Tag Archives: staycation

Lexis Port Dickson

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I thought my daughter was joking when she said we were sleeping at the hotel for the night. It was after all a Friday evening and I have just completed my work day. Naturally, I was knackered and just wanted to get dinner over with. I’ve even got my weekend planned out with submitting my IOP assignment at the top of the list. Turns out, she wasn’t joking.

Mr Husband had some vouchers for a staycation at Lexis Port Dickson. Which means I pack the bags reluctantly but excited at the same time. I lugged my very slow laptop with me (I need to either have it repaired or get a new one). We reached Port Dickson just after 8pm. Thankfully I have ordered Shopee Food for dinner back in Melaka – Zikgu Burger. So, we brought that along with us.

Tired faces. My daughter slept in the car.

Our staycation was not those Chalet ones but the room was still huge. The layout was a bit odd because upon entering the door, we were met with the bathroom first. Then, there was another door from the bathroom that leads to the main bedroom, which fits 1 King Bed and 1 Double Bed. The bathroom has a separate toilet, shower and tub. Then the usual amenities include a small pantry with a mini fridge, a TV, FREE WIFI, complimentary bottled drinks and beverages, a hairdryer and toiletries.

The odd entrance into the hotel room

My daughter really enjoyed the bathtub.

Our package came with Free Breakfast for TWO adults. We paid for our kids separately. The breakfast spread was great and they even have cards that show how many calories each food has. I did not take pictures of the food because there were so many people and I did not want to hold the queue. I loved that they had mugs for our coffee. It is more satisfying than a miserable cup. After breakfast, we walked around the chalet area where the sea view was so beautiful. Then we stayed in the room all day apart from going out for lunch and dinner. The kids enjoyed watching movies with their dad on the projector we brought with us while I did my assignment. Alhamdulilah, I managed to submit it before the time deadline.

Overall, it was a great stay. Perhaps later when I am less obese and look better in a burkini, I would go for another stay there and enjoy the pool. They have a dress code there. I am looking forward to another staycation but I hope it will be less of a surprise trip.

Mudzaffar Hotel, Melaka – now a 3-star hotel?

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I was really looking forward to a posh stay at Mudzaffar Hotel, Ayer Keroh Melaka. The type of stay where I can cuddle in with room service food.

I booked a Deluxe King room for 2 with my daughter including breakfast. I was on leave because I needed to complete my assignments. My daughter has conveniently finished her academic year at kindergarten which means that she is ‘available’ on Friday. We checked in immediately after I fetched her from school on Thursday.

Check-in was a breeze as I had already paid online. I just needed to pay an extra RM2 for tourism tax. Parking was easy and the hotel was within walking distance to various places to eat. There is also a swimming pool at the hotel but we didn’t bring any bathing suits. Simply because our room already has a bathtub. So, my daughter could easily dip in the tub no matter how many times in a day. She brought her toys to play with and she had a great time soaking in it. The interior decor of this hotel is dark. It would probably look majestic at night but we didn’t step out of our room to actually see what the lobby looks like at night.

I wished they had a mini fridge in my room. I missed having my iced beverages. There were small hiccoughs in the room – the lingering pandan scent (reminds me of a ghost), the non-existent feet wiping the bathroom mat, and the blinking aircon panels. Otherwise, most of the services provided are okay. The staff were exceptionally gracious and polite. They do not come across as pompous at all.

For dinner that night, we walked to a place called Ceqlapaq Restaurant and ordered Laksa Sarang. It was delicious and the broth was rich in fish bits. Another plus point is that it is not spicy making it children-friendly. The portion was too huge though, so my daughter couldn’t finish it.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel. Because my daughter wants to do her Number 2, we have to eat very fast. So mengada this daughter. Thankfully, the spread was delicious although most of its options are Malay delicacies. I loved the coffee and the nasi lemak sambal was not spicy.

Overall, the stay wasn’t that bad although I did feel ‘cheated’ that there was no mini fridge in the room. I took it for granted that a hotel of such prestige (I thought this is a 5 star hotel) would not have a problem in providing a little fridge for their guests especially when I had paid RM 247.77/night including taxes, fees and breakfast for two. Turns out other 3-star hotels could do better.

Pusat Sains Negara

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Pusat Sains Negara, located in Malaysia, is a prominent national science centre that is a hub for scientific exploration and education. Spanning across a vast area, it offers visitors a range of interactive exhibits, engaging activities, and immersive displays that showcase various fields of science and technology. Pusat Sains Negara is designed to foster curiosity and promote scientific literacy among people of all ages. With its state-of-the-art facilities, it plays a crucial role in inspiring future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), contributing to Malaysia’s scientific advancement and development.

My early bird.

We went there on Christmas Day as early as 0830am because when we went there the day before – the parking space was already full at 12 noon. The entrance fee is cheap which explains why it is a great place for a family day out. Adult ticket is RM6 whereas children and senior citizen (>55 years old) tickets are RM3.

It is a very interactive place. Hence, I would advise visitors to bring their own hand wipes and sanitisers.
Simply because kids touch everything. I tried using one of those step-on sanitisers but they don’t work. The exhibits are cool to look out and there are various games that even adults could try. It is a huge place with plenty of potential.

This is me trying to solve the quiz
As an adult geek, I really loved the exhibits. I wished I could sit and just read it the whole day. We were pressed for time.
There were colouring activities, indoor playgrounds, an Xray demo station and plenty more

We spent at least 2 hours there. We would have spent the time longer if we paused at all the exhibits and absorbed every single piece of information into our minds. Kids got hungry after much activity. Ha ha.

Mini wall for climbing – just the right height for kids.

A Christmas weekend in Cheras

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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.

The wedding stay at Meritz Hotel

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My cousin’s wedding reception was held at The Meritz Hotel. Do not be fooled by its somewhat biashe biashe exterior appearance because this 4-star business hotel is so worth the money. I was lucky this accommodation was part of Air Asia’s Flight+Hotel promo. Hence, I paid only RM578.49 for a 2D1N stay at the hotel plus return flight tickets from KLIA2 to MIRI.

The hotel is in Miri’s city centre and is attached to a shopping mall. So, although the hotel has 3 on-site restaurants, you could have other meal options at Bintang Megamall. We had bbq.chicken there. I am sure they have similar branches in semenanjung but it was something that we’ve never had before. Father ordered the Jamaican chicken with rice and we sisters had the burger. After lunch, we stayed in our rooms to rest until it was time for dinner.

Bintang Megamall has considerable options of stores to shop in. Initially, I wanted to get my hair done at a salon that said it was Muslim-friendly (on the internet) but when I arrived there, I saw that it was no longer offering said services. This is not the first salon in a shopping mall that does so – in fact, it was something that I observed has been going on in Kuching as well. Although it is the owner’s personal choice to run their business how they wish with a target market in mind – I believe it is also a subtle way for certain businesses to say that they do not intend to serve certain members of the population. Hopefully out of cost-effective issues and not out of prejudice. On second thought, I think the salon at my place in semenanjung is also doing the same. Ha ha ha. Hence, if I want to cut my hair, I could like, these owners would say, find an establishment that could entertain such requests ( yup, I totally understand) or give up my values to receive the services. I thought the haircut could wait.

The room was spacious and it had a bathtub in it. I believe mine was a superior room and I booked one with two single beds inside because my sister and my niece are also staying with me. There was a mini fridge and access to free WIFI. I bought additional bottled water, bread and some cup noodles for breakfast in our room the next day. It took a while to figure out how to switch on the TV as the remote was not functioning. I saw that they have a room service menu which was cool but we did not order any. We also have an iron inside the room which is so convenient.

There was an outdoor swimming pool just a few floors down and I saw that the visitors did not have to adhere to strict swimwear in the pool. I believe that is a plus point for families who come to the hotel. For some women, for example, mothers with a postpartum body, wearing a normal T-shirt with leggings is definitely more comfortable than putting on a swimming suit or a burkini.

The wedding reception was held at a ballroom on Level 7. Nuh Salleh from the indie band, Hujan performed a short song during the event. Singing LIVE is definitely his forte because it just sounded really nice even though it was just him and a guitar. The couple’s dais was very pastel and flowery – I loved it a lot. It was a seated and served wedding – a very Sarawakian way of doing a wedding reception and so you see guests arriving and leaving promptly. The event was done in less than 3 hours. If my other brother, Danial is getting married, we’d do this for him instead of the usual majlis where people come and go as they please within a certain time frame. It’s just tiring to see who is coming and leaving amidst the crowd.

We checked out of the hotel just after 12pm. Then I ordered a MaximCar for our ride to the airport which was roughly 15 to 20 mins away. It cost us RM10. My flight was slightly delayed in leaving to KLIA2 and once I landed, the walk from the god knows which K terminal took ages to arrive to the main arrival hall. I then took the FREE SHUTTLE at the transportation hub of KLIA2 to get to LTCP.

I managed to get a BOOST drink and some onigiri for my refreshments in the car for my drive back home to Melaka. The highway was exceptionally dark probably due to the rain and I think I reached my house just after 2030H that day. Had a quick hot shower and went to bed since I had work the next day.