Mencari Tenang Dan Damai Di Manikar Beach Resort

Apabila orang berkata hendak pergi melawat Labuan sudah semestinya di dalam itenari perjalanan seseorang  itu  ialah membeli-belah kerana Labuan merupakan bandar bebas cukai. Tidak sah jika seseorang itu meninggalkan Pulau Labuan tanpa membeli coklat khususnya yang diimport. Bagi perokok pula tidak lupa membeli rokok sementara bagi yang bukan beragama Islam tentunya minuman beralkohol mungkin menjadi buah tangan.

Namun demikian ada juga yang melawat Labuan untuk berehat dan sebagainya. Saya beberapa kali berpeluang mengunjungi Pulau Labuan menjalankan tugas resmi dan sering hotel di sekitar bandar Labuan menjadi pilihan. Walau bagaimanapun, saya juga berpeluang menginap di hotel yang jauh di luar pekan iaitu di Pantai Batu Manikar. Di sana terdapat sebuah hotel Pantai Manikar Beach Resort. Peta Google di bawah menunjukkan lokasi resort tersebut yang terletak di bahagian Utara pulau.

Pantai Manikar Beach Resort ialah tempat untuk mencari ketenangan khususnya bagi mereka yang ingin mencari ilham untuk menghasilkan karya kreatif mahupun berehat bersama keluarga dalam keadaan yang tenang dan damai. Gambar bawah pelan tapak yang menunjukkan susunatur resort dan juga kolam renangnya.

Resort ini yang terletak di .Batu Manikar memberikan suasana aman dan damai dengan deruan ombak dari Laut China Selatan yang membawa bayu nyaman jika bersantai di tepi yang berpasir itu.

Atas: Pemandangan dari bilik aku menginap dengan laman yang bersih dan dijaga kemas.

Atas: Pemandangan dari bilik aku menginap

Atas: Salah sebuah blok bilik penginaan

Aku hanya menginap satu malam sahaja di Resort ini kerana selepas itu terpaksa berpindah ke hotel lain di pekan Labuan. Bilik penginapan adalah cukup luas dan amat selesa.

Atas: Kamar mandinya luas dan selesa

Breaking Of Fast In A Hotel

This is my second time breaking of fast in a hotel. Yes, throughout my life. Three years ago it was an invitation to breaking of fast at The Legend in Jalan Putra. Its a free threrat, so why not accept the invitation. 

Today I had another taste of breaking the fast at De Palma in Ampang. Also a free threat since I am attending a workshop and breaking of fast is part of the package. When I arrived I was surprise to see that there are many people at the lobby buying coupon for the function at the Grand Ballroom. I found out that the price of the buka puasa is RM 58.00 per head for adult and RM 29 for children. With the crowd I think nobody will believe that people of Malaysia is hit by the economic slump. 

De Palma put up an excellent display, based on my perception, when food served are of variety. At the main ballroom lobby, there are mixtures of local dishes. It includes popia, nasi ayam, kebab, roasted lamb, yong tau foo, Ais Kacang (shredded ice over cencol, lengkong, red beans etc. topped up with sweet syrup and condensed milk) fried mee, koteow meehoon to name a few. Besides there's a display of fried local cakes where guest can eat them right from the frying pan. 

Inside the hall, there are corners catering various dishes such as appetiser corner, kampung corner and desserts. 

While savouring the varied dishes, guest were also entertained by a traditional Malay music group. The atmosphere looks Malaysians with waiter and waitress in traditional Malay dress and suit the theme of the Hari Raya mood. 

Tiara Beach Resort- Lautan yang selamat

Buat kali kedua aku mengunjungi Tiara Beach Resort di Temok Kemang, Port Dickson. Kali ini menginap selama satu malam dan pemergian untuk tugasan resmi. Tiara Beach Resort meletakkan dirinya sebagai:

Malaysia's Largest Man-made Inland Sea Resort is the choice for fun ..............

A HOLISTIC PLACE TO BE for family vacations, active and exciting for the kids, it is yet peaceful and relaxing for you.

The playful side of Tiara is to have fun with lots to eat and drink with family and friends. You'll be spoilt by our unique water base and recreational activities - water slides, building sand castles on our sandy beach or cycling within the resort. All under the sun!

Memang seperti dakwaannya, resort ini mempunyai sebuah pantai buatan dan dikelilingi oleh blok-blok apartment. Kolam mandi ini adalah cukup selamat kerana tidak begitu dalam dan dalam keadaan berdiri bagi kawasan orang dewasa pun melebihi paras pinggang sahaja. Selain airnya yang jernih dan dapat dilihat hingga ke dasar, pihak resort menempatkan penyelamat di keliling kolam dan juga seorang berada di tempat tinggi yang dapat mengawasi kawasan kolam secara menyeluruh. Terdapat dua buah kolam dan satunya khusus untuk kanak-kanak.

Kolam permainan kanak-kanak- Credit.

Senamrobik di tepian kolam

Selain dapat mandi-manda, kanak-kanak dapat berhibur dengan berbagai pertunjukan dan persembahan. Malah ibu-bapa dan orang dewasa juga dapat berhibur dengan aktiviti-aktiviti dalam air dan atas pasir yang dianjurkan secara berterusan. Pendek kata berada di Tiara , anda tidak merasai masa berlalu begitu pantas.

Tiara sesuai untuk percutian keluarga kerana apartmennya menyediakan bilik yang luas di samping persekitaran yang selamat.

Pertunjukkan silap mata untuk kanak-kanak. Orang dewasa pun boleh join.

Putra Palace, Kangar

Putra Palace in Kangar is the first star rated hotel in Perlis. Located about 1 kilometer away from the town centre, it is very convenient for travelers to stay and is not very busy. From the hotel it is is easy to go to Padang Besar, or the town centre.

Facilities include coffee house with live music nightly, karaoke room, swimming pool and gymnasium.

The Immigration office is just across the road and the Perlis Police HQ is just next to it.A view from my room on the 9th floor

The swimming pool

The Holiday Inn, Kuching

This is the second time I stay at The Holiday Inn in Kuching. It is situated at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and is in the centre of the happening in Kuching. Behind the hotel is the Sarawak River. There's the Sarawak Plaza adjoining the hotel that also house a shopping complex. Accross the road is Tun Jugah Complex, also another modern shopping complex. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf can be found at The Sarawak Plaza and McDonnalds accross the road is open 24 hours. Another 24 hours restaurant, Khatilustiwa is also nearby. But above all I think The Kuching Waterfront along the Sarawak River the main plus point for staying at The Holiday Inn.

Across the Sarawak River behind the hotel is an extreme different from the city life, the traditional Sarawak Malay village. One can take a sampan ride popularly known as Pak Tambang about 5 minutes away. The fare is just 40 cents one way. A restaurant My Village Bistro is also found at the village, Kg. Boyan.

The nearest bank is just minutes away and walking distance is The Standard Chartered, Al Rajhi Bank, CIMB, Maybank and Affin Bank. A shopping compleks, The Riverside with the main tenant, Parkson is just about 5 minutes away. If one loves playing bowling, just drop in at the shopping complex.

I find that The Holiday Inn is near to anywhere in Kuching.

The Hotel also provide prayer mat for Muslims and even shuttle facilities to mosque for Friday prayer.







The shower. Clean and pleasant to be in. They even remind that if you forget your toothbrush, shaving cream or razor, just dial the number provided. Well, if you need condom, you can even order from your room. Af course its not free. LOL.

There is internet access in the room using LAN network. Just plug in the cable provided into your laptop and agree with the terms. However charge is quite high @ RM 20.00 per hour. It is better to go to the Coffee Beans just in front of the hotel and with a cup of cuppicino or your favourite drink that cost not more than RM 10.00 one can have unlimited access.

My meals for Sahur

My second night sahur is Nasi Lemak, fruits and kurma juice. This meal is also accompanied with the popular southern peninsula Malaysia food, otak-otak. Otak-otak is made of fish grousse grilled in banana leaf or nipah palm leaves.

First and third night sahur is Fried Rice with satay sticks and fish crackers, fruits and kurma juice. Its tasty but just a bit cold.

I Stayed at Renaissance, Melaka

From 25 till 27th August I stayed at the Renaissance Hotel, in Malacca. It was my second stay at the hotel. The first was sometimes back in 1997 for 5 nights.

Well, making a comeback is really nostalgic. What I love being back in Renaissance is the food. After all these years of travelling and staying in hotels, I rate food at the Renaissance 5/5. I was tempted to taste all that was on the table but my stomach can just accommodate a certain amount of food only. I think the hotel should praise the chef for their cooking.

I will post pic which is still in my camera.

Hotel- The Waterfront, Labuan

I stayed at the Waterfront hotel situated in Labuan. The hotel with a marina has a sailors atmosphere with rooms all white. Mmmm... staying for 5 days at the hotel makes me feel that I am a sailor (LOL). The Waterfront is an international class hotel built for the financial and business industry.

The hotel is situated adjacent to the largest shopping complex in Labuan, The Financial Park where one can buy chocolates and/or liquor (a must buy for visitors).

Other facilities provided by the hotel is a large swimming pool, The Sunset Bar, Gymnasium, Health Centre, Karaoke and TM's Hotspot. I can receive one bar from my room but not able to log on to the internet. I think the hotel should provide FREE highspeed broadband access to its stay in guest instead of TM's hotspot service which is only available at the lobby and coffee house.

The hotel address is No 1 Jalan Wawasan, Labuan. Tel : 087 418111 Fax : 087 413468

Just nice to relax

The shower

Wardrobe, coffee making facilities and mini fridge.

Two beds but since I stayed alone, one is always vacant.

What I collected from the hotel.

The Marina next to the hotel.

First Travel in 2007 and FREE WiFi

This is my first travel on official duty in 2007. Started on 16th Mac 2007 and the trip is to Alor Setar, Kedah. A normal 5 hour journey took me thirteen and a half hours. Well of course including sleeping in the car along the journey. I will stop at RnR to sleep whenever my eyes couldn't stand it anymore. A three lane on the highway appears to be four and sometimes merge into one. So rather than meeting any consequences I better park my car and sleep.

In Alor Setar, I stayed at the Kedah Institute of Management accommodations at Jalan Sultanah. The Institute was set up by the Kedah State Government to upgrade the knowledge and efficiency of the public sectors.

After my duty in Alor Star completes, I move down to Ipoh. Stayed at Park City Hotel which is nearby the Perak Sports Complex. The hotel is a budget hotel but room is spacious and the rate is affordable. I took a Superior room on the new block at RM98.00. Another plus for staying in the hotel is that it provide free wifi internet which is available at the lobby. The last time I stayed at the hotel I can manage to access the internet from my room. However the signal is quite weak and I could hardly get 54Mbps. Just enough to get connected to the internet .

This time around I stayed at the 6th floor and could get access from a few spots of the JARING-Redsnapper. I am not sure who provide the FREE access but I think its the Perak Government initiavites to set up that coverage. It I am correct then this is the third effort by the governement to setu up FREE internet access for the public. One is at MITC in Air Keroh, Malacca. Then the Sarawak Government is doing the same for Miri resident.

I think I can lift my hat to the Perak State Government for providing this FREE access. Even this blog is written and posted from Tapah RnR along the North South Highway (PLUS) which is also FREE. This is one of the FREE wifi access zone along the highway. Another one is at the Sungai Perak RnR.

It is high time that the government provide FREE internet access at all government buildings to boost the internet usage capacity and spur Malaysian to be more computer literate and internet savvy. The internet is an ocean of knowledge which is waiting to be harvested and tapped.

Destination Port Dickson

Today I took off to Port Dickson (PD). The last time I was in Port Dickson was April last year. There will be a workshop to write the sports specific curriculum for coaching. A few sports was called up to complete their coaching curriculum for all the three levels under the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme.

Left my house at 9.00 pm and drove up to PD through the North South Highway (PLUS). The journey to PD is just about 1hr 15 minutes. Drive along the PLUS Highway and then take Exit 219. Toll rate from Sg Besi Toll Plaza is RM 7.70. After passing the toll plaza you will reach a traffic light and take a right turn. Drive straight until you see another sign showing the route to Port Dickson. From there you have the choice of using the trunk road or the highway. The trunk road will take you through Mantin and Rantau. Whereas the highway will take you direct to Port Dickson but you still have the exits to Mantin and Springhills. The open toll fare for this highway is RM 2.60.

The distance from Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson is about 13 kilometres.

My destination in Port Dickson is Tiara Beach Resort. I will update this blog later with some pictures of Tiara Beach Resort.

Posted from Tiara Beach Resort, Port Dickson.
The wifi internet access is from Kemang Internet.

Kuching - December 2006

In December I visited Kuching again. This time it's just a two night stay since I have to proceed to Kota Kinabalu after that.

While in Kuching I stayed at the Holiday Inn, my first stay here.