We're off for yet another family trip, this time to the quaint little town of Malacca just 3 hours away from Singapore. We had wanted to drive but since we couldn't all fit into the car, we decided to take the coach instead.
Travelling by coach meant that we could bring our Baby Jogger City Select double stroller as there are no weight restrictions. I managed to pack it nicely into the biggest luggage we owned, which was about the size of a medium-size TV.
It was a grueling journey to me because: a) after 2 hours I started to feel a little bus sick as the sun was shining on us and b) the hubby and I took turns to carry an increasingly heavy baby boy as there is nowhere to put him (unlike on the plane). I'd rather take the aeroplane anytime!
Nevertheless, we arrived safely at Hatten Hotel about 4-5 hours later.
The hubby chose this hotel because of its accessibility to two megamalls located adjacent to it and is itself standing on a soon-to-be fully opened shopping mall (Hatten Square). As the hubby booked the premier club rooms for us, we proceeded to check-in at the Premier Lounge on the 12th floor rather than at the crowded check-in counters on the 1st floor.
Even though it was only 11.30am, we were given the key cards to our rooms immediately! For just $30 more per room per night for the premier rooms, I thought it was a small price to pay for convenience and added perks like complimentary afternoon tea.
We then proceeded to our Deluxe Suite (King) on the 19th floor.
We were famished and proceeded to explore Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall in search of yummy food. We found the link bridge that linked our hotel directly to the mall very convenient.
We decided to eat at Classic Chicken Rice as Melaka is famous for their chicken rice ball.
After lunch, we went shopping and had a blast! The shops were having sales everywhere so we were able to grab a lot of good stuff at cheap prices. The resident shopaholic (no not me!), the mum-in-law was thrilled.
I found this mall very kid-friendly. Not only can you rent toy buggies to push your kids around in, there was an indoor playground and a lot of stores selling toys and kids clothes at the Kids Zone.
After loading up our large stroller basket (thankfully we brought our heavy duty City Select) with all of our loot, we headed back to our hotel for our complimentary afternoon tea.
Baby Boy had his dinner as well.
We rested for a while before proceeding to the sky lounge to take a look at the beautiful skyline of Melaka at night. Bet you have not seen Melaka like this since there are few high rise buildings here :)
Travelling by coach meant that we could bring our Baby Jogger City Select double stroller as there are no weight restrictions. I managed to pack it nicely into the biggest luggage we owned, which was about the size of a medium-size TV.
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| Girl has her own seat this time |
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| Boarding our bus at the 2nd Link |
It was a grueling journey to me because: a) after 2 hours I started to feel a little bus sick as the sun was shining on us and b) the hubby and I took turns to carry an increasingly heavy baby boy as there is nowhere to put him (unlike on the plane). I'd rather take the aeroplane anytime!
Nevertheless, we arrived safely at Hatten Hotel about 4-5 hours later.
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| Hatten Hotel Malacca |
The hubby chose this hotel because of its accessibility to two megamalls located adjacent to it and is itself standing on a soon-to-be fully opened shopping mall (Hatten Square). As the hubby booked the premier club rooms for us, we proceeded to check-in at the Premier Lounge on the 12th floor rather than at the crowded check-in counters on the 1st floor.
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| To the Premier Lounge at Level 12 |
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| Premier Lounge |
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| The check-in counter |
Even though it was only 11.30am, we were given the key cards to our rooms immediately! For just $30 more per room per night for the premier rooms, I thought it was a small price to pay for convenience and added perks like complimentary afternoon tea.
We then proceeded to our Deluxe Suite (King) on the 19th floor.
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| Clockwise from left: Pantry area with complimentary water and coffee/tea. (Soft drinks in the minibar are also free for guests of premier rooms); Premier rooms are located at the top 3 floors of the hotel; Spacious living room with sofa and TV |
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| View of the bathroom and living room from study area (the living room and bedroom are separated by a glass partition with a blind that you can pull for privacy) |
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| Bathroom |
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| Full bathroom toiletries |
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| King-size bed |
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| Study table and 2nd TV |
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| View of the sea from our window |
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| The hotel also provided us with the baby cot that we requested |
We were famished and proceeded to explore Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall in search of yummy food. We found the link bridge that linked our hotel directly to the mall very convenient.
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| Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall |
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| Rental of toy buggies for your kids at the Information Counter |
We decided to eat at Classic Chicken Rice as Melaka is famous for their chicken rice ball.
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| Classic Chicken Rice |
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| Hubby penning down our order (we were hopeful that the food was good, seeing as the eatery was crowded) |
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| Our icy cold drinks! |
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| Clockwise from top left: Chicken rice balls are just chicken rice rolled up into a ball!; Vegetables to go with our meal (nothing special); Fishball soup (fishballs ok, soup was bland); Half kampung chicken (was not as good as expected) |
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| Crispy kaya toast |
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| Chendol (Not one of our favourites) |
After lunch, we went shopping and had a blast! The shops were having sales everywhere so we were able to grab a lot of good stuff at cheap prices. The resident shopaholic (no not me!), the mum-in-law was thrilled.
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| Everyone's happy to go "gai gai" (shopping) |
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| Happy that we brought our double stroller so that she get to rest when she's tired |
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| Love this Mr D.I.Y store! We bought a lot of decorations for Baby Boy's birthday here! |
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| Kids Zone |
I found this mall very kid-friendly. Not only can you rent toy buggies to push your kids around in, there was an indoor playground and a lot of stores selling toys and kids clothes at the Kids Zone.
After loading up our large stroller basket (thankfully we brought our heavy duty City Select) with all of our loot, we headed back to our hotel for our complimentary afternoon tea.
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| Afternoon tea/coffee/juice and snacks |
Baby Boy had his dinner as well.
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| Heating up our Pigeon Packet Baby Food with hot water from the kettle, pouring it into his container and feeding it to baby boy. He loves it! |
We rested for a while before proceeding to the sky lounge to take a look at the beautiful skyline of Melaka at night. Bet you have not seen Melaka like this since there are few high rise buildings here :)
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| A lovely place to relax, have a drink and enjoy good company |
We're loving it here. Can't wait for tomorrow =)
Continue to >> Malacca Day 2: Melaka Wonderland
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For the full list of attractions for kids, do check out my recommended Kid-Friendly Attractions in Malacca.
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You can also download our Malacca Itinerary 2014 Printable
OR
Visit MADPSYCHMUM TRAVELS for the rest of my posts on Malacca, Malaysia
as well as other travel itineraries!
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