The drivers arrived on time to pick us up at bbil's place by 6am and we were on our way crossing the customs on a cool Sunday morning. Around 8am, we were able to stop by Restoran Queen Park for our breakfast. The place is pretty crowded and there are many stalls selling various local food.
One of my favourite is the peanut pancake aka "min jiang kueh" (面煎糕, Apam Balik). Unlike the usual soft and fluffy one that we usually had in Singapore, this one has a crispy skin with peanut filling. It is so yummy to eat when it is warm and the kids love it.
For the next 3 hours, we were resting and napping in the van as it takes us to Maleka. Although it is not a very long drive up from Singapore, it can be pretty tiring and Hubby surely enjoys taking a break from the driver seat and enjoying a personal time off.
It is not our first trip to Melaka and hence we were pleased to visit the Portuguese Settlement apart from the Jonker walk, museum, shopping malls and temple that we have been to previously.
The Portuguese Settlement is a Kristang (Christian) community in Ujong Pasir which is about 3-5 km from Melaka town, Malaysia.
According to Wiki, the Kristang are a Malaysian ethnic group with mixed Portuguese and Malay and for some possibly Indian or Chinese ancestry, which arose during the Portuguese colonial period (16th to 17th century).
The Portuguese Square (also known as ‘Mini Lisbon’) located within the settlement is central to the Portuguese community of Melaka where you can find great Portuguese restaurants, souvenirs and cultural performances.
We arrived pretty early and hence it was quiet and most of the shops are closed. Nevertheless, we walked by the seaside and around the settlement to have a feel of it's culture. I figured it should be more attractive to visit during the weekends and in the evenings.
It is an attraction to visit the settlement during the Christmas season. As you walk by the houses, you will find that they have beautifully decorated their homes and front yards with all kinds of Christmas decos. From all sorts of Santa Claus, reindeer to elves and Christmas trees. It is indeed an amazing and beautiful sight. I can only imagine that it will be even prettier in the night when the lights are up.
After leaving the settlement, we entered Melaka town and went for some early CNY shopping. There are so many pretty dresses and we spent some time at the Brands Outlet. :p
Not forgetting ice-cream treats for the kiddos. (3 flavour ice-cream scoops in a cup for RM1)
Lunch was at Newton food centre which is near Mahkota Shopping Mall. We had chicken rice, char kway tiao, fried oyster, black-chicken soup, popiah and chendol for dessert. Apart from the food stalls, there is also another area at the back where you can find stalls selling clothing, assorted souvenirs, art & crafts and accessories.
2pm - Time to check-in to our "hotel" for tonight. CK Hotel is a new budget hotel located around Chinatown, Melaka and is about 20 mins walk to Jonker street. We located his hotel during our search in tripadvisor and it is currently rank no. 22.
It is a 3-storey building with about 26 rooms including standard, deluxe and family suites. There is a mini front lobby area with stairs up to the rooms. (Note: there is no lift). We stayed in a Deluxe Triple room (unit - #02-01) for RM128 which is good for 4 of us. The room is clean and spacious with air-condition, mini TV and water heater.
Generally, our stay in the hotel is still acceptable since we are only here for a night. The pricing is not too expensive and there are a couple of shops around. However, There are a few pointers to note for keen travellers.
1) Although we are located on the 2nd floor (which is not very high), I still find it tiring to make my climb up the stairs after a tiring full day journey. It also might be inconvenient for the elderly folks or parents carrying young toddlers/babies.
2) Some of the rooms do not have windows and hence you may be staying in rooms facing the 4 walls only.
3) The toilet is a bit small but we managed to help the kids bath nevertheless.
4) No separation of smoking and non-smoking zones.
5) As we are near the street level, there may be some noise from the traffic or the public during the night.
6) Simple locks for the room doors which doesn't feel very safe to me.
Still, the hotel is pretty new (less than 2 years old) and the facilities are neat and tidy. Air-condition is cooling and it is good enough for a short stay which comes with an affordable price tag.
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