Malaysia: Easter Holiday

April 5 - 8, 2012

late post again *face palm*

anyway, few months ago prior to this trip, i was already planning to go somewhere for the easter weekend. i have fully embraced the reality that i have the freedom to go anywhere and i made sure to make most out of it. haha! and so, after researching places that i can bring my gypsy soul to, Malaysia was good enough for a 3 day long weekend getaway.

it was a semi - solo trip. i was with diane and yet on this trip but in other times we had separate places to go.

it has been a long time since i made an itinerary for a trip. researching for a trip always excites me. so let me share my 3 day weekend getaway...

kisses from the twins :D

photo credits: diane 

note: RM = Malaysian Ringgit, IDR = Indonesian Rupiah, USD = US dollar

GETTING TO/FROM/AROUND

Jakarta, Indonesia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (round trip) via Air Asia - 1487900.00 IDR (~155 USD)

*booked 1 month before my trip plus the fare includes meals.

Tip: give 3 hour allowance to travel going to the airport. traffic here is unpredictable. we almost didn't make to our flight. only had 5 minutes left before the airport counter closed. stress!

Air Asia in Jakarta is in Terminal 3. it has its own terminal building solely for Air Asia Indonesia.

Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur flight was on time BUT Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta was delayed for almost 3 hours! it was crazy! ugh :/

LCCT to Radius Hotel via Star Shuttle - 18 RM

*we arrived past midnight already so we opted to take star shuttle (a bus service from lcct straight to hotel listed to their services). bus left LCCT at around 3 am already. 1 hour to reach downtown kuala lumpur then we have to move to a minivan to bring us to our hotel.

Tip: This mode of transportation is good especially if you're arriving past midnight just to be sure you'll reach to your hotel doorstep safe. you may buy the ticket at the arrival hall of LCCT or at the bus terminal area.

Radius hotel to KL Sentral via taxi - 5 rm (my share)
* we opted to take the taxi rather than the monorail as it was pouring like crazy. what irked me was that the taxi charged us a fix rate going to kl sentral. uugh. that's why i don't like taking cabs when i travel.

KL sentral to LCCT via Aerobus - 8 rm
* a very convenient transportation enroute to LCCT. Aerobus is located at the back of KL sentral station

Around the city via Monorail
* the nearest train to our hotel which brought us to different places around kuala lumpur. directions around the train station are user friendly.

note: details of exact usage of this mode of transportation will be posted in my itinerary of tour :)

Around the City via LRT

* took this train specifically for KLCC route.

note: details of exact usage of this mode of transportation will be posted in my itinerary of tour :)

Around the city via KTM komuter

*took this train when we went to Batu caves and i-city

note: details of exact usage of this mode of transportation will be posted in my itinerary of tour :)

ACCOMMODATION

booked 3 nights (superior room with breakfast) in Radius International Hotel in Bukit Bintang via Agoda. total damage was 189 usd.

PROs

• good location!!! (near monorail, bukit bintang area and jalan ahlor)
• friendly hotel staff

CONs

• old room!!
• dirty carpeted floor
• limited breakfast choices
• thin towels
• bathroom was a disappointment

Personally speaking, if i'll go back to Kuala Lumpur soon, i won't be staying in radius hotel again. I think i can find better hotel choices with good price around that area. 

room

bathroom (you don't wanna know what is under the bath tub :/)

buffet breakfast

OUR TRAVEL ITINERARY

this is it...

Day 1 - April 6, 2012

Lunch to mid afternoon - shopping in Bukit Bintang PLaza and Sungwei Plaza

Late afternoon:

Batu Caves

How to get here:

1. Bukit Bintang to KL sentral via monorail - 2.10 rm
2. KL sentral to Batu Caves via KTM komuter - 1 rm

Tip: one of the best time to come here is during the late afternoon as it won't be too hot to walk around.

i didn't go up the stairs at the cave. i'm reserving that part next time i come back to visit *cross fingers*

I-City (City of Digital Lights)

one of the recommended places to see outside of kuala lumpur. since batu caves and i-city has the same train route i included this place the same day with batu caves.

How to get here:

1. Batu caves to Padang Jawa via KTM komuter - 4.2 rm
2. Padang Jawa Station to I-city via taxi - 15 rm (fixed charge)
3. I-city to Padang Jawa Station via taxi - 15 rm (fixed charge)
4. Padang Jawa to Kl sentral via KTM komuter - 3.9 rm
5. Kl sentral to Bukit Bintang via monorail - 2.10 rm

Tip: best seen at night because of the lights. i recommend this place only IF you already explored the usual tourist sites in kuala lumpur. travel is quite long to reach this place. i just liked the lights but other than that, there was nothing to see.

Day 2 - April 7, 2012

MALACCA

sidetrip chika: i've made sure to include malacca in our malaysia trip coz i've been studying this place with my student for months and so, i was intrigued with this place. haha!

anyway, after weighing options if i'll push it to DIY or day tour package, i decided to do the latter. since we'll be doing DIY for the entire kuala lumpur so we might as well take a day off to just leave everything to a day trip package. so thank you to girltalk, they recommended journey malaysia for the malacca day tour. :)

booking in journey malaysia was a breeze! we inquired and confirmed through email and we were given 2 choices to pay, either credit card or maybank deposit. we chose the latter. as soon as we settled in kuala lumpur, we dropped by to maybank and deposited our payment. we then took a photo of the deposit slip then emailed it to them. and voila, they emailed back and confirmed our booking.

Here are the details of our malacca day trip (journey malaysia):

Historical Malacca Tour

- Bukit China

- Dutch Square

- St Paul Hill

- Porta de Santiago

- Cheng Hoon Temple

- Jonker Street

- Nyonya food for lunch

- Local Products Shopping

Duration            :       8 hours (*inclusive of lunch)

Departure          :       9.00am

Pick up time      :       8.30am

Price                 :       Adult – RM130.00 per person

the price was not bad, as some travel agencies charge 190 rm per pax. and the best part, we had the whole van just for the three of us. it felt like it was a private trip but way way cheaper. haha!

prior to actual reaching Malacca town, our first stop was a tea, oil and spice store. they showed us different usage of the oil they are selling. It was not imperative to buy so it was ok.

It was so hot that day! we opted not to spend too much time in each places as the heat really drained the life out from us.

 hahaha! my name plastered on our tour van

Bukit China

Dutch Square

lovely flower carts

Maritime Museum

Porta de Santiago and St. Paul Hill

Lunch at Nyonya

random stop over! laveet!

Jonker Street

Cheng Hoon Temple

BERYL'S CHOCOLATE FACTORY

prior to going back to the hotel, our malacca tour driver offered to bring us to beryl's chocolate factory with no extra charge. 

and can i just say, this is one of my favorite place in all of kuala lumpur! aaaaaah! chocolatesssssssss! i'm so smitten that i hoarded 3 boxes of chocolates all for my self. it was heaven! yum!

PETRONAS TOWERS

after resting for a bit, we then went to see petronas towers at night. it was so cool to see twin towers all lit up.

How to get here:

1. Bukit Bintang to Bukit Nanas via Monorail - 1.20 rm
2. Dang Wangi to KLCC via LRT - 1.30 rm
3. Petronas Towers to Hotel - walk (crazy idea! we got lost! haha!)

Day 3 - April 8, 2012

AQUARIA

I love oceanariums, i think it's becoming a must-do for me whenever i visit a new city. and this time, i also made sure to include this in my itinerary.

entrance fee: 45 RM (adult)

How to get here:

1. Bukit Bintang to Bukit Nanas via Monorail - 1.20 rm
2. Dang Wangi to KLCC via LRT - 1.30 rm
3. KLCC to Aquaria - walk (follow the signage inside the mall to find your way to aquaria)
4. KLCC to Dang Wangi via LRT - 1.30 rm
5. Bukit Nanas via Bukit Bintang - 1.20 rm

It was solo trip for me. I basically spent the whole day all by myself. it was a nice change. As for the aquaria, i was seriously disappointed! for the amoount that i paid, it was not worth it! you can actually explore the whole place for only 30 minutes. that how small it is. oh well, at least i get to cross it out on my list now.

Tip: If you're really not a fan of oceanariums, better skip this place.

FOOD

I wasn't able to research much about food but I did try some of the recommended places to dine in...

Old Town White Coffee

one of famous coffee chain in kuala lumpur. i have tried at LCCT branch and in i-city. for light snacks, i recommend their bread with kaya and butter. for drinks, their iced lemon tea was good. I tried their hazelnut coffee (5.90 rm). too sweet for my liking.

hazelnut coffee at their LCCT branch

bread with kaya and butter

iced lemon tea

Jalan Alor Street

Wong Ah Wah Famous Chicken Wings

they said this serves the best chicken wings in kuala lumpur. well, all i can say it's yummy but not the best. haha!

i also ordered their noodles (i forgot the name). it was too salty. umay! for these dishes including a bottled water cost me 14.80 rm.

Cu Cha Restaurant

Kuala Lumpur won't be complete without trying their satay. so on our 2nd night, we dined again in Jalan Alor. This time, we tried Cu Cha Restaurant.

I ordered pork and chicken satay (7 rm), chicken rice (5 rm) and mango shake (5 rm). i love the chicken rice! but the satay, not so much. and their mango shake was a disappointment.

The Coffee and Spice Company

Found in KLCC, i remembered dining here last time i was in kuala lumpur so this was where i had my lunch after the aquaria trip. I ordered rice in tomato and chicken (13.50 rm). yummeeh!

Famous Amos

found almost everywhere. haha! bought some cookies and chocolates. oooh, had a free taste of their delectable cookies using my irresistable charm. choz! hahaha!

SHOPPING

Bukit Bintang Plaza and Sungwei Plaza- shoes! clothes! and more shoes! hahaha! comparing it to jakarta, this is way cheaper! better hoard then. haha!

Pavilion Mall - a high end mall. it was sale season in forever 21! yay!

Sephora - dropped by both in Bukit Bintang Area and in KLCC branch. it was heaven!

COSTING

total expenses excluding shopping and food

TRAVELING IN STYLE

it was a mix and match of something sexy but not too revealing, sweet but not too wholesome, summer-y but not to beach-y. (whut? haha!) 

and as much as i would love to wear heels, i don't think my feet can handle the stress of commuting and walking around the city.

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Final Thoughts about Malaysia

few reasons why i chose malaysia for my easter weekend are 1) it has been a long time since the last time i went here 2) it's enough for a 3 day holiday 3) almost same language (bahasa indonesia vs bahasa malaysia) so exploring would be easier as i can speak a bit of bahasa indonesia 4) it's both near and far from indonesia which is a good thing.

anyway, that easter weekend was a good breather from everything. i missed the hustle and bustle of itinerary planning and executing my researched plans. i missed the feeling of immersing to another culture plus i learned to know myself more when it comes to traveling which is always a good thing.

Hopefully another Malaysia trip will happen soon. Thinking of Penang or Kota Kinabalu or Langkawi. Crossing fingers!