We went for a budget trip to Langkawi last weekend. Together with my in-laws. A nice and easy trip where there is no rush to commit to an itinerary. Mr Husband booked 2 rooms at The concept hotel. Ours had 2 king size beds in it. My in-laws had a twin single bedroom. It was spacious enough for us. The hotel also had other plus points
Hot shower.
A water dispensing machine in the hallway
Functioning air conditioner
A swimming pool but we didn’t have the energy to check it out
Fantastic location – numerous places to eat nearby at walking distance
Freebies from the cafe next door
Definitely, a recommended place to stay!
We didn’t visit the cable cars and aquaria this year. But we did try something new this time – Nasi Dagang Pak Malau. That is also a recommended place to try. The dishes are quite pricey, nasib baiklah sedap.
I managed to create a somewhat silent vlog out of this trip, divided into 2 parts. Part 2 will be published on Wednesday on Youtube. Here is Part 1.
Brother D and my niece Ororah share the same birthday month of February. So a celebration is a must and we decided to host a mini party in Melaka at a homestay with a pool. After much searching on Airbnb, I managed to secure a semi-D at a price of RM 757/night. The owner collects the additional RM250 security deposit separately and the transaction is carried out outside AirBnB. I booked the home for 3 days 2 nights.
Unfortunately, Brother D contracted Covid-19, so the whole house members at BSP had to undergo quarantine. That means Dad and Uncle Tin are also not coming. Leaving only Onty L and the fam free from Covid19. Hence, are able to make it to Melaka. I have to say, my sister is very resourceful when it comes to birthday bashes. She found several food vendors in Melaka (where I live!) who could bake desserts, cook nasi arab and make western dishes deliciously. I just did the decorations.
Ororah is turning 1 this year – my borderline prem niece. She has yet to walk but Mak Wa feels that she will be running around soon.
The moist chocolate cake
nasi arab, pizza arab, lasagna, tarts
the birthday girl and the cousins of cousins and cousins
Le Camar is situated at Bukit Katil in a new housing area. It has 4 rooms that are fully air-conditioned. the living room also has an air conditioner. There’s a small kitchen with an induction cooker, rice cooker, pots and pans, cutleries, dinnerware, a fridge and a water dispenser. It would be great if they have a microwave to heat leftover food. It was challenging to reheat our cold pizza for breakfast. The highlight of this homestay was the pool. The depth of the pool was about 4ft. I was on my period so I didn’t jump in but the kids seem to enjoy the water.
the amenities are superb
The place is worth the money. Like I said, having a microwave would be a fantastic touch. It would be good to give a heads up regarding the security deposit in their Airbnb description too. Takdelah terkejut sgt tetiba nak bayar deposit kan.. The playground slide needs to be cleaned. So does the tangki at the back of the house for fear of Aedes breeding site. Putting those points aside – Le Camar is not that bad. Will consider for future staycations.
I needed a short break after submitting my final assignment for psychology – the subject was Introduction to communication. Browsing through agoda – it was a choice between that blue santorini like hotel or Imperio. I decided to go for Imperio because it was walking distance to a lot of places and activities. Of course, knowing us, we’d probably be cooped up in our room enjoying food and Netflix.
This spot makes a very conducive environment to study both during daytime and night time
The studio was listed as Seaview Japanese Themed Studio JJ Home@Imperio. I made a booking for 3D2N and paid a total of RM440 – including taxes and fees. This was my first time booking an Agoda Home. The host was incredibly enthusiastic and accommodating. I received via whatsapp a pdf document explaining how to check in and out of the place. Perhaps the only thing that caught me off guard was the parking space fee of RM3 – Rm5 per entry. I am alright with paying but when I am not prepared with the sudden fee collection – I reacted quite unpleasant to the guy manning the parking area. So maybe that needs to be included in the ‘check in guide’.
Such a welcoming entrance
A studio is great for vacation but not as something that we live in. Don’t think I’d enjoy being in the same space with the kids for a very very long time. Ha ha ha.
The place looked exactly like in the pictures. Imperio Residences is basically an apartment with 2 towers. The vision was that it is built on top of a mall which has yet to open. The common facilities were at the 13th floor – sauna, swimming pool, gym, playground etc. Anyhow, the view was just amazing from our studio unit. Even the view from the bath tub was majestic. Love it! and can I just give a shout out to the scent of the towel and bedsheets! They smell so homey and wonderful, I wonder what detergent or softener the host uses.
There was a King bed with extra futons and pillows for the kids to sprawl on the floor. My daughter loved the bath tub of course. I myself did not have a chance to soak in it. The mini kitchen had all the utensils that we need including a microwave, a fridge and a water dispenser. Mothers love these conveniences. I love that they have an iron with the board too. The Kiblat signage was well placed. There was even a sejadah for muslim travellers. We had our meals from the nearby mamak and restaurants. All were within walking distance. It would have been awesome if Element Mall was opened but only MBO was in operation.
Apart from the water dispenser, the host also stocked up the fridge and pantry. The listed price was affordable and not steep but since we have bought our own supplies – we finished ours first.
Although this was a staycation, I couldn’t completely shut off from my studies. Hence, I managed to catch up with my e-lectures on Cognitive Psychology with the FREE WIFI provided in this studio. Yeay. It could have been a relaxing staycation but we were rushing to our other commitments as well – a photoshoot for Eid and my niece’s akikah. Of all weekends, it had to happen last weekend. Perhaps later, when things get more relaxed.. we will book another stay here. InsyaAllah.
The long weekend is here. PKPP is extended till the end of the year. Malaysians are saying bye bye to their passports already. I have decided that we will not go back to Kuching this year for our annual trip. Instead, we will just go for short trips in Semenanjung Malaysia. And that was what we did.
It was a 3D2N stay in Johor Bahru. Mr Husband booked our staycation abode at the Lace Boutique Hotel he stumbled upon Agoda at a very good price. On the first night, he chose a one bedroom suite priced at RM130/night and on the second night a 2 bedroom suite for RM 150/night. Both without breakfast options. It was a huge price drop having seen it’s original price at the website. Perhaps the CEO was being benevolent and wanted more Malaysians to travel interstate and stay at the hotel. Stimulating the economy, they say.
Lace Boutique Hotel is owned by a YB Datuk Paduka Hjh Rokiah Hj Omar. From what I gather online, she is an entrepreneur with an impressive portfolio. Such as in the motoring business, hotel and saloon. All branded under the name Lace.
Lace Hotel is covered in gold-ish decorations. It gave me the Las Vegas & Empire Classic vibe. I was honestly surprised that both rooms that we booked has a bathtub.
The boutique hotel has a terrific location. You will never go hungry as there are loads of eateries at the area of Kpg Melayu Majidee and is of walking distance. The hotel is also in the heart of the city near the main road making trips easy for anybody outside of Johor.
The rooms were clean. The amenities they provided were plenty and enough. There was a microwave, kettle, plates, cutleries and even a complete set of teapot to make our own coffee and tea. The rooms were spacious and the bed was comfy. The air conditioning was wow!.
This location is also FOOD PANDA and GRABFOOD friendly!!! I know cause that was one the things I checked first. The riders can deliver your food to the hotel as it is so accessible. Of course you can always go out in your car and get food or take a walk.
The swimming pool was at the rooftop and the kids loved it. I was not sure where the cafe was as we did not have breakfast there. It was generally a wonderful stay despite a few small bumps. By that, I mean:
On the first night, the WIFI was not working at our floor. The TV was also not getting a good reception as they were using some sort of internet TV. The shows keep on buffering.
The bathroom could use an additional ‘ambience’ light. I know moms or ladies would appreciate soaking in the tub at night while watching the night sky through the big window with that sort of light in place.
Enough shower/bath gel. As opposed to 2 bottles of shampoo and conditioner without the shower gels. Texture dia rasa lain. Oh well, maybe for my future trips I should consider bringing my own travel-sized bath gels. Although I really love the hotel ones especially if they have nice bottles.
That should be it. Very minor problems.
For this trip, we were very relaxed. We did not even go to Legoland. Instead, we spent most of the time in the room (since husband has things to sort out about work), goofing around & sleeping. We only went out twice to go to the Johor Zoo and Ikea Tebrau.
Ended our Johor trip at Tanjung Piai. Took a few photos as momento.
If I was a Johorean, this would definitely be high up on my list for a mini weekend getaway with the girls or something. It does look high-end exclusive yet a bit abandoned from far. Probably because the glass windows have not been regularly cleansed for some time. Or maybe it has but it still looks stained with mold. Otherwise, the interiors are truly Instagram-mable and worth checking out.
Let’s see, my latest blog update was on the 18th of July. Since then, I have not been blogging much here and on NotaMinci. My mind was occupied by a few things. Mainly, my course assignments, my father in laws stroke, my aunts demise due to Covid-19 (she is one of my favourite aunts), the Basic Life Support course ( I couldn’t really say no, but the timing was honestly shit), buy farewell gift for a superior that I have no idea what kind of person he is (busy sgt ke sampai tak boleh beli sendiri? like hello… aku tak pernah kerja dgn dia.. canne nak personalize gift?) and the prep for The Moss Clan staycation during Eid -Adha.
I am currently breathing a bit. In fact, I am taking leave for 3 days to get my mind sorted out. The exam period for my Psychology degree starts in 11 days.
For The Moss Clan stay cation, I chose a property from Anugerah Homestay Melaka. It was a 5 room villa with a swimming pool. The weekend/public holiday rate was RM890/night. It is located at Durian Tunggal but not far from the highway toll. This stay cation was meant to celebrate Eid and my mom’s 61st birthday.
I chose the place because;
it has a swimming pool that the kids would love together with a BBQ pit
all bedrooms are air-conditioned
they have basic amenities like the fridge, cooking area, cooking and eating utensils. They also provided big garbage bags which were useful to throw our rubbish
ample parking space but limited to a max of 4 vehicles. You can park 2 inside the porch and another 2 outside without bothering the neighbours parking space
washing machine is provided but we didn’t use them
they have sejadah and kiblat direction. alhamdulilah
grocery stores nearby. and restaurants. You can even do your evening exercise and walk over to them. Dekat sangat.
basic Astro is available. bolehlah tgk 7 Hari Mencintaimu
The downside;
it is in a residential area. you have curious neighbours. Although the owner have resurrected a wall near the pool, you still need to be mindful of the neighbours. You do not want to upset them. Children especially, like to peer through the gates and watch you swim in the pool.
NO WIFI, NO COWAY, NO AIR CON in the living room but it’s a minor flaw because I could easily access my DIGI from here, we can open the big windows and doors for circulation and part air tu.. we prepared before hand by buying bottles of mineral water to put in the fridge. We can always boil hot water with the kettle they provided. Nama pun homestay, kalau nak sgt2 selesa.. duduk rumah sendirilah kan..
Limited towels, so bring your own. Shower gels and dish washing liquid are provided.
To make our stay extra comfortable, I brought;
A night lamp. All bedrooms do not have a bedside lamp. So it’s either you sleep in a really pitch black room or open the door a bit.
Extra blankets. The tug of war of blankets resume in homestay. So bawak je la.
Extension plugs
Shampoo
My sister, Aunty L was in charge of our menu. My brothers were in charge of snacks. My parents role is to eat, sleep and enjoy themselves.
Husband cooking breakfast on the last day of our Staycation
Minci Moss 