Langkawi after Covid

It's been.. quite some times since my husband and I have not been travelling. May I say... since Covid? Not to say that we have not been to anywhere.. Because, we are still attending few wedding ceremonies in Johor Bahru and Penang. We still have our weekend getaway, or you can called it 'staycation' at Mandarin Oriental, Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Cyberview Resort & Spa. And, we went to Hard Rock Hotel Desaru last September for my husband's company Family Day.

But compared to those days before Covid.. you know, I was a frequent traveler back then.

Honestly, being a full time student and at the same time you are an employee to a big organisation, it is no joke. You won't have time for yourself. When your weekdays are packed with meetings, programmes, events (you name it).. and your weekend are tight with classes, group discussion, assignments, research paper.. I am happy that it's over now. For 20 months (from May 2021 to December 2022) journey for a MBA scroll, with 14 subjects.. there were 88 coursework need to be done! including 36 individual assignments, 22 group assignments, and 30 presentations, plus 13 exams and 1 project paper. I am glad that I pass with flying colors. Thanks Putra Business School, UPM.

Well, Work Hard Play Hard!

Although it was just a domestic trip, but for us, the Langkawi Trip in March was so wonderful and memorable. Well, for us.. we considered this trip is to celebrate my mini achievement and marks myself as a MBA graduate! And at the same time, me as a 'covid survivor'. I've been infected with Covid-19 last 22nd February 2023.

3 - 6 March 2023

Although this is my 9th time to Langkawi, yeap I've been to this island quite a lot. Been to many attractions in this magnificent island. But, you know what? This is the first time I step my foot at the Chenang Beach. no kidding! and Alhamdulillah, even it was a school holiday but it's not a peak season in Langkawi. 

Of course I enjoyed myself with the parasailing, jet skiing, sunset cruising with saltwater jacuzzi, and many other beach activities that I never experienced before. And at night, Pantai Cenang now has fire dance performances. Seeing that fire dances, it reminds us with the one in Boracay. 

... about the cost, we spent almost RM4k for the whole trip. By taking MAS, we paid for RM 426 per pax, but seriously it was wayyy cheaper than Air Asia. we stayed at Mercure Langkawi Pantai Cenang (4*), it is a new hotel in LGK @ RM 415/room/night without breakfast. and with RM 350, we managed to have a 'private' Parasailing trip that take-off directly from the boat, instead of taking off from the shore. The boat took us 2x rounds for more than 10mins. we also booked for a 4hrs shared Sunset Cruise with saltwater jacuzzi for RM 99 per person (we added RM 30 for packed grilled chicken) which departed from Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. we had a perfect photo with the big Eagle and the beautiful sunset as the backgrounds during the cruise ride. Other than that, we spent the rest of our money on FOOD!!! totally worth it

I miss Boracay

Philippines shuts tourist island of Boracay to tourist for 6 months!!

hmmm I'm not going to raise any comment about this issue even though I've so many things to say right now. *sigh* .. Not going to pointing fingers. Not going to be one of the bad netizens. Cause I'm nobody. 

Anyhoo this particular entry was supposedly been published looong time ago with a different title on it - "things to do in Boracay". Since it has been stayed quietly as a 'draft' for 2 years, finally I decided to upload with few of the videos and photos when we were in Boracay... 

Enjoy!

Helmet Diving in Boracay!

Halal Hotel in Boracay

Paradise Garden

Resort Hotel & Convention Center

is the very first hotel in Boracay that has been accredited as a Certified HALAL Hotel on last 25th April 2015; by Islamic Da'wah Council of the Phils (IDCP). the hotel is located at Station 3

I'm not sure how does it 'work' cause i still can see that they are serving PORK in their menu at the Beach Bar Cafe and obviously....

this...???!!!!!

We had our meal at their Sunset View Resto Bar, and avoiding the Non-Halal section for sure. the rate is 585 peso (RM 51.50) per person for the Buffet Dinner. i like the choices of menu cause they are serving Sushi, Spaghetti, Halal Beef, Halal Chicken, Crabs, Halo-Halo (macam Air Batu Campur) etc, and the part is...

baked OYSTER with some cheese!! yummy!!!!

look at him. mkn dah tak tengok kiri kanan.
dinner on the beach

and CREPE

for the Buffet Lunch, the rate is 385 peso per person. and as for the Romantic Candle Light Dinner, ehem ehem the rate is 5,000 peso for 2 person.

while having our dinner that night, we managed to watch some courageous guest who dare to experience the G-Max Reverse Bungee wow!, located right next to the restaurant ~ also within the hotel compartment. 

next to this adrenaline-rush centre, we pampered our foot by having 1hour Foot Spa at the hotel's Beach Front Massage at 450 peso per person.

proper and private place with professional masseur 

Henann Garden Boracay

Don't worry about the accommodation in Boracay cause there are plenty of hotel / resort / inn / guest houses available along the White Beach, from Station 1 to Station 3.

since we were so-called honeymooners, my husband was insisted to stay at a 4 star hotel. hence, we booked for our 3 nights stay at

Henann Garden Resort

such a beautiful modern hotel with nice swimming pools, big room with balcony, pool view etc but unfortunately the free wifi only available at the lobby. 

some rooms with pool access. must be expensive

having the mango juices as the welcome drink at the pool bar

the pool and Garden Cafe view from my balcony

besides the cozy room (especially the mattress), the hotel is also beach access and... the best part is the Henann Groups (Henann Garden, Henann Lagoon & Henann Regency) provides the lounge-chair on the beach ; just represent the room key card to the staff on duty and you can stay as long as you want for FREE!

strategic location of Station 2

oh ya, thanks for the lovely swan towel decoration with flower petals as well as the welcome fruits platter with the delicious local mango ever! if you ever been to Philippines, please don't miss to try their local mango. the taste of the fresh mango is unique, sweet and unforgettable.

 

the journey to Boracay

such a nice weather in Boracay Island. jom terjun laut!

Even though the cost of travelling to Boracay in May seems too much higher than supposed-to-be our honeymoon trip last December; but thankfully we've made it this time. I won't believe on weather forecast anymore. Well, the meteorologists only can observe and predict, right?

The return airfare on Air Asia was increased from RM 525 to RM 710 per person.

While for the very same room also increased from RM 440 to RM 600 per room per night with breakfast. 

Although the currency drop from 9.5 to 8.8; but May is consider as 1 of the peak season months in Boracay.

[1000 peso equal to 88 ringgit]

1 down, 7106 island to go!!

Travelling to this beautiful Boracay Island was quite challenging. the total journey takes about 7hrs at least. as we departed from KL at 1030am, and arrived hotel at 6pm. almost half of the day was spent for the travelling only. same goes on the departure day, as we leaving the hotel at 930am, and arriving KLIA2 at 7pm. 

there's no time different between Malaysia and Philippines.

Boracay & Kalibo in yellow circle

we took Air Asia which flew direct to Kalibo International Airport for 3hrs and 45mins but not daily (only departs on every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). there's no airport in the tiny island of Boracay, thus the nearest airports are either Kalibo or Caticlan Airport, which both small airports are located on the bigger Panay Island next to Boracay Island. please bare in mind, that the land transfer from Kalibo Airport, Pook to Caticlan Jetty takes about 2hrs journey; via Numancia, Tangalan, Ibajay and Malay villages where you can see the local lifestyle, the different beaches, lagoon, the paddy field and many more. 

yes! i've a special pillow on the plane sitting right next to me

The only way to avoid the 2hrs of land travelling is by taking a flight transit at Manila first and take another domestic flight which will be landed at Caticlan Airport (only 10mins to Caticlan Jetty). since Caticlan is a domestic airport, hence there's no direct flight to Caticlan from Malaysia.

at Caticlan Jetty while waiting for our boat 

Sorry, camera cap ayam. actually we can see tons of parasailing activities in Boracay from this point. it does look like dozen of hot air balloons or some kind of umbrellas fall from the sky.
See that big boat? from this jetty, you may also take a boat to other islands such as Mindoro, Tablas and even Luzon (the biggest island in Philippines - Manila City is in Luzon)

From Caticlan Jetty, we took a speed boat ride to Cagban Port; precisely at Manoc Manoc, Boracay only for 10mins. and another 15mins land transfer to our hotel which located at the Station2 by taking a small vehicle (only can fit for 10pax max). the 'main road' in the island is veeeery small and winding. for the return door-to-door transportation, I've made an advance reservation with Southwest Tours (all staff are wearing orange uniform), cost me @ PHP1,286.25 (RM122) per person inclusive with 5% service tax, government fee 325 peso, all land shared-transfers, boat transfers, terminal fee and environmental fee.

tricycles are also available in the both Boracay and Panay Islands.

 

Please take note that you'll be needed to pay the Philippines Terminal Fee (Airport Tax) 

upon departure @ PHP 700 or USD 17 per person at Kalibo Airport. it's compulsory!

Boracay!! I'm in LOVE

Holiday Resort Lombok

Garden Chalet @ Holiday Resort Lombok

nampak macam cantik, kan? haaaa luar memang cantik. not until you step inside the room. the decoration quite impressive but not the maintenance. they claim this hotel as 4 star hotel, but for me this hotel doesn't meet up to that standard. know why? 

based on my own experience, i can't take shower at the bathtub cause the shower handle does not function. since i was in hurry, i just took bath at the toilet bowl - luckily the water hose is quite long. the safety boxes also cannot be used. the iron board wasn't clean. some guest got a smelly rooms. most of them do complaints that the air condition is not functioning. the worse case was when my client had her shower, the wastewater come up to the bathtub. euwww!!

i've lodge a complaint to the hotel but nothing much they can do. since the hotel was fully occupied during that particular weekend, we were unable to change our rooms. too bad! the hotel is also a bit far from the Central Senggigi Art Market. i was staying at the upper floor, so i got a bathroom with bathtub. those who were staying on the ground floor, might having an open-concept bathroom.

on the other hand..

Holiday Resort is a huge hotel. i love the atmosphere, the exterior design, the green grass garden, the private beach, the sunset view and the BBQ for our Grand Dinner.

Bintang Beer @ IDR 3,500,000 per barrel


Special thanks to Pak Suarta, the Floor Manager of Holiday Resort Lombok
 for your kind assistance during our Grand Dinner.

Lombok

Last March was a very hectic month for me. handling groups weren't this stressful till my staff taking 2weeks leave just to celebrate his birthday in Italy. wahhh, i'm so so so envy! taking the business class on Emirates Airline some more. whooaaaaaa again, i'm so jelly! earlier last month, we handled Tun Musa's foundation to Siem Reap for their annual trip. and then, a Japanese company which is based in Malaysia to Lombok for their very-first-time company trip. 

honestly, Lombok never be in my travelling destination list. i dunno know why.. my boss has been there last 2010 just to hike the Rinjani Mountain; the second highest mountain in Indonesia. i still remember, during that time, my boss insisted to take Garuda Indonesia instead of Merpati Air to Mataram (the old airport in Lombok). he told me "Merpati Air tu kapal terbang bertampal2 dgn tape, who dare enough to use that scary aircraft". that time, Air Asia doesn't fly to Lombok yet. last year, November 2015 to be exact; both Lombok Airport and Bali Airport were closed for 3-5 days due to the volcanic ashes from the Mount Baru Jari, a sub-volcano of Rinjani Mountain. hmmm still active

have you ever read about the blogger who been cheated by the local people in Lombok early this year? here's the link. same thing happened to my staff during his previous visit to Lombok but not to that extend. we won the 3D2N Lombok package during a product briefing organized by Tourism Indonesia, he redeemed the package but unfortunately the local operator who are supposed to provide the services didn't deliver as promised. what an unlucky trip, plus on the day he supposed to return back to KL, Garuda Indonesia skids off the runaway makes the airport closed for a week. 0.0" oh my goodness! when such incident happened, he and his partner already checked in and waiting for boarding. then, they stranded there in Lombok for couple days till he made his own way to Bali by 1hour boat and took a flight back to KL from Bali Denpasar Airport. 

Lombok Island is located at West Nusa Tenggara, in between of Bali Island and Sumbawa Island. even though these two islands, Bali and Lombok are located next to each other, surprisingly 80% from the total population in Bali are Hindu while 80% population in Lombok are Muslim (Sasak tribe). even more surprised, Gili Trawangan, one of the small islands (Gili means Island) in Lombok is more famous than Lombok main island itself. most people (yeap, i'm pointing to you, Yda and Nadia.. haha no offense) came to Lombok just for the Gili Trawangan. Spending their 2-3 nights stay in Gili Trawangan, without bother to visit other part in Lombok such as Kuta Beach (not Kuta Beach in Bali), Tanjung An, Sasak Village, Sukarare Village etc. well hey, for your information... Tanjung An is more beautiful than Gili Trawangan. i can guarantee you this one. take a look at this photo which i took by myself (no edited, cause i'm so lazy to do any kind of editing)

Tanjung Aan, Lombok

  

Turtle Island and the beauty of Indian Ocean... this is what we called "crystal clear water". in love with the color tones. yes, we can swimming here at Tanjung An, but apparently during my visit, it was 3pm. panass wehh Kuta Lombok Beach also not so bad, much much better than Kuta Beach in Bali. no offense ya Balinese people, i've been to Bali thrice.

 

During my visit to Gili Trawangan last 26th March 2016; we took a slow boat from Teluk Nare Harbour (closer than Bangsal Jetty) straight to Mawar Cafe. yeap, disembark on the beach in front of Mawar Cafe, not at any jetty at Gili Trawangan, or i must say a platform. i don't really like the 'boat parking' concept in Gili Trawangan. for me, it's kinda dangerous and i'm kinda shocked. i've been to Redang, Tioman, Phi Phi Island, Krabi, Payar Island, Manukan Island and lots more but they will never allow either the boatman to steer nearby snorkeling area and people also cannot swim or snorkeling at/nearby boat traffic or cross the restricted area.

 

just my two cents.. however, the water at Gili Trawangan is also super clear, we can view the coral from the boat. there's NO para sailing / paraw sailing / helmet diving / banana boat etc etc etc. for better snorkeling experience in Gili, i would rather to take the glass bottom boat around Rp50,000-100,000 per person per trip (minimum 10 person). the boatman will sail to those 3 Gilis, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air; and we can request to stop at the coral spot - snorkeling at the open sea is way better than seashore. and if you wish to have an island round trip or to go to the famous "Ombak Sunset Swing" at the west part of the Trawangan Island, please take the horse cart ride (quite bumpy and also known as "cidomo") around Rp250,000 per cart per ride (maximum 3 person) or rent a bicycle around Rp50,000 per bike per hour. These 3 Gilis are also nice for diving, but not for surfing. the best place for surfing is actually at the southern part of Lombok Island named Gerupuk Beach, nearby Tanjung Aan. last but not least, don't forget to try Gili Gelato - the homemade and fresh ice cream in Gili Trawangan.

what else?

oh ya, Malimbu Hill! the place where we can view those 3 Gilis

wow! seriously clear water... can you see those 3 Gilis?

 

the right photo looks different, right? cause i uploaded in my insta. that's why

ok, quick facts. 3hrs fly from KL. there's no time different between M'sia time and Lombok time. for those who need to apply the Visa on Arrival, there's VOA counter at the airport and they will charge you @USD35 per person. we had our lunch at Grand Royal Resto (nearby Praya Airport) and dinner at Taliwang Restaurant for the local delicacies such as Taliwang Chicken, Bebalung, Pelecing Kangkung and Beberok. FYI, the local people loves to eat super hot and super spicy food. the spicier the better.

talking about the local people; previously most Malaysian especially Malay parents, very scared with Lombok guy who works in Malaysia and tend to 'kidnap' their daughter and brought them back to Lombok. kidnapping is truly their culture. and according to the local guide at the Sasak-Sade Village, that's why their houses are very small with no room and no window. so that the father can easily monitoring and protecting their own daughter. and the house's floor which was made from cow/buffalo dung (seriously) and mud were built for the woman only while man will sleep outside the house. due to time constraint, i skip to visit the Sukarare hand-weaving village. next time, babe

if you are looking for some souvenir in Lombok such as Lombok coffee, t-shirts, sweets, etc; i highly recommend you to shop at the Oleh-Oleh Lombok Shop and Gandrung Oleh Oleh T-Shirt shop. even though the price is fix (harga pas - no bargaining), it is still 3x cheaper than those at Art Market Senggigi. the Art Market opens from morning till around 8pm; while the Oleh Oleh Shop open up to 10pm.

need a finger break.
next entry will be about Holiday Resort Lombok...

...to be continued