Decided on a drive up to Malacca for a 2D1N stay before proceeding to Genting Highlands. When driving from Singapore, drive along E2 and leave the expressway at the Ayer Keroh exit to reach Malacca Town.
Modern-day Malacca is a vibrant old city that believes its wealth of history. Visiting Malacca is a unique experience; its rich historical background earned it a World Heritage Site designation in July 2008.
If you are wondering how you can spent your 2D1N stay at Malacca, you may follow my itinerary as follows:
Start travelling from Singapore at 7 a.m.
STAY:
9.30 a.m : Jonker Boutique Hotel
Although there are Five star hotels like Hotel Equatorial and Mahkota Hotel around, I still prefer a place near to Malaccan's life. The best place to experience Malaccan lifestyle is at Jonker Street. The final contenders boils down to the famous Baba House (where Little Nonya was shoot) and Jonker Boutique Hotel. Jonker Boutique hotel won me over for its price and location at the entrance of Jonker Street.
Tel : 606-2825151
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| Jonker Boutique Hotel ( Just at the entrance of Jonker Street) |
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| Stylish and Luxurious Hotel |
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| Hotel Lobby |
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| Lobby Restaurant. Hotel provides a one-off $20 voucher for meals. |
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| Buy "0103", Sure strike! |
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| My next renovation wish for my bedroom... |
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| Any idea where to get this mirror? |
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| Is the Bathtub not to your liking? |
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| Take a shower then. |
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| Back to the 1960s.... |
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| Overlooking Jonker Street |
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| Directions |
10.30 a.m : Breakfast, Wanton Mee opposite Jonker Boutique Hotel
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| Coffee to get you ready for the day. |
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| Extra Large Wanton Mee for only RM 3.80 (SING $1.60) ! |
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| And extra servings of Wanton ! Amazing low price! |
2.30 pm : After shopping at Dataran Pahlawan, Lunch at Old Town White Coffee.
Somehow, the Old Town White Coffee in Malacca seems to serve better food as compared to Johor Bahru's branch.
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| Shaped like a Starbucks. |
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| Coffee before lunch? Their coffee is not as good as the branch at Permas Jaya Jusco, however their food is definitely better... |
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| Steam Bread for Curry. |
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| Hot Dogs with tasty and crispy skin. |
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| Curry Chicken. Spicy hot and fragrant. |
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| Toast Bread with Egg. You can taste the rich taste of the eggs blending well with the bread and Kaya. |
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| Toast Bread. |
6.00 p.m : Dinner at the famous Aunty Lee Nonya Food after sightseeing.
Restoran Aunty Lee is a small, humble little Peranakan restaurant about 20-30 minutes by car from the historic centre of Malacca. Aunty Lee serves up some really good, authentic Nyonya food.
Amusingly, Aunty Lee has a unique attitude to ordering food. You must book your table and order your food before arrival (sometimes 2 weeks in advance) and you cannot over-order ! The chef-owner ensures each table is fully served before working on the next table. And if you pre-order and reserve a table, you can jump in front of walk-ins.
We tried the Asam Fish, which was really, really good. The Omelette was delicious. And I’m still thinking about how good the Fried Sotong was. We finished up our meal with a nice, small Chendol. We really wanted to try their Otak and Nou Hiang too, but am still full from our lunch. What a pity!
Tel : 606-2831009
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| Aunty Lee : Out of the city centre but worth the travel. |
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| One thing, Beware of the "pooh - pooh" around as there are few strays around. |
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| Try the lime juice, it is packed of sourness! |
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| Fried Sotong. The aroma can be smelt from a distance. |
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| As usual, egg omelette for my princess. |
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| Asam Fish. Their speciality. |
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| Finally, Aunty Lee is expanding... Check out the video, you will rush down immediately. |
SHOPPING:
11.30 am : Shopping at Dataran Pahlawan
4.00 p.m : Mahkota Parade
Malacca is more of a town for historical sight seeing. However, that does not mean she does not have her fair share of shopping complex. The main shopping complex are along Jalan Merdeka which is near Porta De Santiago (a'famosa Fortress).
First shopping stop is Dataran Pahlawan Mega Mall which is the latest landmarks in Melaka. It is also the largest mall in Southern Malaysia. It is located in the heart of the historic centre and opposite Mahkota Parade. On the second floor is the ever fasionable Voir Gallery.
Travelling across the road is Mahkota Parade Shopping Centre (10AM-10PM). It has over 200 shops and anchor tenants are Parkson Grand Departmental Store and Giant Supermarket. Shops include The Body Shop, World of Cartoons, Royal Selangor, FOS, Reject Shop, Nokia, MPH Bookstores, Sony Centre, SenQ Digital Station, Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. The biggest food court in Melaka is also located here
Dataran Pahlawan.
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| Go to the second floor and be amazed by Voir Gallery huge range of clothings and shoes. |
Mahkota Parade Shopping Complex Video
3.30 pm : Sightseeing beside Dataran Pahlawan
As stated, there are many historical landmarks in Malacca. As we have only one day and sightseeing is not our forte (shopping is :) ), we decided to stop by Porta De Santiago (a'famosa Fortress) which is near our shopping area, giving the rest a miss.
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| Easton House. |
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| Photography Attraction. |
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| Porta De Santiago (a'famosa Fortress) |
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| Try the trishaw. |
If you are into sightseeing, you can give Mahkota Parade a miss and try visiting any of this places:
- Stadthuys - completed in 1660. Nowadays, it houses the historical museum. This is one of the oldest Dutch buildings in the east.
- Christ Church - this church was built between 1741 and 1753. It replaced a Portuguese church, which was shattered. Bricks were shipped from Zeeland in the Netherlands. On the floor of the church you will find Dutch tombstones. It is the oldest protestant church in Malaysia. On the altar you will see sacramental silverware, still bearing the Dutch coat of arms. Open: 0830-1700 Mon-Sat, free admission; photography is forbidden
- Dutch Square - Beautiful square around Christ Church and the Stadhuys. On this square you will find theTang Beng Swee Clock Tower, it looks Dutch, but it is not. It was built in 1886.
- St Paul's Church - take a path up the hill and it will lead you to this church. It was originally built in 1521, by the Portuguese. It became a fortress in 1567, until 1596. After the Dutch siege it became St Paul's, before it was known as Nossa Senhora da Annunciada (Our Lady of Annunciation). It has been used as a burial ground for the Dutch. You can still see the tombstones, along the walls of ruins of the church.
- Muzium Budaya/Sultanate Palace - Below the hill you will find this museum (Melaka Cultural Museum). It is a reconstruction of the istana of the sultan Mansur Shah. It was built in 1985. It is open daily from 9AM to 6PM except on Tuesdays, and on Fridays from 1215-1445. Entrance fee: RM 2
- Baba and Nyonya Peranakan Museum. Tel: +60-6-2831233. Opening hours: 10:00-12:30, 14:30-16:30. Closed on Tuesdays - Step back in time with a visit to this museum which is an actual Peranakan heritage town house and is a great example of Peranakan culture. It is on Heeren Street (now known as Tun Cheng Lock Street). The entry fee is RM8 per person and everyone has to follow a guide-led group. Photography is forbidden. Open Wed to Mon 1000-1230 1400-1630
- Portuguese Settlement - Here is where the descendants of the Portuguese who conquered Malacca in 1511 live today. The settlement, located just southeast of the city centre, consists of tidy rows of mostly wooden houses leading up to the Portuguese Square (Malay Medan Portugis)
- St John's Hill and Fort. Malacca's other fortress located on top of St John's Hill in Bandar Hilir, south of the city. Pretty views of the surroundings from the top. Malacca Town Bus (green) No. 17 passes by this fort.
- Melaka River Cruise - a 45 minute cruise along Melaka river where once it was a main trade area of Melaka during its Golden era. It takes passengers from the jetty beside the Maritime Museum to just beyond Kampung Morten and then back. Night cruise is more interesting as we can see lights lit on the riverbank's buildings, water fountain show and bridges. Tickets: Adult RM 10, Child RM 5. hourly cruise 10am to 11pm daily
- Eye on Malaysia - Ferris wheel on the west bank of the Melaka River just beside the modern vehicular bridge that continues from Jln Syed Abdul Aziz (this is the major coastal road that runs past the Mahkkota Parade). Tickets: Adult RM 20. This facility is now closed for maintenance/renovation.
- Eye on Melaka - a smaller Ferris wheel than the Eye on Malaysia on the west bank of the Melaka River 200m due west of the Immigration Office or 100m north of Jln Munshi Abdullah.
- Pirates of Melaka - located beside the Eye on Melaka, this consists of a pirate ship that you can ride on.
8.00 pm / Next day 10 a.m : Night Shopping at Jonker Street (Remember to go on Friday to Sunday)
Jonker Street, houses some of the Malacca's oldest dwellings or houses dating back to the 17th century. It is also informally known as the antique street. The antique shops here are featuring artifacts from different periods of colonial rule of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. If you have sufficient time to stroll through the street with eagle eyes, you can easily hunt and bargain for the unique and valuable antique furniture, Chinese porcelain, brassware, cast iron beds, lamps, coins and money notes, as well as the priceless Buddha statues.
Anyway, I was very disappointed that I did not check the timing for the night market at Jonker Street. Basically, there will only be night market on weekends. Night Market or Pasar Malam is a market that is held from evening to around 9PM. This is a good way to observe the life of locals. Pasar Malam sells basically almost anything, from food to clothing, small electronics to medicine.
Still, I proceed to explore Jonker street the following morning.
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| Jonker Stage |
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| Lots of Temple Around |
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| Must try the Chendol along the street |
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| Unique Souvenir, gifts and clothes. |
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| On weekdays, it is basically empty at night. But on Friday to Sunday, it is a different story, check the video out.... |
To conclude, if you are game enough to drive up to Malacca, it is a pretty good place for a short weekend getaway if there is a long weekend holiday in Singapore. Worth the trip!
