Fly to Malacca!!!

The Batu Berendam Airport has been revived again with connecting flights from Penang, Malaysia and Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Kindly note that flights are not on a daily basis.

Since the airport was built in 1952, there has been several attempts to have revenue-generating commercial flights to other cities in the region.

It's a very small airport with only one airline (a JV between Malaysia and Indonesia) operating. There is no official website yet detailing the available facilities and flight arrival timings for the day.

So far, there has only been mentions of having Malaysian-owned carriers plying the airport. It remains to be seen whether Malaysia will make it an international airport and allow airlines owned by other nations to ply the airport.

For the energetic and adventurous who are working at Singapore, you can try planning your last minute Christmas to New Year getaway by doing a Straits cities hopping tour or beach cities hopping tour with these bus & flight routes.

Bus Tales...

Bandar Tasik Selatan Bus Terminal link bridge to the Bandar Tasik Selatan KTM station or Bandar Tasik Selatan RapidKL LRT station is quite long and high. There is only one small lift to take you up and therefore having more than 3kg on rollers is not advisable. Please take the taxi. Backpacks are alright but you may not be able to board the trains during peak periods daily 5pm-7.30pm and morning 7.00am-9.00am

I drive. How to find my way in Malacca?

For those who use to drive to Malacca, you can navigate around Malacca by using a smarphone app called Waze. Do note that Waze requires data usage. 

Do avoid using the voice option and type the name of the place in full and check the map against the address. The app is 70-80% accurate as it is a free app which is not locally developed. 

For the voice option to navigate, Waze is unable accurately detect names of places in local languages
eg Ta Chi Nyonya House.

Malacca City's Top Food Picks!

Written from a local's perspective who has dined in more than 500 food establishments in Malacca, Malaysia. Other than the touristy Nyonya food restaurants, most of the suggestions are for people who want to avoid crowds while savouring good food or local daily life. Scroll over the suggestions and you may find links to the eatery's Facebook page but most established food outlets don't need a Facebook page to publicise what they offer ;)



NYONYA FOOD

• Makko Restaurant, Melaka Raya
• Ole Sayang Nyonya Restaurant, Melaka Raya
• ***Still searching***

CHICKEN RICEBALLS

• Mei Sin Cafe Chicken Rice Stall, Jalan Bunga Raya
• ***Still searching***
• ***Still searching***

NASI LEMAK

• Ta Chi Nyonya House
• Ji Tong Ya Jiang Foodcourt Nasi Lemak Stall, Cheng Perdana
• ***Still searching***

CHAR KUEY TEOW

• Pandan Malim Foodcourt Char Kuey Teow stall
• ***Still searching***
• ***Still searching***

MEE HOON KUEH

• A small stall at an area in the Dataran Pahlawan compound which is frequented by smokers
• ***Still searching***
• ***Still searching***

FRIED RICE

• Wa Zen Japanese Restaurant Garlic Fried Rice, Melaka Raya
• ***Still searching***
• ***Still searching***

Salted Egg Chicken Chop - Wherehouse Cafe & Gift, Plaza Melaka

SALTED EGG DISHES

• Wherehouse Cafe & Gift Salted Egg Chicken Chop, Plaza Melaka
• Paddles & Beans Salted Egg Chicken Burger, Kota Laksamana
• ***Still searching***

BUTTERMILK CHICKEN / FISH RICE

• Wherehouse Buttermilk Fish Rice
• Pandan Malim Foodcourt Buttermilk Chicken Rice
• ***Still searching***

Sushi - Wazen Japanese Restaurant, Melaka Raya

SUSHI

• Wazen Japanese Restaurant, Melaka Raya
• Sushi Boat, Kota Laksamana
• Ichi Zen Softshell Crab Salad, Taman Kota Syahbandar

SOUP

• River Quay Dining & Lounge Roasted Tomato Soup With Seafood, The Shore Shopping Gallery
• ***Still searching***
• ***Still searching***

Soft Shell Crabs and Leek Pasta - The Fat Bee, The Jetty

PASTA

• The Fat Bee Soft Shell Crabs and Leek Pasta, The Jetty
• River Quay Dining & Lounge Smoke Duck Pasta, The Shore Shopping Gallery
• ***Still searching***

PIZZA (thin crust)

• De Reve Cafe
• Movida.
• ***Still searching***

SALAD

• Ichi Zen Softshell Crab Salad, Taman Kota Syahbandar
• River Quay Dining & Lounge Caesar Salad, The Shore Shopping Gallery
• ***Still searching***

DESSERT

• Halia Inc Lava Cake
• Dutch Harbour Cafe Pavlova
• ***Still searching***

PASTRY & CAKE
Items mentioned below may take 6-8 people to finish the food in one meal...

• Italy Bakery's ice-cream birthday cake 
• Yee's Bakery chicken floss and egg bread
• ***Still searching***

ECONOMY RICE

• Hock Gee, Taman ASEAN
• 100 类, Melaka Raya
• MQ Foods, Kota Laksamana

Last updated 9 August 2016

I earn SGD. How much should I bring to Malacca?

############################### 2 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS ###############################

Now, if you are looking to come to Malacca on a monthly basis to escape your workaholic boss, SGD250 ( about RM600 based on the exchange rate of 2.4 ) per person should be able to get you a two-way Singapore << >> Malacca bus ticket and two decent hotel nights stay.

As hotels usually provide breakfast, you would only need to spend an ADDITIONAL SGD50 ( about RM125 based on the exchange rate of 2.4 ) on 2-3 other meals. The POSB ATM card can be used at almost every Malaysian ATM machines in Malaysia.

Local entrepreneurs here do not practice the NETs debit card system. Many also do not have credit card machines as paying the banks interest will cause them not to earn much or not earn at all. So, it will stop you from making any impulse purchases till you find a money changer.

###################################### FAQ ######################################

Q: Wow, travelling to Malacca only takes RM300 for 2D/!N? That's affordable and I can spend more than that! I'm a non-Malaccan working at Singapore in the retail sector. How do I travel to Malacca in one day? I follow the mall's opening hours 9.30am - 9.30pm daily with an irregular rest day a week. As it is the retail sector, I'm only allowed to go on leave if it's the festival I celebrate and I can only choose one festival although I'm a CHRISTIAN CHINESE and my colleague is a CHRISTIAN INDIAN. My employer follows the minimum guidelines of 14 rest days but I have to go back to Pahang for festivals and weddings as I come from a very traditional family. 

A: Uhhhh....uhhhh...You have no choice but to follow your family's wishes and PAP's foreign labour policies as well as the industry's way of doing things.

                                                                 *****

Q: Wow, travelling to Malacca only takes RM300 for 2D/1N? That's affordable. I'm a non-Malaccan working at Penang in the retail sector. How do I travel to Malacca in one day? I follow a family business opening hours 9.00am - 6.00pm Mon-Fri with half day 9.00am-1.00pm on Saturday. As it is the retail sector, I'm only allowed to go on leave if it's the festival I celebrate and I can only choose one festival although I'm a CHRISTIAN CHINESE and my colleague is a CHRISTIAN INDIAN. Occasionally, I have to stay back to work extra with no time-off but I don't work on Sundays at all. My employer follows the minimum guidelines of 12 rest days but I have to go back to Pahang for festivals and weddings as I come from a very traditional family. 

A: The morning bus from Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal takes 10 hours or more while the night bus from Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal which starts at 11.00pm, takes about 6-8 hours. However, I have reached Malacca as early as 4.30am before and it's very dangerous because someone pretended to be my father and called me from a distance to walk to his car. In this case, it's better to find a hotel which is able to provide you a hotel limo service from Melaka Sentral. 

Q: If I reach the hotel at 5.30 or 6.30am, it would be a waste to check-in!!!

A: Well, hotels in Malacca have no lobbies for you to sleep-in. If you are still wide awake and not suffering from fatigue plus you have no special dietary requirements, the best thing to do is to have a dim sum breakfast followed by a hotel massage and facial. That's how you can spend the RM200+ you are trying to save. However, there is no good dim sum shop near a hotel as rental is too expensive for the dim sum shops to survive.

Q: You still haven't answer me how to travel to Malacca from Penang in a day...

A: Of course Malacca City answers don't make sense because travelling from Penang to Malacca takes 3 days 2 nights....hardly anyone can travel in 1 day or 2D / 1N while going back to work the next day to continue working the next 5.5- 6 days....

Planning a weekend getaway (by bus) from SG to Malacca?

Now, I know that usually tour groups do not advertise in the mainstream papers at Singapore and Groupon Malacca packages are far and few. Here's what Malacca City would like to suggest till Malaysia and Singapore governments can decide on how to start building the High Speed Rail

############################## 2 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS ################################

Board a bus on Friday evening

For those who have Singaporeans bosses who give time-off or flexi hours eg Friday can work from 8am-5pm not 9am-6pm, there are two options from Rochor (near Bugis MRT station), take the 2.00pm 707 bus OR 6.00pm 707 bus 

From there, take a taxi to your hotel that is situated near Jonker Street as you will still have time to look around the night market for about half hour or so before hitting a local pub. 

For those who can only escape from your workaholic boss on Friday evening 6pm sharp, take the 6.30pm or 7.00pm 707 bus from Rochor (near Bugis MRT station) to Melaka Sentral. 

Upon arriving at Melaka Sentral, take a taxi to your hotel. There is nothing to do after 10.30-11.00pm at Malacca except to a pub or coffee house that opens to 12am or past 12am. Therefore, choose a good hotel room to have a good night's rest by soaking in a tub and having your mobile phones uncontactable by your boss *winks* 

Board a bus on Sunday evening

Now, the causeway is usually jam on non-holiday season Sunday evenings 5.00-7.00pm. So, boarding a 4.00-7.00pm bus from Melaka Sentral is alright as it takes at least 2.5 hours to reach Johor Bahru. Purchasing a two-way bus ticket in advance saves you the trip to go back to Melaka Sentral to buy a ticket on Saturday. 

############################## 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT #################################

Board a bus on Saturday morning

For those who absolutely can't leave work by Friday evening, 7.00 pm, the option is to take the 8.00a.m. bus from Rochor (near Bugis MRT station) to Melaka Sentral). 

However upon your arrival at Malacca about 11.30am or 12.00pm, you are not able to check in till 2.00pm or 3.00pm. It might be frustrating for you to wait for your hotel to be able to complete the check-in and the eateries here have no space to hold your luggages. 

There are hotels at Malacca which provide welcome drinks for guests who need to wait very long to perform a check-in. However, there are no hotels that are able to do to pre-check-ins and have their porters to bring your luggage to your room while you find something to eat. 

There are also no hotels which serve complimentary lunches instead of complimentary buffet breakfast. 

Board a bus back on late morning or mid-afternoon Sunday 
As mentioned above, the causeway is usually jam on non-holiday season Sunday evenings 5.00-7.00pm. So, boarding a 4.00-7.00pm bus from Melaka Sentral is alright as it takes at least 2.5 hours to reach Johor Bahru. Purchasing a two-way bus ticket in advance saves you the time of finding an available ticket at Melaka Sentral upon your arrival on Saturday afternoon.

Note:
It is NOT ADVISABLE to travel to Malacca after 8pm till Malaysia agrees with Singapore on the T&C of building the High-Speed Rail. Night travels on PLUS Highway is too dangerous as Malaysian lorry drivers use this time to speed on the highway to get the goods to arrive at all the small towns in Malaysia like Bentong, Pahang. Malaysia has many small towns and the Malaysian government is not looking to consolidate all these small areas with aging populations. 

Where's the best beach at Malacca?

Klebang Beach

If you are able to wake up early on a clear weather day, grab a cab to take you to Klebang Beach by 6.15a.m. It's still a beach frequented by locals and not as touristy as Kuta Beach, Bali.

Most of Malacca seaside especially Melaka Raya and Kota Laksamana areas are reclaimed land but this beach is only reclaimed by the Malacca government when the waters starts rising. However, avoid jumping into the waters as the nearby housing estates drains their wastage to the Straits of Malacca.

The Original Klebang Coconut Shake opens about 11.00 a.m. daily. So, tell your hired cabby your intended itinerary and he has to check for you whether this famous family business stall will be opened. I do not know the cabby rates as I am local, but I'd charge any of you RM200-300 (near USD100) for making me wake up in the wee hours of dawn and wait for you till you have your lunch.

Bring a mat or sarong cloth so that you are able to sit down to watch the sunrise ^_^

Tanjung Bidara Beach

Sorry, I couldn't find any English-written blogs on the beach, I'll update the post when I visit there again.

###################################### FAQ #########################################

Q: I've visited 2 museums and tried 5 eateries from morning till now, 5.30pm. Is there any beach volleyball match for me to join or watch since Malacca is a coastal city?

A: As it is a predominantly Malay Muslim state, beach sports is not encouraged here except swimming fully clothed. To do such an activity, you would have to sit a 10 hours night bus from Malacca to Terengganu and sit a speed boat to Pulau Redang, an island where one is allowed to wear bikinis 24 hours as it is off the Malay Muslim mainland. There are hotels which hire staff that can play beach volleyball 

Q: If there is no beach volleyball, is there any parasailing or jet ski?

A: None. To do such activities, you will have to take a bus or taxi to Kuala Lumpur and take a flight to Penang plus book a hotel by the beach. 

Q: I think the Malacca City blog has a prejudice against Malay Muslims in Malaysia. Bali, Indonesia has a beach with many sports activities. 

A: Bali is a city with Hindu majority population in a Muslim populous country. 

What to do at Malacca during the day?

Laugh a lot and take many photos because you'll never know when the hard times will hit and you'll need happy memories photo to sustain you through.

St. Paul's Hill and other historical sites

I took this photo (below) of St. Paul's Hill on a day where the sky was clear and there were not many tourists. There are no lights to light up the place at night. So, it's best for tourists to visit this hill anytime from 7.00am to 6.00pm. Currently, there are no tickets issued to visiting tourists as it is a former church area.

To capture such a beautiful photo, avoid coming to Malacca during the "haze season" 

I'm not going to spoil your anticipation of visiting this place but for those who must know everything before touring a place, listed below are some blog reviews that are worthy of your attention:

• 2bearbear.com's St. Paul Hill review
• raymondcno's St Paul's Hill review

Mamee Jonker House noodle-making workshop

If you have children, they will enjoy here at lil Monster Kitchen! Workshop sessions are 90 minutes and available on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. Prior booking is required and can be made at +606-2867666

Noodle-making workshop! 

Will be updating this post. Thanks for your patience ^_^

How to plan a day trip to Malacca (from Kuala Lumpur)?

Try not to as it is very costly to stay at Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage City has more scenic heritage areas than Kuala Lumpur. However, everyone wants to visit the iconic Petronas Twin Towers. So, let me give you all an idea how to do so.

Arrive at KLIA before 5.30am (except Mondays and major Muslim festivals)
Next, take the ERL or bus and put your luggage at any of the luggage deposit shops at KL Sentral.

Note:
You may skip this step if you choose to stay a night at Kuala Lumpur city and take the taxi or LRT directly to KLCC.

Proceed from KL Sentral by 6.30am
From KL Sentral, take the RapidKL LRT (Kelana Jaya-Gombak Line) and alight at the 5th stop - the KLCC (RapidKL LRT) station. Getting out of that station to the KLCC tower can be tricky as there are no proper signage. Try asking the persons who are working at the station kiosks for directions.

After touring the towers, have brunch at the mall within the towers which is called Suria KLCC . I would recommend the foodcourt if you can get a seat with the view overlooking the park. Otherwise, try any of the restaurants or eateries at the Concourse Level (the lowest level in the mall) which is nearest to the exit to the LRT station (see Suria KLCC's mall map). Remember to use the washrooms there as the cubicles are very clean and dry because there are no water hose attached.

Leave Suria KLCC/Petronas Twin Towers by 11.00am
From the KLCC (RapidKL LRT) station, make your way back to the KL Sentral Station and collect your luggage. From there, take the KTM train to the Bandar Tasik Selatan Bus Terminal. There are buses to Malacca (Melaka Sentral bus terminal) almost every half hour.

Arriving at Melaka Sentral by 1.30pm 
Arriving here by 1.30pm or 2.00pm will allow you to maximise your time at the Malacca as there are plenty of things to see and do during the day. From the Melaka Sentral bus terminal, take a cab to any of these hotels within the Jonker Street or Dutch Square vicinity.

Going back to KLIA or flying off from Changi Airport
If you have less than 4-5 hours prior to your departure flight or your departure flight is in the wee hours of dawn, the boutique hotels that I have listed should be able to arrange a cab to send you directly to KLIA or KLIA2. Please confirm with these hotels before making your reservations.

If you prefer to fly off from Changi Airport, there are buses during the day that travels to Singapore from Melaka Sentral bus terminal. It's usually a 4 hours journey but it will take 6 hours during major festivals. It is best that your flight from Changi Airport is late night or in the wee hours of dawn the next day. This will give you ample of time to visit the prominent places at Singapore.


Note:
To sum up this post for avid and adventurous travelers with very little time:

2D/1N (44-48 hours)
Kuala Lumpur --> Malacca (1N)--> Kuala Lumpur

2D/2N (60 or more hours)
Kuala Lumpur --> Malacca (1N) --> Singapore (1N)

What to do at Malacca on a weekday evening?

Hmmm...tough question. At the moment, nothing much except hanging out at the various pubs and taking a boat ride.

Malacca River view during dusk...

The nearest karaoke is a 5-7 minutes trishaw ride to a shopping mall, the revolving 80-metres tall Menara Taming Sari or the Jetty.

More and more restoration works are being done on these buildings which are rumoured to easily cost RM1 million and above. So, there will be more exciting things to come and you should make a trip back here.

I would advise any traveler to spend on a good hotel room at Malacca, preferably one with a big soft bed and bathtub or dipping pool, windows or balconies in these pre-war buildings.

These are very rare at the moment in this UNESCO Heritage City. Malacca City is a good place to catch up on sleep especially if you come from highly stressful cities with little work-life balance. *winks*

A pre-war building being restored along the road connecting Kota Laksamana to Malacca Chinatown