Christmas at Genting Highlands

We were finally at Genting Highlands last Christmas. It's rare for us to stay out during festive seasons because a good tip to travel with young children is to avoid excessive crowd. And it's definitely ask our first time spending Christmas in Genting!

Since we started the journey late morning, we reached Gohtong Jaya just in time for lunch.

Chuan Kie Restaurant 全记小菜馆
Goh Tong Jaya, 29-30, Jalan Jati 1,
69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang
03-6100 1151
https://g.co/kgs/kmgJnH

Gohtong Jaya is a popular lunch/dinner spot. It's full of eateries for those who are looking for a sumptous meal without having to splurge. Chuan Kie is one of the must tries if you love Chinese cuisine.

Our lunch menu was
-Braised noodles Hokkien style had a rich caramel gravy, full of the fragrance of fried pork lard and was definitely my children's all time favourite.
-Steam catfish was fresh and the flesh was tender that there was no need for too much flavouring. But the price was a tad high.
-Enoki mushroom tofu was a comfort food. Tofu cubes fried to golden, drizzled with a thickened gravy cooked with julienned carrot and enoki mushroom.

Another half an hours drive and we have reached the largest hotel in the world-- Genting's First World Hotel! This complex also housed Malaysia's only casino, a huge shopping complex, as well as an indoor theme park. The range of food and beverage options was huge- from fast food outlets to high end dining such as the only Burger and Lobster in Malaysia. It is conveniently linked to 2 other hotels by a series of escalators. Bing and Mr husband ventured into the Snow World and had lots of fun playing toboggan but even the boy who really loved the cold had to give up feeling cold despite wearing the additional winter gear provided.

We were here mainly for the outdoor Christmas decorations. It's not easy to find as signage could be confusing. The tip was to follow the direction heading to the Arena of Stars. There was a giant snow globe for people to take photo in (free of charge), outdoor ice skating rink, a real-sized double decker bus (replica of the famous London bus) and lots of food trucks.

First World Plaza
69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang
https://g.co/kgs/jWYAe3

Our energy was spent by the end of the day. We decided to stay in this newer hotel chains called G-luxe which was about 15minutes drive away from the First World complex.

G-luxe by Gloria
1, Jalan Ion Delemen,
69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang
https://www.gloriahotels.com/

The Executive Deluxe room at G-luxe was comfortable and spacious with a King sized bed, flat screened TV, a lounge and a small kitchen area with complimentary Aristo coffee and packet drinks. Other facilities included kettle, fridge, safe box and rain shower.

Their breakfast buffet was only at RM35 per pax (start charging for children aged 4 and above). There were a few non conventional options such as dumplings stuffed with chives, fried chicken pao, braised chicken feet along with other standard spread including bread, cereals, Rendang chicken, baked beans, noodles and rice porridge.

After breakfast, it was swimming time! The indoor heated swimming pool was so welcoming to the cool weather with a children pool, an adult pool and a jacuzzi. Be careful not to spend too much time though because the heat can easily make people light headed.

For us who had very energetic children, the indoor playground was such a welcoming place. There was a ball pit, slide sets and a gigantic xylophone. It was clean and neat. We were happy for Yi and Bing to crawl and roll around. They were equally excited.

The 3 main hotel complex under the Gloria group was connected via Sky Garden with lots of instagrammable spots and was definitely a must visit as well!

That summed up our free and easy Christmas 2 days 1 night trip at Genting Highlands. It was definitely family friendly and a great getaway.