Rosie

Phi Phi Island-hopping without the crowd

Krabi has over 150 islands, stunning limestone rock formations, clear emerald water and beautiful beaches like the ones on Phi Phi island, but many came and left these islands feeling utterly disappointed. Who could blame them when throngs of tourists fill almost every inch of the beach. Those who wanted to take a dip in the waters of the Andaman Sea barely had any area to swim with countless boats lined up along the beach. Don’t believe me? Just google “Phi Phi crowded” and look at the photos from other visitors. Well, what if I tell you that there is a way to...

i-City Malaysia

Malaysia, Selangor

i-City Malaysia is a family park which offers several attractions like Snowalk, Trick Art Museum, Red Carpet Wax Museum, Space Mission, Submarine, Waterworld and City of Digital Lights. Located in Shah Alam, it takes about 30 minutes to drive to i-City from Kuala Lumpur. i-City Snowalk Our first stop was to visit Snowalk – the biggest snow themed park in Malaysia. Walking around at below 5 degrees celsius, we went through an ice tunnel and an ice house, saw ice penguins and other ice sculptures. There were also a number of different icy rides to try. The kids went on the...

Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort

Malaysia, Selangor

Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort is a beachfront resort located on Pantai Bagan Lalang which is about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur and a 3-hour drive north of Singapore. It features over-water villas that, together, form the shape of a palm tree. See the above picture courtesy of Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort. This was the exterior of our villa. Our two-bedroom villa was very spacious for the five of us, with a gorgeous master bedroom, a second bedroom with twin beds, and a living area. There was an extra room to chill out and enjoy the...

Angry Birds Activity Park Johor

Johor, Malaysia

Angry Birds Activity Park Johor Bahru, Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s first Angry Birds theme park. Located on the third floor of the new Komtar Johor Bahru City Centre (JBCC), this 26,000 square feet indoor park offers fun activities for the whole family. Playground for the Little Ones The first area near the entrance was an activity area for young kids. There was the Red Bird Sona where kids were given simple maths questions and they had to run to the correct answer. Definitely more fun (and more tiring) than doing it on a PC or tablet. There was also Captain Black Bird’s ship which was a mini...

Malacca – Exploring a World Heritage City

Malaysia, Melaka

Malacca (also locally known as Melaka) is one of the most fascinating cities in Malaysia. Colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch and British for over 400 years over its strategic location for maritime trade, its rich history has earned itself the title of Unesco World Heritage City in 2008. It is probably the only place in the world that has ruins of both Asia and Europe. With my son learning History in school, I thought it was a good idea for him and the girls to learn a bit about Malacca’s history in a fun way. We explored the historical sites on a...

Malacca Jonker Walk Night Market

Malaysia, Melaka

The Jonker Walk Night Market is one of the top attractions to visit in Malacca. Every Friday and Saturday evenings, Jonker Street comes alive with a flurry of street stalls showcasing local food, clothing and a variety of souvenirs. My family and I visited the night market and found it to be rather interesting. Located in Malacca’s Chinatown, the start of Jonker Walk is near this big Chinese junk boat. You can’t miss it when standing in front of Malacca’s Hard Rock Cafe. There were so many quirky knick-knacks on sale throughout the Jonker Walk Night Market. One shop that my girls liked was the...

Melaka River Cruise

Malaysia, Melaka

The Melaka River Cruise is a great way to spend an evening in Melaka (a.k.a. Malacca). The 45-minute long cruise is available from 9am to 11:30pm and departs roughly every 30 minutes. While the sights are easier to see during the day, the nice part about cruising in the evening is that you get to see colourful illumination of the buildings, bridges and other attractions along the river. The evening breeze is nicer too. The Melaka River played a big role in Melaka’s history, but in the past, the waterway was not clean and the buildings along it was never maintained. In recent years, the river...

Wings of Time Show at Sentosa

Singapore

The Wings of Time show at Sentosa is the latest night show that is available daily at 7.40pm and 8.40pm. The show, which cost $10m to produce, is set outdoors at Siloso Beach against the backdrop of the open sea. You can look for discounted tickets to the Wings of Time show on Govoyagin.com. The 25-minute show tells a tale about two friends, a mysterious pre-historic bird and their journey across several landscapes and time to find the bird’s home. Although a display of light and water is not new and has been seen before in the predecessor show called Songs of the Sea,...