Tag Archives: butterfly bloggers

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.

Zoo Johor

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel by

Zoo Johor had a makeover. The first time I went there was when I was heavily pregnant with my daughter in 2017 and the second time around was when she turned 3 years old. Now, the zoo looks more modern although it is way smaller than Zoo Negara and Zoo Melaka. Of course, the fees have gone up but it was still a great place to spend the day out with the kids. Tickets can be bought online or at the premises using the kiosk. The zoo will be closed every Tuesday starting November 1st.

I liked the part where we hovered over the Gladiator-like rings to see the lions, tigers and bears.

Another great feature is that visitors get to snap photos with the birds and snakes (in a glass box) without concerns about paying extra or being in a queue. I would say it is a minimalistic zoo that is equally entertaining. As it doesn’t have the ritual photography sessions at the front gate or the ‘come here buy your fridge magnet‘ salesperson at the zoo exit. It’s just a place where the family could hang out and get excited over the animals at a small cost. I like that. Animals should be accessible to all classes of citizens. Rakyat Johor sangat bertuah.

We spent roughly an hour at the zoo and managed to put in about 5K steps into our daily walk routine. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at Mid Valley South Key Mall for lunch. We had Nandos and even ordered the bottomless drinks and yoghurts. The vanilla yoghurt had a smooth taste and not too sour. My husband loved it. He also shopped for new work bags and a luggage bag for his sister. I didn’t get anything. I am being very mindful of my spending lately because I have a bigger financial goal in a few months to come.

The beautiful posh mall
Thankfully with Deepavali decor instead of Halloween
Our bottomless yoghurt

During this staycation in Johor Bahru, we stayed at The GBW Hotel. I will blog about it in another post.

Cafe Chef Wan, The Shore

Posted in Food and Drinks, Places to Eat, Reviews by

The price range for most of their meals is between RM20 to RM40. Loved the atmosphere and the service.

The initial plan was to eat Mi Tarik. However, the branch near The Shore was closed. So, the visit to Cafe Chef Wan was an unprecedented move. I do not know whether to laugh or feel blessed by the twist of fate. I don’t think Mr Husband had this cafe in mind for dinner. Interestingly, I did experience a strong gut feeling that I would be having my meal there, only that I had no idea that this cafe wasn’t the first choice.

As usual, I entertained my own thoughts that this would be my birthday dinner celebration. Even though no one actually said that it was. Ha ha.

When I was younger, birthdays meant that we got to eat fast food. This is because I ate home-cooked food most of the time. Nowadays, guiltily, fast food has been incorporated into our daily diet so much so that it’s not special anymore. Hence, to some, celebrations have been brought up a notch by bringing them to fancy restaurants or hotels. Of course, the best birthdays are always the ones when you feel noticed, loved and appreciated.

We ordered a duck pasta dish, spaghetti bolognese, Nyonya Laksa and margarita pizza. It’s good restaurant food although the portions to me, a 4ft10 lady, seem huge. My husband with the better palate rated the spaghetti and pizza as a solid 9 over 10. My daughter scored everything as 100! The pizza could have tasted better if the crust was burnt just a little bit more. I don’t really know how to taste food. I eat for energy and to live for just another day.

I have no idea what the total cost of our meal was. After all, the husband paid for everything. I would say that the prices are ‘atas’ though so be prepared to dine like royalty.

Mudzaffar Hotel, Melaka – now a 3-star hotel?

Posted in Leisure & Travel by

I was really looking forward to a posh stay at Mudzaffar Hotel, Ayer Keroh Melaka. The type of stay where I can cuddle in with room service food.

I booked a Deluxe King room for 2 with my daughter including breakfast. I was on leave because I needed to complete my assignments. My daughter has conveniently finished her academic year at kindergarten which means that she is ‘available’ on Friday. We checked in immediately after I fetched her from school on Thursday.

Check-in was a breeze as I had already paid online. I just needed to pay an extra RM2 for tourism tax. Parking was easy and the hotel was within walking distance to various places to eat. There is also a swimming pool at the hotel but we didn’t bring any bathing suits. Simply because our room already has a bathtub. So, my daughter could easily dip in the tub no matter how many times in a day. She brought her toys to play with and she had a great time soaking in it. The interior decor of this hotel is dark. It would probably look majestic at night but we didn’t step out of our room to actually see what the lobby looks like at night.

I wished they had a mini fridge in my room. I missed having my iced beverages. There were small hiccoughs in the room – the lingering pandan scent (reminds me of a ghost), the non-existent feet wiping the bathroom mat, and the blinking aircon panels. Otherwise, most of the services provided are okay. The staff were exceptionally gracious and polite. They do not come across as pompous at all.

For dinner that night, we walked to a place called Ceqlapaq Restaurant and ordered Laksa Sarang. It was delicious and the broth was rich in fish bits. Another plus point is that it is not spicy making it children-friendly. The portion was too huge though, so my daughter couldn’t finish it.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel. Because my daughter wants to do her Number 2, we have to eat very fast. So mengada this daughter. Thankfully, the spread was delicious although most of its options are Malay delicacies. I loved the coffee and the nasi lemak sambal was not spicy.

Overall, the stay wasn’t that bad although I did feel ‘cheated’ that there was no mini fridge in the room. I took it for granted that a hotel of such prestige (I thought this is a 5 star hotel) would not have a problem in providing a little fridge for their guests especially when I had paid RM 247.77/night including taxes, fees and breakfast for two. Turns out other 3-star hotels could do better.

Malaysian beauty and skincare products

Posted in Beauty Products, Reviews by

Social media has convinced consumers like myself to try our local products. Although some can be on the much pricier side – as long as I believe it is good for our economic cycle, I can afford to do so. These are the skincare and beauty products I have tried this year and I have to say, they leave quite a positive impression.

Simplysiti

I used to be a big fan of this cosmetic and skincare range, especially during the times of Dermagic in dark purple packaging. However, I stopped because I noted that the formula of their moisturizer (back then) felt a bit off and that was when I realized that their main manufacturer had changed from South Korea to Indonesia. They must have tweaked the ingredients a bit, out of innovation, only that it was too noticeable and did not appeal to my liking.

This time I got their serum, moisturizer and sunscreen. The sunscreen was my least favourite because the scent of bubblegum was too overpowering. I did love their moisturizer and serum.

CUURA

I was intrigued by this brand because beauty influencers were all over them with the ‘ooohhh’ and ‘aaaahhh’ for their sunscreen and supplements. I did buy their sunscreen which was great as it had the texture of BOJ and up till now I am still consuming their GLO NECTAR. Recently, I purchased their Travel Kit which has 5 items inside: DetoxCleanser (10mls), Dew Drops Essence (10ml), Hydra Boost Serum (10ml), Aqua Boost Moisturizer (10ml) and Brightening Sunscreen (10ml). It was priced at RM124 but I wished they could make it for less than RM100 or at least lower than RM110. The application is straightforward. I rationed them as I didn’t want them to finish too quickly. Ha ha. It’s great as a trial kit of their products as well.

HYGR

I was sceptical about trying their deodorant at first but once I did – I was in love. Yes, it is pricey but honestly, with it’s combined compact look and lingering scent, I would repeat my purchase. I bought the Citrus and Tea Tree deodorant. I also bought 2 sticks of lip balm in the code, Hibiscus. I gave one stick to my cousin. I chose Hibiscus because I think it complements my skin tone nicely. The fascinating thing about the lip balm is that it is pigmented enough to be used as a mono eyeshadow and a blusher. Hence, it became a great companion for my travels. In fact, I did bring it with me on my trips to Kuching and Miri.

LADY.NURTURAL

The owner of this business was a blogger that I really loved reading about since her younger years. Based on her blogging style, I have always regarded her as one of those with a flair for creativity and empathetic reasoning. Thus, I am overjoyed to see her translate these traits into her home business. You could see the love she put into the making of her product, the packaging and the marketing. I wouldn’t expect any less.

I bought some soaps from her website. I was terribly influenced to try the HUTAN soap bar because I wanted to experience the earthy-wet smell after a shower. Indeed, I did feel like I just got out of a forest, hiking maybe with all the sweat. It had that sort of fresh smell. I also bought the TAWAS soap as a means to reduce body odour. I have another 3 soap bars that have yet to be tried, so it will definitely last me throughout next year. They are too precious to be given away as gifts.

NIHON

NIHON is a skincare line formulated by dermatologists. I didn’t immediately jump on the bandwagon because the founder and those who promoted it in the first place did not appear convincing. However, as times passed with me being desperate to get my pigmentations under control, I decided to take the plunge. I knew that there was no way I would get skin treatment unless I went to Renora Clinic one day and took leave many days afterwards to heal. So, this is perhaps a reliable solution for me to take care of my skin at home.

So I bought the Essence and the Night Repair Creme. I loved the essence immediately and am seriously contemplating replacing my SKII Pitera with it. The creme has retinol which is something I always aim for in my night cream products. However, what I loved most about the creme is it’s tangy, citrus scent. It was uplifting yet calming at the same time for the nighttime application. I am looking forward to exploring other products like their day cream and sunscreen but it will have to wait until I have finished the many others I have at home.

Would you know of any other Malaysian products I can try?