For our annual end of the year family trip this year we had a few places in my mind. Initially it was Labuan off the coast of Sabah. And then we contemplated going to Singapore but both places were prohibitively expensive for our budget. Labuan’s return flight was over 3,000 ringgit and we had to make passports for our entire family which would easily run to 1,000 ringgit. Let’s not even talk about Singapore’s dear exchange rate (damn you UMNO). In the end we settled for a little tour of the southern states, mainly Desaru, Johor Bharu and Malacca. We originally wanted to stay in Mersing as well but we simply didn’t have the time (nor the budget) plus there was news of flooding in the area.
Traffic was surprisingly smooth heading south that Friday afternoon. It rained occasionally but nothing heavy. We stopped by Yong Peng to try the supposedly famous 40 hari kari kambing restaurant. To be honest I don’t understand the hype because it tasted just like any ordinary kuzi lamb and mandy rice. The queue was extra long too although I can’t deny the lamb price is much cheaper than anywhere in Selangor.
Later that evening we arrived at the Lotus Desaru Beach Resort. As the name suggests, it is a resort along the Desaru beach near Kota Tinggi. It’s a huge place, they must have had hundreds of rooms in each block. We have two decent rooms in our suite with a little bath tub in the master bedroom. It’s reasonably clean so I can’t complain. There was not much furniture in the living room apart from a little sofa next to the small dining table. Next to the room suites is their water park which comes free with the room or 5 ringgit per person. The water park is just your typical hotel/resort water park with a few slides and a moderately big dipping pool. I went down the slide once and then waded in the pool for a few minutes and then I’m out of there. The kids seem to enjoy it though. They spent hours in the water.
Breakfast the next day was okay I guess. They serve the usual budget hotel menu like nasi lemak, fried rice, friend noodles, sausages, roti canai and porridge among others. I suspect the resort was fully booked because the Seaview restaurant was packed with holiday goers. So full it’s basically a factory assembly line. We didn’t get a chance to stroll along the Desaru beach just next to the restaurant because there were strong waves and the entrance was closed. Still we get to see the strong waves hitting the sea wall, spraying water on sightseers. Overall I would rate Lotus Desaru with 3.5 stars. A decent place to bring your family during school holidays. Perhaps if you booked the place earlier than we did (12 days prior), you might get slightly better rates.
The next day we drove for an hour to downtown Johor Bahru. We purposely booked a hotel next to IKEA Tebrau so that we could literally walk there later. Just kidding, who in their right mind would want to walk 500 metres to anywhere? Actually I could have walked had we not had a toddler in tow and a considerable shopping list. Besides, it rained heavily later in the evening. IKEA Tebrau is surprise-surprise is just like any other IKEAs I’ve been to in the country, from Batu Kawan to Cheras to Damansara. You go to one IKEA, you’ve been to all. The Tappen mall that’s connected to IKEA was a decent mall with the usual fare, a few shops and some recreational arenas like archery and wall-climbing. We even managed to steal some time to visit Aeon mall next door looking for a Robocar Poli toy for Asif. We didn’t find any and only found some at a Penn-mart toy shop nearby.
Later that evening we headed straight to JB city centre actual for dinner at Jalan Stulang Laut. We’ve been there before the last time we visited JB and Legoland, most of them don’t remember anything from that last visit because of old age it was quite some time ago. The seafood dinner was okay and affordable I guess. We would have enjoyed ourselves more had we not been interrupted by beggars and an assortment of traders every few minutes. Our last itinerary for the day was the Danga Bay park which features a little fun fair along the coast of the Johor straits. The entrance to the park was jammed and the parking lot was packed that it’s a miracle that we even got a parking spot. But found a spot we did so the kids get to enjoy some fun rides at the amusement park. The rides were pretty affordable, starting from 4 ringgit and up to 10 ringgit each and they include a big merry-go-round, train ride, tea cup ride and others.
Vertilex hotel that we stayed at was small which barely fit a queen-sized bed and a bathroom. But for 73 ringgit each and a last-minute booking, it’s a fair deal. Besides, we spent most of the time outside so we thought it would be wasteful to book a more luxurious hotel.
The next day we headed to our final destination which was Malacca. But not before we stopped by Johor Premium Outlet which is similar to Genting Premium Outlet and Mitsui Premium Outlet. Traffic going into the mall was already congested but we braved on anyway because Adam wanted to get a pair of shoes for his birthday. Like their Genting outlet, this one is packed with people, even more so on Christmas day. There’s the usual long queue outside of their anchor tenants like Adidas, Nike, Gucci and Coach and also the few restaurants that open. The goods prices are not that cheap mind you, driven even further up by Singaporean customers I suspect.
Unlike GPO, the atmosphere here is hot and humid whereas Genting’s was cool and refreshing due to their higher latitude. It was made even worse by selfish smokers smoking in the middle of the walkway. The management is partly to blame for putting those smoking bins right next to the benches. It’s an open invitation to those assholes. In the end, Adam didn’t find the shoes that he likes so our visit was almost a total waste of time. I said almost because my wife did buy some clothes for our toddler there.
Later we stopped by the Machap R and R lunch. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering why there’s so much flies in the Kulai/Machap area. The rest stop was infested with flies. For our final stay, we booked a Airbnb unit next to the seaside. Too bad our unit did not face the sea but instead faces inwards toward other units. Waking up to the straits of Malacca would have been awesome. The owner provides self check in with clear instructions on how to get in and where to park. The studio unit is reasonably clean with one queen bed, one sofa bed and a small mattress, good for 3 people but no more. The bath tub in the bathroom is a bonus. You have access to the condo's swimming pool on the 13th floor.
Imperio Residences looks magnificent and imposing at first glance but very few locals actually live here and they're occupied mostly by holiday-makers like us. The rest of the building looks under-maintained and run down because of the lack of tenants. The place has potential for sure, it’s just too bad they didn't go through with the mall downstairs. There's a washer and dryer combo machine provided but you'll have to bring your own soap. The dryer part of the machine doesn't really work well so you're left with some damp laundry. Consider that before you use the machine. Other than that I have no complaints.
From the condo, we drove to the Malacca city centre on Christmas eve for sightseeing. Even for the short 5 kilometer drive, it took us 22 minutes to get there with all the traffic. In the end, we parked near the Tabung Haji building and walked 500 metres to Jonker Walk. I’ve been meaning to visit Jonker Walk for years. Heard of the name but never really got the chance to visit. To be honest you won’t miss anything much because there’s nothing much of interest there. A few souvenir and handicraft stalls, a bunch of food and snack stalls and that’s about it. You’d probably have more fun visiting Petaling Street or Chow Kit than this.
Now we’ve been to Malacca city centre a few times before but never at night. The place has a totally different vibe and atmosphere at night, especially the loud and flash trishaw rides at the centre. I usually ignore those cringey trishaw rides but not with little Asif Yusuf along who demanded that we ride them. For 25 ringgit each, they took us for a short 15 minute ride around the city. It would have been memorable if not for the loud obnoxious music blaring from the onboard speakers. They’re totally unnecessary.
So that concludes our 4 days 3 night tour of the southern states. Thankfully traffic was not that bad and was pretty smooth in fact for both to and return trip. I can’t say the same for people coming and going in the opposite direction. Did I feel refreshed and relaxed? If not totally, at least a little bit. I don’t really have the extra budget to pay for this vacation but I went along with it anyway so that my wife and kids can have some fun away from home. Now that the vacation is finished and I’m back to face reality, the prospect of paying for all my credit card spending excess is not really fun but hey at least my loved ones are happy, right?
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