Malacca Trip ~ Day 1

BOOKED!! Venus Boutique Hotel, Malacca and we were off for our 2D/1N holiday to historical Malacca....Just can’t wait to enjoy the sights & food!!

Day1

Upon arrival, early check-in was a breeze as we checked in on a weekday. The first thing that comes to mind whenever I select hotels is cleanliness & parking and the hotel fits the bill perfectly.  The room size was comfortable enough with full amenities.  The lightings are just right, unlike some hotels that provide dim lights which make it difficult to even read.

 

With hotel settled we were off to our first destination,  Jalan Hang Jebat ~ Malacca’s famous Jonker Street.

1^st stop ~ the famous Hoe Kee chicken Rice Ball. The place was packed, especially during Lunch hour & we had to wait in queue for a table but I can tell you...it’s really worth the wait. It’s super delicious...even though it cost us RM42.60 which includes 2 refreshing coconut drinks (^-^)

 

After a satisfying lunch its souvenir hunting time!!  We were told that evening would be the best time to visit but the place was full of tourists, even on a weekday.  All the shops were open for business.  You can find all sorts of souvenirs ~ from traditional miniature clogs right down to antiques, crockery & my all time favourite – fridge magnets =)

 

 

 

The buildings of Jonker Street

We came across this quaint little shop selling all sorts of hand-made soap

 

There is another place that caught our eye......

Calanthe Art Cafe at Jalan Hang Kasturi

Their local coffee blends seems very popular, especially with the tourists.

Walking along one of the many streets near Jonker Street, the greenery of this lovely place caught our eye.  As soon as we saw Puri Padi~ The Living Art,  Bali immediately came to mind.  Once entering one can feel as though one has been transported back to Bali.  From the entrance doorway, frangipani trees and palm trees, to the gushing water ponds with its delightful landscaping feature.  In this Balinese-accented home interior deco centre, one can find all sorts of handicraft,  interior decoration items, wooden furniture,  sculptures and clothing. Lovely place for some snapshots even if you’re not making any purchase (^-^)

 

 

 

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple

We made a brief stop at Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, reputed to be the oldest & grandest temple in Malacca before proceeding to our next stop ~ Lao Qian Ice Cafe

Its Durian Cendol time!!  A great choice after our walkabout on a hot day. This is a nice place to relax & cool down before our next destination.

You should try their Durian Cendol at  RM5.00 per bowl or you can opt for their Gula Melaka Cendol for RM4.50 if you are not in favour of durians =)

 

Next stop.......Satay Celop @ Capitol Satay!! ~ A definite ‘must try’ when you are in Malacca.  We were there early (or so we thought) at 5.00pm but the place was packed with no empty tables, we were the first to queue in line & within half an hour the queue got as long as 2 shop lots away. It was quite a while before we were able to get a table.

 

 

Their walls covered with posters & newspaper cuttings of famous celebrities who came to try their Satay Celop

 

Getting the table ready for us ~ notice the crowd outside?

The special thing about Satay Celop is that the food on skewers are dipped into piping hot Peanut Sauce(Satay kuah) until they are cooked instead of the usual plain soup~ something really unique I would say.

Our next stop was The Stadthuys and Christ Church at the Malacca Town Square

 

 

Christ Church & The Studthuys

  The Queen Victoria Fountain

 

Beautifully decorated trishaws

The Middleburg Bastion is not much heard about. This 17^th century bastion built by the Dutch was discovered in 2006 when the Malacca government was excavating to develop the Taming Sari Tower next to the river.

It was already evening.  We walked along the Malacca riverside for some memorable photos while waiting for the Melaka River Cruise counters to re-open after the buka puasa break.

 

 

Malacca Riverside as the sunsets

Night at the Melaka River

Cruise boarding pier

Cruising the Melaka River

Our final stop for day 1 ~ Menara Taming Sari  After the cruise we headed on to have a bird’s eye view of Malacca.  Located just a stone throw from our hotel, this 7 minutes ride will take you all the way up to have a 360 degree view of Malacca town. We decided this to be our last stop for the day & to enjoy the breathtaking night view of Malacca town.

Menara Taming Sari during the day

 

Going up!

The breathtaking night view from Menara Taming Sari (From top left: Maritime Museum, streets of Melaka, Melaka river & view of our hotel

We really had a tiring but productive first day.  Everything went smoothly as planned & everyone retired for the night happy with all the places & food we had tried for today......tomorrow will be another adventure.