Bahau Negeri Sembilan

We were in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan last weekend for a cousin's wedding and since we have never been to Bahau before, this may be a good opportunity to have a mini vacation there. As such, my wife googled for a hotel over in Bahau or nearby and came up with Era Hotel Bahau, Jempol.  The website's photos look promising and as such we proceeded to book online via their website at www.erahotel.com.my

A bit about Bahau from our trusted Wikipedia :

"Bahau merupakan sebuah bandar di dalam Daerah Jempol, Negeri Sembilan. Ia terletak 11 km dari Bandar Seri Jempol dan 24 km dari Kuala Pilah. Kebanyakan penduduknya bekerja dalam sektor pertanian, diikuti sektor perkhidmatan dan perniagaan. Antara tempat yang menarik di sini ialah Teratak Za'ba.

Terdapat sebuah kampung yang diberi nama Kampung Jambu Lapan dimana wujudnya laluan bersejarah yang lebih dikenali sebagai PENARIKAN . Berdasarkan sumber maklumat yang boleh dipercayai, Hang Tuah sering menggunakan laluan ini."

Well on the day we checked in at about 5pm and although the hotel seems deserted at first but as we were there, more and more people started to appear and check in. Maybe they are just like us trying to check the hotel out. Anyways, this hotel is not bad at all and I may give it a 2-star rating. It is located  in the middle of a housing area and right in front of Taman Tasik Bahau.

The hotel does not offer breakfast but there are a few shops and a mamak restaurant within walking distance. For convenience, just beside the hotel is Pasaraya Sakan and Billion Departmental Store. No worries about getting food nor other supplies.

The room is also quite roomy and clean. Although the smell of cigarette smoke still lingers, it goes unnoticeable after turning on the air conditioner. There are selected ASTRO channel over on the in-house TV. There is a lso a massage and reflexology center, bowling (although it seems that is has closed down) and a KTV (definitely closed down !)

Here's a few photos that I'd like to share with you :

Arriving at the town of Bahau

The facade of the hotel..

The rooms from the outside..

The front entrance leading to the lobby...

Reception and guest area...

And the room... This is the Standard Room with King Sized bed...

A King -sized bed fit for a "King"...

This is a nice cozy corner by the window...

Entrance - bathroom to the left and wardrobe to the right (in pic)

A friendly reminder that replenishment and bathroom ammenities are chargeable if you ask for extras (naturally).

There is also a massage and reflexology within the hotel...

The view of Taman Tasik Bahau... Although it is comparatively small in size but you'd see a lot of people jogging during the evenings...

Kinta Riverfront Hotel and Suites

It has been quite a while since we spent the 1st day of Hari Raya at my wife's hometown of Kampar, Perak. Almost always when we visit Kampar, we would book a room at the Grand Kampar Hotel. To us, it is one of the best hotel in Perak. Unfortunately, our plans to spend the Hari Raya in Kampar was shortlived as Grand Kampar was fully booked - 1 month before Hari Raya !!!! Goodness gracious.

We almost abandoned our plans but my wife being persistent, scooped up her tablet PC and start looking for a hotel in Ipoh. She also has an aunt of who bought a house in Ipoh and so maybe staying in Ipoh wouldn't be so bad at all. After all, it is only about 45 minutes from Kampar. Finally after searching most hotels, we decided to try the Kinta Riverfront Hotels and Suites. We have stayed in Ipoh before for a wedding and at the time we had stayed at Regalodge Hotel.

A bit about Kinta Riverfront Hotel and Suites - The hotel is strategically located within th town of Ipoh and fronting the Kinta River and also the Kinta Riverwalk. It has 410 rooms with various configurations to suit the discerning traveller.  You can check out their website at www.kintariverfront.com.my

Well enough said, here's a few pics that I managed to snap...enjoy.

A model of the hotel building

The Superior Room which is quite large and roomy..

A window from the outside overlooking the bath tub

...and from inside looking out.

This is something new - the bathroom has a window that overlooks the outside !
I was wondering why the need of a window??
My guess is that if you're staying alone, you can lay in the bathtub while watching TV on the outside, but what if you're with another room mate? Do tell me if you can think of another rationale.
Fortunately the do have a roller blind to cover that window....

One of the interesting thing about this hotel is that all switches are touch sensitive. No mechanical switches at all...

This is a view of the Kinta River and Kinta Riverwalk from our room. Here you can find eateries and bazaars. We did not get a chance to look at the Riverwalk more closely as our schedule was tight with the Hari Raya and all...

And here's how it looks at night. The Riverwalk was bustling with people enjoying walks along the Kinta River.
The whole area was lighted by the "LED trees" that was installed all along the Riverwalk...

Everything is touch sensitive and the door uses an RF card to gain access. No more keys or swiping or slotting of keycards ! It's "Touch n Go" style...

Eating Out - Santai Place, Bt 8 1/2 Jalan Gombak

We are always looking for some new places to eat out with the whole family. Well since it was my dad-in-law's birthday, we decided to treat him to a dinner at  Santai Place which is located in Bt 8 1/2, Jalan  Gombak, Gombak Utara, Selangor. This is actually the 2nd time we're here, the 1st being my wife's birthday.

Well, I like the place and food is good too. Parking might be a problem during peak hours where people flock to Santai Place and a few other restaurants within the area. There are actually 3 restaurants in the vicinity and they're are actually next to one another. I did not bring my camera so please excuse the photo quality... Anyhow, hope you will give this place a try..

The Siakap Masam Manis (Sweet Sour Barramundi) is a must
try at Santai Place and so is the Brokoli Udang (Prawn and Broccoli)

Enjoying dinner with Dad-In Law...