Note to self: Remember to bring along some in-car entertainment on the next trip to Malaysia.
With one rest stop (R&R Machap), the drive up to Malacca took around 3 hours with several tolls along the way:
Entry to Malaysia from SG Checkpoint - SGD$3.20
Entry to Malaysia from Malaysia Checkpoint - RM7.50
3 tolls along the way - around RM30
Always been a favourite of places with rustic charm, I immediately fell in love with the place ♥ One point of caution, however, is the traffic in Malacca. If your itinerary mostly focuses on the Jonker area, it is advisable to book a shuttle bus from your hotel to travel to the town instead of self-drive.
As it was a short 2D1N trip, our schedule was pretty packed. Lunch was at the famous teochew restaurant, Teo Soon Loong Seafood Restaurant (潮顺龙栈). Reservation is needed as there were only 8 tables in the restaurant (we counted, and indeed it's true!). Being the typical kiasu Singaporeans, we booked it way in advance.
Teo Soon Loong Chan Teo Chew Seafood Restaurant 潮顺龙栈
Chinese Restaurant and Seafood Restaurant
No.55, Jalan Hang Kasturi, Malacca Town, Melaka 75200
What we ordered: Oyster noodle, Chicken in rice wine, really crunchy vegetable, fresh steamed promfret, Ngoh Hiang, Kong Bak Pau and my favourite yam paste dessert.
A sumptuous meal of 6 dishes + 1 dessert totals up to around RM280. Price was pretty reasonable and the food was yummy! Except that for a
total of 8 pax, most of whom males, the serving portion tended to be
small.
We went on to check-in to our hotel, Marvelux and had some difficulty in finding the place. The area surrounding it was under construction, and we weren't familiar with the how the street numbers run. When we finally arrived, and upon seeing the orange rooms at the first level, I nearly thought they offered KTV sessions. This is, of course, besides the point.
We paid around SGD40 per pax for a night stay which I found to be on the steep side. Given that we booked the hotel rather late, choices were rather limited. Having said that, the hotel was pretty good - clean, new and with friendly service. You can ask the hotel staff to help you make a restaurant reservation (tips to save overseas dialing fee!).
Marvelux Hotel
A short drive away from the hotel brings us to the seaside. Along the street are mobile vendors selling snacks and drinks. If time permits, we would have stayed for the sunset!
It was getting late, and we had to leave for the night market at Jonker street. Starting from 6pm, the street would be closed to cars, and street vendors will start to populate the sides of the street, selling food, snacks and little handmade souvenirs.
Please try this stall that sells Nonya Kuehs. It's located at the start
of the Jonker street and is really yummy. We went back the next day but
was told that it wasn't opened ;(
Towards the end of the street is a stage, where seniors took turn to sing, livening up the street.
What's Malacaa without trying its cendol. We were told that the right
way to eat the Cendol is to mix in the ice first, followed by the green
little "monsters". It tasted quite different from that in Singapore, the Gula
Melaka tended to be a slightly bitter and cendol not as sweet.
With that, we ended our first day in Malacca.
to be con't...
Thank you for reading.
♥ ZM & Kim
