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!
melaka
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 …
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 …
Top Attractions and Things to do in Melaka : World Heritage City
There are so many things to do and attractions in Melaka! Let’s find out what are the things you can do right here in Melaka!
Just for our readers, this is a quick summary of the Melaka attractions in this world heritage city…
1. Traditional Trishaw Rides
One of the best ways to cover Melaka has got to be the trishaw rides. You can hope on one of these brightly decorated trishaws at Stadhuys and your trishaw guide will bring you to the tourist attractions in Melaka!
2. Authentic Peranakan Food
One of the most authentic and well known peranakan restaurants in Melaka, Ole Sayang serves up some of the best nonya foods at affordable prices. Dont forget to take away some of its famous keropok while you’re there!
3. Historical Museums
To learn some interesting history of how Melaka came to be, the Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum as well as the Melaka Maritime Museum are 2 of the many museums that are strongly recommended!
4. A Famosa Fort
One of the most famous ruins in Melaka, the A Famosa Fort is a must visit attraction!
5. St. Paul’s Church
A short walk up the hill from A Famosa is the St. Paul’s Church. From here, you can visit this Melaka Attraction and have a splendid view of the city as well!
6. Jonker Street
To savour some of the best local delicacies, why not head to Jonker Street? Here, you will be able to savour one of the best chicken rice in Melaka and also try out some street foods in the evening. Quaint shops along the street will get your attention as well!
7. Stadhuys aka Red Square
Another must visit attraction here in Melaka has got to be the Stadhuys. Here you can also see one of the oldest church – Christ Church Melaka and also hop on to one of the well-decorated trishaws for a ride about town!
8. Leisurely Stroll along the Melaka River
To make your Melaka trip more memorable, why not hope on the cruise down the Melaka river? A walk along the river is also strongly recommended!
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 Leisure Stroll along the Melaka River
The cost of a river cruise along the Melaka River actually costs only 10RM!
However, on this day, Kate and I decided that “Hey, it’s a bright and sunny day, why not just take a leisurely stroll down the Melaka river?”
And that’s what we did…
We started our leisurely stroll along the Melaka River and we stumbled upon this sign…
Turns out that these thin bricks were from the dutch colonial times. These bricks have a stark contrast to the fatter and broader bricks that we see today.
Further down, we came across the Church of St. Francis Xavier that was built in 1849…
as well as the huge sign that states Melaka as a World Heritage City…
Along the river, you can also see the Melaka trees…
Legend has it that the exiled Prince Parameswara was standing under the Melaka Tree when he observed a mouse deer attacking his hunting dogs. Inspired by the fighting spirit of the mouse deer, he asked for the name of the tree of which he was standing under. And the name of Melaka was born…
Moving on, we noticed that there are nicely drawn graffiti art on the houses along the river…
We were pleasantly surprised by the extent of the art and these areas present picturesque spots for tourists along the river.
After (more than) a while, we decided to head inwards towards to city to find a place to rest our feet. We came across the Baker’s Oven and Cafe…
This quaint little cafe is operated by a lovely couple. The wife who is a British does some mean baking and we decided to give the scones a try…
The scone had a crumbly (not too sweet) texture to it and the flavour was brought up and complemented with the jam and cream. The cream was freshly whipped on the spot so there was no hint of extra fatty taste or sweetness to it. Excellent pairing.
We rounded the “meal” with a couple of juices to cool ourselves down on this bright and sunny day…
The leisurely stroll along the Melaka river was indeed rewarding and enjoyable. Take time to take in the sights and even allow yourself to wander through the alleys. You may stumble into hidden “gems” and neighbourhoods that are well worth a visit!
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!
Trishaw Rides in Melaka : A Must-Do Activity!
To get a fix of trishaw rides in Melaka, look no further than Stadhuys, otherwise known as the red square in Melaka.
Trishaw Rides at Stadhuys
The Stadhuys is the homeground of the Trishaw riders in Melaka. Here, you can find signs that depict the price of the trishaw rides – typically charged 40RM per hour. The rates of the trishaw rides do differ during the holiday season…
Kate and I were there during the holiday season (new year’s eve) and thought that the prices of trishaw rides as depicted on the signs still held true. However, upon querying, the rates were somewhat cheaper (at 30RM) but the rides were much shorter (at 20 minutes).
Still, one of the must-do activity here in Melaka has got to be this traditional ride on the trishaw. It allows you to get around to all the attractions in Melaka such as the A Famosa aka Porta de Santiago, Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum, Melaka Maritime Museum, St. Paul’s Church and even Jonker Street!
Not only that, if you are lucky, the trishaw rider can give you simple explanations about these attractions. Even if they do not, you still get to enjoy a leisurely ride across town…
Trishaw Ride Melaka
The other main attraction about the trishaws in Melaka is that the trishaw riders take pride in their rides so much so that they put in extra effort to decorate them. Looking at the different brightly coloured decorations of the trishaws is a joy in itself! Not only that, some rides come with the latest sound systems, sub-woofer and all to entertain tourists and onlookers!
Therefore, if you have travelled especially to Melaka, take a ride on the traditional trishaw and enjoy the sights and sounds that this simple mode of transport can bring.
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!
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
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
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
If you enjoyed our content, “Like” us on Facebook Today!
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!
Melaka Maritime Museum – Museum within a Ship
One of the most prominent structure along the Melaka River is this…
This structure shaped like that of an olden day vessel is actually the maritime museum in Melaka!
From atop of the hill at St. Paul’s Church, you can actually see this structure. Intrigued by what we saw, Kate and I ventured towards that general direction (from where we saw the ship) and visited the maritime museum.
There are plenty of photo opportunities around the maritime museum, we were amazed at the sheer size of the ship and how well maintained it was.
The entrance fee to the Melaka maritime museum is actually quite cheap at 3RM. We would definitely recommend going in and have a visit because of the wealth of knowledge that the museum offers. Of course it is also a cheap price to get out of the sun if it is a sunny day…
At the ticketing counter, you would be given a plastic bag. Dont be surprised. It is actually used to keep your shoes as the museum itself requires you to remove your shoes before entering into its premise. After crossing the gangway, on the main area, shoes are fine. However, entering into the air-conditioned area, shoes have to be removed…
Entering into the museum, you would find the exhibits quite interesting. It depicts how the port of Melaka at that time came to be and how it was a place where traders came to find trading opportunities. The history was also well recorded of how the Dutch,Portuguese and English came to power here…
Overall, the Melaka Maritime Museum is a must visit attraction in Malacca and is definitely worth a trip. This is not only because of the excellent photo opportunities with the ship itself but also the wealth of information that the museum offers about maritime powers and history.
If you are a history junkie, the Melaka Maritime Museum is the place for you!
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!
Jonker 88 @ Jonker Street | Malacca Attractions
One of the must visit stalls at Jonker Street has got to be Jonker 88!
Jonker 88 features many local nonya food as well as yummy desserts!
Having determined the winner of the battle of the Malacca Chicken Rice Ball, Kate and I were now too full to go on to the mains. Hence, we went straight for the dessert corner and ordered the famous durian chendol as well as the sago gula melaka…
Although we were very full, we slurped every bit of the 2 desserts! The gula melaka (not suitable for diabetics, confirmed plus chop plus double confirm) was sweet (fei hua) but had a nice cooked sugary taste to it.
Also, we regretted not filming the shifu when she put on the gula melaka…it was with such skill! One scoop one kill in one fast paced motion!
How to get there
Jonker 88 is located in the middle of Jonker street. One key indicator is the long queue in front of it, especially on the dessert side.
But we must say that the sago gula melaka and durian chendol were worth the wait!
Have you tried the nonya/baba food that Kate and I didnt have the space to stomach? If so, share with us in the comments section!
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!
Stadhuys Melaka aka Red Square or Dutch square | Melaka Attractions
One of the most prominent attractions in Melaka has got the be the Stadhuys (sometimes spelt as Stadthuys). In Dutch, it basically means the city hall or town hall and used to be the administrative centre during the dutch colonial times.
The Stadhuys (also known as Dutch Square) is home to the oldest Protestant Church in Malaysia – Christ Church Melaka
Not only so, it is home to the Museum of History and Ethnography right at the edge of the square where the trishaws gather. Speaking of trishaws, Kate and I took a ride on one of the trishaws right here at Stadhuys! Here’s a video of the beautifully decorated trishaws…
Trishaws at Stadhuys
The Stadhuys is arguably one of the oldest architecture from the dutch colonial times. That is why there are so many tourists here! But beware (you tourists-to-be)! As far as possible, try not to buy your souvenirs from the rows of shops there. We bought a sleeping mask (one of those you wear on the plane to sleep) for 5MYR (Ringgit) but we realised that the same mask could be bought for 3MYR at Jonker street!
Not much in terms of SGD you may say…but it is still a 40% difference! :O
The Stadhuys is really quite a small square but there are nice photo spots. These include photos with the fountain, Christ Church Melaka as well as the beautifully decorated trishaws!
Of course a far more high tech and better fountain show at be found at the Bellagio Fountains.But we digress…
To end of this post, enjoy this 360 degrees view of the Stadhuys (Red Square) done by Kate, our in-house photographer and videographer!
Yup…we all know who to look for if we feel “blair-witched”!
How to get there
Stadhuys is located Laksamana Road and if you follow our well drawn map of Melaka…
It is right beside Jonker Street and a short walk from the St. Paul’s Church
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!
Best 5 stars hotel in Melaka : Hotel Equatorial Melaka
According to our extensive research (2 mins via google), we found that there are basically three 5 stars hotel in Melaka (could be more).
They are
1. Hotel Equatorial Melaka
2. Renaissance Melaka
3. Holiday Inn Melaka
Of these, Holiday Inn Melaka has the newest and best features of these hotels because it is the latest collection in the Melaka 5 stars hotel arena.
However, its location puts it behind Renaissance Melaka and Hotel Equatorial Melaka. (This is when you consider attractions to be centralised near Stadhuys and Christ Church).
So this leaves us with Renaissance Melaka as well as Hotel Equatorial to vie for the best 5 star hotel in Melaka.
We can see that Hotel Equatorial is a short walking distance from St. Francis Church and thus Stadhuys. Also, according to our 2 min google, it was found that Renaissance Melaka is almost the same walking distance to the north.
Hence, both Hotel Equatorial Melaka and Renaissance Melaka are neck in neck at this point. The 2 factors that should determine your choice are thus
1. Style/Class/Newer. If you’re looking for a hotel with more class, style and is newer, Renaissance Melaka would be your choice.
2. Price. However, if you are looking at the cheapest of the 5 stars like us, the winner is clear, Hotel Equatorial Melaka! Plus, while we were there, there was a 88RM F&B credit for each night of stay!
Here’s a look at our room and the view it offers at Hotel Equatorial
Reminds us of our stay at Raffles Hotel Singapore…
Not only that, we were kindly given the option to choose our room. The receptionist gave us a card to one of the rooms to see if we were satisfied with the room before allocating it to us!
Here are the views from our room
The hotel also had a relatively big swimming pool that interconnects the various pools…
Another reason why Hotel Equatorial Melaka trumps Renaissance Hotel is because it is RIGHT BESIDE the Dataran Pahlawan Shopping Mall! There’s lots of shopping, makan and even a cinema!
So here’s a recap why Hotel Equatorial Melaka is the best 5 stars hotel in Melaka (compared to Renaissance Hotel and Holiday Inn Melaka)
1. Location. Near to all Melaka Tourism Attractions!
2. Price. Cheapest of the three 5 stars Hotel
3. Shopping. RIGHT Beside Dataran Pahlawan Shopping Mall
4. Nice Swimming Pool
5. Excellent Views!
All in all, we were thoroughly satisfied with our stay and we’ll leave you with a panoramic view from the balcony of the hotel!
View from the Balcony of Hotel Equatorial
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!
Battle of the Malacca (Melaka) Jonker Street Chicken Rice Balls : Which is better? Chung Wah Chicken Rice or Hoe Kee Chicken Rice?
Whenever you visit Malacca, a visit to Jonker street is a must.
Why?
There is the night market, little shops with souvenirs and unique items on the side of the streets, street food and delicacies.
But one thing remains a mystery to most visitors to Jonker Street…
Which chicken rice ball stall is better? Chung Wah chicken rice ball at the start of Jonker street or the nicer looking Hoe Kee chicken rice ball in the middle of the street?
2bearbear.com has taken upon ourselves (and our tummies) to once and for all, clear this mystery for all our readers.
Let’s have some applause please…(*clap clap clap*)
Right…but first we must warn our readers as well.
DO NOT EAT AT A FORMOSA CHICKEN RICE! NO!!!!!!!! (echoes disappearing into the abyss…)
Ok…we shall leave it at that.
Moving on. We first visited Chung Wah Chicken Rice
Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball @ Start of Jonker Street
Please recognise this picture. Although it says “Kedai Kopi Chung Wah”, but it really is a coffee shop that sells only one thing, CHICKEN RICE! and drinks of course.
Plus, the chicken rice at Chung Wah usually sells out at about 3-4pm. Be there earlier to avoid disappointment. For us, we were there at about 3:30pm.
We were lucky.
Minutes after we sat down, the metal gates were closed (with the rest of the diners still inside of course, not that they’re gonna kidnap us or something)
The next thing we realised was that the aunty immediately asked us if we wanted half a chicken and 1 set of rice balls each. HALF A CHICKEN FOR 2 PERSONS?! Being the first time there, we nodded.
This means that either:
1. Most people who went to Chung Wah were REALLY hungry. OR
2. After sizing Tom up, aunty decided that it has got to be half a chicken for us.
The portion of the half chicken was what we expected it to be. However, if the 2 of you are feeling really peckish, half a chicken is just right. Aunty was right after all.
Taste Test
The chicken at Chung Wah has a fragrance of sesame oil to it and when you try to decipher the sauce…you’ll realise one voice in your head going
“Hey, I know this taste!” while the other voice in your head goes
“No, you dont!” This goes back and forth, forcing you to dip the sauce on your spoon to try it over and over again.
The thing is, the sauce is unique. It has some excellent proportion of spices, sesame oil and soya sauce to it that makes it special.
Next comes the chicken.
Tender and firm at the right places. Kinda oxymoron right? The texture of the chicken was good. Keeps you coming back for more.
So what about the rice?
The thing that we did not get quite used to about chicken rice ball is that, IT’S COLD!
Eating chicken rice cold…that’s something really different. Guess they need to cool it or allow it to cool before the ball takes shape.
However, we did not really like the rice ball, simply because it lacked the fragrance that chicken rice ought to have. The saving grace was that, pairing with the chicken was a great combination…
The half chicken at Chung Wah (with 10 balls) costs RM19.70.
As for deco, it really was like a coffee shop but the old kind? Allows you to feel the ambience somewhat like that of the 70s.
Next, we headed off to Hoe Kee Chicken Rice (not immediately, but almost, because of our keen interest to solve the chicken rice ball mystery at Jonker street once and for all!!)
Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball @ Middle of Jonker Street
The first impression of Hoe Kee was more of
“Wow, classy chinese interior design!”
This is definitely a great place to bring your friends to for a nice meal of local food. A great place to entertain and meet up with your guests as well.
“How about the food?” You might ask.
Taste Test
The chicken at Hoe Kee was normal. Really nothing much to shout about here. Dont guess us wrong, it was a decent plate of chicken. Meat was fresh but taste was not as memorable and lasting as that of Chung Wah.
However, the rice did trump Chung Wah’s in that there was the chicken rice fragrance that one craved. The coldness was still there but the taste was much better.
The quarter chicken at Hoe Kee (with 5 balls, Soya Bean and Herbal Tea) costs RM14.20
Verdict
Now, to put the mystery of the Jonker Street Chicken Rice Ball Battle behind us…
2bearbear.com declares the winner of the “Battle of the Malacca Jonker Street Chicken Rice Ball” to be…(*Drumrolls*)
Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball!
Well, the chicken basically won the war for Chung Wah. Although they lost in the chicken rice ball department, the unique sauce was more than able to make up for this loss.
And did we mention that the chilli packed a punch at Chung Wah’s?
Nonetheless, in terms of ambience, Hoe Kee won hands down and if a gathering with friends and family is your focus, Hoe Kee is the place to go.
For great taste, you cant go wrong with Chung Wah.
We hope that with this post, we can finally put this age-old mystery of “which Jonker Street Chicken Rice Ball is better” to rest!
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
P.S. We also realised that traditional chicken rice beats rice balls hands down. It’s just unique and fashionable but you just cant beat that old fashioned plate of chicken rice hot off the cooker.
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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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