearl, Kuala Lumpur

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

We stayed at this hotel because my son had a National Scrabble Championship at the conjoining mall, Pearl Point over the weekend. The game is spread over two days and quite lengthy for someone like me, who doesn’t understand the rules. Since the whole family is going, we might as well have a place to rest so that my daughter would not get cranky. Therefore, The Pearl was a convenient choice.

Mr Husband booked a room for one night. the lobby was welcoming with it’s Hari Kemerdekaan Display.

It had all the expected amenities of a 4-star hotel: Free Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, a kettle, a tub and a comfortable king-size bed. Our room had breakfast included which was great. The spread was adequate with the usual mix of Western and Malaysian breakfast options. There is also a swimming pool but we did not bring any swimming gear. So, just a photo it is.

I like that we get two card keys because the husband obviously needs to go to and fro the mall and the hotel to check on our son who is playing. So he gets to keep one card and my daughter and I get to enjoy the big bed and air-conditioned room with the other card in the power slot. My daughter gets to soak in the bathtub as well. The elevators are easy. This means there is no need to put your card on a reader and press the floor number. It may be secure but that is so maa-fan.

Considering that it is joined to a mall, food is easy to access. There are so many nice stores under one roof at Pearl Point. While waiting for check-in, we get to eat McD for breakfast, Old Town Kopitiam for lunch and some takeouts for dinner. In between, I got Milkis from Jaya Grocers and my first Llao LLao. Now I get what the hype is with that green yoghurt thing. There’s even Zus Coffee at the mall which is something I would have loved to order but since I’d had too many sweets for the weekend – I will have it on a different occasion.

my first llao llao – had the pistachio sauce and biscoff crumbs

Staycation at The Shore Hotel & Residences, Melaka

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

Our residential area has been affected by the recent water rationing measure due to the low water level in our dams. We have been on an alternate day roster since early February. Our water supply is dependent on the little tank on days without water. Hence it is a mandi burung, berak perpada kind of affair. On days where water is supplied, we get to do the laundry, do some exercise (hence able to wash hair) and other cleaning chores. I have never took cleaning so seriously until this happened. Rajin plak tetiba nak menge-mop.

Interestingly, last weekend Mr Husband booked a hotel room at The Shores Hotel & Residences, Melaka for a 3D2N stay there. He was surprised to see price plunges and placed a booking for a Studio Suite Room since hotels are not affected by the water rationing schedule. The Shore is not to be mistaken with Swiss Garden Hotel despite towering beside each other.

Our room was facing a beautiful skyline at night. We have a mini fridge, the usual amenities with complimentary beverages (upon checking in only) and spacious single beds. The bathroom was not kid friendly because of the near transparent glass windows and so I preferred to shower at night. Good for me though as I get to shower longer and scrub down my dirt. The shower gels had a lovely scent to it.

I brought my laptop with me and did some studying on my uni portal. The FREE WIFI speed was awesome. We did not choose the breakfast option in our stay as Mr Husband preferred to buy roti canai at the nearby 24 hours mamak just underneath the hotel. You will never starve in Melaka. InsyaAllah. The 24 hours convenience store is also of walking distance.

We played tourist and had lunch at Dataran Pahlawan. We ate at Johnny’s. I really loved the sauce they serve with the meal and of course the tomyam. I am salivating (again) as I blog of this.

The kids enjoyed the swimming pool on Level 23. There is a gym aesthetically placed over the pool with a connecting bridge. It is so Instagrammable but I did not bring my shoe. There was a tragedy though in the pool less than a year ago where a young boy drowned. It made headlines in the local paper for a few days. I hope the family is coping well.

You could get to the SkyDeck if you want at the 43rd floor but we didn’t do that. We were lucky that during our stay, there were not many visitors. Maybe because of Covid-19. Cause I couldn’t imagine how 4 lifts are going to serve the whole tower. It would be a very very long wait on each floor.

It was a short and memorable staycation. Although I was a bit pissed at first for the abrupt getaway (cause I love a planned vacay), I was glad that we went ahead with the rush anyway. Sometimes you just gotta let the wind take you to where it wants to blow. I felt rejuvenated. I was able to bathe without a time restriction and water quota. I get to apply a facial mask while studying in an air conditioned environment for hours without having to think of skyrocketing bills. I get to see the moon and stars in the night by just stepping out into the balcony. And I get to have my husband with me over the weekend with the kids in one room at most times. LOL.

Thank you Mr Husband

The little princess. NINIE