Wellington, New Zealand : Gilmer Apartment

Assalamualaikum... 

This apartment situated at the heart of Wellington city. It was quite easy to go to the attractions as well as the city from here.  The apartment was perfect for the 5 of us as it has 2 big beds in 1 room, a washer & dryer & a small kitchen. The 3 nights stay was pleasant as it was comfortable & very clean plus the  staffs were very helpful & friendly. The only downside about this apt is that we had to pay for the parking space, around NZD10-12 per day.

Te Papa Museum

We walked from the apt through a shortcut explained by the apt's staff. It was about 15 min walk & the weather was lovely that day.

Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand: Whitehall Cottage

Assalamualaikum...

Trip Northern Island New Zealand ini pada hujung musim luruh nak masuk ke musim panas, end Nov- early Dec 2014. Sememang dari awal lagi kami dah rancang untuk mencari 2-3 tempat tinggal yang menarik sepanjang 15 hari kami di NZ. Whitehall Cottage ini antara yang kami pilih dan merupakan 'favourite' kami sekeluarga. Sangat berbaloi walaupun agak mahal berbanding pilihan2 yg lain.

Whitehall Cottage ini terletak di Cambridge, lebih kurang 25-30min jaraknya utk ke Hobitton di Matamata. 

Cottage ini adalah self-check in, dimana dibiarkan tidak berkunci & kunci ditinggalkan di atas meja. Rumah pemilik kotej, Steve & Louise Howse terletak tidak jauh dari kami (kanan atas di gambar).

Ini antara pemandangan yang sememangnya indah di hadapan cottage ini. TV pun kami x layan, sebab leka menikmati pemandangan sekeliling.

Bahagian hadapan kotej

Pemandangan di depan kotej

Simon, kucing pemilik kotej datang melawat

 Jom lihat bahagian dalam kotej ini pula. 

Ruang dapur yang sangat luas dan selesa

 Dapur kotej ini lengkap dengan peralatan memasak. Dari cerek, microwave oven, dishwasher, periuk2 pelbagai jenis & pinggan mangkuk. Kesemuanya tersusun rapi & terletak di dalam almari & laci. Sangat kemas.

Bahagian luar dapur

Terdapat meja dan bangku di luar dapur & ditepinya ada ampaian untuk menyidai baju. Kami tidak makan diluar kerana faktor cuaca yang sejuk.

Ruang membasuh baju

  Di kotej ini juga terdapat bilik kecil untuk membasuh & mengeringkan baju.

Ruang makan

Disediakan juga sebuah meja makan dan set sofa. Kupang merupakan antara makanan laut yang mesti cuba di NZ selain daripada ikan salmon. Kupang ini saya beli segar di  pasaraya 'Pak' n save'. Kupang ini besar & sangat sedap! Post mengenai makanan di NZ akan di postkan di blog I love to eat..

Dibawah ini pula, gambar 3 buah bilik yang terdapat di kotej ini. Kami hanya menggunakan bilik 1 (untuk anak2) dan bilik 2 (untuk kami) sahaja. Bagi menghormati peraturan & polisi kotej ini (harga dikira mengikut bilangan individu) kami hanya menggunakan katil untuk 5 orang sahaja.  

Bilik 1 

Bilik 2

Bilik 3

 Kami menetap disini selama 2 malam.  Pagi kedua kami disini, kami telah bersiar-siar di ladang ternakan pemilik kotej. Semasa sampai disini, pemilik telah berpesan pada kami supaya pegi bersiar-siar di ladangnya. Memang best sangat kerana kami bebas berjalan-jalan & dapat menikmati pemandangan mengikut kesesuaian masa kami sendiri. 

Kami memang sangat berpuas hati dengan penginapan di sini. Jika diberi rezeki menjejakkan kaki ke bumi NZ ini, semestinya kami ingin menginap di Whitehall Cottage ini lagi, 

Untuk pertanyaan lanjut sila berhubung dengan Steve & Louise di:

http://www.whitehallcottage.co.nz/

Pulau Tioman, Johor: Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort

6 hrs drive from Shah Alam, 2.5 hrs of waiting at the Mersing Jetty, 1.5 hr on ferry; 15 min on boat. Worth the journey I must say!

We traveled to Mersing the day before, stayed 1 night at the hotel near the jetty. Do get to the car park early in the morning. We went to the jetty around 9.45am and the car parks nearby the jetty all was full. We managed to get a spot about 10mins walk from the jetty. The fee was around RM5-8 per day, if I'm not mistaken.

The resort did the ferry booking for us through an agent. Only the ferry tickets. My husband had to go to 2 different counters, to settled for the registration (you will get the boarding pass here)  & the other fee (RM5 or Rm6 per person) at the Taman Laut counter. My advise to you if you want to go to Tioman Island is, to find an agent on your own who can do all the above. I was told by the other agent, that some of them do offer the service with just a small fee added. 

The queue was very long and the day was hot. The jetty was packed as few ferries was delayed, including ours. With three restless kids, I prayed very hard that the resort is worth all the hassled.

The ferry ride took about 1.5 hr from Mersing jetty to Kampung Genting jetty. From there, another 15 minutes ride on the resort's boat.

Hello beach....

Left: Infinity Pool,  Right: Lobby & Restaurant

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Ms Lyza & the staffs. They were so friendly & helpful. From the bags to the check in, everything was smooth sailing. 

The Rooms

Our room, above the watermark. Second from the lobby.

 This is the view right in front of our room.  Breathtaking, isn't it?

My kids couldn't stop playing outside. Even the soft sand fascinate them..

 They did swim in the pool for merely 20 minutes when they decided to get back to the beach. The boys (8 & 10) tried snorkeling with my husband. It was their first try & they fell in love with it. went snorkeling the next day too..

The view at night from the jetty

Some pictures inside the room.

Spacious wardrobe

Rooms facing the garden

Nachos

I ordered the nachos 3x over my stay at the resort. Soo tasty.. The food at Tunamaya was delicious! My kids loves the chicken wings!

Overall, I love this short holiday. It was perfect! IF i get a chance to go to Tunamaya again, I'll make sure it will be more than 3 nights stay! Thanks to all Tunamaya's staffs especially Ms Lyza. 

p/s: if you have sensitive skin like my daughter, do bring along insect repellent. Nothing serious.  I'm not sure what bit her, it looked like swollen mosquito bites. It doesn't stop her from playing in the sun again the next day though.. 

Resort contact:
Tel: +607-766 8888/8887/8886
Fax: +607-766 8889
Address: Lot 20 & 21, Kampung Pasir Sarang Burung,
Pulau Tioman, 26800 Rompin,
Pahang Darul Makmur.
Email: info@tunamayaresort.com

Reservation contact:
Email: rsvn@tunamayaresort.com

Hotel in Johor: Nouvelle Hotel, Kulai

All glases

Stayed in Superior room. Check in was done smoothly & on-time.
My room was on the 2nd floor & luckily the hotel has an elevator. To get to the room was quite confusing. It took me around 5 minute to find the room. It was not marked properly & the rooms are not in proper order.

The room was just nice for me with a queen size bed & a window. I like the concept of the room which is based on glass. Even the wardrobe & table was based on glass & aluminum which looks nice. However, the room smell was terrible. Its has a aromatherapy smell which is very bad & i have trouble sleeping due to it.

The room has a flat screen television with bad reception. The tempered glass bathroom has a glass door & overhead shower area.
Pro's : Interesting Setting
Con's : Bad Smell
Checked out experienced just ok.

Simple but Nice Bathroom

Setiu, Terengganu : Terrapuri Heritage Village

 

Assalamualaikum..

First heard of this place from my dear cousin few years back & since then I've been secretly digging up about it. What is so special about this resort that even my cousin from across the causeway had heard about? So we went for a short quiet getaway from the city last March to Terrapuri. I did all the reservation via email & they were very helpful & prompt. Thank you Ms Akmal & Ms Maslina.

We flew from KL to Kuala Terengganu, stayed 1 night at the city & drove a rental car the next day to Setiu. Terrapuri situated about 50km from Kuala Terengganu. The resort situated at the end of the road of Kampung Mangkuk, Penarik in Setiu, right in front of the beautiful setting of coconut trees & beach. Heaven on earth..

Once there, we rang the bell & the staff  will open the gate for u. The resort is very private & I was relieve & delighted because I have 1 thing less to think about during the vacation --> the safety of my "always-full-of-energy" kids. 2 boys (8 & 6) & 2 yr old girl.

Our room 'Dusun' was right in front of the pool. I started to feel the "I think I'm really going to rest" idea is going to materialize. The room was gorgeous, all wooden & antique & they even decorate the room with flowers!

 

  



The bathroom.. I don't have a word to describe it best. It just brilliant, beautiful, clean, comfortable & spacious.









The view of the resort at night was breathtaking! It was beautiful & quiet, just what we need..  
 

 
We had chosen the package with 2 meals (breakfast & dinner), but believe me, i gained weight just staying there 2 nights! They also send tea to our room in the evening. You don't have to worry about food there.

The staffs (all female) were very helpful & friendly. We were pampered like royalties & they tried to attend to our needs as best as they could. Thank you  Faizah & friends. 

I'm very impress & admire the owner's effort. All the houses were actually bought from original village owners all over Terengganu. He bought the house, dismantle it & rebuilt it back to its original design. The houses were name after their original location.The only additional was the bathroom which they beautify it to cater the guest needs. What I learn from the staff that the initial plan was to set a museum but somehow it became a beautiful resort instead. 

If you are into nature, architecture, & quiet (really really quiet) getaway, this is PERFECT place for you. Did I mention that there's no TV as well?

For more info:

Terrapuri
website : www.terrapuri.com