Family Trip to Historic Melaka!
Totally disgusted with the cost of flying 5 people on budget air to anywhere for a short holiday, I opted a drive-to holiday this year to Melaka. I always liked this town and it does bring back to me at least, fond memories of Ipoh when I was younger or course. Ipoh town is more or less dead these days but in Melaka, its still bustling.
The old colonial buildings are still very much in business albeit nowadays they are slightly more geared towards tourist dollars (local and abroad). Still, no charm is lost in this transition and I simply love coming here and just walking about the old town.
A good chance to also test out my Sony NEX 5N..which did not disappoint though I need to really read up to learn-in the host of features that I've not touched!
Here's a brief run-down on my trip with the family
The Hotel : Casa Del Rio
I booked the 'family fun package' and even though it was a 'package' it did not come cheap. roughly about 300SGD per night. Upon arrival we were well treated while we checked in, treated to a nice lime sherbet that my family appreciated (and the wife impressed) on such a hot day. The hotel is very new, build just at the mouth of the Melaka river which has been greatly upgraded and cleaned, creating a park-like atmosphere all along the river. Our room was plenty spacious and well decorated with a decent view of the river. Breakfast was good as well. Basically there is a buffet spread plus at least 10 items on ala carte that one can order as part of the buffet.
After 3 nights in this hotel, I can safely say that this is the best hotel I've stayed in Malaysia thus far. There's a formula for choosing a hotel in Malaysia. Basically, if its not one of the so-called international branded hotel, choose a new one! Casa Del Rio, is actually owed by the Hard Rock group franchise owners in Malaysia so the standard is pretty much there.
Let's hope they can maintain it.
The Food : Zero-Remorse Loading
Basically ate anything and everything, from a great Nonya treat to eating cheap chicken rice at Jonker street hawker stall.
I took the family to Auntie Lee's Nonya food, a very popular joint. We walked in, I was holding my sleeping son and my wife the sleeping daughter and my eldest in hand, all five of us. It was packed and for sure not possible to accommodate us. An old aunty walked pass us and told us off rather rudely that not possible for today. She looked flustered and understandably so....so many customers to serve everyday at peak hour....but really, IMO not the apt way to respond to prospective customers, regardless of situation. We barely even said a word!
Undeterred, we chanced upon Big Nonya restaurant on our way to Mahkota Parade. Not crowded at all and looked like a new joint and Halal.....so, no babi ponteh! Some internet search on this shop revealed that it was previously known as Kenny's Delight.
Food tasted wonderful, much to our surprise. Although the fish was loaded with blended chilli, the meat was not spicy....very fresh and succulent.....my eldest basically ate half if it and kept asking for more (ok, I had to remove the chilli bits!). No Keluak this time around....I'm not a big fan of this much requested Nonya dish, sorry.
This is the halal version ..... Ayam Ponteh. My sons ate their rice with a vengeance, accompanied by this sauce!
Sambal Sotong Petai.....the belacan they used for this : champion. Not too spicy with deep flavour of shrimps, chilly and a tinge of Petai. I will like anything with Petai!
Chilli Fish......succulent and fresh. My eldest son who normally shun fish mostly kept asking for more. I think he ate like half the fish.
Sago Gula Melaka ..... Basically Sago from a mould, gula melaka and santan. Simplicity, it seems, is the best way! The kids loved this more than the Cendol.
And how can one forget the authentic Gula Melaka Cendol.....along Jonker street. Drag my sons out to have this though to my dismay I could make them fans of this traditional fare. Truthfully, the one at Big Nonya (not pictured) was better! Don't get me wrong this was good too!
We chanced upon a nice local restaurant, called Calanthe Art Cafe Restaurant along Jalan Hang Kasturi. Serves much local fare (good authentic stuff too!) and coffee unique to each and every state in Malaysia. Food aside, which was great btw, I was drawn to the unique setting. Its built into the first section of a Baba Long House. If you know what I'm talking about these are really old and very LONG shophouses/residences from the past. The walls were very tastefully decorated and mixed with some untouched 70s-like setting as well, make this place kinda special for me.
Ok. 2+kg added in this trip. Time to run/ride it off.
The Sights : Sungai Melaka Revisited and The Old Town
Years ago, this was more like a large monsoon drain than anything else. But now....wow, the local government has made much effort in beautifying and cleaning up the river sides. The rear of the shophouses along the river are mostly very interestingly painted! 3+km on, it passes some rather nice malay settlement, itself refurbished and clean as well.
I could run along both sides of the river on nice made park paths that span at least 3-4km in one direction. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten 10km from my hotel just by running up and down once the paths. In all I only managed 2 runs of the 3 days I was there and all of them were slow runs....just enjoying the nice surroundings and absorbing that 'historic' feeling! Excuse the river photos....these are from the phone and I was running so may not be as clear!
Jonker Street.....locals and tourists alike, this place retains a mixture of a still-authentic localized 'Pasar Malam' with dashes of tourism-inspired setting. I always like walking down this place, despite the really heavy human traffic. Lugging around 3 kids with you here can be quite a challenge with so much distractions about.
On the day of departure, there was a big boat race event taking place just beside the hotel. Our room provided a great view of this.
The old rooftop view....nice!
Activities : For the Young Ones
Brought the kids to Melaka Wonderland and they had a blast. I had to go with them on all the slides!!
The Crocodile Farm (plus a host of other attractions) was ok and for the money we paid, we can't really complaint. There is a sad excuse of a 'haunted house' and 'Jurassic Park train ride'...I didn't know whether to laugh or get scared really! The kids were scared though. Still....lots of crocodiles to be seen....an ok show as well and the kids were well entertained! The place had a small aviary and reptile garden as well.....PLUS a 'Mini-Malaysia' showcase. Really Rojak but nice. Malaysia Boleh!
Exercise : The Melaka River Runs....
Despite these 2 slow efforts, I still gained 2+kg!
The old colonial buildings are still very much in business albeit nowadays they are slightly more geared towards tourist dollars (local and abroad). Still, no charm is lost in this transition and I simply love coming here and just walking about the old town.
A good chance to also test out my Sony NEX 5N..which did not disappoint though I need to really read up to learn-in the host of features that I've not touched!
Here's a brief run-down on my trip with the family
The Hotel : Casa Del Rio
I booked the 'family fun package' and even though it was a 'package' it did not come cheap. roughly about 300SGD per night. Upon arrival we were well treated while we checked in, treated to a nice lime sherbet that my family appreciated (and the wife impressed) on such a hot day. The hotel is very new, build just at the mouth of the Melaka river which has been greatly upgraded and cleaned, creating a park-like atmosphere all along the river. Our room was plenty spacious and well decorated with a decent view of the river. Breakfast was good as well. Basically there is a buffet spread plus at least 10 items on ala carte that one can order as part of the buffet.
After 3 nights in this hotel, I can safely say that this is the best hotel I've stayed in Malaysia thus far. There's a formula for choosing a hotel in Malaysia. Basically, if its not one of the so-called international branded hotel, choose a new one! Casa Del Rio, is actually owed by the Hard Rock group franchise owners in Malaysia so the standard is pretty much there.
Let's hope they can maintain it.
The Food : Zero-Remorse Loading
Basically ate anything and everything, from a great Nonya treat to eating cheap chicken rice at Jonker street hawker stall.
I took the family to Auntie Lee's Nonya food, a very popular joint. We walked in, I was holding my sleeping son and my wife the sleeping daughter and my eldest in hand, all five of us. It was packed and for sure not possible to accommodate us. An old aunty walked pass us and told us off rather rudely that not possible for today. She looked flustered and understandably so....so many customers to serve everyday at peak hour....but really, IMO not the apt way to respond to prospective customers, regardless of situation. We barely even said a word!
Undeterred, we chanced upon Big Nonya restaurant on our way to Mahkota Parade. Not crowded at all and looked like a new joint and Halal.....so, no babi ponteh! Some internet search on this shop revealed that it was previously known as Kenny's Delight.
Food tasted wonderful, much to our surprise. Although the fish was loaded with blended chilli, the meat was not spicy....very fresh and succulent.....my eldest basically ate half if it and kept asking for more (ok, I had to remove the chilli bits!). No Keluak this time around....I'm not a big fan of this much requested Nonya dish, sorry.
This is the halal version ..... Ayam Ponteh. My sons ate their rice with a vengeance, accompanied by this sauce!
Sambal Sotong Petai.....the belacan they used for this : champion. Not too spicy with deep flavour of shrimps, chilly and a tinge of Petai. I will like anything with Petai!
Chilli Fish......succulent and fresh. My eldest son who normally shun fish mostly kept asking for more. I think he ate like half the fish.
Sago Gula Melaka ..... Basically Sago from a mould, gula melaka and santan. Simplicity, it seems, is the best way! The kids loved this more than the Cendol.
And how can one forget the authentic Gula Melaka Cendol.....along Jonker street. Drag my sons out to have this though to my dismay I could make them fans of this traditional fare. Truthfully, the one at Big Nonya (not pictured) was better! Don't get me wrong this was good too!
We chanced upon a nice local restaurant, called Calanthe Art Cafe Restaurant along Jalan Hang Kasturi. Serves much local fare (good authentic stuff too!) and coffee unique to each and every state in Malaysia. Food aside, which was great btw, I was drawn to the unique setting. Its built into the first section of a Baba Long House. If you know what I'm talking about these are really old and very LONG shophouses/residences from the past. The walls were very tastefully decorated and mixed with some untouched 70s-like setting as well, make this place kinda special for me.
Ok. 2+kg added in this trip. Time to run/ride it off.
The Sights : Sungai Melaka Revisited and The Old Town
Years ago, this was more like a large monsoon drain than anything else. But now....wow, the local government has made much effort in beautifying and cleaning up the river sides. The rear of the shophouses along the river are mostly very interestingly painted! 3+km on, it passes some rather nice malay settlement, itself refurbished and clean as well.
I could run along both sides of the river on nice made park paths that span at least 3-4km in one direction. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten 10km from my hotel just by running up and down once the paths. In all I only managed 2 runs of the 3 days I was there and all of them were slow runs....just enjoying the nice surroundings and absorbing that 'historic' feeling! Excuse the river photos....these are from the phone and I was running so may not be as clear!
Jonker Street.....locals and tourists alike, this place retains a mixture of a still-authentic localized 'Pasar Malam' with dashes of tourism-inspired setting. I always like walking down this place, despite the really heavy human traffic. Lugging around 3 kids with you here can be quite a challenge with so much distractions about.
On the day of departure, there was a big boat race event taking place just beside the hotel. Our room provided a great view of this.
The old rooftop view....nice!
Activities : For the Young Ones
Brought the kids to Melaka Wonderland and they had a blast. I had to go with them on all the slides!!
The Crocodile Farm (plus a host of other attractions) was ok and for the money we paid, we can't really complaint. There is a sad excuse of a 'haunted house' and 'Jurassic Park train ride'...I didn't know whether to laugh or get scared really! The kids were scared though. Still....lots of crocodiles to be seen....an ok show as well and the kids were well entertained! The place had a small aviary and reptile garden as well.....PLUS a 'Mini-Malaysia' showcase. Really Rojak but nice. Malaysia Boleh!
Exercise : The Melaka River Runs....
Despite these 2 slow efforts, I still gained 2+kg!
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