As parents, we were very grateful for this long weekend. It’s a little breakaway in the two-week school holiday break. I consider this an opportunity to scoop the kids somewhere since we couldn’t really apply for leave during this time. Mr Husband initially wanted to go to Kuantan but with the rainy season – it can be quite a risk to go there as the place could be flooded. Cheras is only 2 hours away and we managed to squeeze in a quick visit to my father’s house at BSP.
PRESCOTT-ACE HOTEL
Mr Husband booked two Standard Twin rooms. So, there’s one for us girls and another one for the boys. This is a 3-star hotel with amenities like FREE WIFI, a mini fridge and a water dispenser in the hallway. Breakfast was included in our room rates and I think my husband paid for less than RM100/night. Of course, The Suite would cost more but even the standard room was comfortable enough.
The hotel is nestled within a very vibrant community with Aeon Mall just 11 minutes walk away. Better still, there is a metro station 2Km away. This makes travelling around KL better.
Check in is at 2pm. So, we had lunch at IOI City Mall first before going there. Parking is easy and there’s just plenty of place to eat around there. One of those places is Soru Station. We also went to Ikea Cheras for our meatballs and photo-taking in the mock rooms. On our final day of checking out, we visited Pusat Sains Negara.
SORU STATION
This is where we had our dinner the same day we checked in. They serve a mix of Malaysian and Western dishes. The meals are decent with appropriate portions and reasonable prices.
IKEA CHERAS
The layout has changed. There used to be long, communal tables lined up next to each other. Perhaps the management team has come to realize that Malaysians don’t share and prefer to hoard the whole table even if it’s just 4 people because the bags need a seat. So there are more 4 seated tables in sight with a few bigger ones for the larger party. We had the usual meatballs and mash. Mr Husband had the nasi lemak. Our drinks were refillable. It’s one of those RM2.50 per glass drink.
After our meal, we walked around Ikea enjoying the aesthetic looks of its showroom. Then, we were done for the day as our daughter needed her nap.
We went to Pusat Sains Negara the next day and that will be in another post.
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 