MELAKA

Salam & hello! 

This is my first entry for my travelogue project and I am so excited to share it with you. This time around it’s going to be a long self indulging entry! Hehe..I’ll make it short for the next entry. :)

Family trip is one of the things that I anticipate most every year (besides Bonus). It’s really a joyous moment when you get to spend quality time with your loved ones, catching up with each other on life’s updates. That keeps the family bonding nourished & stay strong. I just wish my late Dad could be here with us (May Allah bless his soul).

So for 2010, the trip to Melaka was discussed months ahead but the actual arrangement was done, the very LAST MINUTE of course! L. Itinerary and accommodation was in-charged by yours truly. It’s no joke to arrange a trip for 21 people. Yikes! Btw, all of us agreed to cook our own meal during our visit, rather than eating out. So below are the criteria shortlisted for the selection of our accommodation:  

1. Spacious for big group (5 families)

2. Cooking facilities & utensils

3. Fully furnished (bed, pillow, blanket, etc)

4. Easy access to grocery store, tourist attraction, etc

5. CHEAP! Hehe..

That leaves me with only 2 choices. Apartments or home stays. But due to our limited budget (MINE, actually) I opt for home stays. I spent a week surfing the Internet & asking from friends to find the best accommodation that suits our criteria. Bear in mine, December is the month of long school holidays so anywhere you go the hotels would be fully booked! Same goes to home stays. I guess people are really into the Home Stay concept now. I did found several good places but unfortunately all are fully booked. Finally I came across YUNUS HOMESTAY, Bachang, Melaka, advertised in one of the website. No pictures included. It’s a double story house with 4 bedrooms and cooking facilities. It just opened in October, so non of my friends knew the place but all agreed the location is good. I called the owner (Pn. Mariam) and lucky for me they still have vacancies on my planned dates. I’m afraid we won’t find anywhere else to stay so I straight away book the place for 2 nights. Talk about GAMBLES, huh! A few days before our trip, I found this blog www.yunushomestay.blogspot.com) and thank God was I relieved! The place seems nice.

Below are the REAL pictures of the place we crashed for 3 days and 2 nights (literally speaking).It was much better than we expected!

Entrance

See the massage chair?? :)

Room at Lower Level

Room upstairs

Master bed room

Balcony

YUNUS HOMESTAY (double story terrace)

Contact: Pn. Mariam ( 013-7782525)
Location: Taman Berinchang Utama

              (15-20min from Banda Hilir & Plaza Tol Ayer  Keroh)

Rate: RM300 (holiday season) RM260 (normal)

Facilities: 4 bedrooms (fully furnished)

               3 bathrooms

               Stove, fridge, kettle, complete cooking utensils.

               TV (but no Astro)

Plus points:

1. Walking distance (200m) from Giant Supermarket! Since we’ll be cooking our own meal, first thing I did after unloading our stuffs at the home stay was to shop for groceries. Easy as walking in the park!

2. Massage chair available at the house! This is our most loved item in the house! (Imagine all the tiresome walk around Melaka for 3 days..sob..sob)

3. Almost fully furnished! All we had to bring was just some extra 'toto' mattresses.

4. The owner, Pn. Mariam is a very helpful and considerate host. Just tell her your need and she’ll try her best to fulfill them. I lapp you la kak mariam! 

5. It's a bargain of course! For 2 nights, we only have to pay around RM33.33 per person. And we collect RM10 per person for the groceries. Am I a Budget Guru or what?! Clap! Clap! 

Muzium Kapal

Taman Buaya (didn't go inside)

Aerial View of Melaka from Menara Taming Sari

Menara Taming Sari

Fun Fare!

In front of Pn. Mariam's House, Kg. Morten

Muzium Kemerdekaan (very informative!)

The signboard speaks for itself..
(shorter line after 40 min queue)

Kota A Farmosa / Bukit St. Paul

Taman Larangan / Forbidden Garden

Muzium Kesultanan Melaka

Bukit St. Paul

Peak of Bukit St. Paul

Zoo Melaka

Zoo Melaka (Note: There's a lot of unique animals here, you just have to come and see for yourself)

Taking fresh air/sea breeze after a long day

Lunch picnic at Marina seaside (Our pre-cooked dish: saute mushroom with broccoli, chicken soup / soto ayam, and various side dish. YUMMY!)

Muzium Kapal (they blow the horn just before closing!)

Important notes:

Parking space would be the biggest turned down in Melaka. You may have to park your cars few kilometers away from your destination so make sure you travel light and wear comfortable shoes. Bring some water with you as it’s hard to find people selling food on the street. (No “penjaja” allowed policy). Be prepared to queue in long lines at most of the entrance place (Zoo Melaka, Menara Taming Sari, Melaka River Cruise, err, toilet also). It can be irritating and exhausting, but try to keep your cool okay. Don't rush, just enjoy the experience. But if you had to, think Amazing Race Asia! :)