The pandemic has changed many aspects of how families approach travel. Considerations of crowds, cleanliness and convenience become even more important especially when travelling to popular tourist destinations like Penang. We stayed at the new Courtyard by Marriott Penang hotel during our first trip back after the pandemic to visit the kids paternal grandma. Here’s our authentic review. Video highlights from our stay. Location: The pandemic has amplified the convenience of tr … [Read more...]
DIY Family Travels with Kids – Itineraries | Reviews | Tips
16 Countries from Canada to Cambodia, Japan to USA, Scandinavia to Indonesia, Iceland, Finland, New Zealand, Thailand, (and God-willing many more 'lands'!). Cities include: Bali, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Osaka, Penang, Queensland, , Reykjavik, Siem Reap, Tokyo. Activities include: Ski lessons in Hokkaido, Self-Drive Iceland, Self-Drive Hokkaido, Farm stays in Taiwan, Northern-lights and Santa Claus Park in Finland. Theme Parks include: Disneyland (Anaheim); Tokyo … [Read more...]
DIY Desaru with Kids – Itinerary & Tips
Desaru Itinerary, Tips, and FAQs “ It’s like taking a flight with inflight entertainment.” This is from my Hubby, who up till the day of the trip, thought I was crazy to book a short getaway to Desaru during the Deepavali long weekend where long unforgiving queues are expected on the causeways. But I assured him that he’s not driving and I think the eldest needed a break after the year-end exams, he good-naturedly complied…actually, he didn’t have a choice! One-stop and Worry-fre … [Read more...]
Jazz Hotel Penang, Malaysia – A Review & Giveaway!
Penang is one of our favorite regional destinations. Aside from being my hubby David’s hometown, Penang has many unique experiences to offer families apart from its famous hawker fare. In this recent September trip back, we wanted to stay in the city for a change instead of the usual beachfront Batu Ferringhi area as I was keen to do some ‘café-hopping’. However, hotels downtown are not only costlier and few are big enough to fit a family of 5 (the kids' Penang Grandma usually joins us … [Read more...]
DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, Penang – A Review & Giveaway
Regret… kind of… My hubby and I seldom feel like this but we leave this hotel with a slight tinge of regret. “A what Museum?” One of the regrets was that we did not spend enough time at the TeddyVille Museum. Honestly, David and I had trouble trying to prioritize the things we wanted to do on this jaunt of a trip back to Penang, his hometown. TeddyVille Museum For a start, not many hotels we’ve stayed boasts of a museum, let alone a Teddy Bear Museum. Aside from a small … [Read more...]
Legoland Malaysia Halloween Brick-or-Treat 2017
The annual Legoland’s Brick-or-Treat returns from now till 29 October 2017 . Here’s what we think of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcZvtQa6sNM A unique ‘not-so-scary’ Legoland Halloween: As a family, we do not celebrate Halloween so we tend not to get involved in anything Halloween-related so as not to instil unnecessary fear or phobia in our kids. But at Legoland Malaysia - a name that is synonymous with kids’ creativity, fun and family moments, their annual … [Read more...]
Holiday Inn Resort, Penang: The Hotel with 2 Playlabs!
Reconnect, Relax…Repeat Over the National Day long weekend, we escaped to Penang for a short 3D2N family trip to visit the kids' paternal Grandma and took the chance to check out one of Penang's most kid-friendly hotels at Batu Ferringhi. Here's a video which gives an overview of our stay at the Holiday Inn Resort, Penang. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xtzbS6Hl0E&t=86s Not just 1 but 2 Playlabs! “The kids just don’t want to leave…they just want to play!” remarked a staff mem … [Read more...]
Staycation at DoubleTree by Hilton (Johor Bahru)
So there it was, the moment we stepped right up to the reception counter, catching us totally by surprise - “Mr. Sim, here’s a cookie for you to enjoy” said the receptionist sweetly before she processed our check-in…and the cookie was warm and it tasted good. We're impressed! Welcome to the Double-Tree Hilton, Johor Bahru. It’s been awhile since we stepped into a Hilton hotel – the last time was 17 years ago for our wedding banquet in Hilton, Singapore! So imagine our pleasa … [Read more...]
Angry Birds Activity Park, Johor Bahru – A Comprehensive Guide
They are here! The world’s cutest, liveliest and 'angriest' birds are now just a stone’s throw across the causeway at the Komtar JBCC Mall! In fact, just take a short 5 minute walk from the CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) building in Johor, you’re already face to face with these little critters that took the world by storm (and still is!) with their funny, addictive antics of whizzing through the air, hitting each other as targets and landing with a crude thud accompanied by their signa … [Read more...]
Capri by Fraser, KL – A Little Gem for Families!
Waking up in the wee hours of the morning, I discovered to my shock (more like horror) that we had forgotten to prepare a flask of hot water to make milk for Buddy. In fact, all the used bottles were not even cleaned as we had returned late from our Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner with my extended family, whom I've not met in the past year. Earlier in the day, Angie had also discovered that we urgently needed some laundry service for our kids’ clothes as we had underestimated the number … [Read more...]