Deepavali Decoratives at the Hotel Lobby

Due to multiple delays, the flight departs quite late, around 10pm plus. When I reached the Langkawi airport, it was already 11pm, but fret not, my hotel is just next door. While all the other passengers were busy getting a Grab/Taxi/looking for their hotel's shuttle, I walked out in style ignoring the hustlers who tried to promote their rental cars. I told them I'm walking coz i just stay next door😂

The hotel is so near that I could even see the rooms from the runway. 

I could hear my 'room' calling out for me. Check-in time starts from 3pm, so that room has been 'waiting' for me for 8 hours now😁

Indeed it feels like walking home, I went in from the side entrance (shortcut way) instead of the glamorous main entrance, leaving no chance for the doorkeeper to greet me by hitting the Malay gong. Well, it's already late, better not.

* the doorkeeper welcomes every check-in customer by sounding the gong and opens the door for visitors.

After a brief check-in (less than 5 minutes), I glanced thru the area and snapped picture of the lobby.

[Below] The spacious hotel lobby with new furnitures.

This hotel is known to host guests for Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), hence their service is top notch to cater for international guests.

It was a few days before Deepavali, so there was a Kolam decoration at the lobby, featuring a peacock.

The hotel was on low occupancy then, coz it wasn't holiday season yet. The place looks quiet and empty even during the day. Despite that, the staffs maintain the standard in keeping it clean and tidy.

Was glad to be given a room nearby the lift, coz i was tired to walk any further especially after a long day.

Spacious and clean room. There's a hidden fridge inside the wooden cabinet. The room has all the basic amenities, including a safety box.

Hmmm....which bed shall I sleep tonite?

There's a window 'bench' which could also function as bed. Next to this is an office desk (shown partially in this picture)

[Below] Another coffee/tea table which has kettle and complimentary bottled water, tea, coffee, sugar and creamer. Complimentary items are replenished daily.

Despite located next to the airport, the rooms are sound-proof and you couldn't hear a single noise from the outside. I noticed the window is made of double layer, thick sound-proof glasses, and cannot be opened. It feels so peaceful and quiet in this room😎

Free Apples in Gym

Visited the hotel's gym and discovered apples😂

My first time seeing hotel providing apples and bottled water in gym, how thoughtful.

It is just a small gym with a few cardio equipment, treadmill, yoga balls, dumb bells etc

[Below] the hotel's pool as taken from the 1st floor lounge.

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My dinner in Chenang Mall's KFC....The KFC here doesn't serve coleslaw (replaced with potato wedges by default) and with a slightly cheaper price. While I was in KFC, it started to rain heavily outside, so I slowly enjoyed this meal until the rain subsided. The shuttle van came at 9:15pm to pick us (me and other hotel guests) not long after the rain stopped. Such a nice timing😊

Plaza Premium Lounge, KLIA2

Plaza Premium Lounge is located at the upper floor in KLIA2 shopping mall.

Usually, premium lounge is located after the check-in gate & custom checks, but this one is somewhere in the mall which is quite different.

So, I have to purposely go out again (after going thru check-in & custom checks)...

Luckily, my flight got delayed and delayed again, hence I got plenty of time to burn....

I slowly made my way to the mall, registered at the lounge entrance and enjoyed my time there.

not forgetting taking pictures of the foodies....

The warm food counter only serves a few dishes. But these few dishes were perfectly done.

From left to right: stir-fried French bean, black pepper capsicum beef, curry chicken, and bolognaise spaghetti. All tastes superbly good! 

Some sweet desserts - cakes! They keep replenishing with different types of cakes.

Juices, lemon infused water, cucumber infused water (i think, can't remember)

There are fruits and salad bar too and plenty of coffee, teas, soda drinks at another counter.

Here's what I had:

All the four dishes from the warm food section + curry laksa + some cakes + curry mayo nachos

lotus root soup

fruits and salads

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[Below] There's so much to see in the KLIA2 mall. You wouldn't feel bored here...There's a Mamee Jonker House shop too...

You can get all sorts of Mamee noodles over here, including those i've never seen before (premium flavors)

Mamee monster plushie, so cute! The pink one is there too.

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If you are not a shopaholic person, can always go up to this observation deck to watch the skies😎

Laksa Power Ikan Sekoq

Went to try this famous laksa next to the Langkawi airport. It is a stall nearby the beach. There are some tables and benches nearby for diners to have their meal while enjoying the sea breeze.

It is a northern-style laksa (laksa utara) with sourish soup and fish.

Their main item is laksa with fish, so i made sure to order that.

(with fish RM9, without fish RM7)

I also had cendol, RM4 per cup.

Total price for this meal is RM13, quite reasonably priced.

Tastewise just ordinary only...I can find similar laksa utara in KL, around the same price.

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The hotel provides free shuttle to Pantai Chenang, but it only departs during the evening. I took the 6pm shuttle van and reach there in just 10 minutes. It was a cloudy evening and going to rain anytime soon. I had a brief stroll along the beach and then back to the main street to browse the shops.

Chenang beach during the sunset....not as spectacular as Bali, Mauritius or Caribbean😂

Well, west Malaysia beaches are like that, too much water sports spoilt the charm, so can't expect much!

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3D Art Langkawi located nearby the Langkawi SkyCab station....I did not take the cable car coz already had enough in Genting😂

Again, all these are tourist traps... Don't get me wrong, they are OK to visit, but just not my type of hangout place in this island, like why go all the way to Langkawi to see 3D art?!

But yeah, nice try to hype up the area. 30 years ago, this place did not exist.

I have never heard of Oriental Village back then nor during the early 2000s.

Oriental Village is rather an area with colorful buildings consists of souvenir shops, hotels, eateries, public toilets etc. It has beautiful landscape for tourist to take picture....but it doesn't feel like a local village, missing some cultural element.

Looks quite deserted during the non-holiday season.

[Below] a classic Malay 'teratak', something like a hut for shelter/hangout, usually found this at paddy field. This 'teratak' is just part of the landscape.

I had a brief walk before going back to the hotel to catch the 6pm shuttle to Pantai Chenang.

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[Below] A boat that was used to bring passengers to Koh Lipe, Thailand. Now it is just a decoration in the hotel.

Family Dinner at Hee Lai Ton Restaurant, Serdang

A generous aunt who treated the entire family a reunion dinner organized another dinner this year - same place as last year (and the year before). She's a capable & successful entrepreneur who owns a soy sauce business together with her husband. Both are still working until today, in their mid 70s/80s. Despite being a successful business owner, she has never forgot her siblings & relatives, and organized a yearly sort-of get together cum birthday dinner, while refusing our gifts and angpows. Most of the 'alive siblings' are already in their 70s/80s hence there aren't many chances of get together. She's already grateful if the siblings turn up for this reunion dinner. 

Many years back (>20 years ago), such reunion dinner would usually take place in Chinese restaurants around the KL city center, or somewhere Pudu/Imbi, but as years passed, the location shifted further away from the city to avoid the weekend evening traffic and also more convenient for the elderlies who lived outskirt of KL.

I did not join on last year (was out of the country), so I made sure to attend it this year. The attendance this year is far lesser than 2 years ago. An elderly aunt fell (a few days before the dinner) and did not attend, meanwhile the overseas cousins/relatives did not join. I only met 2 cousins (from different families, not from the generous aunt's family) who are now in their 50s with their adult/teenage kids. Kinda awkward when the adult kid in 20s addressed me as 'biu gu jie' (aunty). 

Ok, enough of some family story, now let's feast your eyes with some foodie pictures:

1. Pepper pork stomach soup which also has pork rib, chicken feet and gingko

2. Mutton stew with black fungus

3. Steamed kampung chicken

4. Steamed fish

5. Salted egg prawns

6. Tofu with luffa

7. Red bean sweet soup

There were birthday cakes and jellies served after that but I was too full to eat.

I wish my aunt good health & long live so that I could enjoy free birthday dinner every year😁

Escapade

Months ago, there was an Air Asia promotion going on with fare from as low as RM60 per return ticket on domestic destination.

Feeling kiasu, i booked a ticket to this place which I've been for a few times😂

just a short escapade...

Boarded the flight at KLIA2, which is now so happening with lots of restaurants, cafes, bakeries, marts and shops....equivalent to a shopping mall with all the necessities. There's even a Uniqlo shop for you to windows shop or kill time while waiting to check-in.

Other big brands are Family Mart, Ban Heong (biscuit shop from Penang), Oriental Kopi, various fast-food chain, Old Town Kopitiam and bakeries, such as Verrona Hills. 

I don't remember seeing so many eateries and shops in KLIA2 previously, probably they were still closed coz I usually take the early morning flight.

It seems like KLIA2 has more eateries nowadays compared to KLIA1. Looking at the menu in Oriental Kopi and Burger King, the prices are not much different from their other chains.

Gone are those days where airport only have costly & overpriced food in food courts.

In fact, I found that Ban Heong sells egg tarts & pastries cheaper than RT/TK in my neighborhood😂

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My accommodation came with daily breakfast.

It was booked under Agoda with discount.... roughly around RM243 per night before cashback. 

Let's feast your eyes with some foodie pictures.

It is a buffet style breakfast....These were taken on the last day of my stay:

Western breakfast

Porridge and pastries (pain au chocolat, croissant and cinnamon roll)

Rice with chicken curry & papadam

Fried meehoon

There are fruits & juices too😀

BON APPETIT!

C+ Plus Coffee

Another newly opened eatery in SP Pinnacle mall, C+ Plus Coffee.

It is located on the 1st floor (right above Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf). The operation hour is from 8am till 9pm. With this addition, shoppers would now have other option for breakfast in this mall besides Nam Heong which also serves breakfast but opens at 9am.

Browsed through the menu, they have nasi lemak (with option to go with sambal sotong, chicken rendang, sambal prawn), a few types of soup noodles, toasts, rice sets, quite a few of beverages etc.

Not that extensive like Nam Heong but I guess is sufficient to cater for breakfast option.

Since it opens till 9pm, i went there around 7 for dinner instead.

Ordered the soy sauce chicken leg rice set. It came out huge. Taste alright like my mom's homecooked soy sauce chicken😁

the rice has egg topping with a few leafy greens.

There is a small bowl of old cucumber soup with tiny pieces of old cucumber and corn. Quite a homely meal, price is around RM19.90+ for this set.

also ordered an ala-carte fishball (8 pieces) in tomyum soup (around RM8.90+)

Huge size, fresh and bouncy, although the tomyum soup is quite 'kaw'. The tomyum soup, almost like gravy form could be good to go with rice. The taste almost like asam pedas gravy, pungent and spicy. I scooped a few spoonsful onto my white rice to neutralized the strong flavor.

I can give this a skip next time and just go for their rice set or noodles.