Tag: family travel

A Fun and Educational Trip to Petrosains with Our Preschooler

We recently took a trip to Petrosains with our preschooler and had a blast! The interactive exhibits and activities made for a fun and educational experience for both our son and us.

One of our favorite exhibits was the Energy Capsule, which took us on a virtual journey through the various forms of energy and how they power our world. We were able to ride the capsule and watch the informative video presentation and throughout our ride.

Another exhibit we enjoyed was the Origami Apprentice, where we got to try our hand at creating origami shapes. There were no assisting staff, but we had fun experimenting with the paper and creating our own designs.

The Wind Table was also a highlight, with a wind machine that flew papers in the shape of cones. It was amazing to see the papers take flight and our son was thrilled to see the wind in action.

Finally, we were transported back in time with the Geotime Diorama exhibit, which showcased the geological history of Malaysia. The exhibit was informative and visually stunning, with lifelike displays of ancient creatures and landscapes.

Overall, our trip to Petrosains was a wonderful family experience. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and educational day out with their children.

Hotel Review: Hotel Casuarina @ Meru, Ipoh

We recently had the pleasure of staying at the Hotel Casuarina in Meru Raya. The hotel is located in a quiet and serene area, away from the hustle and bustle of the city center, making it the perfect getaway for families looking for a peaceful retreat.

The happiest person throughout the trip 😄

The rooms at the hotel are spacious and well-appointed, with comfortable beds and all the amenities a family could need. The staff are friendly and welcoming, and always ready to assist with any requests or queries.

Our preschooler’s favourite place is still the window 😅
Lots of space!
Comfy bathroom
The shower area

The hotel also has a restaurant serving delicious local and international cuisine.

Enjoying his pasta 🍝
The beverage counter
Live show area

One of the standout features of the hotel is its mini library, which is a treasure trove of books for all ages. As a book lover herself, Shafa was thrilled to see such a well-curated selection of books. The cozy seating areas make it the perfect spot to curl up with a good book and spend a lazy afternoon. We appreciated the effort put into creating a space that promotes reading and education, and we can imagine families with children would also enjoy spending time in the library together.

Somebody’s excited seeing the Mini Library 📚
And… he immediately indulged in books 👨‍🏫

Overall, we would highly recommend Hotel Casuarina to families looking for a comfortable and relaxing stay in Meru Raya. With its mini library, friendly staff, and great amenities, it’s the perfect place to unwind and recharge away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

And a great place for bonding time!

Penang Hill Day Trip With Family

It’s been ages since we last updated this blog. Shafa has been busy juggling her freelancing jobs and homeschooling our son, so there’s very little spare time in between. Nevertheless, we are doing our best to update the blog everytime we have the chance to.

As you can read in our previous post, we had a chance to visit Penang some time ago and stayed in Tune Hotel Penang. While we’re there, we used most of our time to explore Penang as a family of five, which includes a toddler and an elderly. It was tough, but we managed!

One of the many experiences we had was visiting the Penang Hill (also known as Bukit Bendera) and riding the Penang Hill Funicular Train. The nearest parking was full, but worry not, there are friendly locals nearby that will happily assist you to park (with fee, of course). And they will even show you the shortcut to get to the train station! It took quite a few minutes walk to the station from where we parked, and the walk was steep. We had to ask Shafa’s mom every few minutes whether she’s OK (because she’s 70), while at the same time chasing our toddler who was busy exploring.

We were really excited to get on the train. As we’re boarded the train and finally departed, we were surrounded by a lot of greens. Nature at its best! A bit of information, the Penang Hill Funicular Railway has the steepest tunnel track in the world. Plus, it is also the longest track in Asia. Very interesting, indeed!

There are a lot of attractions at Penang Hill, but our favourite is especially the nature. We will write about our visit to The Habitat in our next post (more commitments), but aside from The Habitat, there are also Nature Walks, Monkey Cup Garden and many more. So much fun! Sorry for lack of picture in this post, as we were busy with our little explorer.

So, next time when you visit Penang, don’t forget to visit Penang Hill and ride the funicular train. Make sure to book the Fast Lane (like us) for a super convenient trip, with little or no queue needed!

Note: The visit was before the COVID-19 virus takes in. As parents of a toddler who are also living with an elderly, we do advise you to adhere to the government rules and guidelines by the Health Ministry. As a travel advocate, we definitely will help you to dream and plan for your next travel by feeding you with our travel write ups. Stay safe and be positive!

Resort Review: Thistle Port Dickson

This is one of the resorts that holds great memories for our family. We’ve been to Thistle Port Dickson twice this year, and the high level of satisfactory feels just like the first time.

And that first time was way back when we had family gathering on Shafa’s side of family, soon after our marriage, and especially soon after Shafa’s late dad was diagnosed with Leukemia. That was way back in early January 2015. It feels bittersweet to come back, but it always hold special place in our hearts.

This is one of our many favourite things about Thistle Port Dickson. They have kids pools and adult pools, with different depths. Also they have another infinity pool – our favourite since the first time we visited this resort about four years ago!

Always our favourite infinity pool! Each time we’re at Thistle Port Dickson, we would always come by the infinity pool for some pictures, especially during sunset. It looks magical.

Back when we were just a travel couple, this was our favourite spot to swim because it’s far from the main swimming pools of the resort. It’s quite peaceful to swim here, especially since it has a nice view. Now? Practical is more important than romantic. Most of the time we’ll be at the kids swimming pool.

Such a beautiful family room here at Thistle Port Dickson!

There is one double bed & one bunk bed, enough to accommodate two adults and two children. We personally love the decorations around the bunk bed – so cute!

We never appreciate petting zoos until we became a parent.

Kids LOVE animals, especially if they can pet them. Thistle Port Dickson offers bunny petting time between 10am – 11am & 4.30pm – 5.30pm. Our toddler definitely was excited to see the rabbits and birds!

And… Our favourite spot to snap pictures! It’s been years, but this swing is still here at the beach of Thistle Port Dickson.

Somebody seems to be enjoying the game! If your boys are not up for holiday at Thistle Port Dickson, you now know where to take them.

What’s your thoughts on the resort? We would love to hear from you!