Holiday travel tips and experiences: Malacca 13 Feb

Malacca 13 Feb – 15 Feb 09

Day 1

Rather than spending Valentines Day in Singapore, we decided to make a trip to the historical town of Malacca to spend a few nights there.

We started our journey at 1730hrs after work and cleared both Singapore and Malaysia immigration and customs by 1825hrs. Good timing and not much queue although traffic along the East Coast Parkway was a little heavy.

Along the North South highway, we made a comfort stop at Pagoh Rest & Relaxation and had a light dinner before continuing our journey. There were thousands of birds flying all over & trying to get home for the evening. In the picture, if you look closely, you can spot the birds.

Spot the birds on the tree

This week, traffic along the North South highway was smooth and upon exiting at Ayer Keroh/Melaka toll, we arrived at our destination Straits Meridian Hotel just after 2100hrs.

Straits Meridian Hotel

The Straits Meridian Hotel is an all-suite apartment hotel designed to pamper both business travelers and holiday-makers alike. It is only 10 minutes drive away from the heart of historical Malacca city.

Currently offering a promotional rate till 31st Mar 2009, you can get an apartment starting from RM110 nett on a weekday or RM140 nett on weekends. This rate includes breakfast for 2 which is served in the Batavia Café, an all-day dining outlet. In fact, if you happen to be there on a weekday and staying for 2 nights, the rate is only RM200 nett with breakfast, according to the brochure we saw.

The lounge & the kitchenette

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the whole hotel was internet accessible and, best of all, it was free. There is also a 22m swimming pool and 8m wading pool that can be seen clearly from our room. A basement carpark is available for guests as well.

The bedroom and the swimming pool

The room looks a little run down and the carpet was very dusty. We realized the next day that the room attendants did not have any vacuums to clean the carpet, thus the condition. The in room safe deposit box was locked. When we called (almost midnight) for them to have it opened, they said that their technician had already gone back and could only do it the next day. At the same time, we realized that we could not gain access to the internet and when we asked for help, they again said that it could only be done the next day.

Lobby area

Less than a minute’s walk from Straits Meridian Hotel is Restoran Apple Burger. A variety of food is served here including Western dishes, yont tau foo, burger, roti canai, etc… We decided to try some satay kambing (lamb) and satay ayam (chicken) and ordered a total of 12 sticks. They were served with the usual satay gravy, which was slightly watery, for you to dip the satay in as well as ketupat (compressed rice) and pieces of cucumber and onions.

Having satay at Apple Burger Restaurant

Unexpectedly at midnight, we saw a short display of fireworks from our hotel room. A beautiful start to Valentines Day.

Day 2

Breakfast was served in the coffee house from 0700hrs – 1000hrs. The buffet spread included fried rice, fried kway teow, fried egg, chicken ham, baked beans, chicken porridge and bread. This changes daily. Take note of the toaster though. Just placing the bread in the toaster and pushing it down will not do its job. You will need to put on the timer knob as well.

After a leisurely breakfast, we made our way to Auyin Hill Resort, almost an hour away from Straits Meridian Hotel. Before we left for our sightseeing trip, we reminded the receptionist to have the safe deposit box opened as well as check the internet settings.

Auyin Hill Resort

Auyin Hill Resort is the first and only Feng Shui resort in Malaysia and maybe the entire region. It comprises of series of small gardens, each with a differently shaped gateway. There are all designed according to the principles of efficacious Feng Shui.

According to the ‘architect’ of this resort, one can enjoy the efficacies of good Feng Shui here in the resort. We were looking forward to discovering more of this place. As such, it was a great disappointment to find that it was closed due to renovations. However we managed to take a few photos with the owner’s permission.

Upon leaving Auyin Hill Resort, we decided to go to D-Paradise, the world’s largest tropical fruit world and living unique aboriginal village. There are over 800 species of exotic fruits and the unique living native village sounded pretty interesting.

Entrance fee per adult is RM49.90. This included a welcome drink and free sampling of some fruits. You can either walk through the 168 acres of landscaped gardens, rent a bicycle or a buggy. We decided to tour the grounds on a buggy which cost RM69.90. Upon requesting for a discount, Ayu at the ticket counter was kind enough to let us have the buggy for RM49.90.

Unfortunately the credit card phone lines were not working and we ended up paying cash. A RM100 refundable deposit was required for the use of the buggy and which was returned once you return the keys to the buggy.

As quite a number of the plants were still in the ‘flowering’ season, we did not see as many fruits as we would have during the peak season which is in July. No wonder the park was quite deserted. In July, D-Paradise will showcase the world’s biggest fruits collection and sampling fest. That would be peak season and best time to visit.

A must-see is the aboriginal cultural show which lasts for twenty minutes. Here, you may get the chance to join them in their traditional dance and get the opportunity to use a blow-pipe as well.

The aboriginal living native village is also definitely not to be missed. The village has the most colourful natives from Borneo. Initially they were known as the “head hunters”. In the peak season, you are able to see how the native people live, watch them in their daily activities, join them to hunt for food using blow-pipes, learn jungle survival skills or appreciate exquisite native handicrafts.

Going around on the buggy on our own was quite fun. We managed to tour the whole area in about 3 hours. It was also convenient as it acted as a shelter under the hot sun and the slight drizzle that followed.

If you are looking for the ultimate romantic getaway, Camp David Island is situated on a private island inside D-Paradise. There are only 4 log cabins with a private swimming pool and Jacuzzi. The area is surrounded by water and natural fruit trees giving you a sense of peace and serenity.

Or you could stay at the D-CEO Village which is based on the concept of Malaysian traditional dwellings. These ‘kampung’ houses come with 5-star interiors and amenities which provide you with all the comforts. Just enjoy the serenity of nature and soak in the culture.

There is also a ‘Spa Hill’ retreat in D-Paradise located on higher ground of the resort, 1000 feet above sea level. The ‘spa hill’ comprises a number of specially built structures designed to facilitate an extensive range of treatments. You also get a breathtaking view of nature.

Interesting Q&A

Next stop was shopping at Tesco, almost an hour away from D-Paradise. A huge place, prices at Tesco seemed very reasonable and it was quite crowded. Free parking is provided.

In Tesco building, you can also find other shops like Eu Yan Sang, KFC, etc…

Tesco

Guardian was having an offer for the month of February. For every RM40 you spend on vitamins, you get a RM10 voucher which effectively gives you a 25% discount. You can use this voucher on any item that is valued above RM10, limited to one voucher per item.

Trying out the sunglasses

There is also the X-Cut, were you can get a 15 minute cut & style at RM15. When you cut 4 times, you get 1 free cut. You pay for the cut through a vending machine prior to the cut. Collect the ticket and wait for your turn.

RM15 haircut

Having the hair cut

Dinner time saw us driving to the Portuguese Settlement to enjoy some fresh seafood at Stall number 8, De Costa’s. It was so crowded that we almost could not get a seat. Fortunately a group of people left without eating as they could not wait for their food. It was almost an hour’s wait for the food, but it was worth the wait. As we had enjoyed their specialty baked red snapper the last time, we ordered it again and the quality and texture was as good as before. The fish is placed on a piece of banana leaf and wrapped in aluminium foil. It is served with lots of chilli and some cucumber slices. We also ordered the sambal kangkong and kai lan.

Portuguese Settlement

Stall no. 8

Baked snapper

Sambal kang kong and kai lan

It was a pity that we did not realize that the eating outlets in Portuguese Settlement is now open from 1300hrs since moving to this new building. We would have gone there earlier for dinner if we had known this fact.

It has been a long and fruitful Valentines Day.

Day 3

Today is a day for shopping. We started off by going to Giant. Again, parking in Giant was free and we spent almost 2 hours here.

Next stop was Jonker Street. We parked in the open car park opposite Church of St Francis Xavier. Parking costs RM2 per entry.

Along Jonker street, the Chinese New Year decorations were still up. We saw a few interesting sights including that of a lady with no arms on her left and without any forearm on her right writing Chinese calligraphy. Amazing!

Various interesting sights along Jonker Street & Harmony Street

Art on extreme left and metal key chains on left

Nonya beaded shoes - handmade

Chinese calligraphy

Stalls selling pineapple tarts

Candy sweet

Freshly baked tau sar piah

Big clogs, little clogs

Chinese New Year decoration along Jonker St

Along the way, there were a few people selling pineapple tarts and even baking them along the 5-foot way. We stopped by Tian Hup Seng Biscuit shop and bought some original flavoured tau sar piah @ Rm0.80 and coffee tau sar piah @ RM0.90. Personally, I prefer the original as the pastry was more crispy.

Shop with largest pineapple tart in the Guiness Book of Records

Putting the egg wash on the pineapple tarts

Crossing over to Harmony Street, we stopped by the first shop on the left Chua Soon Hup to purchase the 100% pure gula Melaka @ RM8 per kg.

100% pure gula melaka (palm sugar)

Gaily decorated trishaw

Next, we decided to try the famous nonya pineapple tarts from LW. A box of 15 pcs costs RM15. You can choose between the original, butter and pandan pastries.

Dutch Square and the Stadhuys

Cruising on the Melaka River

Opposite the Dutch Square

Whilst making our way back to the carpark, we passed the Dutch Square. Here we decided to try the chendol by the riverside as we had recently read that the best chendol in Malacca was t
o be found in Banda Hilir, near the clock tower, by the river. This should be THE place.

Some stalls by the river

A bowl of chendol costs RM1.40. Overall it was not too bad although not much of the gula melaka taste. For the price we paid, it was certainly good value for money.

The famous chendol

We next made our way to Nadeje Patisserie to pick up our 1 kg Berry Berry Mille Crepe for RM65. As we had brought back the Styrofoam box from our previous purchase, we did not have to pay any extra for the dry ice.

Nadeje Patisserie and their berry berry mille crepe

On our way back to Singapore, we decided to stop by giant at Muar as we were looking for something that had limited stock in Giant Malacca. Whilst in Giant Muar, we went to Ayamas Restoran to have our dinner. A half chicken combo which comes with 3 side dishes and 2 Apple Burst drinks cost RM19.88++. Not too bad.