This cute little place popped up on my news feed the other day and I thought it was very worthy of a shout-out on my page! So, here you go, welcome to SLV Small Luxury Villa!
This spacious child-friendly villa in Melaka is perfect for family getaways, and the Disney-inspired decor will go down an absolute treat with any little Mickey fans that you have at home!
SLV Villa M is a single-storey holiday home with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms that comfortably accommodates 10 people. The bedrooms are configured so that a couple of families with children can travel and stay together.
The villa offers the following room set-up:
Bedroom 1: 1 King bed and 1 single bed
Bedroom 2: 1 Double bed
Bedroom 3: 3 Single beds
Bedroom 4: 1 Double bed
So, if you are planning a big family trip, this place is perfect!
Located a 5-minute drive from Klebang Beach, and a 15-minute drive from Jonker Walk, you have everything else that you need right on hand, with a BBQ area, in-house playground with slide and swing, views over the paddy field, photo booth with props, and a well-equipped kitchen.
So, what else can you expect from this little gem?!
Paddy field views with a seating area outside and barbecue corner, child-friendly safety features including edge protection on furniture, a bottle steriliser, bottle warmer, and floor mats in the mini playground as well as a well-equipped kitchen with fridge, induction cooker, oven, microwave, slow cooker, air pot and food dehydrator! They even have massage shower panels in each bathroom and have CCTV outside for your security.
While I haven’t been myself, this really does tick off lots of boxes when it comes to finding family accommodation for a long weekend in Melaka so it might be worth checking this place out for your next trip, S x
If you don’t already have plans for the coming week and you’re in the area, the Melaka Kite Festival will be running from the 23rd to the 28th of January 2017.
I have to admit that I’ve not done this event before but I’m sure it’s guaranteed to be one bright, colourful display of fun for the whole family! S x
While Kuala Lumpur is alive with Chinese New Year activities, don’t forget that another popular spot to feel the vibe is in Malacca. Chinatown and the infamous Jonker Street are two places not to miss as the festivities take over.
We were fortunate enough to be at the Maritime Museum last year where they held a fabulous Lion Dance right on the water front. It was a beautiful setting to watch the performance with fire crackers, music and lots of interaction with these colourful creatures!!
For anyone unfamiliar with this tradition, a lion dance (accompanied by an orchestra ) is performed to chase away evil and to bring luck upon the audience. Not solely seen at Chinese New Year, but also at weddings and other family celebrations.
These uplifting performances will be seen over the coming weeks in malls, at museums, at temples, and bring a true dash of colour to your day and the kids generally love it!
We are extremely lucky here in Malaysia to have so many museums right on our doorstep. Not only do they offer an interactive way of learning, but they can be fun for all the family, and more often than not, completely free of charge…. Something that is rare in my home country! From the National Textile Museum, to the KL Music Museum to, of course, The National History Museum, there’s just so many to choose from.
We have visited quite a few and found some to be so perfect for families that I thought I’d share our favourite museums with you…. In hope that it inspires you to go and take a little look for yourselves! S x
The Royal Malaysian Police Museum:
The Royal Malaysian Police Museum is a lovely place located on the outskirts of the Botanic Gardens in KL. The grounds outside are adorned with tanks, cannons, a plane, and boat and lots more for the children to explore. Afterwards take a trip inside to take a walk back through time and see how the Malaysian Police Force came about. There are displays of uniforms and weapons and also a couple of short films to watch.
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery:
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery was a lovely little find although probably not the obvious choice for families. However, we found it to be interactive for the children with colouring stations, touch screen games, block puzzles and places to stamp your own cheques. When we visited they had a special Children’s exhibit running which was just amazing so definitely watch out for further events. Access is free and there’s a huge coffee shop downstairs perfect for a stop afterwards.
Amy Museum, Port Dickson:
On a day trip to Port Dickson we stumbled across this museum (also known as Muzium Tentera Darat) and I’m so glad we did as it was the absolute highlight of our day and, if i’m honest, is probably my favourite museum of all! We were so impressed by the array of army vehicles that they have on display outdoors and spent a long time walking around before heading for the indoor exhibit. Once inside you get to see the history of the army and the uniforms etc, but a really great feature was the underground tunnel that they’ve built – really fun with the little people! Once again, it is completely free to enter the museum.
Maritime Museum (Malacca/Meleka):
Muzium Samudera, far better known as the Maritime Museum (Malaysia) in Malacca is hard to miss with the impressive Portuguese Ship, a replica of the Flora de al Mar, that stands proudly on the river banks. The ship itself houses a couple of floors of exhibition which you can climb around and explore, before hitting the rest of the museum. A must-see if in this gorgeous city. Entrance fee was just 5RM for adults, the children (under 8’s if I remember correctly) for free.
With so many diverse and beautiful spots scattered around Malaysia, most of the time you don’t even need to get on a plane to discover something new. In a year of living in KL we have taken such pleasure in visiting the rest of the country so I thought I’d put together a set of postcards of some of our favourite spots, featuring one place at a time.
To start with, one of our absolute favourites; Malacca. But over the weeks I will bring you snippets from Penang, Taman Negarah, Ipoh, Langkawi and more… So watch this space! S x
Malacca: So rich in culture, colours and child-friendly venues it’s the perfect Malaysian getaway and just a 2-hour drive from KL. While some may say you can do it in a day trip, I love the city so much and feel there are enough things to see (and do!) that it warrants at least two days to explore!
Whether travelling with children or not, don’t miss out on:
A Melaka River Cruise
Wandering around the colonial district, Christ Church and Dutch Square
The Maritime Museum
A visit to the A’Famosa Fortress and St. Paul’s Church
A ride on a colourful Trishaw (by night is surreal!)
A walk down Jonker Street and experiencing the night market
The Floating Mosque
Other places that may be of interest but that we didn’t personally try are:
We are just back from a weekend in Malacca, one of Malaysia’s most interesting historical cities about a two-hour drive from KL. While I was expecting a couple of days of culture and colonial architecture, I wasn’t prepared for just how well-adapted they are for the influx of tourists they receive, and more importantly just how family-orientated the whole place is! They have attractions there that you just don’t expect and while I’m pleased we decided to stay over-night, I really wish we’d have had a third day there to explore some more!
Malacca city is an easy place to navigate and if, like us, you pick a centrally located hotel, you can park up your car and do the majority on foot. With the Dutch, British, Portuguese and even the Japanese leaving their mark on the city, there’s a special vibe to the place and so much to see.
A replica windmill that stands opposite Christ Church
From the obvious historical sites such as A’Famosa Fort and St. Paul’s Church, to the vibrant hustle and bustle of Jonker Street with its markets, shops and eateries (which needs to be seen both by day and by night!) the basics are in place to guarantee an interesting visit.
The surrounding gardens at A’Famosa Fort When we arrived our first stop was the infamous Christ Church on the aptly named ‘Red Square’ that is also home to a museum, the Clock Tower and market stalls. Needing no real explanation, the famous Christ Church and its very distinguishable red brick work
What I wasn’t ready for was the abundance of Trishaws (tuk tuks to my children!) that were out in force in their hundreds decorated to the nines with Hello Kitty, Frozen characters, flowers and flashing lights that offer city tours! This is only a small taster of the colours and designs you’ll spot all over Malacca!
Call them tacky and out of place (if you wish!) in such a historical spot, but you can’t help but get drawn into their Disney-like magic and although you may resist at first, you will end up getting on one at some stage during your visit! They offer to take you round the city to see the top historical sights at a rate of 40RM for an hour circuit. Hello Kitty, Frozen, Mickey Mouse…. take your pick of Trishaws for a tour of the city!
While we didn’t do this, once we saw the trishaws after dinner lit up in all their glory with music blaring, we just couldn’t resist getting one to take us back to the hotel! And I have to say….. it was fun! Our ‘driver’ and our ride home on Saturday night! music blaring, lights flashing – definitely an experience!
From the Red Square the tourist trail follows on nicely to take you across the road to the river, which in itself is a nice little walk. The river and a view through the city
Cross the bridge and you get to Jonker Street, the main street of Chinatown that offers shops, galleries, restaurants and arts n crafts. Jonker Gallery is definitely worth a stop if you’re looking for some original little designs; I bought a couple of items of clothing there that I‘m very happy with so mums get yourself a little shopping done too! An amazing shop and surprisingly large. Pick up some original pieces here.
Street hawkers selling their food, market stalls selling jewellery, and murals painted on walls (that would be worthy of some gallery time) all make Malacca so colourful and interesting that you’ll find it hard to know where to look. One of my favourite sights in Malacca. This place just screams with colour – love it!
On Jonker Street we also found a fairly hidden café called The Daily Fix that we stopped at for lunch on Saturday. Perfect with the children as there’s enough quirkiness to keep them busy – from the décor including Chinese lanterns, old typewriters and suitcases strewn around the floor to a lovely swinging bamboo chair in their garden-like cafe! To top it off, they offered a nice menu and everything we tried (from an all day breakfast, to fresh juices, and pancakes!) was extremely tasty. They have high chairs on offer, complimentary water, sweet treats if needed and is perfect for families although it can get busy at peak times!
A hidden spot at the back of one of the souvenir shops. Quirky interior and great food.Lying on the river, another great way to see Malacca is by boat. Melaka River cruises offer just that, 365 days of the year in boats carrying up to 40 passengers. They run daily from 9am until 11.30pm so you can choose whether to tour by day or by night. The journey itself takes just under an hour and will show you the highlights of the city from the water. It’s reasonably priced for foreigners at 15RM for adults and 7RM for children. It’s worth noting here that nowhere that we tried (including the Melaka River Cruise and the Maritime Museum accepted the I-Kad residency card) For Malaysians the price is 10RM for adults, 5RM for children. Taking in a tour of Malacca by night is beautiful.
Day two of our stay saw us heading to the town centre again but this time opting to check out the Maritime Museum. Very noticeable by it’s Portuguese ship (the Flora de la Mar) on the river’s edge, it’s easy to find and inexpensive to enter. Children under the age of 7 are free and it’s only 5RM for adults. The iconic Portuguese ship that is the Maritime Museum
Your adventure will surely start by climbing up and visiting this impressive ship that stands some 34 metres high! While you can’t climb to the highest points of the ship, you will be able to explore on the decks, take a peak inside the Captain’s cabin and then discover the history of Malacca in the decks below as the museum unfolds beneath you. It was very interesting and very informative and we all really enjoyed it. Your ticket also gives you entry to two other sections of the museum which we did, although it has to be said that the Portuguese Ship was the highlight!
You get to explore the ship which houses exhibits and explains the history of Malacca
In the afternoon we had a wander around and headed up the hill to the ruins of St. Paul’s Church. With buskers playing music, artists showing off their talents, and market stalls selling a little bit of everything, you can take in the views over the city and do more than just see the Church. St. Paul’s Church is a bit of a climb but the views are lovely.
Following on around the hill we then went to the site of A’Famosa Fort which, although small, was a nice spot.
What remains of the Portugese A’Famosa Port
I should also mention that if all this isn’t enough for the little people, there’s even an outdoor playground centrally located between the Fort and the Taming Sari Tower, just a short work along from the Pirate museum. It’s not huge, but it would certainly be an option should you need one! If the little ones need a true ‘play time’ this playground is centrally located
We finished our day deciding to take the car out and go and see the sunset over the infamous ‘Floating Mosque (more correctly known as Masjid Selat Melaka). Enjoying a quiet moment at the end of the day.
We arrived early so as to visit the mosque beforehand and were given robes to wear to be able to enter. The mosque, as it’s popular nickname would suggest, sits right on the water with stunning views. With a little beach and rocks on the shore, it makes for a nice little spot for children who want to have a bit of free time to play while waiting for mum and dad to get their photos taken! We didn’t get the most amazing of sunsets as it was just too cloudy, but with the mosque lit up it was still a lovely, peaceful view that we all really enjoyed. As the sun sets, the lights of the mosque are turned on to give a glowing effect over the water
We packed a lot of things into our 2 days in Malacca and I’m very happy with everything that we did. However, as I said at the beginning of my blog; there really is so much to do for families that we just couldn’t do it all with the time we had.
The Pirate Adventure calls itself a Pirate Museum but doubles as a theme park!
The Pirate Adventure looked fun and blared out ‘Disney’ like music to attract the crowds, there’s a planetarium, a zoo on the outskirts of the city that also does night tours, there’s chocolate making workshops at THC Chocolate, there’s a Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary, and Mini Malaysia & ASEAN Cultural Park which looked gorgeous and I’m disappointed we didn’t get the time to do this! With all these things still to do I guess it just means we’ll need to head back soon and I know we’d all be up for that in a heartbeat! We loved Malacca – truly a fabulous, colourful place and very family-orientated.
A view of the action at The Red Square; market stalls, trishaws, vibrant colours
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