Langkawi 2017 : Hotel Bahagia

The hotel provides service as good as its name. You do feel bahagia. Located in the heart of Pekan Kuah, it is appealing to tourists who have ‘shopping at Haji Ismail Group HIG MALL’ as part of their itinerary. It is a 25mins drive from the airport. The room rate at Hotel Bahagia starts at RM99 per night for a standard room. However, the more financially apt guests may prefer the Suites and Studios.

img1487725674029.jpg

Hotel Bahagia also has a ‘cousin’ – Villa Bahagia which is a different form of accommodation suitable for families and groups of friends situated a few miles away.

We were in Langkawi for 4D3N and we booked our package through the Malindo Air website. The total cost for our trip –  2 adults and 1 kindie kid was just above RM700.00 (return flight ticket + hotel room)

img1487725861716.jpg

Pros;

  1. Location is strategic to Pekan Kuah where all the shopping goes on – especially to locals who go there to find tax-free Luminarc, Corell and what not.
  2. Room has basic amenities like a kettle, hot shower, towels and hairdryer. Only, the lower room rates would lack a window. So you should just stare at your husbands eyes and see through the window of his soul or something.
  3. Breakfast is included in our hotel room rate and the menu is I felt, befitting to what we pay for. They also have a cafe next door, a convenience store with bakery and did I mention there’s a Thai Restaurant just down the block? Yup, all in one row.
  4. There’s an agency that provides island hopping packages and other island activites at the lobby. So it was very convenient for us. Price was negotiable and just like, in Krabi, they pick you up at the hotel with a transport to the jetty.
  5. FREE WIFI in every room

Cons;

  1. You need parking coupons to park at the hotel. They do not have a specific car park. You’d need to park in front of the shop lots. Thankfully, there are plenty of shops selling the coupons. Too bad the reception does not sell them.
  2. Housekeeping can be a bit sloppy. On one day they left their scrubbing towel in the toilet. The next day they forget to empty the trash – I mean they did remove the plastic bag from the bin but they forgot to bring it with them. When we arrived, they did not stock up the toiletries with shower foams. This however, could be an isolated incident so it’s OK.
  3. The coffee could taste better. It was agonizing.
  4. While its nice to have FREE WIFI – you need to get a new username & password everyday from the reception.

img1487726146126.jpg

At the end of the day, the good points won us over and it was overall a wonderful stay. We would probably pay for maybe a deluxe or Junior suite room for our next visit if we still choose to stay there. Heard there’s a massage chair in the latter room.

Excellent location.

Worth the money.

Clean facilities.

 

Langkawi 2017 – Long Term Car Park & Malindo Airlines

There is always a first time for everything. For this Langkawi 2017 trip – we decided to give the Long Term Car Park (LTCP) KLIA a try and Malindo Airlines a fly (as opposed to our usual Putrajaya Sentral and Air Asia)

LONG TERM CAR PARK (LTCP)

This open air carpark, LTCP is easily navigated with Google Maps.

klia2-long-term-car-park

The rate per hour is RM2.50 and they charge RM 32.00 for overnight parking. The shuttle bus from LTCP to KLIA/KLIA2 however is FREE and is as frequent as 15 minutes. So I think if you’re travelling in a group – this would cost you less as opposed to having to pay for the KLIA Transit ticket from Putrajaya Sentral and what not.

It was still a bit costly for the 3 of us but it was sure convenient. Bag-hauling and waiting times were reduced to 50%, at least. The ride to KLIA was less than 10 mins. Which means we didn’t get to pose a lot of selfies in the shuttle. And it stops at its designated spot at the LG floor of KLIA.

img1487725297891.jpg

img1487725585978.jpg

MALINDO AIR

Malindo is infamous for being an airline which has delays. I think they’ve got comfortable with the idea of customers knowing about this that they’ve become experts in managing delays, rescheduling flights and granting compensations. Yup, I experienced a delayed flight back from Langkawi to KL. Malindo informed us via text the day before. They can predict the future but we understood that our plane probably didn’t have that many passengers hence they decide to cram everybody into one flight.

Anyway, going Langkawi was uneventful. We checked in online from home so our baggage drop was pretty simple. They even gave us a complimentary newspaper at the counter. We get to choose our seats for FREE. FREE juice, no meals since its a very short haul flight (1 hour). FREE 15kg luggage allowance per person for domestic flights.

img1487725497392.jpg

The seats had spacious leg rooms. There was an inflight magazine to read as well. Not bad lah huh. I would even consider using this to go back Kuching – with a Plan B should my flight is delayed.

In Langkawi, we stayed at Hotel Bahagia ( a blog post of its own this one). Went Island Hopping and visited the wonderful Langkawi Geopark which I will elaborate on later. And of course we ate a lot of Laksa Kedah and its weird idea of cendol and bought loads of chocolate to bring back home to family and friends.I even allowed myself to splurge on a new set of china. *gasp at horror of my bank account balance*

Thistle Port Dickson Resort And Spa

It’s an all in hotel where you can just have a truly relaxing and enjoyable stay within the compound itself. Not only they have a wonderful swimming pool, an in-house spa and private beach, the resort also have plenty of activities for kids! And if that still does not entice you – hey, there’s a Pokestop and PokeGym on site too. You don’t even have to leave the hotel to gain levels and search for Pokemon.

img1471007420127.jpg

We were there because Mr Husband had a conference to attend. Since it coincides with my birthday – he decided to not share a room with his roommate and instead upgraded his options just so Ee and I could tag along. It was definitely quality time between Mother and Son.

It was a 4D3N stay. The room size and facilities were top notch. Yelah.. its a RM375 rate room per night but Mr Husband just paid like a bit lah.. kira top up jak.

img1471007578515.jpg

img1471007737235.jpg

Mr Husbands programmes starts at 8AM till 5PM. While he cracks his head for poster presentations and group work stuff – both me and my son decided to explore PD. We went to the Ostrich Farm, PD Waterfront, 3D Alive Art Gallery,  Oceania Mall (sgt usang).. had meals at the Cowboy Nasi Kukus place, plenty of cendols and coconut drinks plus a McD Happy Meal with Chocolate Cone ice cream.

img1471007871878.jpgimg1471007254571.jpg

We are usually back by noon as I need to perform my Zuhr prayers. Cannot jamak. It’s just 66KM away. In the afternoon when the weather is scorching hot – we’d stay indoors and entertain ourselves at the facilities on site.

THISTLE has a media room for kids where they’d play animation movies on the projector. Macam pegi wayang lahh. We wanted to watch  Frozen but missed its screening time, so we went for Penguin Madagascar and Kungfu Panda on 2 consecutive days. Ee enjoyed the Lego Room very much. Strangely he was not a fan of the kiddies swimming pool. He said he doesn’t want to fall sick playing in the pool. Fine by me – I don’t have to get changed in a burkini. Da ketat dahh… bluek

img1471007064586.jpg

If you have the monetary capacity and need to pamper yourself without moving much muscle – Thistle is the best place to go. Besides, I have yet to try the Spa.

 

Kuching : Lime Tree Hotel

lime shower, banana fritters and laksa!!

I chose to highlight The LimeTree Hotel strengths through its breakfast selection and their special in-house lime shower gel. For this trip to Kuching, Sarawak I made 2 separate bookings using 2 websites. One is Agoda.Com and the other with AirAsiaGo.Com.

The LimeTree Hotel

Lot 317 Abell Road,
Kuching, Malaysia

 

I used Agoda.Com for my own booking as my flight tickets were already available. I only needed to sort out my accommodation. Through the Insider’s Deal feature on top of an Early Bird (non refundable) discount I managed to book the Deluxe King with City View room at a total cost of RM807.55 (including tax and fees). Its roughly RM143 per night as opposed to its usual RM190 . I planned to stay for 6D5N , so every penny counts. I paid with my credit card and within minutes I was booked. I only had to print the voucher to be presented to the reception later during check in.

Then, I needed to book my mother’s flight + hotel. she also had the same length for stay. so I turned to our very own local NO 1 Best Low cost airline Air Asia. Searching for one person was a tad costly compared to if you were to book for two people. Naturally the less popular flight hours were cheapest, and finally I got to make a booking for her (flight + hotel) at a cost of RM967.26 (including tax and fees). I then tweaked her flight itinerary a bit and ordered inflight meals at a reasonable cost (range Rm9 – Rm15 per meal). We were good to go.

img1468912237667.jpg

CHECKING IN

Standard procedure was to have an ID card of the main client at hand. What wasn’t standard was to also register the 2nd adult guest staying in the same room on the system. This was for extra security measures. I had to remind my mother that she can only bring in one of her sisters to accompany her in her room and not bring all the sisters for a slumber party. She cheekily obliged.

Guests were given only one room key and could only access the floors they are staying on. This also meant that my mother (at level 3) cannot freely stop on our floor (level 2) for a chat in the morning on her way down to the G floor for the breakfast buffet.

My mother had her reservation paid in full online – she had to leave an RM50 deposit during check in.

ROOMS

Impeccably clean with that lovely citrus scent. No complaints. The wardrobe was very tiny though but we made do. If only they had an extra drawer at the dressing table. I guess they were going for a minimalist concept. Ha ha. The showers had strong pressure and it was refreshing to use their in-house lime shower/shampoo gels. My son looked forward to his baths every time.

Each room has access to FREE WIFI. They also have their GREEN WAYS in running the hotel which I totally heart!

Daily complimentary beverages and bottled water was very nice. And they also have an inbuilt universal socket adapter which was very very thoughtful.

BREAKFAST

They have a varied selection to choose from  – asian, western etc.. but they may not necessarily differ on a daily basis. Meaning you will see laksa everyday. Chicken slices everyday. Banana fritters everyday. So guests must refrain themselves from having everything on that one day. Instead, reserve your appetite for a western breakfast every other day or so. Even so, I chose to enjoy the Laksa Sarawak and Banana Fritters every freaking day!! Whoever you have cooking in the kitchen is a keeper!!

wp-1469148796290.jpg

LOCATION

This cute hotel is situated in the city with nearby attractions – what more can I say.

Mr Husband and my mother enjoyed the stay very much.The staff were very helpful. The fact that they want to stay in this hotel again says a lot about its services and facilities. My mother, a very direct 59 year old lady who still loves wearing her leggings even went up to one of the hotel staff (ntah2 owner) and praised the hotel for its very nyaman goreng pisang!

Well Done LimeTree Hotel. keep it up!

Weekend in Kuala Lumpur at Izumi Hotel, Bukit Bintang

Apart from being my fathers part time personal assistant (PA), I have also been kept busy with my proper job as a medical officer. I have been selected to attend a weekend conference. Yah.. bila mana ko tak oncall dia suro gi kursus – Thank god, the conference was beneficial and interesting. buatnye dia suro aku attend rashes in pediatric patients.. or asthma in pediatrics – aku akan mengamok sebulan.

20160423_075928

So I happily booked a hotel near the venue of the conference. I was not willing to splurge that much money at JW Marriot itself, so I booked Izumi Hotel. Somehow rasa tertipu dengan Agoda.Com because the rate offline was cheaper than online. Tapi takpe.. rezeki hotel.

Recently Updated11

Both Mr Husband and I are not really familiar with Kuala Lumpur. So we were technically tourist in our own country. WAZE was hopeless in directions – hence turned to Google Map for help. The entry to the hotel was into a very small Jalan Berangan just under the fly-over near the Arab Restaurant (middle pic). Go slow, you might miss the turn. Turned out, the hotel had a GREAT location.

Like wow.. dalam map nampak jauh sikit tapi the shopping places were like so near!! Everything is within walking distance. The husband and child should not by any means get bored okay?!!! Pavillion, LOT 1o, Fahrenheit Shopping Mall, Sungei Wang plaza was practically sepelaung away. There were lots of options of restaurants to have a meal. Arab? Malay? Western? Chinese? A bar? You name it!  For a while, Bukit Bintang seemed like a foreign place because of the flock of international tourists everywhere! So meriah!!!

We did not even have to use our car which was kept in the ‘lift carpark’ of IZUMI hotel which was co-shared with Fortuna Hotel. I was so impressed.

The ladies at the hotel reception were ever so helpful. We had complimentary newspaper (The Star), free WIFI in every room, complimentary drinking bottles of water and coffee in the room. On top of that, there was an ironing area and water dispenser on our floor (level 8) for both hot and icy cold drinks.

Recently Updated10

My boy loved the shower. Interestingly, there was a small glass window separating the bathroom and the bed, so I can watch over my boy while he so called independently showers himself. Ha ha.

We paid about MYR 130/night. There were breakfast options at its very own IZUMI Bistro but we didn’t take it. I would definitely choose this hotel again in the future.

 Recently Updated12