This is a 3 star hotel located in Kuah, adjacent to where most Malay Malaysians love to shop – Haji Ismail Group shopping mall & hotel. It is only about a 25mins drive from the airport and roughly 10 minutes from the jetty. Room rates are at a range of RM135 – RM185/night.
EE at the lobby with the grandparentsBasic toiletries, hairdryer, mini fridge, free coffee & tea, hot shower.. lurvly..
View from our room. The pool. Petronas ( you can do the 10 000 steps everyday there and shop at Mesra. LOL).
All rooms have a balcony with different views of course and has free high speed WIFI. What I loved most about the hotel was the very friendly staff that genuinely helps you with the bags and the superb pool with its mini cafe that opens at night.
The guests here are thankfully not from those big tour groups. It can be a nightmare to be in the same hotel with big groups as they tend to hoard the breakfast food. Some even muka tak malu go and tapau to eat in the bus. We did however spot few guests that sneaked the breakfast buffet food up to their rooms! Mentang2 ko warga asing boleh plak buat suka hati.
If there was anything to improve regarding the service and facilities here, it would be ;
The breakfast selection. I acknowledge that one should not expect selections like the ones served at 4 or 5 star hotels. But if a 2 star Seri Malaysia hotel can serve good food and fast service (clearing tables) – guests tend to have higher expectations. In Greenish Hotel, the best food was mi goreng ( serius sedap) and the omelette. I was disappointed with the coffee. Although I am not a coffee connoisseur, it still felt difficult to gulp down the beverage.
Housekeeping need to be mindful in the small details. Pay attention to the depleting complementary beverages, the full rubbish can etc.
Ventilation in the lobby. Perhaps it was an effort to conserve energy and electricity but when you have a lot of people waiting to check in and out – the heat does get to you.
Parking space is free but limited. If you don’t mind walking, you could park at the gas station beside the hotel or even at HIG shopping mall and walk a bit. Perhaps the hotel will decide on expanding depending on the demand. LOl.
Despite the shortcomings, it was a pleasant stay on a budget. Definitely my go -to- hotel in the future.
Finally, my husband could take leave after slaving himself for 4 months working non-stop. He is at the near top of his career ladder. This translates to still having to work on the weekends. He chose Langkawi & Penang for our mini year-end vacation and we invited his parents to come too.
This time we tried using Malindo Air and depart via the Batu Berendam airport in Melaka. It’s a small airport which has 1 mini cafe and 2 other tuck shops. The toilet and musolla was enough for the number of visitors and most importantly, clean. Parking was FREE. For now.
The flight took about 1H 40mins from Melaka to Langkawi. Our plane was a little, cute plane that gives off this Jurassic Park vibe to it. We did not order any inflight meals cause the journey is very short. We checked into the Greenish Hotel (will write about that later) and went about our days. For this trip, we decided to take it really easy. Since we have been coming to Langkawi for almost every year, this time we ditched the cable car and The Aquaria.
We still went to Langkawi Wildlife Park because its fun to feed the animals. They have a new attraction which is an augmented reality studio. Honestly not impressed. Please do not waste your time and money there.
HIG complex is a must. This is where apart from selling chocolates, they sell local health & cosmetic products, kitchenware, glassware, duvet etc. All this at a tax-free price. A construction is ongoing at site. Not sure what they’re building.This time since I am in a weight loss programme, I have been more cautious in my selection of chocolates. I spent more on dark choc varieties. However, my favourites like Hersheys, Bounty & Maltesers made it into the basket too. I am not a fan of Daim.
Meals were simple. We had nasi campur at various places including the famous Kak Yan. Then there’s Laksa Kaw which was a disappointment. The recipe is just off. It made me wonder whether that nice Rossabina laksa we had is the same owner of this Laksa Kaw (rebranded?) because the location is the same.
We spent 3 days and 2 nights in Langkawi and departed to Penang via the passenger ferry. Mr Husband booked the tickets online and had them printed out early. The tickets were scanned at the autogate and we get to wait at a very big, comfortable, air conditioned hall. Impressive!
Adult RM70.00
Child RM51.30
We were allocated numbers for our seats. So, no rush. Toilets are OK. They even provide complimentary puke bags for passengers. The 3 hour ferry ride went by smoothly cause they had movies on. Plus, air condition was working great. Bring a jumper if you are sensitive to cold. I was worried initially upon boarding because we were bombarded with a string of dangdut videos on the public TV screen as entertainment. I had thought it would last for the 3 hours of our journey. Thankfully they switched to an English movie as we set off. ha ha ha.
We hailed a Grab from the ferry terminal to our hotel Seri Malaysia (another blog post) and just stayed within the compound till our flight back to Melaka the following day. In short, we did not go sight seeing considering that it was New years Eve and people might get drunk on the streets. One thing I have to mention, even though this hotel is rated only 2 stars – the breakfast buffet is worth 3 stars. Even better than Greenish Hotel in Langkawi.
We finally reached home with a bang! Turns out that our flight coincides with the Melaka Welcomes The World campaign. So, we had kompang and all of the tourism entourage making a fuss over us handing goodie bags and what not at the airport. My kids of course enjoyed the attention.
Malindo Air delivered its best this time around – flight was punctual. I loved that we could travel easily from Melaka to Langkawi without having to drive up to Kuala Lumpur, spend money on overnight parking and catch a plane from there.
Now we can just land in Melaka, get back into our car and just drive another 15 mins back home. We had time to at least rest a bit before we got back to work and school the very next day. Let’s hope there will be more flights from Melaka to other places in the world. Our family would love it!
Purchasing the tickets online are cheaper but the queue when you buy them at site at its normal price is much shorter. So choose your battle. I think most people can wait. Ha ha.
ALL THOSE WHO ENTER HAS BRACELETS ON THEIR HANDS
BRING YOUR MYKAD & MYKID PEOPLE
This was Ee’s first time going into Kidzania and I was honestly quite excited as well. I could also see young teenagers having fun with their friends. As a first timer, the dynamics of the place does overwhelm you even as an adult. However, the place was a beautiful sight with all the design and spirit of the place. The kids who came were also very confident in how they choose to carry themselves and execute the task given.
THE FIRETRUCK IS VERY POPULAR WITH THE KIDS..
Prior to entering the place, I have received a balance of useful and negative advice. It depends on who is giving the tips. I see Kidzania as a place where kids get to build on their skills and interact with other kids (making new friends – if they choose to) to achieve an objective. The play does not end in just one day as you could frequent the place many times in a year depending on your budget and experience a lot of ‘jobs’ there.
In Kidzania, you either earn or spend your money. Each job has a description of age suitable for play, duration of job and expected wage to receive upon completion of a task. They always have a task for you. Some jobs are quick, some are lengthy up to 20 minutes. The popular ones are of course the uniformed jobs. Some food based industry jobs require spending money as you get to bring the produce home or to eat.
DESCRIPTIONS AT THE DOOR
Kidzania uses English as its main language of communication but if you have a clueless son like Ee – he can still survive the world with his not so great-yet prowess of the English language. But it is OK, I think he needs the exposure to an environment of budak bandar. Where the kids speak English fluently since pre-school. He has become too comfortable in his Malay dominated environment. This is also one of the reasons why I sent him swimming at a non-Malay dominated school. Just so he learns a bit about other people/ race in Malaysia. Come onlah Ee, Mummy used to have a chinese boyfriend in primary school. Ha ha ha.
It would have been nice to spend the whole day in Kidzania but the other adults were getting restless. Except me. Hence, Ee managed to work at only less than 6 jobs till noon. I am considering to make him a ‘pasport’ to become the citizen of Kidzania on my next visit. It can be an activity I do with my son from time to time. We just need to simpan duit sikit for the trip.
SURGEONS
In Kidzania, there is plenty of toilets and designated areas for adults to rest. There is even a baby room for younger kids to feed and change their diapers. I would advice children to have a good breakfast before they go because once they start working, they are like Energizer bunny’s not willing to stop. One more thing,the place is bustling with people in there. So brief your kids on where to find you or stay put should they go missing in the crowd.As for yourself, have breakfast too, wear comfortable clothes & footwear. You never know if you also need to run around with the kids accompanying them on their job runs.
AS FOR THE VERY YOUNG ONES, THEY POSE FOR PICTURES
I think I am in my Korean phase – a phase where I am infatuated with everything Korean from the latest drama, variety show, gossips, songs & food. This phase will pass too but until the enthusiasm wears off – I am on a mission to fulfill that K-void. Even my makeup has taken on a Korean vibe to it.
FYI – I have been binge-watching Youtube videos of Hong Jin-Young with her charming, aegyo personality who appeared in various variety shows in Korea.
On top of that, just last week my family and I tried Korean street food at a new halal outlet called Myeongdong Topokki in Melaka.
Honey Jujube RM7.90 Green Tea RM3.90 ( refillable x 3)
The concept is that it has a counter where you order food and then collect at the kitchen when your number is called. It would have been a better experience if I could see the menu beforehand so that (as first timers) I will not freeze or deliberate too long on my choices upon ordering. It would have been ugly if the queue was long.
I ordered the trending snacks youngsters nowadays seem to enjoy. For my husband, I took the liberty to order him a set of Bulgogi Beef Deopbab. Basically, it is rice with marinated beef alongside side dishes of kimchi, soup and green tea.
Bulgogi Beef Deopbap RM18.90
My son Ee had the regular corndog.
Corndog RM 12.90 Ganjang chicken RM10.90
I ordered a Cheese Topokki. Of course, this is because I have been influenced by the numerous clips I see on Youtube. I find that topokki is not to my liking but at least I have tried. I think it’s the spiciness that puts me off. Koreans really love their gochujang (chilli paste).
Cheese Topokki (large) RM15.90
We enjoyed the Ganjang Chicken most. It is not spicy. I would definitely order a bigger portion on my next visit.
As for drinks, I had iced green tea. Customers can refill their green tea up to 3 servings ! Ee had honey jujube drink which was equally nice.
In short, this is a child friendly eatery. It is clean and exudes the young, cheerful vibe. Food is not bad but a bit pricey for street food. But we have to remember, this is an imported menu after all – haruslah harga mahal sikit. Parking spaces are difficult to come by. Customers tend to double park. Apart from the minor glitches, I think it is worth trying.
When we only had Ee, our firstborn, planning for a holiday is much easier. Now that he has gone for formal schooling on top of us parents shouldering more responsibilities at work plus the addition of little Ninie, it is not that simple. We have to think about his attendance at school and also our absence from work. The timing has to be right. And of course our bosses approval to take leave.
Genting Highland was the least on my mind when it comes to a family holiday as it almost always associated with the place where people gamble and have extreme fun. Interestingly, it is possible for families to have enjoy an innocent time there too. I know I did. The kids too and even my elderly mother in law was overjoyed.
We were a party of 12 people. 1 senior citizen, 6 adults, 3 kids, 2 toddlers. We departed from Melaka at 0800H and arrived at Genting Skyway by 1030H. Mind you, at this time of the year AWANA IS STILL CLOSED FOR RENOVATION. Gosh, the pain of driving up to Genting Premium Outlet (GPO) and then going down again to the original skyway is so grrrrr..
We bought a return ticket for the cable car at RM16/pax. Kids are priced at the same rate. The view from it was amazing. I love how the thick fog hugs the jungle and terrain underneath – it is so beautiful. If only, I knew how to take better photos. Temperature was a nice sort of cold. The kids did not even have to wear their jacket. takyah bawak, semak. dahlah semak, berat lak tu.
Once we arrived at the stop, we had lunch at McDonalds. My diet was naturally ruined.
Our first adventure was The Skytropolis.
An indoor fun fair if I may say. I am not really a fan of rides. Nor is Ee. Ninie had height restrictions. So Mr Husband had the most fun there while I take photos of his embarassing blood curdling screams. It’s either you pay for a combo ticket or you pay per ride, which is a freaking RM10 each. Gile. Nama pun Genting. On weekends & public holidays, the rate climbs up to RM15 per ride. So, get a combo priced at RM90 to give you access to rides in Skytropolis, the SnowWorld and an exhibition. Or any other combo of your choice.
Later we stopped by at an exhibition featuring local art and culture called Senikome Peng Heng.
Boring. No crowd. Maybe we missed the timing for the guided experience tour. So you might want to arrange your activities accordingly as you might feel that your RM9.50 admission fee a total waste. What was more jaw dropping is that my dear Ninie (who is barely 2 and understand nothing much) was also charged RM9.50. Like, wadahek.
Can you appreciate Ninie’s artistic pose for the camera? lol.. we certainly did not coach her..
SnowWorld was most fun.
Luckily Ninie was more than 73cm – so she could enter the place. We are allowed 30 mins in the dome to experience the subzero environment and play the Toboggan slide if you like. Jacket, boots and gloves were provided. They even have Ninies size. You can place your personal belongings in the locker provided too. All this at no extra charge. Inside, there will be professional photographers helping to take your photos but you can bring your own phones too. After all, they charge RM50 per photo once you collect them. It is advisable to bring your own pair of socks as the boots can be quite damp and soggy. Plus,you wouldn’t want your feet to get icy cold. Admission fee is a flat rate of RM45 for visitors as small as Ninie to someone as old as Tun Mahathir.
The fake overseas scenery.. and snow covered pavements..
We spent 5 hours in Genting Highland without the visit to the premium outlet and there is still so much more to explore. Personally, I feel a trip here would be more happening if I were to go with my friends and do more adult-like activities such as the Void, listen to a symphony and such.
We spent 2 nights at a 3 star hotel outside Genting called S Damansara. It is because after Genting we had other mini trips as well in nearby areas.
It was a comfortable hotel which also caters for group tourists. We opted to have in house breakfast as well and I feel that the spread was adequate. The options are pretty much like what we had at Silka Cheras.
Our rooms were a Superior Twin with no windows and we were lucky to have interconnecting rooms close to each other. Price wise can go as low as RM92 per night and up to RM150 for bigger rooms. The most expensive room they have is the VIP Suite which can amount up to RM500/night which could appeal to larger family groups. There is also FREE WIFI access in every room.
The kids find the vendor machine so fascinating..
The trip to Genting was fun yet tiring. We were on our feet for the whole day but I was glad to burn some calories. On another note, I feel this years themed holiday is Tempat Perjudian considering our earlier family vacation was to Macau.
After Genting, it was to Kidzania and Petrosains. That is another blog entry.
Minci Moss 