Having been to Melaka (also known as Malacca) in Malaysia several times now, we decided to distil all that we’ve done into this post on …
Top Travel Experiences in Melaka Malaysia!
malacca
Is it worth having Nonya Food at Ta Chi House Malacca?
While staying at the Majestic Malacca, we were introduced by our friendly receptionist to visit Ta Chi House for Nonya makan. According to her, Ta …
Authentic Nonya Food in Malacca : Restoran Nancy’s Kitchen!
When you think of Nonya Food in Malacca, which Nonya restaurant comes to mind? Other than Restoran Ole Sayang, the other prominent Nonya restaurant in …
The Majestic Malacca : Possibly the Best Hotel in Malacca (if Casa Del Rio is fully booked)!
The Majestic Malacca was where we had our first night of stay in Malacca. From the onset, it does not look much at the entrance …
Casa Del Rio : Possibly the BEST hotel in Malacca!
If you’re taking a walk along Melaka River, it will be hard for you to miss this architectural design that combines the Portuguese heritage of …
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Many people have talked to us about how bad traffic jams in Melaka can really be. Usually, the single road traffic as well as the peak hours/weekends are mentioned in the same breath.
But how bad is the traffic jam in Melaka really?
This video, taken from our room @ Hotel Equatorial Melaka can testify to the ridiculous traffic in Melaka…
Traffic Jam in Melaka
It is not a myth! Horrendous traffic jams in Melaka is true!!
The road leading from left to right is actually going into a carpark beside the Dataran Pahlawan shopping mall. However, from the crawling speeds of the cars, you can even feel the frustrations of those drivers.
Well, it’s hard to blame tourists and foodies alike for visiting Melaka. There are so many attractions here in Melaka and the local food is yummylicious.
So when you are visiting Malacca the next time round, remember to factor in the bad traffic jams!
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
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Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
If you are looking for authentic Peranakan restaurant in Malacca, look no further than Restoran Ole Sayang.
According to locals (2 ladies that sat opposite us), Restoran Ole Sayang is one of the most reputable Peranakan restaurant in Malacca and many locals will point you to this restaurant at the mention of Peranakan food…
We were quickly shown to our seats at a big round table and shared the table with 2 other ladies.
The waitress then came over and told us what was the menu of the day (The restaurant usually cooks according to the ingredients that they acquired for the day). So how good is the Peranakan food here?
Chap Chye as the name suggests is a “mixed vegetable” dish. Usually the dish comes flavoured by cabbages, black fungus and vermicelli as the main stay. The chap chye at Ole Sayang was quite unique in that it does not resemble the usual peranakan chap chye and has an acquired taste, slightly to the sourly side. That’s not to say it’s not nice, a unique taste that’s worth the try.
The Otah was not one of our favourites, mainly because we have a pre-determined idea of how a great Otah would be like; Moist on the outside, firm and full of ingredients on the inside.
The Otah at Ole Sayang was a little bit dry on the outside and the inside was not as “full” in terms of ingredients as we had imagined. The only plus point was the chilli mix was quite nice and partnered the fragrant rice well.
One of the other Peranakan dish that you would usually try to determine the “skill” of the Peranakan restaurant would be the Ayam Rendang.
At Ole Sayang, the spiciness was just right and the rendang mixture together with the tender chicken was ma ma mia!
The chendol makes a nice round up to a traditional peranakan meal.
Overall, the restaurant serves up authentic peranakan food at a fraction of a restaurant price. Worthy of its reputation.
Before we left, we noticed many other patrons leaving with bags of keropok. Intrigued with thoughts of “how good can a keropok be?!”, we bought 2 bags at 10RM each.
No regrets there! The keropok turned out to be one of the best we’ve tasted. PLUS it stays crispy even after staying in the fridge for a few days, no signs of lao hong (non-crispiness after exposure to air) at all!
How to get there
If you notice the huge korean restaurant opposite the Dataran Pahlawan Megamall, walk along the road adjacent to the restaurant. You should be able to identify the restaurant with its pinkish colour (see picture) after about a 5 minutes walk.
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
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Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
If there are 2 museums that you must visit in Melaka, one of them has got to be the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum…
Of course the other is the Melaka Maritime Museum.
The reason why the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum is a must visit museum in Melaka is because of the wealth of information it holds!
If you are interested in history of Melaka, it’s there.
If you are interested in stories and legends, it’s there!
If you are interested in jurisdictions in Melaka, it’s there!!
If you are interested in artifacts and costumes worn, it’s there!!!
Basically, all the things you want to know about how Melaka came to be, it’s all there. So, to provide a good background to the rest of your trip in Melaka, the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum is a must visit museum if you have to make a choice to visit 1 or 2 museums only.
Not to mention, the price of entry is ONLY 2RM!!!
One of the more interesting displays (at least to Kate and I) were the legends and heroes of Melaka. They tell of stories of jealousy, loyalty and deceit. Plus, life sized sculptures do bring the stories to life…
Besides the excellent photo taking opportunities of the palace itself plus a nice stroll around the garden which you can enjoy, you can also marvel at the architectural brilliance of how the palace can be built without any nails at all! An architectural feat of their time…
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago | Malacca Attractions
In addition to St. Paul’s Church, Stadhuys and Jonker Street, another famous attraction in Malacca is A Famosa Fort also known as Porta De Santiago.
According to another one of our extensive research (2mins on Wikipedia), it is one of the oldest surviving European structure in Asia. Once a fortress built by the Portuguese, the gate is the only remaining structure now.
Around the A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
This video shows the A Famosa up close and if you listen closely, you can also hear a tune resembling “My Heart Will Go On”.
No…you are not hearing things. It’s simply because there’s a violin player playing within the gates.
At the end of this video, you can also see a flight of red stairs that leads up the hill. This will bring you to St. Paul’s Church.
You can read more of our whining when you read that post…
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
St. Paul’s Church | Malacca Attractions
Please dont make the same mistake that we made when we visited St. Paul’s Church in Malacca…
The mistake was this…
According to google map, St. Paul’s Church is actually just a short walk from Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall, just across the road right?
WRONG! There is actually a climb up the hill from A Famosa (aka Porta De Santiago). It’s a climb with many steps at that!
So now we all know google maps dont include depth/height for its maps…
But back to our story.
St. Paul’s Church Melaka was built in 1521 and refurbished in 1566.
Video Tour inside St. Paul’s Church
Today, it is a much visited tourist attraction in Malacca and is part of the Malacca Museum Complex which includes A Famosa (aka Porta de Santiago) as well as the Stadhuys.
Another interesting story about the St. Paul’s Church is that it was actually a temporary burial site for Francis Xavier, a pioneering catholic missionary who was active in southeast asia during those times.
According to legend, he died out at sea but before he died, he told the sailors that he wanted to be buried in Goa India. So before his body was shifted to Goa, St. Paul’s Church was the temporary burial site for about 9 months.
To commemorate Francis Xavier, a statue of him was erected and it stands just outside of St. Paul’s Church overlooking the sea…
Views from St. Paul’s Church
So if you ever visit St. Paul’s Church. Dont be mistaken that it is actually “just beside” A Formosa. Well…actually it is but after climbing those stairs!
You’ve been warned…
How to St Paul’s Church Melaka
If you take a look at the map above again. The walk is pretty straight forward if you stay at the Hotel Equatorial Melaka.
Across the street from Hotel Equatorial is the Dataran Pahlawan Shopping Mall. If you follow it all the way through (either on the inside to avoid the sun in the day or on the outside to have some fresh air) you will arrive at the food court.
Take a walk out of the food court and up the stairs. You will then arrive at the A Famosa.
Walk through the gate and up those stairs and tada, you arrive at St. Paul’s Church Melaka!
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk | Malacca Attractions
There are so many things to do at Jonker Street! Let’s find out what are the things to do right here in Jonker Street Malacca! If you have read our last few posts, there are actually many things to do here at Jonker Street (aka Jonker Walk)…
Well, in this post, we are going highlight our top 3 things to do at Jonker Street!
1. Find out which chicken rice is the best.
Malacca is of course famous for its chicken rice balls. There are so many of them in Malacca, so which one do you go for?
Fret not! 2bearbear.com has tasted the top 2 rated malacca chicken rice ball stalls to give you the lowdown on Hoe Kee and Chung Wah.
Once you have tasted them, why not leave a comment below to tell us all what you think about it?
2. Try out baba/nonya dishes and desserts at Jonker 88.
Malacca is all about food isnt it? Yet another foodie thing to do on this street is to makan at Jonker 88. If you’re the type who just want to try the street kinda nonya/baba food, you’ll find them right here.
The desserts are also hot sellers here. From afar, if you see a queue, it’s quite likely that the queue’s at Jonker 88.
3. Enjoy the night market!
When night descends upon Jonker Street, stalls come out to play! At about 6pm, hawker stalls and stalls selling all sorts of things are seen along Jonker Street.
From afar you should be able to hear the “kok kok” candy man who is separating malted sugar (with peanuts) using his tools, effecting the familiar “kok kok” sound.
Then there are stalls selling mee sua (a type of vermicelli) which Malacca is famous for. We’ve bought some and they’re really good and dont “disintegrate” like most other brands.
You can also choose to just chillax at Geographer cafe – a pub that also serves up local delights. The drinks are rather expensive but a small pint wont do much harm right?
Of course there are street foods that you should savour as well. On this occasion, we saved our tummy for Fried Oyster aka Orh Lua!
We’ve even asked permission from Aunty to take a video on how to make fried oysters!
How to make fried oysters
You can see that we actually strafe left to avoid the smoke coming from the fried oysters. The wind was blowing in our direction!
But still, the whole process was captured and here is the final product…
For your convenience, you can now check out the best hotel deals in Malacca right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
deal.com.sg, goCrazy.com.sg, gobbler.com.sg, groupon.com.sg etc etc etc…there are so many online discount coupon/vouchers sites these days! Initially Tom and I were skeptical about these so-called “good deals” and we were worried about pushy sales people, so we let these deals slipped by. But one night as I was bored and surfing the internet to pass time, I came across this “$199 2D1N Philea Resort” deal. The photos of the resort look really inviting and I decided to check out the resort’s official website. Philea Resort was completed and officially opened in August 2010. Since it is still fairly new (it was Feb 2011 when we checked out the resort), we decided to book a weekend trip to Philea Resort Malacca in May 2011.
Our experience was marred by a 2 hour traffic jam at the Malaysia customs, and we arrived at the resort at about 3pm instead of the scheduled time of 1pm. We were hot and tired after the long bus ride but thankfully the check-in was smooth and there were welcome drinks and cold towels that quenched our thirst and refreshed us.
The hotel staff then helped us put our bags onto a buggy (is it pronounced as “Bud-gy” or “Buggie”?) and drove us to our room. On our way up, we could see the landscape of the resort, the tranquil swimming pool, and the spa facilities. We quickly settled into our room, checked out the amenities in the room (free pretty slippers!), and head down to the pool for a swim.
As it was a Saturday night, there was a seafood buffet dinner deal! Only RM69++ (approx $33SGD) per pax! The spread was awesome (esp the desserts for me, and the seafood for Tom), and we ate so much that we could hardly move. We even able to eat 2 whole snappers by ourselves and it was fresh and tasty! The BBQ corner also included other seafood such as prawn and crayfish. Yum! The quiet stroll back to our room on a cool night aided with the digestion, and we enjoyed the peaceful evening away from the crowded city life.
The next morning, we woke up early to walk around the resort and take in the fresh air. Soon we were hungry and we made our way to the restaurant where the breakfast buffet (included in the package) is served. Once again, the variety of food made us happy. With chefs at the different stations to cook roti prata, waffles and pancakes on the spot, and the spread from an international buffet, we were really spoiled for choice 🙂
After breakfast, we lazed by the pool and got a nice tan. It was a relaxing weekend, and we were all ready to conquer another week at work! 🙂
For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals @ Philea Resort right here!
Related posts
This post is part of our 3D2N travels in Malacca. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip!
Top 3 Things to do at Jonker Street aka Jonker Walk
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Weekend Getaway and Staycation @ Philea Resort Melaka (Malacca)
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
A Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
Traffic Jams in Melaka : How bad is it really?
Restoran Ole Sayang – One of the most reputable Peranakan Restaurant in Malacca
Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum – Built without nails!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
A Famosa aka Porta De Santiago
St. Paul’s Church
P.S Go visit Philea while it is still rather new and clean!
P.P.S Remember to plan activities for the bus trip eg card games or dvd to watch in case you get stuck in a unexpected traffic jam.
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