invisible999
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Hello everybody,
Last weekend (Jun 20th-22nd) I and my wife were in Malacca (Melaka) on our first visit there. Decided to write up my observations and impressions.
Transport: after spending hours on research I've decided to take bus from/back Larkin in JB instead of taking bus from Singapore. This was done for couple of reasons: first, bus from Singapore is at least twice more expensive - return ticket on 707/Causway link bus is 41 ringgits while it would cost you $40/$70 from Singapore (depending on bus company/location). Secondly (read about this below) - if you are returning back on Sunday evening there is absolutely no point (I can't stress this high enough) to take bus to Singapore because you will be stuck at checkpoint. Thirdly, for us, living on West Coast, it would be the same time travelling to JB as to the bus terminal at Golden Mile and other places.
Now about the bus itself - outgoing was bus from 707 and return - from Causway Link. While both buses were quite aged, I would not say that they were not comfortable. Causway Link bus has (fake) leather on seats, while 707 - it is cloth. Both bus did not stop anywhere from Larkin and whole trip took 2.5 hours either way, it was really fast. One more thing to mention that on our return trip there was a smell of exhaust inside the bus, which probably would motivate me to avoid Causway Link next time. (for this reason, I'd be glad to hear opinions/reviews about other bus companies operating/stopping to/from Larkin Terminal to Malacca.)
Lodging We stayed at Venus Boutique Hotel. I set to myself no more than $80/night per stay because we did not need anything except clean rooms, bedding and a quiet place within 10min max walking distance from the city center. While the hotel fulfilled this requirements, I'd say that $80/night is a little bit pricey to pay for this. Next time if we decide to stay there I need to make sure to book in advance and check promotions on TripAdvisor, Agoda and other sites, they sometimes have discounts. If quietness is one of your key requirements, I would avoid staying around Jonker Walk because partying there goes 24/7, especially on weekends.
Food: I think more than enough was written about this, I will share our own experience. I am type of person who tries to avoid queues at all costs everywhere and at all occasions - no matter how tasty food is, if I have to stay in line more than 5 min under sun, I can't justify it. Fortunately for us we got inside Nancy's Kitchen before line formed outside. What I can say - excellent food and you won't be disappointed. Second place to recommend - Nadeje Mille Crepes - worth every single gram you are going to gain by inhaling those cakes. It did not help that their main outlet was right next to our hotel, so we ended up eating those cakes at dinner.
And cendol of course. Again, due to lines at Jonker 88 we did not try this one, however other outlets are serving excellent options as well.
Well, after spending two days we head back, took bus 170 from Larkin and hit Woodlands checkpoint at 7:30PM. Big Mistake. Pretty much everybody should know it but avoid coming back from JB from 4PM till 10PM on Sunday at all costs. Our bus dumped us 500m away from the Iskander checkpoint after being stuck in the traffic for 35 min. While passing passport control was relatively fast - it took just 20min, waiting for bus on other side was a complete madness because line for bus started right after customs inspection on the second floor. I think you'll get an idea.
So I and my wife (and about a hundred more people) opted to walk across the causeway and it was the smartest decision we took that day. Because crossing causeway took just 25 min, 5 min took to pass passport control, 5 more - to walk to the taxi stand and after waiting 15min we headed home. I am pretty much sure that the time we've been taking showers at home people were still waiting the bus on JB's side to come...
Last weekend (Jun 20th-22nd) I and my wife were in Malacca (Melaka) on our first visit there. Decided to write up my observations and impressions.
Transport: after spending hours on research I've decided to take bus from/back Larkin in JB instead of taking bus from Singapore. This was done for couple of reasons: first, bus from Singapore is at least twice more expensive - return ticket on 707/Causway link bus is 41 ringgits while it would cost you $40/$70 from Singapore (depending on bus company/location). Secondly (read about this below) - if you are returning back on Sunday evening there is absolutely no point (I can't stress this high enough) to take bus to Singapore because you will be stuck at checkpoint. Thirdly, for us, living on West Coast, it would be the same time travelling to JB as to the bus terminal at Golden Mile and other places.
Now about the bus itself - outgoing was bus from 707 and return - from Causway Link. While both buses were quite aged, I would not say that they were not comfortable. Causway Link bus has (fake) leather on seats, while 707 - it is cloth. Both bus did not stop anywhere from Larkin and whole trip took 2.5 hours either way, it was really fast. One more thing to mention that on our return trip there was a smell of exhaust inside the bus, which probably would motivate me to avoid Causway Link next time. (for this reason, I'd be glad to hear opinions/reviews about other bus companies operating/stopping to/from Larkin Terminal to Malacca.)
Lodging We stayed at Venus Boutique Hotel. I set to myself no more than $80/night per stay because we did not need anything except clean rooms, bedding and a quiet place within 10min max walking distance from the city center. While the hotel fulfilled this requirements, I'd say that $80/night is a little bit pricey to pay for this. Next time if we decide to stay there I need to make sure to book in advance and check promotions on TripAdvisor, Agoda and other sites, they sometimes have discounts. If quietness is one of your key requirements, I would avoid staying around Jonker Walk because partying there goes 24/7, especially on weekends.
Food: I think more than enough was written about this, I will share our own experience. I am type of person who tries to avoid queues at all costs everywhere and at all occasions - no matter how tasty food is, if I have to stay in line more than 5 min under sun, I can't justify it. Fortunately for us we got inside Nancy's Kitchen before line formed outside. What I can say - excellent food and you won't be disappointed. Second place to recommend - Nadeje Mille Crepes - worth every single gram you are going to gain by inhaling those cakes. It did not help that their main outlet was right next to our hotel, so we ended up eating those cakes at dinner.
And cendol of course. Again, due to lines at Jonker 88 we did not try this one, however other outlets are serving excellent options as well.
Well, after spending two days we head back, took bus 170 from Larkin and hit Woodlands checkpoint at 7:30PM. Big Mistake. Pretty much everybody should know it but avoid coming back from JB from 4PM till 10PM on Sunday at all costs. Our bus dumped us 500m away from the Iskander checkpoint after being stuck in the traffic for 35 min. While passing passport control was relatively fast - it took just 20min, waiting for bus on other side was a complete madness because line for bus started right after customs inspection on the second floor. I think you'll get an idea.
So I and my wife (and about a hundred more people) opted to walk across the causeway and it was the smartest decision we took that day. Because crossing causeway took just 25 min, 5 min took to pass passport control, 5 more - to walk to the taxi stand and after waiting 15min we headed home. I am pretty much sure that the time we've been taking showers at home people were still waiting the bus on JB's side to come...
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