The Light Penang

Light literally translated as “lampu” in Malay. And one of the famous British Captain who had ruled Penang in the past was Sir Francis Light. I was struggling to figure out if the hotel we stayed when we were in Seberang Jaya the other weekend was named after the famous captain.

But instead it was because the hotel was owned by the Pelita Group, a famous nasi kandar chain. And “pelita” could also be translated as “light”.

Enough about the name, the hotel proved to be better than I expected. Despite being three years old, everything felt brand new. The room service we ordered as well as the breakfast selection was also delightful. The hotel had full range of services including gym, pool and spa. There was also a convention taking place the morning we were there, and I was sure they had a good confererence package to go along with it as well.

We stayed on the 15th floor, a nice room, great shower and confortable bed. The breakfast was also better than I expected with selection of local and international food. We ended up spending almost an hour an a half killing time that morning, checking on the news and just browsing the net.

We would definitely recommend this hotel and would plan to stay here again should we need to come back to Seberang Perai. Unfortunately, we had already made plans for our Raya trip to Penang and would be staying across on the island side.

Settling into Bali

It wasn't the most pleasant of flights. I was sure that if Anita came along, she would not have enjoyed it. It was bumpy and since it was a connecting flight with a group from Bangladesh, the flight was full.

There were no delays however although I arrived too late to check-in at KL Sentral. Took the ERL and by the time everything was cleared, the gate for the flight was already about to open.

We arrived in Bali 3 hours later. The queue for immigration was long but the authority there organiser it very well. By the time I picked my bags, our transport to the hotel had been waiting for us.

It took about half an hour to transfer to the hotel and after checking in, it was time for the beach ...

St Regis Singapore

I really made an effort to get there. Anita had a good deal booking into one of the suites at the hotel. It would be such a waste of we let it passed. Especially when everything had been paid for.

Arriving at 4 am meant that we wasted a day's stay. But still checking in was straight forward and we declined to be sent up, opting to make our own way there. Straight away we ordered some food - more like a super early breakfast for me.

A quick shower and I was already in fairy land. I was really tired. The bed and the shower were just amazing.

The main lobby. Rather quite in late morning.The next morning, I woke up for some omelette as a second breakfast. The breakfast in the room were part of the package of you opt against going down to the café. Limited selection but in mornings such as this, it was priceless.

I spent the next day walking with my camera while Anita did some exploring in the hotel. The Butler we were assigned to confirmed our booking for the Night Safari later in the day while I had an afternoon nap.

The exterior looked unassuming Time for afternoon teaWe got back from the safari at 11 pm, straight away into the shower while the boys sat in the bath. The next morning, we had a proper breakfast by the pool - again amazing food.

Even though our stay there was short, it was enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it although the pool at Marina Bay Sands was hard to beat. The location being near Orchard Road was a plus if shopping was part of the plan.

Should I have more time, I would've sampled the pool. Maybe next time ...

Balik Kampung

It was a good opportunity. The boys just started school. It turned out that Monday would be off for them as well as announced after the great showing at the SEA Games. So, we left KL on the Merdeka Day for a three nights relaxing stay back North.

We didn't stay at the island this time as my Mum came along as well. The journey up however turned out to be a long one.

The long queue after IpohWe set off at 9 am after beakfast. Reached the toll at Jalan Duta without much hustle, but the moment we hit Sungai Buloh, the crawl started. It was slow moving all the way to Ipoh. But the big delay was just after. I was stuck before entering Terowong Menora for a good couple of hours. Apparently there was an accident before Sungai Perak stop and the lanes were blocked.

By the time we passed through, everything was already back to normal although there were plenty of JPJ vehicles still at the vicinity. It was smooth sailing after that, however I supposed the damage had already been done. It was almost sundown when we finally reached Sungai Petani and since my Mum was fasting, she ate in the car.

Enjoying a drink after checking into the hotelWe had a quick dinner at my Aunts while dropping my Mum. Next was the hotel about 10 minutes away. I was glad that the hotel was still as nice - if not better - than what it used to be. I slept like a baby and missed breakfast the next morning ....

A Nice Stay

I was pleasantly surprised with the weekend stay in JB. The hotel - a Double Tree - certainly maintained their standard when it came to rooms and food. The breakfast spread in had there on the couple of mornings were better than expected.

From my window

And the main surprise I had was the staffing. They were all Malaysian as far as I could tell, from the receptionist, waiters, room service and parking operator. Close to Singapore where most of the skilled workers in this sector would have gone to, it was refreshing to see this.

The meeting was within the same hotel block and my lecture was only a lift-ride away. The room was also comfortable although it was mainly for work, and I had quiet night on the couple of evenings there. Combination of need for rest and laziness sorted that one out.