Tag Archives: staycation

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.

The Everly Putrajaya Hotel – meeting my prospective stepmother

Posted in Everyday Life, Leisure & Travel by

My dad is driving me nuts with his holier-than-thou attitude. I am trying my best to not snap back at him like any respectful daughter should be. So is news about Fattah Amin. How do I stop reading about him on my feed? It has started to become so irritating to see the public putting him on a moral pedestal.

On a different note, my dad introduced us to his girlfriend a few weeks ago. We had tea together at Secret Recipe, Alamanda Mall. Our prospective stepmother is from Acheh, Indonesia. They were introduced to each other via a mutual friend. She comes across as a lovely lady, a single mother who single-handedly raised 2 children for the past 10 years since she divorced. She earns a decent income working in administration to support her living expenses.

On the day, we exchanged pleasantries. My younger sister and my niece joined us too. Throughout the meeting, I couldn’t help wondering why is it of all the ladies that my dad could have met, he decided to go for a relationship that crosses international borders. To be honest, I have some concerns about how my dad plans to navigate his life as an elderly, married man with 2 stepchildren later on. However, I think it is something that we will address later on. We ended the session amicably and parted ways.

Although the meeting was short, I took the opportunity to bring my husband and daughter together with me to Putrajaya. I booked a room at The Everly Putrajaya Hotel. This time hoping for a better experience than the one we had before. Indeed, it is much better now. The hotel and Alamanda Mall are so close that I could walk there. We had dinner at Sepiring that night out of curiosity. Mr Husband had his nasi lemak pandan and my daughter went for curry noodles. I had the kid’s menu mac and cheese. We had a really rested night afterwards.

The Deluxe room
Dinner at Sepiring

The Deluxe Twin Room was priced at RM 299.92 per night. Breakfast was included for 2 adults. I had to pay extra for my daughter. There’s a mini fridge and we get two key cards. I love that the hotel is putting in an effort to become more sustainable by serving their drinking water in glass bottles. Which could be refilled from a water station near the elevator.

The hotel lobby was quirky yet welcoming. The aroma of coffee from its cafe was so enticing. The check-in process was incredibly fast. So are the lifts despite the high volume of visitors using it during the peak hours of checking-in.

Breakfast was satisfactory. Nothing very memorable or nasty either. However, I do have to mention that they have a huge selection of pastries to choose from. The seating arrangements felt a bit crowded though. The space from one table to another is quite narrow. Just enough for a pair of buttcheeks to walk by. The coffee dispensed by the machine tasted horrible. Even instant coffee sachets were better.

This hotel is convenient to choose if say I wanted to go to Alamanda Mall for a mini staycation. Although the mall is not that huge as compared to IOI City Mall, the shops there are still OK for families to go to and enjoy their weekends. Sadly, the GSC cinema has closed down. So the only thing that can keep you entertained is yourself with your family. Ha ha ha.

Parking is free. Just hand in your touch-n-go card to the reception.

The long weekend in Kuching for a wedding

Posted in Food and Drinks, Leisure & Travel, Places to Eat, Reviews by

I was in Kuching over the Malaysia Day weekend. I had a wedding invitation to fulfil. I flew there with Malaysia Airlines. My initial scheduled flights were canceled twice and I almost lost hope of going there. Thankfully, on the day itself, nothing sinister happened and I arrived in KCH safely.

I booked a room at the Grand Margherita Hotel this time.

Once I landed, I immediately walked over to the nearest Bing cafe to get myself a chicken panini. It is my comfort food whenever I am in KCH. As I was too full afterwards, I decided to just stay in and order room service. The rib-eye steak I ordered was disappointing. That will be another post.

The following day, I went for a stroll at The Waterfront. I walked to the end of Carpenter Street and checked out the waterfront mall as well. I bought some T-shirts for my little family and was honestly undecided on whether I should have lunch or wait for my brother from KL to arrive and eat with him. I ended up walking further towards the Borneo Cultural Museum and spent my afternoon there.

Borneo Cultural Museum

I loved the museum. The layout is like Muzium Negara but it showcased more of Sarawak’s history. I enjoyed reading and listening to the explanations about the tribes and their uniqueness. I couldn’t help thinking that if James Brooke never set foot in Sarawak, we’d probably still be fighting among each other for space and power. Somehow Brooke brought in order to the chaos and harnessed the waging spirit to fight into friendly sports like the Regatta we see today.

IG AIS KACANG, Padungan

Once my brother landed and checked himself into Merritin Hotel, we walked along the same lane and came here. They have another nearby branch at Jalan Gambier. I was looking forward to trying their mi belacan and sotong kangkung but they don’t have that in that branch. So we settled for their nasi lemak ayam, Laksa Sarawak, long fries and gula apong ice cream.

The Waterfront and Darul Hana Bridge

Later at night, we walked to the waterfront for photos and went up the Darul Hana bridge. If only they have a food court with more options towards the other end of the bridge in the near future. There was a lantern parade that night and the city was so lively. I felt so energetic during the walk. I liked that this beautiful place is open to the public for FREE. At least, families can come here for low-cost entertainment with their kids.

We had dinner at a halal restaurant. It took ages for the owner to fry our nasi pattaya and daging. Thankfully, it was digestible as sometimes the Sarawak version of these semenanjung dishes can taste awkward.

The Dead Malls

Once my brother checked out from his hotel the next day, I thought we’d go check out the mall. My sister said Riverside Majestic Mall was already dead so we didn’t go there. Turns out Tun Jugah Mall and Sarawak Plaza Mall are equally dead. I suppose the curse of shopping malls set up beside hotels is true after all. So, if say you need to go to a proper mall, my best bets are The Spring or Vivacity. We only had fast food for lunch.

We did get Sam’s ice cream though. The soft serve was OK but I felt Mokti’s gula apong flavour is more intense.

Top Spot

This famous seafood spot was just a 5-minute walk from my hotel. We had our family dinner there. Sadly, Midin was out of stock. But the other dishes that we ordered were, of course, delicious; the Egg Oyster, curry ambal, udang nestum, salted egg crabs, sweet sour fish, crab corn soup, Kerang kicap

I had an early night after devouring all that food. The wedding was happening the following day and I need to get up early.

The Wedding Reception

The event started off early at 830am. Only close family members gather for the akad nikah ceremony. Once that was over, other guests began to come to the hall by 10am for the main wedding reception. It was a short and sweet event, the food portion was adequate and everyone got a photo with the couple.