Tag Archives: staycation

MOXY Putrajaya Hotel – our Deepavali staycation

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

My sister was hosting a BBQ at her place after Maghrib. This means we need a place to stay afterwards. So I searched for a nearby hotel that could double up as a great place to stay over the Deepavali long weekend.

MOXY Putrajaya Hotel was recommended by my dad. There were also raving reviews considering it is a newly built hotel situated adjacent to the lively IOI City Mall. I was torn between booking the room through Agoda or as a Marriott member via their website. I finally did the earlier one because the price was RM200 cheaper. You could get a lot with RM200.

3D2N – RM 1025.30 including taxes and fees

Since most reviews said that the rooms are small, I opted for a Booster, Deluxe Twin Room. Simply because apart from the twin bed, it also has a sofa. I was surprised that when we reached the room, they had an additional smaller bed near the sofa. Which is a good thing because my son could sleep on it instead. Although there was only one access card, you did not need it as a power card because the air-conditioning and lights were already switched on. Parking was free at their designated space in the shared basement area with the mall.

There is a swimming pool and gym on site. I believe there is also a skybar somewhere. The lobby is very lively as they have a lot of games and activities there.

The beds had motion sensor lights attached at the bottom. So does the lights underneath the sink in the bathroom. The hotel has nice-smelling shower gels, shampoo, conditioner and hand wash. The hairdryer is a good touch. There were comments about the lack of an iron and wardrobe in the room. That was not a problem for me as they have their own ironing room and there are knobs on the wall to hang our clothes.

Free beverages were provided on top of bottled mineral water. I love that they have a mini fridge too.

IOI City Mall is easily accessible on foot. We had our lunch, dinner and 10K steps exercise at the mall all the time. Since I only get to go to IOI City Mall on special weekends (since it is not in Melaka), I really had a good time window shopping there over the weekend. My husband and kids prefer to watch their movies in the room. I had my 10K walk at the mall instead.

We only had breakfast at the hotel, and it was delicious. Our room rate included breakfast for 2 adults. I paid another RM63 for an adult and a child. I honestly loved the vegetable curry at the vegetarian corner, the beef side dish for the nasi lemak, the teh tarik and the assortment of pastries. The croissant was buttery and exquisite. Even the roti bakar and half-boiled eggs were nice. My kids enjoyed the yoghurt and mee goreng.

Overall, the stay was worth the money. I would definitely recommend it to families with little kids or the elderly. Also, to ladies who want to spend Me Time there for a few days.

Grand Ion Delemen Hotel, Genting Highlands

Posted in Everyday Life by

We went to Genting Highlands for the Melaka’s TYT Public Holiday. We wanted to go to Genting Skyworld. Only to be disappointed again. I will tell you why towards the end. Anyway, Mr Husband booked a 3D2N stay at The Grand Ion Delemen Hotel situated at Genting itself.

The layout of this hotel is really confusing. It has a few towers to begin with. Either way, just start the maze running at the hotel reception first. Even getting to the lobby can be mind-boggling as a first timer. The moment you park in the allocated building, head towards the lift where the tween numbers are. For example, lifts near pillars C12 and D12 on the respective floors. From that lift, press G to the main lobby. Then, from there, you will find another lift and press level 7, which is also a Level 3 upon connecting to a different tower. Can you see what I am getting to right now?

Level 3 is where all the magic happens. That is where the pool is, the dining area, the food stalls, the picture place etc.

Our room was on Level 16, and so from that lift of Tower 2 (Level 7), we found our way to Tower 7 (which is now Level 3 for it). We found our room. The size was comfortable for a party of 3. We had an RM20 burger for dinner, and our snacks were puffed in the drawer.

Mr Husband had breakfast included in our room rates. The choices were 3-star hotel delicacies. My daughter gave a thumbs-up for their noodle soup, though. She said she would come here again as an adult just to eat the noodles. That’s good. Then I can tell her to study well, get a good job that earns fantastic wages, so that she can spend it here, at Genting. I was able to get my protein in as they had this wonderful egg station, from fried, scrambled to omelettes. The beverages were also nice as they had everything from hot coffee to cold iced lemon tea. It was not entirely disappointing.

After breakfast, we took the GRAB to Skyworld on one of the mornings. Yes, GRAB exists at Genting. We did not take a lot of photos as the fog was super thick. Plus, we’ve been here before. Honestly, I was sad that the ride at EPIC world is down again for this visit. We were really looking forward to it. We even brought our raincoats. However, my daughter had a new experience. Since she has gotten a bit taller, she can now go on the roller coaster ride at the Ice Age section. She was thrilled. My husband accompanied her before asking multiple ‘are you sure?’. I personally am not a fan of high, whirling rides because I have vertigo. We stayed there till noon before making our trip back to Melaka.

Overall, it was a great stay. Pricey for sure!

Amverton Heritage Resort Melaka – an escapade for exhausted parents

Posted in Good Things, Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

The room, food and activities are nice for exhausted parents with energetic children. I booked a room with two single beds on Agoda. Com. Total was RM 442.45 including tax and fee for a 3D2N stay. This time I did not include breakfast. I wanted to see whether the menu is nice. If not, we will have our meal nearby. This resort is located at Ayer Keroh. Thus, near a few main attractions and MITC of course. That is where the food is. However, we did get 2 free waterpark tickets (priced at RM15/each). I bought an additional 2 tickets.

We checked in on Friday just after our Rejab Iftar at Mi Tarik Lanzhou. Mr. Husband brought his inflatable mattress. We pushed the single bed next to each other, giving enough room for the Queen-sized mattress. There were the usual expected amenities: FREE WIFI (with a very long password), a mini fridge, an iron with a board, and a TV. Plus points, a bathtub, and room service! Although we do not need it, the idea of it being available made me happy.

Even chilling at the lobby is nice. The breeze, the ambience is just relaxing and cooling.

In-house breakfast started at 7am. The price was RM30 for adults and RM20 for children. The options were satisfactory. They had bread but not other forms of pastry. The bihun and curry were delicious. There’s nasi lemak, lontong, congee etc. I loved that they provided mugs for our hot beverages and not those tiny cups. That is the way to go! Mr Husband had a meeting that morning at a nearby hotel, so I didn’t bring the kids for a swim due to safety reasons. I worry that I won’t be able to keep an eye on both. But we did play at the playground and the kids’ zone. The entry bracelet could be worn for both days we were there. In other words, you can enter and exit the park no matter how many times you like, as long as you wear the bracelet. We went to the waterpark later in the evening once Mr Husband came back from his meeting. The employees even use the stapler to make it easy to remove and fasten again.

Our humble breakfast buffet.
After breakfast, I brought them to the playground near the waterpark. For Vitamin D.
There’s also an indoor playground – the Kids Zone. With a mini library and lots of little tables for self-activity.
There’s also a little sand area where kids can build sandcastles and stuff. There were lots of slides too. My daughter tried the ‘tall’ one. That one is only for kids between 6 to 10 years old.

That’s why I believe this is an excellent spot for tired parents. Personally, I don’t have the stamina to spend over four hours at a water park just to get my money’s worth. But at Amverton, we could enjoy an hour of water play, take a break for a meal and a nap, and then head back in the evening for another session. Later, we’d pause for dinner and even continue the water park fun the next day until checkout. It’s perfect for parents to sneak in some much-needed rest between activities. I believe the adults would enjoy the swim at the huge pool just beside the mini water park. I’ll do that with Haneem once she’s a bit older. Amverton is also lenient with swimwear. I love that we can wear T-shirts instead of a burkini.

The normal swimming pool roughly 4ft over here and the waterpark just beside it.

We used GRAB for our lunch and dinner. There’s an in-house restaurant and cafe where you can have your meal. I might consider that during our future visits. Yes, we love this place so much that we’re thinking of making it our getaway place at times when we feel that we need to go to a kiddie-themed waterpark.

Hotel Tamara, Melaka

Posted in Leisure & Travel, Reviews by

As usual, I booked this room through AGODA. COM. The tax rates are palpable nowadays. On top of the room rate, there is an additional 5% service charge, 8% tax (no mention what) and 10% tax (also, no mention what). So my total was RM272.67 per night after a cashback reward of RM22.67. It is carrying itself as a 4-star hotel. We will see how it is for many years to come.

This stay was for our 14th wedding anniversary. Since I was not able to take leave on the 31st due to ‘quota cuti MO per day‘ issues, I thought we’d celebrate it a bit later during dinner. Nowadays, I have decided to take on the ‘NVM, What to do’ approach to all things that do not go my way. I cannot bend the rules, I can only control the way I react to it.

Hotel Tamara just started its services in September 2024. It is hidden in a residential area near Kampung Tujuh. It turns out that it shares the same compound with an apartment complex, Kenanga Residence. I had to go through security as it was a gated residence. Parking was plenty at the hotel grounds. Check-in was a breeze. I did have to pay a deposit of RM50 and a Melaka tourist fee of RM2. There is a FREE WIFI. There is also a mini fridge and a hairdryer in the room. I like that they provide soap too.

The air-conditioner took its time to cool the room. I tried my best to be calm and patient in waiting for the air-conditioner to take its effects. It finally did after an hour. Initially, I wanted to enjoy the Xmas buffet but perhaps due to a less enthusiastic response from the public, it has been suspended. So, I ordered our dinner from Zikgu Burger, had it delivered to our home first and then packed it to bring to the hotel.

I loved the breakfast buffet. Especially, the sambal ikan bilis for the nasi lemak. The selection of pastries and food on the menu is adequate for hotel standards and multicultural Malaysia. Insya-Allah there is something for everybody. The pool is open to the public. I had no idea they had one. I would have brought extra clothes for that. However, there is no staff or lifeguard on duty. Hence, parents with small children need to be careful.

Overall, I enjoyed our little staycation. My husband gifted me perfume and I bought him the Pua Kumbu tumbler from ZUS for our wedding anniversary presents. It has been a year full of kesabaran on my part. I pray that Allah will grant me more patience and resilience as I sail through this marriage.

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.