Almost Time

So, all we were waiting for was for the boys to wake up this morning. Most of the packing had been done except for the tit bits we bought yesterday from Jonker Street. We would just dump those onto the boot of the van I thought.

We would probably set off after lunch. We scrapped the plan to go via Ayer Keroh since my Dad-in-law wasn't very well. He had been nursing a cough since the beginning of the trip. We would likely be driving straight to KL from here.

The boys had another day to go before their school opened on Tuesday. I would still be on leave until Wednesday. Maybe do a bit of shopping tomorrow. We still need to get them their school bags.

I still got some stuff to do at the apartment when I get back. Busy day tomorrow I think.

More on the Melaka trip here.

Equatorial Melaka

Back during the time my parents visited me in Melaka once a month when I studied at MRSM Terendak back in the late 80s, the only premier hotel in town was the Ramada. Melaka was still a small town back then, and on this trip, I would spend the weekend with my parents in town while preparing for my SPM.

The cafe by the front deskIt was a neat hotel back then. I last states at Ramada three years ago when I have a lecture here, and the place was in need if a serious facelift. The location was also away from the main shopping district and the attractions.

The same can't be said about Equatorial Melaka. I believe the hotel must have been built in the early 90's judging by the architecture. Located smack in the of town, within walking distant to A Famosa and Jonker Street, right across a major shopping complex certainly made the decision to stay here an easy one.

The pool on the fourth floorLooking upAnd the facilities here were pretty decent too. Reasonably priced as well. The only drawback was the constructions going on right across the hotel. They were still at it at godly hours.

Food was good, and service was great. All the service staffs were locals. Even the cleaning staffs were Malays as well. Very courteous and the porters spoke very decent English.

They had a few eating outlets at the hotel itself. I mentioned about the Peranakan restaurant Seri Nyonya before. They had a 24 hour bistro for dining as well as an outdoor bar cum cafe located at the street level, also opened 24 hours. There was also a bar by the pool and a pub at the main lobby. Another cafe at the sitting area.

Since we had Club facilities, we can walk in for snacks and drinks on the top floor lounge up to 11 pm. It also served continental breakfast if you wanted to avoid the crowd at the main cafe.

The room we stayed was a suite, with a separate living area and dining. The room had a large king's bed and another bed by the alcove - where Idlan slept at. They had fast Internet for free although it was rather sluggish to set up. We used the LTE signal instead and turned my Nexus 7 into a hotspot.

Room service had good selection and the service was very fast. It was also available 24 hours. Last night we had a couple of inroom masseur coming over. Anita had a full body work while I had reflexology massage. They were from Mainland China and they knew what they were doing. My foot were still aching this morning. It was Anita's treat. The only Malay words they mastered were "sakit". They certainly knew how to deliver that!

Shopping was also simple as the hotel could arrange for beca to pick us up. I just walked across the road to shop. There was a McDonald's and 7-Eleven just across the street.

Afternoon snack at the ClubAnd the boys enjoyed it even moreThe only drawback in Melaka was the one-way traffic system. I couldn't be bothered to drive and quite rightly some area should be totally free of cars. That would encourage people to use either the public transport or just walk. There was plenty to see in town.

I would definitely be returning to the hotel in the future, due to its location, service and comfortable room. Shame that we couldn't sample the pool on this visit. The weather had not been too kind.

For entries during this trip, click here.

Hotel Perdana

As I mentioned, the last time we stayed at Perdana Hotel in Kota Bharu was back in 2005. We had been back a few times, but the place was closed. We realised even during the last stay that the place was in a great news of a refurbishment. But being closed for at least 3 years was stretching it somewhat. And when it was finally reopened, I was expecting great things from it.

Let me give you the final line up front. "It was a decent hotel with potentials but being run by amateurs". That was that.

The main lobbyThe lobby from the first floor landingThe waiting area were segregated into alcovesThe good point was everything was new. The pool was new, the rooms still smelt freshly painted. Of was opened about a couple of months back. They built a new 11-story wing to compliment the old units. We stayed at this new building, dubbed the "Executive Wing". We spent the three nights at the Perdana Suite.

The room as very nice although it could do with more furniture. Internet was free and at good speed. They have a restaurant up the 11th floor which was yet to be opened. I reckoned that that would be the lounge.

I touched about the pool - which was nice - and the breakfast coffee house - which was a bit of a mixed bag. Food was a problem as the range on the room service was pretty limited and essentially a duplicate of the equally limited coffee house range.

Towards the roomClose-up of one of the alcovesThe main eateryAs an alternative you could have some drinks and snack by the main lounge. Or have some Chinese food as we did on the final night we were there at a restaurant called Jade. On all front, the menu lacked maturity, and judging from the fact that the hotel was closed for such a long time, they should've put more effort on their F&B side. Jade actually offered great food, but by Kelantan standard, they were both expensive and limited in term of range. And don't get me started with the inexperienced staffs .....

Once the place mature up, I could see great potential. They have to strengthen their bread and butter - F&B especially. It would be interesting to see how things develop in the coming years. I would definitely be returning there in the future just to see that.

More stories from the same trip here.

Iftar at Marriott part II

From part I ...

The food were actually well prepared. The satay especially was very nice. The grilled fish were rather overcooked. The most popular dish that evening was the roast lamb. The queue was long and since I wasn't that much if a fan, I gave that a miss.

For the mains, I had some chicken rice and then went for asam laksa. By the time i went for my Maghrib prayers, I finished most of the starters. I was already full by then. My boys had satay and Irfan had some Indian food. That kept them occupied before going hyper from all the dessert.

Unfortunately, while getting out of her seat, Anita stepped off the platform onto a wet flooring behind our table and slipped. She knocked her knees falling flat on the floor, leaving her with a nice bruise. Her brother went to complaint and after finding out what happened, the Duty Manager arrived. To cut a long story shot, we got the dinner refunded. But since the payment had been made during booking, we received vouchers to return.

Another problem with the place was the surau - prayer room or musalla. They didn't have a proper place for absolution, which for such a hotel was rather sad. We had to do our cleansing at a toilet. But at least the room they prepared for praying was comfortable.

On the whole, the food was actually quite good. Price-wise, compared to other hotel of similar stature, the price here was among the most reasonable. You could cut cost further if you have the dinner at the banquet hall rather than the poolside.

Would we be coming back? Well, we didn't have much of a choice really since we got the vouchers. Would I recommend it? Yes, most definitely. But parking would be a nightmare if you were to arrive late. Traffic to and from the hotel was also notorious.

Iftar at Marriott part I

My brother-in-law took us out for iftar last night. We went to JW Marriott in town, just opposite Pavilion. They served local delicacies at their buffet, so since my Mum-in-law preferred local food, that was what he picked.

The place tended to get pretty jammed up in the afternoon, and hence we left early. We were lucky that the place was still quiet. We made our way to the sixth floor where the buffet was located. It was at an open-aired poolside terrace. There was an alternative venue on the fourth floor where the buffet was served in a banquet hall. We decided to go for the pool, although we had to pay extra.

We took our seat just after seven, and was given a table at the end of a make-shift platform. It was raining but we were well shielded from the elements thanks to a tent.

The spread was pretty good. We had satay, Indian food, the usual noodles, fried rice, chicken rice and those were just for starters. The spread were mainly local, although the desserts were decidedly western.

More in part II ....