Craig & Jeane's 2011 "Official" Trip Report: Malaysia and Singapore
Jul 17th, 2011, 11:56 AM
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Craig & Jeane's 2011 "Official" Trip Report: Malaysia and Singapore
FIRST, A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Jeane and I started planning for our trip to Malaysia and Singapore about a year and a half ago. We had just returned from our second trip to India and were looking for an Asian destination that was “easier”. We settled on Malaysia and Singapore because both countries have good tourist infrastructure and English is widely spoken. Also, we had not traveled to either country before. Jeane and I are in our mid-50’s and since the year 2000 we have traveled extensively around this part of the world. In previous years, we have traveled to Thailand, Bali, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
After reading Kathie’s trip report on Malaysian Borneo, RHKKMK’s trip report on Penang/Singapore and getting a recommendation from Smeagol on where to stay on Langkawi, I decided on an itinerary that would consist of 3 nights Kuching, 3 nights Langkawi, 4 nights Georgetown (Penang) and 3 nights Singapore. Due to work commitments we would have to make this trip in late June/earlyJuly - we knew that it would hot and humid but otherwise the weather would be okay. We knew we wanted to go to Penang and we chose Kuching because we wanted to at least get a taste of Borneo. However, the lack of upscale lodgings and the logistics of getting there prevented us from going deeper into the Borneo rain forest areas. Instead, we opted for time on Langkawi, Malaysia’s premier resort island.
As we always do, we set out to obtain our overseas flight reservations 330 days in advance. At the end of July last year, I started searching United’s website and was able to redeem miles for a one-way Saver Award for our outbound flights in business class. At that time, there was also good availability for the return. Two weeks later, I went on-line and found that the entire inventory had been pulled. After poking around on Flyer Talk and making inquiries on the Fodor’s Airline Forum, I decided to wait a while to see if United would make the Saver Award available again. After two months, I started to get nervous and decided instead to buy economy tickets for the return flight and upgrade to business class with miles. It was a good decision as United had completely stopped offering Saver Award seats in business class for its SE Asia routes unless you were willing to wait until the very last minute and be subject of course, to very limited availability. So we were set to fly from Hartford to Chicago to Hong Kong to Singapore and back...
Jeane and I started planning for our trip to Malaysia and Singapore about a year and a half ago. We had just returned from our second trip to India and were looking for an Asian destination that was “easier”. We settled on Malaysia and Singapore because both countries have good tourist infrastructure and English is widely spoken. Also, we had not traveled to either country before. Jeane and I are in our mid-50’s and since the year 2000 we have traveled extensively around this part of the world. In previous years, we have traveled to Thailand, Bali, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
After reading Kathie’s trip report on Malaysian Borneo, RHKKMK’s trip report on Penang/Singapore and getting a recommendation from Smeagol on where to stay on Langkawi, I decided on an itinerary that would consist of 3 nights Kuching, 3 nights Langkawi, 4 nights Georgetown (Penang) and 3 nights Singapore. Due to work commitments we would have to make this trip in late June/earlyJuly - we knew that it would hot and humid but otherwise the weather would be okay. We knew we wanted to go to Penang and we chose Kuching because we wanted to at least get a taste of Borneo. However, the lack of upscale lodgings and the logistics of getting there prevented us from going deeper into the Borneo rain forest areas. Instead, we opted for time on Langkawi, Malaysia’s premier resort island.
As we always do, we set out to obtain our overseas flight reservations 330 days in advance. At the end of July last year, I started searching United’s website and was able to redeem miles for a one-way Saver Award for our outbound flights in business class. At that time, there was also good availability for the return. Two weeks later, I went on-line and found that the entire inventory had been pulled. After poking around on Flyer Talk and making inquiries on the Fodor’s Airline Forum, I decided to wait a while to see if United would make the Saver Award available again. After two months, I started to get nervous and decided instead to buy economy tickets for the return flight and upgrade to business class with miles. It was a good decision as United had completely stopped offering Saver Award seats in business class for its SE Asia routes unless you were willing to wait until the very last minute and be subject of course, to very limited availability. So we were set to fly from Hartford to Chicago to Hong Kong to Singapore and back...
Jul 17th, 2011, 12:40 PM
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Okay, the meat is coming up...
AND WE’RE ON OUR WAY...
We took off on time from Hartford on a perfectly manageable 9:15 am flight to Chicago. After spending our 2-hour layover relaxing at the Red Carpet Club in Chicago, we boarded the 747 for our 15 hour, 15 minute flight to Hong Kong. Our seats were in the upstairs business class section and had pretty much the same perks we had received previously on flights through Tokyo. The only discernible difference was that we were provided socks for our feet and not slippers. I don’t particularly like socks as your feet can get wet when you visit the bathroom. When I asked the FA why they we no longer providing them, he said that slippers had never been provided on this route. Go figure - maybe it’s a cultural thing or maybe it’s a competitive thing on the Japanese route. Anyway, our flight took off about an hour late which simply shortened our 3-hour layover at the Hong Kong Red Carpet Club to 2 hours. We enjoyed the Red Carpet Club in Hong Kong - nice layout, roomy, plenty of food and drink with one side open, overlooking the terminal. From Hong Kong we had the same aircraft, which after a 3-1/2 hour flight arrived in Singapore just before midnight.
On a previous journey through Singapore we had stayed at the Changi Airport transit hotel. However, this time we decided to kick it up about 1,000 notches and stay at the Changi Crowne Plaza. The Crowne Plaza is directly attached to the terminal we arrived at (#3) on the land side of Immigration and Customs. Check-in for the Club floor was quick and efficient. Our hotel room was spacious, functional and very comfortable. This is truly the nicest airport hotel we have ever stayed in. Between our meals and the movies “Black Swan” and “Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps”, neither of us chose to sleep much in the air. So we went down quickly and slept most of the night. Incidentally, we experimented on this trip with a product called “No Jet Lag” - homeopathic tablets taken every 2 hours while flying to prevent jet lag. While they appeared to be nothing more than chewable sugar pills, they really seemed to work for us, especially on our return home.
The next morning we enjoyed a great buffet breakfast and did some Internet in the Club Lounge. The departure time for our flight to Kuching was 11:45 am, so we did not need to rush. Outside the hotel it was absolutely pouring rain and thundering. I hoped that this was not portentious of the weather to come. When the time came to check out, we asked the lady at the desk how to get to Terminal 1 for our Air Asia flight. She explained that there was a shuttle that left from Terminal 3 and that she would walk us over to it - great service! This was our first experience with the budget airline Air Asia and everything went smoothly. I had checked in on line so all we had to do was do a document check and get our bags weighed and check them in. We had paid extra for the “super-size” option for our luggage and were well within the 30 kg per person limit. After check-in I hit the duty-free shop for a couple of bottles and then we continued on to the gate for boarding. Air Asia offers “Hot Seats” with extra leg room for an additional nominal fee. We had paid the extra not knowing if the flight would be full or not. On this particular flight there were a lot of empty seats.
AND WE’RE ON OUR WAY...
We took off on time from Hartford on a perfectly manageable 9:15 am flight to Chicago. After spending our 2-hour layover relaxing at the Red Carpet Club in Chicago, we boarded the 747 for our 15 hour, 15 minute flight to Hong Kong. Our seats were in the upstairs business class section and had pretty much the same perks we had received previously on flights through Tokyo. The only discernible difference was that we were provided socks for our feet and not slippers. I don’t particularly like socks as your feet can get wet when you visit the bathroom. When I asked the FA why they we no longer providing them, he said that slippers had never been provided on this route. Go figure - maybe it’s a cultural thing or maybe it’s a competitive thing on the Japanese route. Anyway, our flight took off about an hour late which simply shortened our 3-hour layover at the Hong Kong Red Carpet Club to 2 hours. We enjoyed the Red Carpet Club in Hong Kong - nice layout, roomy, plenty of food and drink with one side open, overlooking the terminal. From Hong Kong we had the same aircraft, which after a 3-1/2 hour flight arrived in Singapore just before midnight.
On a previous journey through Singapore we had stayed at the Changi Airport transit hotel. However, this time we decided to kick it up about 1,000 notches and stay at the Changi Crowne Plaza. The Crowne Plaza is directly attached to the terminal we arrived at (#3) on the land side of Immigration and Customs. Check-in for the Club floor was quick and efficient. Our hotel room was spacious, functional and very comfortable. This is truly the nicest airport hotel we have ever stayed in. Between our meals and the movies “Black Swan” and “Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps”, neither of us chose to sleep much in the air. So we went down quickly and slept most of the night. Incidentally, we experimented on this trip with a product called “No Jet Lag” - homeopathic tablets taken every 2 hours while flying to prevent jet lag. While they appeared to be nothing more than chewable sugar pills, they really seemed to work for us, especially on our return home.
The next morning we enjoyed a great buffet breakfast and did some Internet in the Club Lounge. The departure time for our flight to Kuching was 11:45 am, so we did not need to rush. Outside the hotel it was absolutely pouring rain and thundering. I hoped that this was not portentious of the weather to come. When the time came to check out, we asked the lady at the desk how to get to Terminal 1 for our Air Asia flight. She explained that there was a shuttle that left from Terminal 3 and that she would walk us over to it - great service! This was our first experience with the budget airline Air Asia and everything went smoothly. I had checked in on line so all we had to do was do a document check and get our bags weighed and check them in. We had paid extra for the “super-size” option for our luggage and were well within the 30 kg per person limit. After check-in I hit the duty-free shop for a couple of bottles and then we continued on to the gate for boarding. Air Asia offers “Hot Seats” with extra leg room for an additional nominal fee. We had paid the extra not knowing if the flight would be full or not. On this particular flight there were a lot of empty seats.
Jul 17th, 2011, 03:09 PM
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Here's more:
KUCHING, MALAYSIA
The 1-1/2 hour flight to Kuching arrived nearly on time after a weather-delayed departure. Our bags came quickly and we picked up a voucher for a taxi to the hotel - MYR26 (less than $9) for the ½ hour ride. Our lodging in Kuching was the brand new and modern Pullman Hotel which is part of the Asian Accor chain. We had an Executive room on the 19th floor. The lounge and reception were located on the 21st floor. Both our room and the lounge had fabulous views of Kuching and the Sarawak river. We enjoyed a cold fruit juice at check-in and received a detailed map of the city. The nice lady at reception explained that we could book transport to sights outside of Kuching through the travel agent in the main lobby. After settling into our room, we headed straight for the travel agent to book transport to the Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary for the following morning. I was originally thinking to just take a taxi and have it wait but the price was right (about $30 for both of us). Also, the small taxi we rode in from the airport wasn’t all that comfortable. While it wasn’t a private van, it was dedicated to the passengers from the Pullman only, so there would be no time wasted with additional stops at other hotels.
The weather here was partly cloudy and hot - far better than in Singapore. We decided to venture out and explore the city, starting with the riverfront esplanade. The walk along the riverfront is wonderful - a wide decorative brick walkway with huge pots of flowers at regular intervals along the way. The views across the river were interesting - the unique and prominent Legislative Assembly Building and the Astana - a colonial home built in 1870 for the local Rajah’s wife as a wedding gift were particular stand-outs. We worked our way back past the numerous shops in the main bazaar that lined the road opposite the river. While nothing stood out as far as potential purchases were concerned, it was interesting none-the-less.
After two hours of walking, we returned to our hotel room and watched a huge storm come in from the distance. Given that we were a bit tired and that it would soon be raining, we opted to take advantage of the cocktails and buffet offered in the Executive Lounge from 6 to 7 pm. There was a good sampling of local food which we would find throughout our stay at the Pullman and it made for a completely adequate dinner that night. A couple of Tiger beers hit the spot.
We slept well and rose early. I was disappointed that the Executive Lounge was not open for coffee at 5:30 am, nor was there coffee available anywhere in the hotel except through room service. I would just have to wait until 6 when the Executive Lounge opened. Our van was due at 8:15 so time was not a problem. While the food had been set out, no one showed up to the Executive Lounge until 6:15. I entertained myself by doing some Internet. Finally I got some coffee which was actually very good. I returned about an hour later with Jeane to sample the delicious buffet which was extensive and included both Malay and continental offerings. We were also able to order an omelet or scrambled eggs if we wished. Our van was a little late. There was one other couple from Australia with their daughter waiting. The driver mentioned that it was raining where he came from which was the same direction as the orangutan sanctuary and would we want to consider going in the afternoon as the rain could discourage the o’s from coming out? Unanimously we decided that no, we wanted to go in the morning as scheduled. Good decision - no rain at all. According to the Australians’ young daughter we observed 16 of the 24 o’s that currently inhabit the sanctuary. We enjoyed the Australians’ company and had good conversation during our trip which took up most of the morning. Semenggoh is a nice, natural setting to observe the o’s. Note that there is no guarantee that they will show up but they usually do at feeding times - ours was at 9 am. While there were a bunch of folks there, it did not seem overly crowded. I would certainly recommend a visit here if you cannot get out into the Borneo rain forest to see them.
After we returned to Kuching, we arranged for transit to the Sarawak Culteral Village. Again the price seemed right, about $50, including admission. We then spent the afternoon wandering around town, visiting the main mosque, Little India, Chinatown and the shops in the main bazaar that we missed the previous day. Later that afternoon I had a swim in the hotel's large pool. The Australian couple was there and we shot the breeze for quite a while. That evening we sampled our first taste of “street food” at a hawker center (or food court). We chose the Top Spot which is located over a parking garage not far from our hotel. The standard routine for visiting one of these places is to check out all of the stalls and decide which is best. We arrived armed with some recommendations and after scoping it out, settled on stall #6 Ling Loong Seafood as the hawker there seemed to be the most helpful. Turned out to be a great choice - we ordered two local specialties: red snapper grilled with garlic and midin, a fern-like vegetable fried with garlic and a Singapore specialty: chile pepper crab plus a big Tiger beer. Awesome! - and about $30 for everything. After dinner we headed down to the river front. It was all lit up and since it was Friday night there was a lot of activity, including musical entertainment and of course, food - a fun evening for us.
After another delicious buffet breakfast the next morning, we headed to the lobby to meet up with our van for the Sarawak Cultural Village. The van was scheduled for 9 am but did not show until 9:15 at which time we were informed that there were two other couples coming, one of whom were apparently still eating breakfast. I suggested that we leave without them but my suggestion was ignored. Oh well - about 10 minutes later we all piled into the van. Unfortunately, this was not a social group - there was a middle-aged couple from Singapore and another couple from Europe but neither were inclined to speak with us. The Cultural Village was disappointing. It was hot out, the set-up was disorganized and it was overrun by large bus tours which pretty much determined the agenda for this “living museum”. When it came time for the 11 am cultural show, we found that all of the seats had been taken up by the tours. We wound up standing in the rear of the (thankfully) air-conditioned theatre. While we were not well situated to take photos, the show itself was very entertaining and the high point of our visit.
The best part of our day was to come later. The ladies at reception told us to that if we arrived at the “Sunday” Market at 3 pm on Saturday, it would hopping by then. We took a taxi over (about $4). There were plenty of taxis at the taxi stand where we were dropped off so we had no problem letting our driver go. This market, like many others we have visited in our travels, presented many photo opportunities. The market had a little bit of everything - vegies, fish, live turkeys, pet rabbits, toys, textiles etc.
Our dinner that night was at a place called The Junk, named after the accumulation of stuff on display throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is on two floors with the upper floor being air-conditioned. We sat by the front window on the upper floor. The atmosphere was very relaxed. Cuisine leaned toward Italian (yeah, I know we’re in Malaysia) but we split the lamb shanks with smashed potatoes and they were the best we’ve ever had.
On to Langkawi next...
KUCHING, MALAYSIA
The 1-1/2 hour flight to Kuching arrived nearly on time after a weather-delayed departure. Our bags came quickly and we picked up a voucher for a taxi to the hotel - MYR26 (less than $9) for the ½ hour ride. Our lodging in Kuching was the brand new and modern Pullman Hotel which is part of the Asian Accor chain. We had an Executive room on the 19th floor. The lounge and reception were located on the 21st floor. Both our room and the lounge had fabulous views of Kuching and the Sarawak river. We enjoyed a cold fruit juice at check-in and received a detailed map of the city. The nice lady at reception explained that we could book transport to sights outside of Kuching through the travel agent in the main lobby. After settling into our room, we headed straight for the travel agent to book transport to the Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary for the following morning. I was originally thinking to just take a taxi and have it wait but the price was right (about $30 for both of us). Also, the small taxi we rode in from the airport wasn’t all that comfortable. While it wasn’t a private van, it was dedicated to the passengers from the Pullman only, so there would be no time wasted with additional stops at other hotels.
The weather here was partly cloudy and hot - far better than in Singapore. We decided to venture out and explore the city, starting with the riverfront esplanade. The walk along the riverfront is wonderful - a wide decorative brick walkway with huge pots of flowers at regular intervals along the way. The views across the river were interesting - the unique and prominent Legislative Assembly Building and the Astana - a colonial home built in 1870 for the local Rajah’s wife as a wedding gift were particular stand-outs. We worked our way back past the numerous shops in the main bazaar that lined the road opposite the river. While nothing stood out as far as potential purchases were concerned, it was interesting none-the-less.
After two hours of walking, we returned to our hotel room and watched a huge storm come in from the distance. Given that we were a bit tired and that it would soon be raining, we opted to take advantage of the cocktails and buffet offered in the Executive Lounge from 6 to 7 pm. There was a good sampling of local food which we would find throughout our stay at the Pullman and it made for a completely adequate dinner that night. A couple of Tiger beers hit the spot.
We slept well and rose early. I was disappointed that the Executive Lounge was not open for coffee at 5:30 am, nor was there coffee available anywhere in the hotel except through room service. I would just have to wait until 6 when the Executive Lounge opened. Our van was due at 8:15 so time was not a problem. While the food had been set out, no one showed up to the Executive Lounge until 6:15. I entertained myself by doing some Internet. Finally I got some coffee which was actually very good. I returned about an hour later with Jeane to sample the delicious buffet which was extensive and included both Malay and continental offerings. We were also able to order an omelet or scrambled eggs if we wished. Our van was a little late. There was one other couple from Australia with their daughter waiting. The driver mentioned that it was raining where he came from which was the same direction as the orangutan sanctuary and would we want to consider going in the afternoon as the rain could discourage the o’s from coming out? Unanimously we decided that no, we wanted to go in the morning as scheduled. Good decision - no rain at all. According to the Australians’ young daughter we observed 16 of the 24 o’s that currently inhabit the sanctuary. We enjoyed the Australians’ company and had good conversation during our trip which took up most of the morning. Semenggoh is a nice, natural setting to observe the o’s. Note that there is no guarantee that they will show up but they usually do at feeding times - ours was at 9 am. While there were a bunch of folks there, it did not seem overly crowded. I would certainly recommend a visit here if you cannot get out into the Borneo rain forest to see them.
After we returned to Kuching, we arranged for transit to the Sarawak Culteral Village. Again the price seemed right, about $50, including admission. We then spent the afternoon wandering around town, visiting the main mosque, Little India, Chinatown and the shops in the main bazaar that we missed the previous day. Later that afternoon I had a swim in the hotel's large pool. The Australian couple was there and we shot the breeze for quite a while. That evening we sampled our first taste of “street food” at a hawker center (or food court). We chose the Top Spot which is located over a parking garage not far from our hotel. The standard routine for visiting one of these places is to check out all of the stalls and decide which is best. We arrived armed with some recommendations and after scoping it out, settled on stall #6 Ling Loong Seafood as the hawker there seemed to be the most helpful. Turned out to be a great choice - we ordered two local specialties: red snapper grilled with garlic and midin, a fern-like vegetable fried with garlic and a Singapore specialty: chile pepper crab plus a big Tiger beer. Awesome! - and about $30 for everything. After dinner we headed down to the river front. It was all lit up and since it was Friday night there was a lot of activity, including musical entertainment and of course, food - a fun evening for us.
After another delicious buffet breakfast the next morning, we headed to the lobby to meet up with our van for the Sarawak Cultural Village. The van was scheduled for 9 am but did not show until 9:15 at which time we were informed that there were two other couples coming, one of whom were apparently still eating breakfast. I suggested that we leave without them but my suggestion was ignored. Oh well - about 10 minutes later we all piled into the van. Unfortunately, this was not a social group - there was a middle-aged couple from Singapore and another couple from Europe but neither were inclined to speak with us. The Cultural Village was disappointing. It was hot out, the set-up was disorganized and it was overrun by large bus tours which pretty much determined the agenda for this “living museum”. When it came time for the 11 am cultural show, we found that all of the seats had been taken up by the tours. We wound up standing in the rear of the (thankfully) air-conditioned theatre. While we were not well situated to take photos, the show itself was very entertaining and the high point of our visit.
The best part of our day was to come later. The ladies at reception told us to that if we arrived at the “Sunday” Market at 3 pm on Saturday, it would hopping by then. We took a taxi over (about $4). There were plenty of taxis at the taxi stand where we were dropped off so we had no problem letting our driver go. This market, like many others we have visited in our travels, presented many photo opportunities. The market had a little bit of everything - vegies, fish, live turkeys, pet rabbits, toys, textiles etc.
Our dinner that night was at a place called The Junk, named after the accumulation of stuff on display throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is on two floors with the upper floor being air-conditioned. We sat by the front window on the upper floor. The atmosphere was very relaxed. Cuisine leaned toward Italian (yeah, I know we’re in Malaysia) but we split the lamb shanks with smashed potatoes and they were the best we’ve ever had.
On to Langkawi next...
Jul 18th, 2011, 05:24 AM
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LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA
Awoke at 4 am to catch our Malaysia Airlines flight to Langkawi via Kuala Lumpur. We had ordered a room service breakfast the night before and while it arrived a little late, we were not charged for it. I was concerned that Malaysia Airlines would hit us with about $200 worth of excess baggage charges. However, the gate agent told us that if we carried on one of our rollies (in addition to our other 2 carry-ons), we would not exceed the 20 kg/person limit. I felt it was necessary to fly Malaysia Airlines for this leg rather than Air Asia so that our bags could be checked through to Langkawi. The extra hassle of retrieving and rechecking bags at KL was not worth the savings we would have had with Air Asia. Both Malaysia Airlines flights were fairly full. We had a free meal on the flight to KL and soft drinks on the flight to Langkawi. Both flights left and arrived on time. At Langkawi, we retrieved our bags and picked up our voucher for the 15 minute taxi ride (MYR 18 or about $6) to the Bon Ton Resort.
We loved the Bon Ton. It was raining a bit when we arrived but that gave us an excuse to relax and explore the resort. For those that have not been there, the Bon Ton consists of 8 reconstructed 60-year-old Malay villas that have been updated with all of the modern amenities plus a rain shower bath that opens to the outdoors, dual sinks (the only place we stayed at on this trip that head them) and an antique wooden bath tub. Our bed and our living space were huge with plenty of nooks and crannies to store things and a safe to store our valuables. The a/c was designed mainly to keep the sleeping area cool and it was very effective at doing this. If we had one complaint though, it would be that our villa could get pretty warm during the daytime, even with the oscillating fan on and the windows open to catch the cross breeze. Just before sunset each evening, our housekeeper would put the next morning’s breakfast in our tiny refrigerator and prepare our room for the evening by shutting all of the windows, pulling down the mosquito netting around the bed and plugging in a couple of electric mosquito zappers. Mosquitos weren’t really a problem though, except on our first day because of the rain.
Our villa was the “Laguna”, so named because it faces a lagoon where we could see water buffalo in the distance and many species of birds. All of the units were strategically placed for privacy but I liked Laguna’s location the best. It was wonderful having breakfast on our covered porch each morning with the lagoon right there in front of us. We were told that the Bon Ton was originally a waterfront property. We weren’t told exactly what changed but we think that the land was reclaimed to build the airport which thus relegated the Bon Ton to the status of an inland resort. Incidentally, while several of the beachfront resorts on Langkawi were hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, the Bon Ton was saved by its location. The location was not a big deal to us though as we are not beach people. For swimming and cooling off, guests can use the uncrowded pools at both the Bon Ton and the Temple Tree, the sister resort next door. There are no televisions in the villas but the Temple Tree has a large flat screen TV in its pool room. Jeane and I spent most of the afternoon playing pool there on our first day while drinking the house New Zealand Chardonnay. For those that crave Internet access two PC’s are located in the gift shop that guests are free to use. There is also free Wi-Fi access throughout the resort.
On our first night we had dinner at Bon Ton’s open-air Nam Restaurant. Smeagol had told us that we had to order both the Nyonya Platter (9 local dishes served on a banana leaf) and the Seared Fillet of Beef with Mashed Potatoes, Mustard Relish and Balsamic Sauce (her boyfriend’s favorite). Jeane and I decided to order both and share. We were glad we did - we thoroughly enjoyed them.
Next up - our next two days on Langkawi. Gotta go to work now...
Awoke at 4 am to catch our Malaysia Airlines flight to Langkawi via Kuala Lumpur. We had ordered a room service breakfast the night before and while it arrived a little late, we were not charged for it. I was concerned that Malaysia Airlines would hit us with about $200 worth of excess baggage charges. However, the gate agent told us that if we carried on one of our rollies (in addition to our other 2 carry-ons), we would not exceed the 20 kg/person limit. I felt it was necessary to fly Malaysia Airlines for this leg rather than Air Asia so that our bags could be checked through to Langkawi. The extra hassle of retrieving and rechecking bags at KL was not worth the savings we would have had with Air Asia. Both Malaysia Airlines flights were fairly full. We had a free meal on the flight to KL and soft drinks on the flight to Langkawi. Both flights left and arrived on time. At Langkawi, we retrieved our bags and picked up our voucher for the 15 minute taxi ride (MYR 18 or about $6) to the Bon Ton Resort.
We loved the Bon Ton. It was raining a bit when we arrived but that gave us an excuse to relax and explore the resort. For those that have not been there, the Bon Ton consists of 8 reconstructed 60-year-old Malay villas that have been updated with all of the modern amenities plus a rain shower bath that opens to the outdoors, dual sinks (the only place we stayed at on this trip that head them) and an antique wooden bath tub. Our bed and our living space were huge with plenty of nooks and crannies to store things and a safe to store our valuables. The a/c was designed mainly to keep the sleeping area cool and it was very effective at doing this. If we had one complaint though, it would be that our villa could get pretty warm during the daytime, even with the oscillating fan on and the windows open to catch the cross breeze. Just before sunset each evening, our housekeeper would put the next morning’s breakfast in our tiny refrigerator and prepare our room for the evening by shutting all of the windows, pulling down the mosquito netting around the bed and plugging in a couple of electric mosquito zappers. Mosquitos weren’t really a problem though, except on our first day because of the rain.
Our villa was the “Laguna”, so named because it faces a lagoon where we could see water buffalo in the distance and many species of birds. All of the units were strategically placed for privacy but I liked Laguna’s location the best. It was wonderful having breakfast on our covered porch each morning with the lagoon right there in front of us. We were told that the Bon Ton was originally a waterfront property. We weren’t told exactly what changed but we think that the land was reclaimed to build the airport which thus relegated the Bon Ton to the status of an inland resort. Incidentally, while several of the beachfront resorts on Langkawi were hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, the Bon Ton was saved by its location. The location was not a big deal to us though as we are not beach people. For swimming and cooling off, guests can use the uncrowded pools at both the Bon Ton and the Temple Tree, the sister resort next door. There are no televisions in the villas but the Temple Tree has a large flat screen TV in its pool room. Jeane and I spent most of the afternoon playing pool there on our first day while drinking the house New Zealand Chardonnay. For those that crave Internet access two PC’s are located in the gift shop that guests are free to use. There is also free Wi-Fi access throughout the resort.
On our first night we had dinner at Bon Ton’s open-air Nam Restaurant. Smeagol had told us that we had to order both the Nyonya Platter (9 local dishes served on a banana leaf) and the Seared Fillet of Beef with Mashed Potatoes, Mustard Relish and Balsamic Sauce (her boyfriend’s favorite). Jeane and I decided to order both and share. We were glad we did - we thoroughly enjoyed them.
Next up - our next two days on Langkawi. Gotta go to work now...
Jul 18th, 2011, 01:56 PM
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Before I go on, I should mention the cats - they are everywhere at Bon Ton as the resort has an animal shelter next door. We had three cats that seemed to call our villa their home. Sometimes they would sleep on the porch, other times on our sofa or bed. They were clean, well-behaved animals that appreciated attention when you were willing to give it and would go elsewhere when you didn’t want them around.
For our first full day on Langkawi, we reserved a car to tour the island. The cost for 24 hours was about $30. For that amount of money I expected an old clunker with holes in the floor boards. I was really surprised to find an almost new two-door subcompact Perodua with automatic transmission, powerful a/c and electric windows waiting for us. Perodua is shorthand for “Malaysia’s Second Automobile Manufacturer Private LTD”. The first Malaysian auto manufacturer was Proton. In Malaysia, they drive on the left so I had to make some mental adjustments. I hadn’t driven on the left side of the road since visiting Ireland in the early ‘90’s but I adapted quickly. The first thing I noticed was that the $30 didn’t include gas and that we were dangerously low. Fortunately, there were a couple of stations relatively close to the resort where we were able to fill up. I bought about $8 worth, which got me about 12 liters, a bargain by USA standards. The roads on Langkawi (and elsewhere in Malaysia and Singapore) were excellent. Traffic was a bit heavier than I expected but not a problem.
Our first stop was the Kota Mahsuri - the tomb of the Malay princess that was falsely accused of adultury and put a curse on the island that caused economic ruin for many years. Admission was a rip-off at $10 per person but we got to see the tomb, the attached museum and the video describing the Princess’s short life. Next, we stopped at the bird park but gave it a pass - too touristy. From there we went to the Durian Perangin Waterfall and took the short hike to the top of the waterfall. This was our first exposure to Arab men in shorts vacationing with their wives covered head to tow in their burqas. This may sound politically incorrect, but as western people we found it supremely odd to see the women hiking up rather steep terrain in the very hot and humid climate dressed this way while their husbands were dressed so casually. Anyway, the waterfalls were okay, nothing special.
Jeane had heard that the shopping at the Four Seasons was the best on the island so we decided to go there. Upon arrival, I immediately realized why I dislike places like this so much - first I was all set to park the car in a shady spot right up front but was told that the valet would park the car for us, next one of the staff insisted that we needed him to escort us to the gift shops and third, if we wanted to stay for lunch, the restaurant could only be reached via motorized cart. There were 5 or 6 shops here and Jeane spent a couple of hours checking them all out. She purchased some small items, but most of the clothing she looked at didn’t seem to fit her petite frame. Meanwhile, I checked out the beach, completely deserted, white sand - beautiful. If you are a fan of beaches, come here - you will not be disappointed.
The remainder of the day was entirely unproductive. The renowned Ibrahim Hussein Museum had closed permanently and the summer palace where “Anna and the King” was filmed had been converted into a shopping mall. We passed on the cable car because the haze would have marred any views and our search for the restaurant “Privilage”, highly rated on Tripadvisor, proved fruitless. So we headed back to the resort and turned in our rental car.
Dinner that night was at the Staits Club restaurant at the Temple Tree next door. While our table overlooked one of the pools, the atmosphere was lacking. However, we were able to head outside to photograph the brilliant sunset while waiting for our food to arrive. We split a seafood cocktail and a roasted chicken and each ordered individual desserts. Everything was very good. I had previously purchased a bottle of wine which they let me drink at no extra charge. As a bonus they made us each a complimentary sweet alcoholic concoction which they brought to us after dessert. I hate to admit that we tossed it over the rail so as not to offend the wait staff but we were woozy by the end of the meal and had a busy day ahead with an early start (yup, we acted just like old farts).
next, kayaking in the mangroves...
For our first full day on Langkawi, we reserved a car to tour the island. The cost for 24 hours was about $30. For that amount of money I expected an old clunker with holes in the floor boards. I was really surprised to find an almost new two-door subcompact Perodua with automatic transmission, powerful a/c and electric windows waiting for us. Perodua is shorthand for “Malaysia’s Second Automobile Manufacturer Private LTD”. The first Malaysian auto manufacturer was Proton. In Malaysia, they drive on the left so I had to make some mental adjustments. I hadn’t driven on the left side of the road since visiting Ireland in the early ‘90’s but I adapted quickly. The first thing I noticed was that the $30 didn’t include gas and that we were dangerously low. Fortunately, there were a couple of stations relatively close to the resort where we were able to fill up. I bought about $8 worth, which got me about 12 liters, a bargain by USA standards. The roads on Langkawi (and elsewhere in Malaysia and Singapore) were excellent. Traffic was a bit heavier than I expected but not a problem.
Our first stop was the Kota Mahsuri - the tomb of the Malay princess that was falsely accused of adultury and put a curse on the island that caused economic ruin for many years. Admission was a rip-off at $10 per person but we got to see the tomb, the attached museum and the video describing the Princess’s short life. Next, we stopped at the bird park but gave it a pass - too touristy. From there we went to the Durian Perangin Waterfall and took the short hike to the top of the waterfall. This was our first exposure to Arab men in shorts vacationing with their wives covered head to tow in their burqas. This may sound politically incorrect, but as western people we found it supremely odd to see the women hiking up rather steep terrain in the very hot and humid climate dressed this way while their husbands were dressed so casually. Anyway, the waterfalls were okay, nothing special.
Jeane had heard that the shopping at the Four Seasons was the best on the island so we decided to go there. Upon arrival, I immediately realized why I dislike places like this so much - first I was all set to park the car in a shady spot right up front but was told that the valet would park the car for us, next one of the staff insisted that we needed him to escort us to the gift shops and third, if we wanted to stay for lunch, the restaurant could only be reached via motorized cart. There were 5 or 6 shops here and Jeane spent a couple of hours checking them all out. She purchased some small items, but most of the clothing she looked at didn’t seem to fit her petite frame. Meanwhile, I checked out the beach, completely deserted, white sand - beautiful. If you are a fan of beaches, come here - you will not be disappointed.
The remainder of the day was entirely unproductive. The renowned Ibrahim Hussein Museum had closed permanently and the summer palace where “Anna and the King” was filmed had been converted into a shopping mall. We passed on the cable car because the haze would have marred any views and our search for the restaurant “Privilage”, highly rated on Tripadvisor, proved fruitless. So we headed back to the resort and turned in our rental car.
Dinner that night was at the Staits Club restaurant at the Temple Tree next door. While our table overlooked one of the pools, the atmosphere was lacking. However, we were able to head outside to photograph the brilliant sunset while waiting for our food to arrive. We split a seafood cocktail and a roasted chicken and each ordered individual desserts. Everything was very good. I had previously purchased a bottle of wine which they let me drink at no extra charge. As a bonus they made us each a complimentary sweet alcoholic concoction which they brought to us after dessert. I hate to admit that we tossed it over the rail so as not to offend the wait staff but we were woozy by the end of the meal and had a busy day ahead with an early start (yup, we acted just like old farts).
next, kayaking in the mangroves...
