After the stay at Kluang, we made our way to Kota Tinggi. On the way there, we stopped at this place for a quick lunch. The food pricing was cheap and most importantly, the dishes were prepared deliciously. It is like one of those everyday places people go to for lunch and have their nasi campur.
The Lakeview Terrace Resort
This resort is located at quite an isolated area. You will need to drive a bit to find a restaurant. I believe that this place was promising when it initially opened. A resort is supposed to have everything to accommodate your stay. Visitors rarely have to leave the place. I saw a reel on it, recorded a year ago. It surely gives off a different vibe as to how it is now. It did made me question what could possibly went wrong. Later, I found my probable answer.
Mr Husband booked two rooms. Each room has a double bed and a single bed. Our Family Room is roughly about RM 180/night before the tax and fees. Yup, the price has dropped tremendously due to it’s service falling short. The rooms were located in front of it’s main attraction, the swimming pool. My husband enjoyed the gym. He was on the treadmill for at least an hour in the evening while watching over the kids swimming in the pool. I was able to get my 10K steps in as well by walking around the area.
Most of the area has been shut off with tapes surrounding the units. The ones open were situated much closer to the pool and cafe. I thought it was a shame that such a beautiful place is quietly becoming out of business. Until I figured out why. I saw a tiger toy on one of the bins and in front of one of the units, that is probably rented out to long term tenants working at Pengerang. I knew that some people use these toys to deter monkeys. Indeed, I saw the monkeys. But they were further away from where the guest were staying.
I suppose before this, wildlife imposed a threat to visitors. By going into the rooms and going through the trash.
Find the monkey
Breakfast was included in the room rates for 3 pax/each. The options were very sad though. The basic cereal and milk for kids were not even there. Only sausages. I felt sorry for the staff though. It was only one lovely lady who had to manage the front desk and also setting up the breakfast buffet. I hope she is paid well and is allowed her time off if she asks for it.
We had lunch at Dee Pondok Desaru cause it looked pretty from the roadside. This place serves the usual lunch dishes. I ordered nasi penyet with ikan keli. I believe the rest ordered the chicken dishes. It was OK for a family lunch. Most of the time we just lounged around in the room and played in the pool. We checked out after a 2 night stay and went back home to Melaka. The road trip was what I needed after a few hectic weeks at the workplace. I ws ready to return to work after my leave. Looking forward to my next long break in December. Insya-Allah.
This is my first time going to Disneyland, including my kids. However, this is the 4th time my husband has been to Disneyland. eyes uprolling in jealousy
After a heavy breakfast in our room, we made our way to the nearest station by 830am. This time we already have our Octopus card, which makes travelling on public transport so easy. Once we had made the necessary station changes, we finally boarded the special Disney train to Disneyland itself.
Mr Husband brought our tickets online. I do not know for sure if he bought it from Klook or something, cause well, I am not the one paying. Mr Husband said we couldn’t bring in any outside food, although I was pretty sure I’d read somewhere that packed snacks are ok. Even then, he and the kids really tried their best to finish our packed biscuits. However, I did keep a few of them and my mini Beryl’s chocolate in the front pocket, hoping that it would not be confiscated at the security. It didn’t, and I get to nibble on them whenever I feel nauseated from the rides.
Tips ;
Bring a water bottle, wipes, a hat or a fan – anything that could help protect you from the sun and cool off
Wear comfortable shoes and attire – while it may seem cute to put nice princess dresses on your kids, Hong Kong weather is hot! At least bring an extra T-shirt and pants.
If necessary, have your anti-nausea meds before you come. I had terrible vertigo on some of the rides. I really needed to close my eyes
Plan your rides and shows if you’re kiasu kaw2. We did not plan and missed out on photos with characters, some shows and attractions. Some of them we didn’t go on purpose because the rides seemed scary. Hence, we didn’t go to the Animation Academy, Art of Animation, Barrel of Fun, Fantasy Gardens, Garden of Wonders, HK Disneyland Railroad (closed), Mickey’s Philharmagic, RC Racer, Toy Soldier Parachute Drop, Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleigh and maybe a few more.
There’s a Quiet Room that Muslims can use to perform solat. Even a wudhuk area is provided. But do bring your own praying attire if you need to use one.
Having said that, there is a HALAL restaurant in Disneyland. It is located at Adventureland. We had rice dishes and laksa.
Of all the shows, aim to at least watch The Lion King show. To me, that is a must!
The best minifan ever. The centre is so cold, like ice, you can place it on your face and neck for an extra cooling effect. The battery lasts for more than 3 hours with a full charge.
The Quiet Room
The Halal restaurant at Adventureland
The crowd waiting outside The Lion King show
The grand setup of The Lion King show
Here is my take on these attractions.
Ant-Man and The Wasp
Our task was to shoot the enemy using our laser guns and collect points. I sat with my son, and he was doing very well shooting down the wasps. I certainly could do better.
Big Grizzly Mountain
This is easily one of my favourite rollercoaster rides. It has enough thrills that excite you, but is not dangerous at the same time. It reminds me of The Mummy Ride at Universal Studios, Singapore.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
A benign ride where even a toddler could operate the handles and make Dumbo fly. I think we had like 3 or 4 circles before it stopped.
Fairy Tale Forest
This was surprisingly fun due to its interactive features. It is a forest that tells the story of our favourite Disney princesses. Do take note that there is a wheel just underneath the book that you could turn and make the replicas in front of the book do something. I realised this quite late, and it was just too tiring to go back and turn it for other characters. For example, in the Beauty and the Beast section, you could see them dance once you turn the wheel. It was so magical.
There is also another box at the side that you could interact with.
Frozen Ever After
This is one of those rides where they bring you through the story. Minor fast-paced areas, but nothing too scary. Toddlers would love it.
Hyperspace Mountain
I had bad vertigo in this one. Thus, I am unable to describe how it was, but my daughter loved it. I just know there are lots of movements, and there’s a glow in the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Forgive me.
Iron Man Experience
This is where we assemble in a room, seated on the aircraft and are supposed to just tour Iron Man’s place comfortably. Of course, we were attacked and had to escape. So the ‘aircraft’ was hovering in all directions with our feet dangling from the floor. The visuals and sound effects were great. Not bad.
Iron Man Tech Showcase
We went in for the air conditioning. Basically, it’s like a display of Iron Man’s suits, fighting tech and buildings. Helps to cool off the body a bit after all the heat.
It’s a small world
You sit in a boat and just cruise the canal with the song ‘It’s a Small World’ on repeat until your ears bleed. To make it interesting, find your own country and see how it is depicted. If it is included. It is a good setup for a scary movie, though because there were lots of dolls.
Jungle River Cruise
You could choose to go on the English/non-English tour boat. We went on this twice. I thought that the script would be the same. Turns out our first lady guide, Yama, was much better and more entertaining. Although the animals during the cruise were knowingly fake, we enjoyed it just the same.
Mad Hatter Tea Cups
Another vertigo-inducing ride that kids seem to tolerate better than myself. It’s just a spinning teacup, but I was nauseated.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Similar to Frozen, this ride tells you a story about Winnie the Pooh. It’s just nice to be seated and see the colourful displays and special effects.
Mystic Manor
Honestly, I have no idea Mystic Manor exists in Disney. It was nice, though. During our first time, the ride malfunctioned and all of us were escorted out. However, we were given coupons so that we could bypass the queue later. To which we did when it was up and running again. The story was entertaining and so magical.
Slinky Dog Spin
Pretty much like Dumbo, only this time we are going around in circles on Slinky. I have to say the Toy Story area was really hot as they tried to emulate a Cowboy area in a deserted land. There were hardly any trees, and the area was just brown all over. The toilet was a great place to cool down and relieve ourselves. Some visitors were even sitting at the entrance of the toilet as they couldn’t cope with the heat.
Of course, Disneyland is a great place to go. Apart from the heat. I hope that my blog readers will be able to set foot in it someday. We said goodbye to Disneyland before the fireworks started, as we wanted to avoid the crowd. We had dinner at the hotel with food we tapau nearby.
We stayed at Hotel Sentral Johor Bahru. This is not to be confused with JB Central Hotel as this is a different place altogether.
Ours is a budget, 3 star hotel with just enough facilities to bring about a restful day. It is at Tanjung Puteri and a few minutes walk away from the R&F Mall JB. The hotel is a comfortable place for you to have a quick breakfast, a comfortable bed to sleep in after a tiring day at USS. If you find this hotel not to your liking, then there are nearby hotels – practically a doorstep away such as Erica Hotel, Erya by Suria and GBW Hotel.
We booked a Family Room for 2 Nights. It came to a total of just below RM 350 without tax. Breakfast included. The room has a single bed and a double bed.
I specifically mention these hotels because they are walking distance from each other and are in collaboration with Pakej USS dot Com (yes, the name of the agency is that straight forward) in terms of pickup and group movement.
The day trip is done daily and it offers ticket prices as below; (as of April 2019)
Adult  : RM 265 / Children : RM 215/ Senior : RM 175
This will include the entrance ticket for USS as well. Nice, right? Will write about USS later.
Back to the hotel, it was OK. At night, they have food trucks near the lobby and the food sold there were great. We really enjoyed the Mac & Cheese. Breakfast at the hotel was adequate. You have the toast section, noodles, nasi lemak (of course), cereals, fruits & salad and your juice with beverages. Kira OKlah with what you pay.
Then, there is a swimming pool located on the second floor. Unfortunately, the changing room was not open, so you kinda have to wipe yourself really dry before entering the lift or find a spot and change to a drier outfit.
The toiletries were at its minimum – meaning no toothbrush or toothpaste. So bring your own – it is not that difficult if you are a frequent traveler. The hot shower was great, water pressure nice.
Most importantly, every floor has a Cuckoo water dispenser machine. Imagine the joy of free flow hot and cold water. Especially when the machine is standing just 2 doors a way. No need for boiling hot water for Ninie’s milk.
Since this hotel was booked by Mr Husband, I will put any small discomforts to rest. Like the broken furniture, limited parking space and ragged looking towels. If it was up to me though, I’d probably upgrade my room or choose another hotel. However since we were tired after a long day at USS, these small glitches just doesn’t matter anymore as it was drowned in our snores.
