Blogs from Johor, Malaysia, Asia

Day 2 (23/07/2023) We had breakfast at a nearby coffeeshop (can't remember what is the name already). Food was not too bad. After that, we went back to prepare for beach! Desaru beach was crowded but we still managed to find some empty spaces for us to put our mat. The sand and ocean were generally clean. A was abit hesitant in playing with sand at first, but was ok after awhile. Fearing that A might be cold from the water, we went to change around noon time. The toilet was really dirty and dark, so we changed A on the beach instead. Me, my husband and A left first, while the rest continue to stay at the beach and play watersport. Back to our Airbnb, we showered A, fed him lunch before putting him to ... read more

After years of being habitually criticized as a dirty and chaotic border town, Johor’s capital city of Johor Bahru (JB for short) has been repaved and replanted and is well on the way to rebranding itself as a major tourist destination. Most travelers skip southern Malaysia’s largest city in favor of Kuala Lumpur or the Cameroon Highlands up north, but for some intrepid souls, there’s a handful of worthwhile museums, temples, mosques, shopping and even party zones right here. And should these “not be your thing”, JB also has a Legoland where everything is supposedly “awesome”. Personally, I’ll take dibs on the museums and party zones - I’m not a Legoland kind of girl. A massive construction effort is currently in progress which will radically change southern Malaysia over the next decade, and JB is about ... read more

Sunday, 4th March 2018 Checking in at the Sands and Sandals Resort was a pleasant experience. We had a pool facing room with a partial seaview. The bedroom was spacious with an outdoor bath at the balcony. Our minor gripe was the less than satisfactory air-conditioning which DC woke up with sweat the next day. Our afternoon activities included kite flying by the peaceful beach and taking naps on the sun deck chairs by the swimming pool. For dinner, we drove out to the Indian Mamak stalls for our delicious roti canai and nasi goreng pattaya. On our way back to our room, we headed back to the beach to set off some mini-fireworks as well as moon watching by the sea. Breakfast the following day was nothing to shout about which was a shame given ... read more

Saturday, 17th September 2016 Excerpt from my reviews online (with some editing) Stayed for 1 night over the weekend at the Holiday Villa recently. The location is great. It is located next to KSL City mall and plenty of local eateries. Within the hotel property, there is a Thai massage centre and the Doi Chang Coffee House. When we arrived at 12.45pm, we were nicely greeted by the bright and welcoming lobby. Check-in was really fast and efficient and we were really happy that our room was ready. We were given room 2129 at level 21 which commanded a fantastic view of the city. As this is a really new hotel, everything felt new and clean. Wifi, beds and rain shower were excellent. The minor gripe was the relatively warm air-conditioning at night. What we really ... read more

Saturday, 11th June 2016 This was more like a feasting excursion as we embarked on an eating spree on this 2D1N staycation in Johor Bahru. I had stayed at the Bello Hotel last year and swear by it that this was one of the nicer budget hotels in JB that have sprouted out in recent times. While the dim sums and dumplings @ Dragon and Canton Is @ JB City Square were forgettable, there was much to rave about for the breakfast @ Restoran Hua Moi and afternoon tea @ the Replacement Lodge & Kitchen. A lot should have been written about these 2 eating places in JB by now. In my humble opinion, the Singapore Fried Bee Hoon was arguably the most divine dish @ Hua Moi while the Salted Egg Churros and Eggs Benny ... read more