PD Escapada

Such gorgeous weatherLast week, I was asked to attend a UM course in PD. It was held at Corus Paradise, not far from our apartment at Bayu Beach. Puan Anita and the boys joined me later on the trip - I had to reach there early in the morning. I only got to spend a single evening there since I had to come back to KL for the Scott Kelby Photowalk and on calls by Friday evening.

I was actually quite impressed with the room layout at Corus Paradise, although the maintenance was rather lacking and the wing I stayed in - the lowest floor - seemed rather damp. I did not however spend the evening there - went over to stay in our apartment instead - but I had a barbecue dinner there on the evening. Unfortunately, the food was nothing to write home about, even though they had a good setting and all. Which was a shame.

Straight from my course, I joined the boys at the beach. The weather was gorgeous, but unfortunately there were some low clouds at the horizon, blocking the sunset. Getting to the beach was cool enough, so I must not complaint!

Dinner at Thistle

Strolling around the poolWe got ready to leave Port Dickson just after Maghrib. As Mother’s Day will be the day after, and with my Mum and wife on tow, I decided to treat them for dinner. We took off to Thistle.

Leaving our apartmentNormally, we visit Thistle for either lunch or afternoon tea. This was the first time we turned up for dinner there - the last time being a Ramadhan Buffet does not count! The boys wanted the children’s menu that they do there - fish and chips called ‘Little Mermaid, and chicken nuggets which I forgotten what it was called. While waiting for the food, it being a long day, the boys were expectedly grumpy. Usually, we get to sit by the children area where there things to get them occupied. Unfortunately those seats were taken because we were late. I took Irfan for a stroll around the swimming pool instead.

Checking into the restaurantFish + alphabet chips = 'Little Mermaid'We were fortunately served by this kind young gentleman called Stephen for the evening. He got the children’s food ready in double quick time and offered us to take the desserts from the buffet even though we ordered a la cart. It turned out that he was the outlet manager, hence the prompt friendly service. Even without him, as far as I can remember, the service there was never that bad. However, since we never really spent a night here, I really can’t comment about the service. Looking through the review, it has been a mixed bag. There were more negatives and positives since the new owner took over - it used to be called Guomon, but lately that has changed.

Irfan reaching for his nuggetWhat I liked about the place is the family-orientated service. They have a separate kids area - called Kid’s Zone - where you can take your child to play in a padded ball room. There were also video shows and games for children. There was of course the separate menu for children I mentioned before. The usual gripe I have about the place is the lack of lifts. There was only a single lift taking us from the lobby to the restaurants, which during peak times can be an issue. The lobby however was really nice and roomy. I was hoping for a conference to be held here for a long time in order to sample the services first-hand.

Margherita

For the evening, I had some salad and pizza. The children were thrilled with their food and finished them. The local menu was not that bad either, with my Mum having some fried rice. I had steak there before - which I remembered being on the dry side, but with really nice salad and accompaniment. Price? A little steep for PD standard, but very reasonable if you regularly eat out in KL. Very affordable. This being Mother’s Day weekend, why not have a treat. After all, my credit card offered a 'Mother's Day' discount ….

PD Day Trip

Given a scolding from Idlan for not taking him straight to the apartmentAs mentioned before, we were planning a quite weekend in with Anita having cough and all. Everybody woke up extra early on the Saturday morning and by breakfast time we were wondering what to do. Unfortunately I have firstly the weekend ward round to do, then the Calibration Exercise for the upcoming Masters Exam. A day rip was therefore all that was possible. Tiring, but if we plan well, it will be worth it. 

The nasi daun pisang really hit the spotIdlan helping to carry stuffs up to the apartmentIdlan decided that we should have a quick trip to Port Dickson for an afternoon dip, and then travel back the evening. When we were packing - traveling light was never in Puan Anita’s vocabulary, I got a phonecall from my sister. She was moving to a new house in Kajang and will be leaving my Mum all alone for the weekend. My Dad was in Penang for a business trip and will only be back later on the Saturday afternoon. We thought, why not bring her along. Went to pick her up, and before we know it, we were already in PD by lunchtime. We headed straight for the Golf Club and had the traditional ‘Nasi Daun Pisang’. The PDGCC does a good lunch set every weekend. They have recently changed their menu, but the ‘nasi daun pisang’ lunch stays. Good stuff, and way cheaper than the one from Jalan Gasing, unless you count the cost of fuel and toll of course. They also do a nice breakfast selection - nasi lemak and roti canai with teh tarik, which we normally order all three.

At the pasar malam - ordering my laksaStraight to the apartment next. I had a nice afternoon snooze, with the fan on, listening the sound of the waves. Irfan woke me an hour after. Anita wanted to hit the Pasar Malam to get some tea. Every Saturday afternoon, about 5 minutes drive from our apartment at Bayu Beach, there was an night market at Si Rusa. Compared to KL, the food there were both cheap and much better quality-wise. I always had the laksa, kebab and apam balik from the same stalls. Should any of you happen to be in PD on Saturdays, drop me a line and I will guide you to which stall serve the best food.

By the beach - but the rain was comingAfter tea, it was time to hit the beach. Complete with spades and other assorted tools, the boys got to work on the sand, before hitting the water. Unfortunately, we only managed about half an hour this time as the rain was coming our way. We got back into the apartment just in time. A quick shower, then we ate some more while waiting for Maghrib before taking both Anita and my Mum for a nice Mother’s Day Dinner. I’ll blog about that one later! The photos from the trip can be seen here.

Sunset before Maghrib

Lunch at Thistle Port Dickson

The separate children eating areaThe plumber seems to be taking ages and the boys wanted to go out and play. They wanted to have their fish and chips at Thistle. Definitely worth trying if you are in PD. The main eatery called 'Glass' has a separate area for kids. The buffet was rather average but the a la carte menu is not bad. They also do a separate children's menu - pizza, fish and chips and the lot. The boys favourite is called 'Little Mermaid', basically fish and alphabet-shaped cutlets of fries. There was also a play area outside, and entrance was free until April 2010.

Exercising before food ... a good habit I've been toldDaddy's saladThe aforementioned 'Little Mermaid'Finally the work was done at around 3. We left for KL soon after and only reached home just after 5. The boys will be back to school tomorrow. We were hoping that our driver remembered that it will be school as usual tomorrow. He had a knack for turning up late ....

The plumbers are in

We were anxious to get going as I wanted to attend Fariz's reception during lunch. Unfortunately there were some electrical stuff needed sorting and the plumber had to call his friend in. It looks like they can only do some patch-up job for the the morning, They will have to return later to complete the work. My Mum-in-law will be coming later in the week to let them in. In the meantime, we can't even take the shower and Anita had to go to the hotel lobby to use the toilet. Hopefully things will be sorted out soon.