Weil Hotel Ipoh Family Staycation day 2&3

After a well rested night in our cosy hotel beds, we were all ready for more fun!

Weil Hotel
292 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah Ipoh
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The day started late and lazy with an awesome Chinese dimsum brunch feast at Yuk Sou Hin Restaurant on level 1. The current head chef was imported all the way from Hong Kong who handcrafted all the dimsum so the pastry was fresh, thin yet able to contain all the delicious fillings waiting to burst in the mouth and overwhelme the taste buds.

We had prawn crystal dumplings, Xiao Long Bao (with the yummylicious stock all wrapped inside), matcha Liu Sha Bao (salted egg yolk lava bun), cod fish dumplings, steamed fish balls (Bing boy's favorite), Siew Mai on a skewer (fried and drizzled with sweet soy sauce), fish porridge with salted egg, as well as egg noodles with roast chicken Char Siew and prawn dumplings.

Deserving special mention was the half roast duck. The duck was roasted over lychee wood to create a unique smokey fragrance. The skin was thin and crackly with soft yet dense duck meat. The sweet dipping sauce completed the heavenly combination. We really had to thank Ron the restaurant manager for his great recommendation.

We then had a late lunch around 1.30pm at Tiffin on ground floor. Asian selections included sushi, rice, fried vegetables, stir fry fish fillet, puri with curry, lasagna, assorted salads (potato salad, Caesar salad, cold deli meat slices, cheese), artisan bread with cauliflower cream soup. The best was a hot cup of aromatic latte.

The afternoon was then spent with a quick nap, followed by more frolicking in the bathtub then some casual meeting up with Ipoh friends. There's just so much to catch up with! Lounging in the comfortable hotel area made our meetup relaxed. Plenty of parking spaces for visitors too.

Dinner was also served buffet style at Tiffin. If you are wondering, we were not sick with so much buffet food because the variety and taste was great. Dinner was seafood and grill themed with sashimi, seafood on rocks, teppanyaki salmon, chicken and lamb, Asian stir fries, vegetable pie, salad bar, fruit rojak, fresh fruits selection as well as cakes and creme brulee. Craving for ice? No worries, DIY ABC shaved ice with a few scoops of icecream to your own liking.

So we had a good night's dream, waking up to another morning spread of buffet breakfast at Tiffin. Tiffin is open for 3 meals a day everyday! Savouring fluffy croissants, specialty bread, pancakes, waffles, cereal, danish, yoghurt, nasi lemak and chicken Rendang, rice porridge and soup noodles were also available to suit your needs.

Don't forget to watch, like and comment on our YouTube video about Weil Hotel's room and dining outlets!

We reluctantly returned to reality after a sumptous breakfast. What a great weekend getaway! Can't wait until our next trip I fondly call as mental health trip.

Weil Hotel Ipoh Family Staycation day 1

It's been a while since we have been on a pure leisure trip! Even though both boys were down with cold virus, we took up the challenge of driving 5 hours to this historic town of Ipoh. We decided to stay at Weil Hotel's studio room for comfort and convenience!

Weil Hotel
292 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah Ipoh
Official website
Facebook
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The room was spacious, clean and well maintained. We requested an additional single bed together with a king bed for 2 adults and 2 children. No more squeezing in the bed because there's more than enough space! Besides that, there were also 2 lazy couches for us to lounge on. Other amenities like bar fridge, safe, coffee and tea station and flat screen TV were in good conditions.

Bath tub! Children love a good time soaking. Having infinity pool is awesome but it can't beat a warm bath tub water play! Especially for young children who may catch a cold easily from the cold pool water. The tub was big enough to fit 2-3 children for some water gun shooting fun!

We were really hungry after checking in. But this elegant high tea set for 2 at Tea Lounge (Level 1) was more than enough to feed 2 adults and 2 young children with complimentary selection of coffee and tea (We got a hot cuppa of cappuccino and a fruity kiwiberry pot of tea, with an additional fresh watermelon juice for Bing boy). Not to mention all time favorite scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream!

Tier 1- macadamia cake, coffee cheesecake, fresh raspberry mousse, lemon curd eclair, durian meringue tart, mille feuille (custard filling), salted egg and pistachio macarons

Tier 2- Scotch egg (with sambal), Berny potatoes (crispy almond flakes), fish cake and Rendang chicken sushi

Tier 3- Smoked salmon brioche, multigrain egg mayo sandwich, tuna finger sandwich

Mainly Western pastry with Asian fusion, we love how fresh and crispy everything was. Each delicate piece handmade with care and love. The top tier desserts were just at the right amount of sweetness although we preferred the durian to be of richer aroma.

For avid shoppers，the bustling Ipoh Parade is just next door. Connected to the Weil Hotel on ground floor, there are many retail shopping options within walking distance. They also have many other food and beverage options such as Souper Tang and Sushi Tei.

Time to spend some energy after a fabulous teatime! Heading to the rooftop, we discovered lush greeneries and cosy couch to savour a birdseye view of Ipoh city centre with lots of instagrammable photo opportunities. The infinity pool was designed in such a way that one could take in the city view right at the edge. Do bring along buoyancy swimming devices for children though as the pool is 1.2m deep.

A great swim resulted in rumbling tummies soon after. The Deck Gastropub at the rooftop was definitely the right choice for a great evening away from home. Even though it served alcoholic beverages and sisha, smoking was prohibited and the setting was children friendly. The dazzling neon colored lightings kept the children fairly amused.

Our gastronomic experience included the following:

Appetizer- homemade multigrain bread with salted garlic butter (love how warm and soft the bread was!)

Starter- coi salad (a fresh selection of salad with a poached egg and freshly grated cheddar cheese)

Soup- Mushroom soup (freshly made in the kitchen with small chunks of fresh mushrooms in the soup for a different texture, as well as a swirl of fresh cream even baby Yi enjoyed)

Main
- Jerk chicken (2 slices of marinated and crispy pan fried chicken breasts served on a bed of mashed pumpkin and sweet soy based vinaigrette

- Perak snapper (Steamed fresh snapper smothered in a generous Portuguese style spicy paste on a bed of mashed brinjals)

-  Fried icecream ( rich chocolate icecream wrapped in fluffy chocolate sponge with a deep fried crispy breaded outermost layer)

-  Green tea creme brulee (a crispy crystalized caramel top layer with a rich matcha flavoured cream and egg with a pudding like consistency)

Beverages include
- Chilled pineapple 'juice' which is actually a cocktail containing vodka
- Virgin mojito is a mocktail instead. Very refreshing because of the mint leaves.
- Limau Pheng is a very Malaysian style of calling sweetened lime juice suitable for children.

We had such a great first day staycation in Weil Hotel! Day 2 and 3 to be continued in the next post.

A Weekend Business Trip at Pullman bangsar KL

This business trip was my first ever attempt to leave both baby Yi and Bing boy under the care of my parents and husband. I decided not to bring them along as I would only be away for one and a half day. The separation anxiety was not really there by the time I drove out of the house because I had already prompted Bing boy a few days beforehand but it certainly took him a while to accept that mommy was not going to put him to sleep on Saturday night. 

With the newly found 'me time', I arrived at Pullman Hotel Bangsar an hour ahead of the scheduled meeting. 

Unfortunately, the rooms were not ready yet so I had to leave my luggage at the concierge. Since I would be pumping, I asked about leaving my ice blocks in the hotel fridge but it was not possible due to worries about cross contamination. I was reassured that the hotel would be able to provide me a bag of ice though upon check out the next day. I was glad that I checked in before the meeting started because there was a long queue because they advised to only check in after the day ended. 

Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar

No. 1, Jalan Pantai Jaya, Tower 3, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +60 (3) 2298 1888 

Fax: +60 (3) 2298 1999 
Email:H7962@Accor.com

The room was too spacious for me alone to be honest! It's what everything a 5 star hotel should be. Comfortable, fluffy pillows and fresh beddings. A working desk. Flat screened TV with satellite TV channels. Tea making station with bar fridge (no freezer compartment). The fridge was bug enough to fit all my expressed breastmilk- about 20 oz worth. A safe. 2 bathrobes with iron in the wardrobe. 

The bathroom was equally fabulous. 

I could finally enjoy the whole big bathtub to myself. But this tub could easily fit 2 people and it took about 15miutes to fill it up. 

The toiletries provided was of good quality. Hair dryer was also available. 

I even managed to squeeze 30minutes time each for a quick swimming before dinner and cycling trip after dinner.

The highlight of the hotel stay was definitely the food!

Dinner was spectacular with seafood theme. It featured Chinese, Malay, northern Indian, Japanese and Western menu. From sashimi (salmon, tuna, octopus), iced seafood (scallops, prawns, crabs and oysters), grilled seafood, seafood hotpot (soup choices- chicken, prawn or tomyum broth). 

The standard rice dishes, brocolli cream soup, pizza, bread, salad bar and soup noodles were also available. 

The dessert section was so colourful with tempting chocolate fountain and a great selection of local kuih muih.

The other side has assorted cakes, very rich brownies (to die for!) and cashew chocolate cones, not to mention their yummy ice-cream and shaved ice stations. 

The breakfast was of equally good standard and variety. My favorite is their croissants and danish with fresh delicious salad bar. Their bread is soft and still warm. 

They also have one of the freshest and cheese selection! Love it to bits. 

I would easily rate my weekend stay a 8/10! Very impressed and exceeded my expectations. Definitely would consider staying at Pullman Bangsar again.

Lang Tengah Family 3D2N Getaway | Summer Bay Resort Review

Island hopping is not the privilege of the young and single. Us, with 2 young boys on the tow, managed to enjoy thoroughly on a 3days and 2 nights trip to Lang Tengah island at Summer Bay Resort just offshore of the Terengganu state of Malaysia. It's the site of shooting for the popular Chinese movie, Love U U (夏日乐悠悠).

 Remember the iconic pink church?

Recently a short movie was also produced locally featuring The resort.

Watch the short clip here.

Summer Bay Resort is a accredited 4 star accommodation which brings together the idea of living luxuriously as well as in a bohemian style. Do you know that many tourists also visit here after medical tourism such as in vitro fertilization which is gaining momentum in Malaysia.

We self drove from Kuantan around 6am and arrived at Merang Jetty just short of 9am. The drive was leisurely with a few pitstops for breakfast and toilet breaks along the highway. The toll road is so much easier to drive to compared to the old windy and narrow state roads. Summer Bay Resort has its own special shaded carpark which is guarded. Transport will then be arranged to Merang Jetty which is 1km away.

The speedboat left around 10.30 am. The weather was great and sunny with a calm water. The boys had fun watching the view and whirring past other islands. Towards the end of the half an hour ride, both were lulled to sleep by the waves. 

A welcome sour lime drink and cold towel washed away the fatigue. Check in was a smooth process for at least 6 rooms concurrently in which the guests arrived in the same boat trip. The staff were lovely and extremely helpful. We paid for an all inclusive package- accommodation, snorkelling and food so that we don't have to worry about spending on the island. The price is very attractive for the quality of service provided.

We settled down in deluxe pool view family room with 1queen bed and 2 single beds- a very thoughtful design for family. Besides the spacious bedroom, there were also two separate showers with toilet. The room was also clean and well maintained.

Other facilities include safe, bar fridge, wardrobe, flat screen TV and plenty of RO water. Water here is treated on-site and freely available. Remember your last vacation spending USD22 for a bottle of mineral water on an exotic island? Here you can unlimited supply free of charge!

Our lovely balcony overlooking the pool with clothes line available both outside the room and on the balcony.

The food here was equally awesome. A great variety with yummylicious way of cooking. It's Chinese buffet style (for lunch and first night dinner) and unlike many other all inclusive tourist package, the ingredients were fresh and delicious. The presentation was attractive. I could smell the cooking even from our room. And we looked forward to meal time- breakfast, lunch, teatime and dinner. There's no need to bring extra food into the island because they can also cater to your special dietary requirements if you inform in advance.

A 3D2N stay will include a wonderful spread of BBQ dinner like this. One can even order extra portion of seafood if desired but there were more than enough to savour. For those who chose the 4D3N package, a steamboat dinner will be arranged.

We rented snorkeling equipment and follow a free daily snorkeling trip around the vicinity. For more exciting options, one can purchase night snorkeling options to sight baby sharks and sting rays, or island hopping to redang and turtle point. Even the romantic option of appreciating the beauty of blue sand in the middle of night ocean. The snorkel guides are so friendly that baby Bing enjoyed his first snorkeling trip.

If going out on the boat is not an option, you can still snorkel around the resort because corals and baby sharks are not far away from the jetty.

There are many other activities to enjoy:
-sunrise walk
-scuba diving and licensing
-sand play
-turtle watching
-blue sand discovery
-karaoke
-pubbing at Sunset Bar
-supper at Mamak stall

The sun rise walk was worth the 15-20 minutes walk. Some parts were steep and required support from ropes and surrounding tree branches. It's not easy but I managed to do it while baby Yi was in the carrier.

Watch my YouTube for our awesome experience at the resort.

What does Dr Yingzangel think?

Besides quality accommodation and food, the service here is really tiptop. The staff went as far as locating baby Bing's lost monster truck in the hotel room after we checked out! We would definitely be back again! A true home away from home which is befitting as Maldives in Malaysia!

Summer Bay Resort Lang Tengah

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Le Meridien Hotel KL Central Family Staycation. It's not just for weddings.| Review

Having small children in tow, we have stopped back packing. And have resorted to more comfortable staycation with shopping center nearby. In November 2018, we stayed 1 night at  Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur. Below is our experience with the hotel.

Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur

2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
03-2263 7888

https://g.co/kgs/Ff6tt9

The room itself. Deluxe room with 2 twin beds and city view. We requested for a King sized bed in advance. Unfortunately it wasn't available so we resorted to two King single beds instead. Hubby on one bed, Bing and I in another one because Bing insisted to sleep with me despite me being heavily pregnant in third trimester. Very comfortable and clean as what a 5 star hotel is expected to be.

What we, or rather Bing really enjoyed was the view. We had a huge panel of glass directly overlooking the KL Central station. It's basically a free 24/7 train show for baby Bing! He could watch the trains and buses going in and out all the time.

The bathroom had a modern feel. A square sink with adjoining shower cubicle. The water from the rain shower was of course heated and the water pressure strong enough for a good back massage. 

The pool is always the highlight because baby Bing loves the water. Besides having a picturesque view, the pools are huge. The kiddie pool, Bing can easily wade through the water and it becomes too boring for him. He enjoys playing the big water slide in the adult pool with daddy instead. Diving into the pool is one of his other favorite activity. I remember the pool is also shared by guests who stay at Hilton KL Central.

The mesmerizing sunset view from the pool.

 I didn't have any photos for their buffet breakfast the next morning but I can assure you that it meets all your expectations of dining in a 5 stars setting because I was simply too busy chasing after baby Bing.

Western food choices- assorted bread, omelette, cereal, pastries including my favourite croissant and Danish. Salad and yogurt. Cheese platter.

Asian breakfast- from Malaysian nasi lemak, rendang, noodles station, sushi, pao and dimsum.

Le meridien’s proximity to the Central KL station is definitely a bonus with easy access from the KL international airport using KLIA express. It's also just a train ride away from major KL attractions such as KLCC, KL tower, bukit bintang. The station itself has also been transformed into NuSentral which is a shopping complex that caters to travellers’ needs.

We rate our stay 8/10! With the quality of the stay experience it's worth the price tag.