Swiss Garden Damai Laut Review

Hello Hello!
Again we went on an impulse getaway. But this time around the impulse was no good. We didn't quite like the place.
Actually, I've been wanting to see this place for quite some time..like since 2,3 years back.  So finally we managed to book a place for 1 night only. Thank goodness for that. (man! I should have just booked a room at Sepang Goldcoast as the room was on offer at RM400 ++ per night..lagi worth it..boo!)

Anyway..haihhh..the journey to this place took forever. Started the journey at 10.15am and only stopped at Tapah for a quick lunch. Only reached the hotel at 3pm! Phew! And of course with the help of our trusted GPS.

In a nutshell, all I can say is. There is nothing there! Nothing. The food places are too far from the hotel and if you go out for dinner, you have to be willing to drive back in the dark (didn't see any street lamps along the way  to the hotel..only trees :p )

Price
For the money we paid, certainly it was not value for money. RM270 per night with breakfast. We also had the buffet dinner at RM55 per head so that was another RM110 burnt. Bummer.
Oh and don't forget about the petrol and toll. In total I think we paid about RM120 for petrol ( a comfortable level as we refuelled as we reached the hotel) and approximately RM44 for toll.

SOOOO in total we spent about RM550 for the trip. Argh, what a waste! Should have just gone to Genting Highlands or Melaka. Well, at least I know now that we will not be going back to this place.

Food
If you're a hungry person like me..make sure you tapau or buy some food before getting to this place. If not you have to wait for dinner time to eat. You can always eat at one of their restos or order room service (room service menu is very limited), but I regretted not buying McD when we passed by the UTP area.
Tastewise - buffet dinner was okay. Spread was limited but the pepper prawns were yummy. I can say the food was okaylah.

Service
Normal. Nothing to shout about. Quiet fast maybe because there was not many people. And now wer know why there were not many people..right.

Cleanliness
Room looked new, so it was quite clean except for the bedsheet. I shall reserve my comments on that. Erk!
Bathroom - the tub was...it was in need of some cleaning. But the toilet was clean so that was ok.

Activities
They have many activities but I don't see many people participating in any of it. There was an ATV service as well, but I came down with fever and flu so we had to forego that. Was not in the mood.

I think if there were other interesting things at this place and the food places were easily accessible maybe we could have enjoyed our stay.  Then again, to each his own.  Maybe for some it would be an enjoyable stay.  Maybe.

Jalan-jalan by the beach.

The powder room and the bathroom

Our room. 

Grand Lexis Port Dickson fka The Legend International Water Homes

Last weekend we went for a short getaway at Grand Lexis PD. 2 days and 1 night. Very short. Hehe. I didn't take many pictures maybe because I just didn't feel like it.

We paid about RM770 for the stay, with breakfast for 2. Our room was called Garden Pool Villa. Basically it's like a one-storey house with a swimming pool and it's not located near the beach. I still love the place though, love the privacy and the roominess of the room.

Price
Expensive la i think..for 2 days 1 night right? Nevertheless we booked this place because hubs can claim from the company, part of the benefit for the employees. Yeay!

Food
We didn't order room service while we were there so I cannot comment so much. We only had the buffet breakfast which was ok. Not bad for our liking. Good spread and all.
We went out to buy goreng pisang at this makcik - super duper yummy!!! but I only bought RM3 worth of goreng pisang..boleh? Haih...
For dinner we initially wanted to eat at Seri Mesra Ikan Bakar which is our fave spot tapi ramainya manusia. Ended up eating ketam at Nasreen Songkhla Seafood. Hmm..next time.
On another note - don't eat at Bangi Kopitiam which is located near the Petronas (and next to satay kajang hj samuri). Seriously tak sedap langsung. Wasted RM30 on the place, and the lalats..u were fighting to get the food in your mouth without having the fly go in as well.

Service
The checking in and out was quite fast. Is it because it's not the school holidays? Maybe. But all in all they were quite good and the buggy driver was very friendly.

The Pool
Well, if you want a bigger pool, I think you can book the premium rooms that they have, but of course it comes with a higher price. Ours was small but still ok. I mean hey, I get to be in the pool for hours and no one could see me. Love the privacy.

Cleanliness
Very clean. The bathroom, the room, the sheets, towels are all satisfactory.

Parking
They have ample parking at the main tower but we parked near our 'house' because we had many plastic bags of food to carry..hehe..

Activities
I think they have a lot of games for the guests (saw the segway thingy which hubs wanted to try tapi tak sempat), but hey, we had the pool, why would I wanna spend time outside no? Lol.

I would recommend this place just for a short getaway from the city and work. Kat luar PD tu memang nothing much to see la..it's a great lepak place with your partner and/or your family :)

The pool. That guy does not come with the package..hehe :)

Got microwave ok. And a minibar, stock of tea & coffee sachets. Yes, two king-sized beds just for the two of us.

The shower with the toilet next to it.

Tadaa! This is what you see when you brush your teeth...nice eh?





Pacific Coffee Company - Setia City Mall

Finally Pacific Coffee Company (PCC) is located somewhat nearby our house. The other store i know is located in Pavilion KL which is like far, far away from our crib. And we are not the type of people who would venture into KL during the weekends.


During our second visit to Setia City Mall, this time bringing my big sis (she got excited when I told her about this new mall), we decided to have coffee at PCC.  And of course ordering the Mochacino was a must and also a slice of mango cheese cake dessert. The mochacino is a bit different from the ones we had in Hong Kong, nevertheless, asalkan ada and dapat satisfy our cravings for the drink.


The mango cheesecake was yummy. It's light and not too creamy/cheesy. Some people like the creamy cheesy ones (like my hubs who loves the Chicago Cheesecake from Coffee Bean), so maybe they won't like this cake. For me and my sis, we like it!


I am planning on my next visit to Setia City Mall...but then again it's gonna be the fasting month in a few days' time..maybe I should cool it down. Am not the type who can walk/shop for hours while fasting. I'll probably faint. Lol.


Till then, toodles!

Mochacino and mango cheesecake. Yum!

Just something that caught our eyes at the cashier...tee hee hee :)

Setia City Mall review

I have gone Missing in Action (M.I.A) for a few months now and my first entry is about a new shopping mall? Maybe because I just like the new mall so much that I have to write something about it.

This mall has nearly anything and everything under the sun. Love it. We reached the mall around 10.30am and most of the stores are already opened and ready for business. Yes, we were really early because a bit kiasulah..and also because we thought it was far from home. We took the NKVE towards Klang, took the Setia Alam exit and if I am not mistaken, we went up the first flyover (to turn right) after Setia Alam toll to get to the mall.

Parking wise - i think ample space. But I just don't know why people still want to park outside. Bayar sikit la for keselesaan masing-masing and also to not inconvenienced other people who want to park inside. Weekend rate is RM3 for the first 3 hours and RM1 for every hour after that. Can't recall the weekday rates.

We went to the GSC cinema.. love it. Probably because it's new. :) Oh yes, what about facilities? LOVE the restrooms! They have many cubicles in every restroom and they have it at every floor. So even when there are many people, you can always go to the upper floor to have a more comfy time in the loo. Lol :)

F&B? So many so many so many choices! Nando's, Mcd, Delicious (yummm), Pho Hoa, Starbucks, Pacific Coffee Company, Auntie Anne's, Sweet Chat, Fullhouse, Carl's Jr, Teh tarik Place, Papa John's, Tony Roma's and many more. 

Shopping? You name it, they have got it. Love the Parkson store here because they have a lot of choices (yes handbags and shoes!!!). Zara, Crabtree and Evelyn, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Niichi, Mango, a whole line of shops for baby/children's clothes..I can't list everything in here but I think you get my point.

Setia City Mall's website also has an app - if you download it, it's easy to find the store that you want to go to. They provide the directory in the app. So easy peasy. 

If you want to know more, go to http://www.setiacitymall.com/ Have a funtastic time at the mall y'all! this will be my second favourite to Subang Parade :)

Wan Two Three is engaged!

Well we like to tease her and call her Wan Two Three.  The future husband's family asked for her hand in marriage just over the weekend. For the Malays, you have to go through at least 2 ceremonies before you can be wed. One is the merisik ceremony, simply put, the guy's family asking whether the girl is available and whether they can proceed with the engagement ceremony which will be done later. This is my very layman understanding, there's actually a lot of do's and dont's of the ceremonies, too long to write and too lazy to research for more info.


Then, there's the engagement ceremony. Eventhough nowadays young couples already come into an agreement whether or not they want to get married, the engagement cannot be formalised by only kneeling on one knee and proposing..like how we see in those TV series/movies.


During the engagement ceremony, the guy's family will come to discuss with the girl's family to formalise the engagement and set a date to be married. Normally both families do not speak but are represented by another person close to the family to do all the talking. Well, the points have already been discussed earlier on so the representative already knows what to say when speaking for the family they are representing. If there are any discrepancies, the representative can always refer back to the parents he is representing to get their okay.


Basically that's a very layman and short description on the Malay engagement ceremony. I might have missed out a lot of points :)

All dressed up in Pink :)

Us with our over the top pose :)

The guy's family and rep discussing with our family and rep.

Both families looking on

And now after an agreement has been finalised (i.e.: dowry amount, date of  solemnisation, what happens if the engagement is called off and etc), the mother of the future husband puts on the engagement ring on her ring finger. And no, the man cannot be the one doing it because he is not allowed to do so.

Sand, Sea and Seafood...Bagan Lalang

FINALLY, we made our way to Bagan Lalang after putting it off for so long.  With the use of hubs' GPS we reached Bagan Lalang at 6.40pm..about 1 hour 15 minutes from Shah Alam. I think if we did not have the GPS mungkin susah sikit nak jumpa the place for the lack of signages along the way.  Rasanya memang tak nampak sangat.  The journey was okay except when we reached Sepang area towards BL tu, it is kawasan kampung (reminds me of my kampung) where you  know that it will be very sunyi once the sun's down.


Before we started our makan-makan, we took some pictures by the beach. Banyak betul baby ketams in the sandy beach that I felt a bit geli-geli, afraid they will crawl up my feet. lol .Could also see the famous Golden Palms Resort..woowoo..but for more than RM1k a night, that's probably not something that we can spend on for now :p


Then we headed to HM Seafood..there were other restaurants there but I've googled on which spot to go to and most went to HM Seafood ni. By the way, just a word of caution, sini banyak kera..i think they are called kera, ke monyet? Anyhow, they were a bit too hyper and if you want to take pictures by the beach, make sure you park further away from the group of cheeky keras.


I told hubs not too over order because we did not want to end up bloated, and also because he was suppose to hike up Bukit Broga with his friends the next morning. We only ordered crabs 2 ekor, lala and ikan pari. No tomyams, no soupy stuff, no veggies..sebab nanti for sure tak habis.


My verdict? Bolehla..maybe ada style masakan lala dia yang lagi sedap than the one we ordered. The crabs were extremely sweet and fresh..memang my fave! The pari bakar pun sedap. 


1. teh o
2. teh o limau (too sour that he ordered another drink)
3. fresh orange
4. ketam 2 ekor
5. lala for 2 persons
6. ikan pari bakar
7. nasi putih for 2 persons


Cost us RM60.20 if I'm not mistaken. Price is reasonable if I can say so. 
We drove back around 8.30pm..masa ni balik pun takut-takut sikit sebab the path we went through ada yang tak berlampu and sunyi. Next round kalau pergi kena overnight kot. 

Scenery at the Bagan Lalang beach...

Can you see the Golden Palms resort there? Ooh La La!

Hubs the paparazzi

Must have own pics :)

Borrowed his slippers because I only had my wedges with me..besarnya kaki dia.

Romantic scene...

Rumah ketam-ketaman.. hehe

Paparazzi in action some more..

This is right next to the resto. I wonder if the nelayan bawak balik fresh yields and give them straight to the resto?

Romantic scene 2 taken from the resto

Ubi pedas as pembuka selera/appetizer..sedap gile!

Paling tak clear..gambar makanan..mwhaha..all gone within 30 minutes?

Johor Premium Outlet Trip and Review

We took a picture here to show the queue at Coach sebenarnya. When we arrived in the morning tak ada Q pun..kekeke..

Hubs in front of the Xmas tree made of plastic bottles at the hotel.

In the car, with not much to do..ambik gambar la apelagi. Mum can't be seen :p

With all the buzz around the new hip and happening place called JPO..we decided to check it out and made it a  2 days 1 night family trip.

Because of our kiasuness..we made a move from Shah Alam..(my sisters and mum bunked in our house so that it is easier to jalan pagi) by 6.30am.  We made many (I tell you, MANY) pit-stops along the way. What do you expect when you have 4 ladies in the car. But Hubs was all right with this. Love ya B.

We had breakfast in Seremban..and then after about 4 hours or so, we reached JPO. I think it was about 10.40am. Sampai-sampai terus semua pergi restroom. Mum, well, she saw the foodcourt and decided that she will just stay there for the whole few hours.

So what is there at JPO? Besides Coach yang memang I think ramai orang tunggu-tunggu..there are many many shops available. My sisters and I went in and out of nearly every shop (except for Michael Kors, Coach, Burberry and the likes)..for Guess, they had many handbags cuma tak ada menarik hati. Tapi bila fikir balik (or actually when I compared with Subang Parade)..harga lebih kurang je, takla murah sangat pun.
Nevertheless, Hubs and Kak Ita both bought watches from Guess. Me, I was a good girl. I didn;t buy anything.

For Charles and Keith, this was my fave spot..The bags tak banyak choice maybe sebab dah ramai orang beli yang best-best..tapi the shoes..ooh la la! too die for.. we bought like 6 pairs i think of sandals from there coz they were freaking cheap! One of mine retailed at RM150++ but was RM44.50 when I bought it.. memangla berbaloi.

so we went a bit crazy in Charles & Keith, but other than that..tak berapa sangat. Fossil were selling watches at an affordable price..memang rasa nak beli, tapi sebab ramai sangat orang and that the watches available were similar to what I already have, so tak beli pun.

There were a few shops that I felt like 'kenapa la bukak kedai tapi takde barang menarik ni?membazir space betul'. In a nutshell, you can go there just to see what it is all about..tapi jangan expect too much. I guess also because they are just starting..so a lot of improvement is needed.

Facility wise - silalah tambah restrooms ok. I didnt get a chance to go the second time because towards the afternoon there were TOO MANY PEOPLE! Could not even go into the restroom at all. And also, JPO had this serious case of FLIES when we were there.. my friend said sebab ada kawasan bela ayam somewhere around there, so perhaps all the flies decided to seek (SHOP?) solace at JPO. Nasib baik tak masuk mulut bila menguap.

Anyhoo, also pitied my mum for waiting for us for so long..sorry morry. Your daughters jadi cuckoo bila dilepaskan shopping..mwhahaha..

Around 2, we checked into Le Grandeur Palm Resort Johor which is about 10 minutes from JPO. RM188 per room with no brekkie. It's okay..we had a good hearty breakfast at Mcd (near the Senai Airport) before we left for KL.

All in all.. JPO is so-so.. but the trip with the family was fun, fun ,fun! :)