We stayed at this hotel because my son had a National Scrabble Championship at the conjoining mall, Pearl Point over the weekend. The game is spread over two days and quite lengthy for someone like me, who doesn’t understand the rules. Since the whole family is going, we might as well have a place to rest so that my daughter would not get cranky. Therefore, The Pearl was a convenient choice.
Mr Husband booked a room for one night. the lobby was welcoming with it’s Hari Kemerdekaan Display.
It had all the expected amenities of a 4-star hotel: Free Wi-Fi, a mini fridge, a kettle, a tub and a comfortable king-size bed. Our room had breakfast included which was great. The spread was adequate with the usual mix of Western and Malaysian breakfast options. There is also a swimming pool but we did not bring any swimming gear. So, just a photo it is.
I like that we get two card keys because the husband obviously needs to go to and fro the mall and the hotel to check on our son who is playing. So he gets to keep one card and my daughter and I get to enjoy the big bed and air-conditioned room with the other card in the power slot. My daughter gets to soak in the bathtub as well. The elevators are easy. This means there is no need to put your card on a reader and press the floor number. It may be secure but that is so maa-fan.
Considering that it is joined to a mall, food is easy to access. There are so many nice stores under one roof at Pearl Point. While waiting for check-in, we get to eat McD for breakfast, Old Town Kopitiam for lunch and some takeouts for dinner. In between, I got Milkis from Jaya Grocers and my first Llao LLao. Now I get what the hype is with that green yoghurt thing. There’s even Zus Coffee at the mall which is something I would have loved to order but since I’d had too many sweets for the weekend – I will have it on a different occasion.
my first llao llao – had the pistachio sauce and biscoff crumbs
Our little family arrived at the hotel near 9pm and the first thing that surprised me was the tribal pattern on the wall near the reception. Another family came through the door, speaking in the Sarawakian language headed to the lift. I was like, “OK… this is an interesting boutique hotel”. Soon after, I caught sight of some keklapis inside the display fridge near the entrance and that kind of triggered me to have a quick swipe on Instagram and find out more about this hotel.
Apart from its very strategic location, it offers various types of rooms suitable for a family staycation and is priced from as low as RM 100/night. Ours is a Family Room with 2 double beds, and a cute living area with a mini fridge and an ironing board. They provide a safe, body soap and shampoo, a hair dryer and complimentary beverages. The hotel also has FREE WIFI but is only accessible via coupons. We received two coupons for our room. I guess it means that only 2 devices can use the WIFI at one time. It has a lounge area too but we didn’t have time to explore much of it as we were chasing time to go Genting.
Breakfast is provided at the Sugar Bun restaurant next door. It is served as an ala carte meal. You have to make your choices the night before and let the receptionist know. It has a very ‘mak-mak’ vibe to it cause it’s like those breakfasts you have at home where you just eat what your mom cooks for you. The coffee and tea are very basic with only sugar to taste. The cakes are nicely lined up on the plate – the usual bahulu and banana cakes that any Malaysian family would eat in the morning. Even the ‘American breakfast’ meal wasn’t American enough. Haha. The breakfast is fulfilling and decent considering the price you pay for your room. So yeah, not too bad. If you want a fancier breakfast – there are always other options available elsewhere. In fact, at night, this area is lit! There are so many things to see and eat.
We parked at a common parking area nearby the hotel as they don’t have this facility. However, you don’t really need a car to enjoy Chow Kit because the LRT is just around the corner and even on foot, there are so many things you could explore. Overall, the stay was pleasant. Would definitely recommend this place to those who are on a budget but still wants to make the best of their stay in Kuala Lumpur.
This place reminds me of Universal Studios Singapore. The layout is elaborate and very magical.
We drove to Genting Highland from our hotel in chow kit, East Riverine Boutique Hotel and parked at the space at Genting Premium Outlet. Bought tickets for the Awana SkyWay at the booth and enjoyed the view from the cable car. The ‘air gondola’ operates from 7am-11pm daily. Oh, please remember to wear a face mask in the cable car – it is compulsory since you are in a closed area with other people. It is still the rainy season at this time of the year and the fog was really thick in the morning even though it was already 10am ish. Our family was a bit underdressed and not prepared for the cold and rain.
Mr Husband bought the tickets from one of the self-service machines. I downloaded the Genting Skyworld App because it is said that you could cut down your waiting times at the rides by making a booking there. You could set it up as a group booking and such. However, since there was not much of a crowd that day I did not use the app. We went there on the Thaipusam long weekend.
Ticket price:
Awana SkyWay – Standard return ticket RM18 x 4 = RMRM72. Only kids less than 90cm get to travel for free.
Genting Skyworld – I supposed it will be cheaper to get the tickets online plus there are various packages for the trip there. Our total was roughly RM620 ish for 4 pax (2 adult + 2 kids).
Genting Skyworld has 9 exciting themed worlds. Each world has its own attractions, entertainment shows, merchandise stores and F&B to enjoy. There are height restrictions for some attractions but my girl who is just above 110cm could get on most rides. It is a very ‘family-gastro and bladder-friendly’ place. Bring a water bottle to fill up at the water stations. We went our way through the theme park using the map provided so we wouldn’t miss anything.
STUDIO PLAZA
This is the main entrance which has a very golden and lavish setup. Since we were there at the opening times, we get to enjoy a mini Las Vegas-ish show for a few minutes before everyone entered the park. They had the best-smelling popcorn.
EPIC
This place is based on the animated movie of Epic.
The one where the girl shrunk and become friends with woodland creatures and then began fighting with evil forces. There are two rides here – Epic voyage to Moonhaven and Epic Hummingbird Flyers. The earlier ride is like those lazy river rides BUT you will get wet as your boat passes through a particular splash. So your options are to go on this last or go ahead with a raincoat/ extra pair of clothing. We barged ahead and got wet.
RIO
Adapted from the Rio animations – this place is super colourful with tropical colours. My brave girl went up the Samba Gliders! They had to take off their slippers cause they were hanging on the gliders but she said she was not scared at all. My son went afterwards, with the dad of course. I was not that keen to go because of the height and because I had to keep my bag in the lockers. It was too much trouble for me.
There was also their version of the teacup – Rio Carnival of Chaos and the very short ride on the merry-go-round. The Blue Sky Carousel was a double-decker, super pretty but only went around about three times! It was that quick.
ICE AGE
We watched an interactive entertainment show here. Kids love it. As an adult, I was like,“cepatlah habis.. tak habis2 nyanyi.. ha ha ha”. My girl was thrilled to know there was (fake) snow there. There were four attractions here but we only went to 2 which are the vertigo-inducing Sid’s Rock ‘N’ Slide and the Mammoth Fun Zone. The Mammoth place is like a playground. We had our lunch here at Buck’s Cafe. It was of course theme park price but thankfully delicious. We ordered two sets of rice meals, an onigiri, a strawberry sando and a few drinks. I just realized that I didn’t take any photos of the food. Probably because we were cold and hungry.
ANDROMEDA BASE
This is where the most adventurous people would enjoy rides that have thrill scores of 1.
We did not go on any rides. I did encourage Mr Husband to go but since we’ve just had lunch, being turned upside down and twirled around vigorously doesn’t sound that good. I personally am not a fan of crazy roller coasters either. We are somewhat of a very introvert couple. LOL. We did get to see the performance by Caucasian space men which was sturdy and acrobatic in nature.
ROBOTS RIVET TOWN
This town is made for little kids. Slow, comfortable, colourful rides – love it. We get to squeeze into one car at the Bigweld’s Zeppelin. The description of the ride in the pamphlet made it sound like we would fly very high. Kids would though!
LIBERTY LANE
The highlight of this place was the 3D hovercraft ride with characters from Planet of the Apes. The entranceway setup reminded me of The Mummy place at USS. It was convincing and in a way as visitors, we were immersed in our character to save the ape leader. Gosh, what was it’s name again?
At first, we thought it would be a mundane visual thing with the 3D glasses but as we got on the hovercraft, it was so real and thrilling. We wanted to get on it the second time after we’ve finished the 1st round of everything but it was temporarily closed – maybe for rest or sanitation.
CENTRAL PARK
‘Night at the Museum’ was also closed when we got there. But we did get on the Independence Day: Defiance spaceship. Our legs were hanging off the spacecraft and we were swooshing in space fighting off imaginary aliens. I would caution those who have epilepsy or vertigo to be careful on this ride because of the flashing lights and fast-motion swings. I was nauseous but I survived the ride uneventfully. Obviously, the seats were manipulated to make us feel that we are in mid-air but it was believable and exciting.
I imagined the place would be very pretty at night with the lights from the fountains. It also has a very spacious, beautifully decorated park.
EAGLE MOUNTAIN
The attraction is not open yet but they have a pretty burger eatery there to try. This place marks the end of the 9 themes and is near the entry/exit door.
Overall, it was a fun experience for me as an adult and of course even more for the kids. I am glad the fog cleared up afterwards so we could take better pictures. That is one thing off my bucket list for places to go in Malaysia. Until next time… taraaa
This is a very accessible hotel using public transport. I travelled by bus from Melaka Sentral –> TBS (KLIA Transit)–> KL Sentral (Monorail) –> Sheraton (the Medan Tunku station). I had a moment of anxiety about choosing to use a private vehicle like Grab or public transport. I chose the latter. At least I don’t have to make small conversation with the Grab or taxi driver cause they like to ask questions like ‘where do you come from or ‘why are you here?’, ‘do you work’ or anything along those lines?
The fares:
Bus from Melaka Sentral RM14.40 + 0.70
KLIA Transit from TBS to KL Sentral RM6.90
MONORAIL from KL Sentral to Medan Tunku station RM3.40
I departed from Melaka at 1130AM. Reached the hotel (with lunch in between) just after 3 PM. Quill Mall may look like it’s just the opposite of the hotel. The thing is it is not as easy to go to the opposite side by going through the monorail station. There’s just no road passing through. Instead, you’d have to use the pedestrian traffic lights on a very busy road. So, do not be fooled. Plus, apart from the LG level where the food’s at, there isn’t really much to see in the mall. The boutiques are on the meh side. There are the Eco shop and Mr DIY but that’s just it.
The room was very comfortable though. Oh, man.. I really loved the space, the bathroom and the mini closet. It’s really relaxing. I had a workshop on Friday and I had planned earlier to bring my Minci family. Unfortunately, Mr Husband was not up for the idea which means that the kids are not going either. So, I have the room all to myself. I drank my coffee, and my tea, soaked in the bathtub, got naked and donned just the bathrobe instead since I forgot to bring my kaftan. My Deluxe Room with City view rate on Agoda totalled up to RM893.20 for a 3D2N stay. It is on the non-smoking floor with Free WIFI and breakfast.
The pre-conference workshop was great. After that, I was in a dilemma of whether to go to the Spa or enjoy my night at KL. I decided to brave the drizzling rain, in the monorail and head over to the hippest place in Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang. Bukit Bintang is where they have the Pavillion, Sephora, Fahrenheit, Lot 10, Sungei Wang Plaza and the viral wagyu sate. Of course, there are loads of places to eat once you get there. It is a very happening and touristy place. It’s where influencers go to show the urban lifestyle. Well.. something like that.
This monorail is an intercity link. Basically, if say I am not keen to shop at Bukit Bintang, I can stop at Imbi station to go to Berjaya Times Square, Hang Tuah station to Lalaport Bukit Bintang City Centre. Or just head to Nu Sentral.
At Bukit Bintang, I went window shopping at Pavillion. Made a short stop at Book Excess in Fahrenheit. Wanted to get a steak but the restaurants are full (Friday night), so I ate Kyonchon instead. I tapau-ed Krispy Kreme doughnuts so I could bring them back to my Minci family in Melaka.
I checked out on a Saturday and the journey back to Melaka was equally smooth.
Prior to the pandemic, I’ve already planned out my 10th wedding anniversary celebration . We were both going to lose weight, organize a kenduri at our house and wear matching batik outfits for our photos. However, things happened. COVID-19 rules our lives. Mr Husband was busy with his public health activities whilst I was busy on the clinical side of things. We managed to squeeze some family time interim but honestly, it could have been better.
10 years living with another human being is not a small feat. Have I ever thought of separation during this relationship? Of course. Especially on my period. But Patience and Sanity usually pulls me away from it. Covid-19 or not, a decade of love needs to be celebrated. If he is not going to be the first to utter those words , wishes or gestures, then I will be the one to do so and sprinkle some romance in the air. It’s tiring having to kick it off every time but someone’s gotta keep the wheel of marriage running.
I started with the watsapp wish in the morning. Sending him a snapshot of my wedding anniversary gift to him. This is to also hint him to get me a present if he hadn’t thought of doing so. (insert annoyed face here) If he is not getting me a flower bouquet, then he’d better get me a present for my 10th wedding anniversary. Then just like an excellent PA, I laid out the plans for the day.
Me working half day –> fetch kids from grandma –> check into hotel , also in Melaka –> husband will drive from JB and reach hotel with whatever transport he wants —> husband will arrange for dinner
I chose Casa Bonita Hotel for our staycation for new years weekend.
CASA BONITA HOTEL is located strategically at where all the viral eateries are. It is at Limbongan where the famous keria is. The keria man is also selling laksa at his shop. Other famous stuff nearby is the avocado drinks, soursop drink, the asam pedas lady, the mee bodo at tengkera. All this within walking distance to each other. We had wanted to do that but the exhaustion from work got the better of us that we practically just enjoyed the room and the food delivered to us.
Our room is the family suite. It has 2 double beds, a living room with a mini dining table, a fridge and a bath tub. At least my kids can enjoy that whilst being stuck in the room. I booked our stay via Agoda of course at RM225/night for 2 nights. The total came up to RM551.57 including tax and service fees.
I had wanted to book dinner at the in house restaurant but in view of us being health care workers, I thought we’d better stay in our rooms and reduce the risk of contracting the virus. This is because if a HCW gets ill, it may cause inconvenience to the work schedule if the HCW needs to get MC and such. Mr Husband instead arranged for dinner in our room by ordering this meal box from another hotel, Bayview hotel. At RM88, we get a selection of food that make up a meal for our little family.
This promotion is seasonal. I enjoyed the chicken the most followed by its Xmas crepe. The cornish pie was a bit bland but passable for a hungry tribe. It was a meal worth the money.
As for presents, I got my husband a portable massage machine for his back. He got me a Samsung Tablet A 8″ 2019. Lovely, I had always wanted one. I think it could be useful for my studies. I am still exploring its features and scrolling through apps that might be useful for my side responsibility as a student. Do recommend me good ones.
I have already made a staycation booking for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration. I just hope nothing major will happen on that day.
Minci Moss 