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JJ in KL Jun 2023 (2019 reprise)

We check out from St. Regis at 2-ish, dashed home, repacked another set of clothes and we’re off again for a week on the road – a reprise of our roadtrip from June 2019!

We split this week into 2 segments, the first half in KL and the latter part in Klang so it made sense that while the first would be at Hilton Doubletree KL (revisiting this since our last visit pre-Covid 2019), the 2nd was Hilton Doubletree Shah Alam I-City, a fairly new Hilton property which opened just 2022. This comes highly recommended by Gugu J and Grandpa J who typically stay here when travelling here for work or to visit family given its location conveniently smacked in between KL and Klang.

We kickstart the trip with durian!

Nothing much has changed about the hotel.

Welcome by the standard DoubleTree Cookies!

Now you see it, now you don’t!

Lounging by the Executive Lounge at L34…

Settling into our room… Daddy adds on a rollaway bed which the were nice enough not to include in the final bill.

What’s a day out without Mummy’s homework!

Breakkie at Makan, most of the setup is identical to what we recall it to be, save for the new honeycomb!, green corner and Kidz corner (thankfully we didn’t see this previously lest Daddy make us sit there!). There’s also the live prata station that whips up a wicked prata.

Honeycomb!

And what’s a holiday without our usual prep time, and TV as reward! As if a deja vu we get so engrossed with TV and again miss the opportunity for a dip in the pool. You can checkout the pix from before, nothing much has changed on this front. 

We spent a lot of time on the 34th… 

Hilton DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur

After 3 days, its time to leave. We checkout at 3pm from KL and make our way to Klang/Shah Alam.

Interesting that the Doubletree Shah Alam is located adjacent to Wet World (or was it Water City) Shah Alam. Parts of it looks like Sunway Lagoon which we also wrote about back in 2019, OK maybe just a subset of it, and not as big.

In the absence of an exec lounge, there are welcome drinks and daily snacks/canapes at the Axis Lounge.

They upgrade us to a Deluxe Family Suite, but because this is a fairly new (small-ish) property there is no executive lounge, but in the absence of which, invite guests to the Axis Lounge for welcome drinks and light bites. Here’s also a nice gesture with welcome amenity. 

Back to Work!
Welcome Amenity!
Hilton DoubleTree Shah Alam

For the record, it wasn’t all work and no play!

There’s a fancy Games Room on Level 5, gym…

Books and fruit infused water
Didi having a crack at foosball against Yeh Yeh and I!

And an infinity-like pool!

We lap up breakkie and head to Kidzania. This was totally unplanned since we only considered Petrosains which we we planning to visit on Friday. Nonetheless Daddy found out that Kidzania had reopened which he thought surprising given the SG one shuttered indefinitely, so we check out tickets the night before. Note you get a discount for repurchasing this before 12pm the day which we unfortunately did not qualify for since we only booked it past dinner the night before. Anyway they’ve all gone cashless so remember to book out your tix ahead. There is also a pre-registration (uploading a selfie of oneself) prior to arriving at the gates.

We proceed with our check in and boarding passes were now in the form of wrist bands. Boarding was a breeze with the automated facial recognition.

Check-in
Boarding

Seems some of the store fronts have changed. Notable updates include A&W for McDonald’s (you do need to pay to ‘work’ there since you would get to keep the meal you whip up, comprising burger/hotdog, root beer and waffle ice-cream.

Here’s us enjoying the fruits of our labour… 

The others include:

1. F&B: Yayoi, Subway and Tealive. Daddy quipped ‘for the life of me can’t figure out if it’s pronounced Tea-live, or Tea-life’! Note Tealive (whatever and however its pronounced!) had the longest wait list so take note if you’re a fan of bubble tea and making your own bobas, do make sure you register early (yes as simple as rockin’ up and telling the kakak your name so she notes your name on the record). 

Well F&B here implies food outlets with a kid training centre and a separate food outlet operating at what Daddy says are astronomical prices! 

2. Non F&B – well Foodpanda has a delivery system which we enjoyed doing. Here’s a pic of us with Pao Pao. 

We didn’t realize the last trip that there was a parents lounge which our parents this trip took turns hiding at (grandpa and grandma pretty much camped there for most parts). 

Here are some of the other random pix..

Working at Foodpanda (with Pao Pao in the back!)

Didi doing his delivery rounds, part-timing as a housekeeper at the hotel, and moonlighting as a wannabe-magician at what must have been his favorite gig at Urbano’s Magic Shop.

Jie Jie at the florist, and her own delivery round.

At the hospital!

Some other miscellaneous jobs…

Daddy says he was on this radio station a couple of times previously…

Map of the park

Us in the prison, and the parade where we meet the mascot KZ, and a final family pix before we head out.

At the end of the day, we earn like $200 KZ Dollars between Jie Jie and I – the equivalent of 2 erasers which we redeemed! Life must be hard as an adult… working your butt off all day for a day’s wage which buys nothing more than an eraser…

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JJ at Legoland Hotel JB

Well it happens JJ’s favourite aunt – Gugu J manages to book out The elusive Ninjago Lloyd (aka Green Ninja) room on a mid-week Wednesday, so what d’ya know we pack our bags and head to the Legoland Malaysia Resort! BIG HURRAY for the HUGE Ninjago fans JJ are.

We have had the annual passes for some years but never actually utilised the discounted rates on Legoland Hotel so this was an opportune time to leverage the 20% discount on rooms.

Turns out we would be coming straight from KL the day before so when we got to the Legoland Hotel we were just yearning to stay in and rest. Alas while we really did just hibernate in the room, rest was elusive as there was just so much fanfare and excitement – the oohs and aahs from JJ the moment we stepped into the room, admiring the tastefully done Ninjago-themed decor (what else would you expect!), Legoland toiletries and amenities (!) , to getting thru the treasure hunt and eventually unlocking to secret chest to uncover our treasure!

Legoland Resort Malaysia Johor Bahru undergoing a facade face-lift.

Lobby/check-in with Lego Knights Castle (akin to Daddy J’s Black Knights Castle) and Pirate’s Ship play area!

The usual disco lights and music play go on when the elevator doors close – “Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of a team (by Tegan and Sara)”… different elevators have different themes ranging from Adventure, Pirates, Kingdom…

*Elevator dings* we’re at Level 5 and greeted by none other than Master Wu. Ninjago rooms share the same level as Pirates-themed rooms, which is also the same floor as the hotel pool.

Getting into our Lloyd-themed room…

Treasure hunt instructions laid out on the bed.

[Spoiler alert] Click here for the answers to unlock the treasure chest!

Lego-styled toiletries! Literally everything is AWESOME!

The pool which was virtually empty when we got there in the morning after brekkie. But then again, who would need a pool when you have the Legoland Water Park right at your doorstep! *Splash!*

We did head out eventually to the Legoland Theme Park for our regular dose of Ninjago ride (note Jon beat his record of 204,750 with full bragging rights to it!), dragon roller-coaster (Jo) and for dinner at the Medini Mall (we walked past the newly-opened Sealife aquarium)

There are nightly activities at the Lobby, ranging from movie nights to kids playing in the lego pits and running through the pirates ship deck or knight’s castle. That night we were there though, we enjoyed a little Hari Raya magic show! Kids were all in their PJs, literally wayyy past their bedtime!

The next day we just took it easy – having extended breakfast at the Bricks Family Restaurant (sprawling with KIDS!), playing video games at the Games console room and watching tele in the room before checking out at noon (note the hotel’s official check-in and checkout timings are 4pm/11am respectively).

 

After checkout we were deliberating between going into Legoland again or checking out the latest attraction (Sealife) – given it was sweltering hot then with the noon day sun blazing, it really did make more sense to do a look-see at the air-conditioned Sealife.

Sealife Malaysia officially opened its doors in May 2019 after almost a year in making since groundbreaking in August 2018. Legoland regulars would remember the works-in-progress through this time, the dust and temporary walkways from the open air carpark to the park entrance… but alas, this is all now behind us! Owned and operated by the UK-based Merlin Entertainment Group, the fresh-faced Sealife Malaysia joins a network of >50 other such aquariums/oceanariums around the world (Merlin is also synonymous with Madam Tussauds, Sydney Wildlife Zoo, among others).

In all, we spend slightly more than an hour, zipping* through the various exhibits but spent disproportionately most time at the life-sized aquarium screen – similar to whats now super popular at kids’ play areas and entertainment centers, the one at Sealife Malaysia though has individual screens (not just paper you colour on and snapshot with the digital projector) where kids (and adults too!) design their own sea-life and spawn them into the vast underwater world…. Daddy J himself gets creative with his zebra inspired starfish.

Kids to Daddy: How do you tell the difference between a zebra-striped Daddy and Mummy star fish?

Daddy J: Daddy starfishes are black with white stripes, but Mummy starfishes are white with black stripes

JJ: 🙂

 

*Note: the layout is cleverly designed over 3 levels of exhibits intertwined and accessed by steps (there were lotsa climbing up and down steps to the different floors. Not to worry though as there are also elevators to make accessibility easier!

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JJ in KL

With the school holidays currently underway, Mummy and Daddy decide to take JJ on a short road trip to KL.

Unfortunately this wasn’t quite planned ahead, the impetus to go really came from Mummy J’s cuz who sent her a note just last week about a 40% promo code for Kidzania Malaysia (ATOM40)*. We were lucky to have been able to leverage this promotion. Daddy J actually only booked it on 31st May itself! We ended up paying RM171 vs. what would have been RM261 for regular priced tix (2A+2C aged 4-17)**

*Note this is coinciding with the Kidzania KL Science and Space Programme happening 25th May – 16th June 2019. Disclaimer: This promotion is only applicable for online ticket purchase only from 19th April  – 31st  May 2019, valid for the following visit period from 20th April – 16th June 2019 with exception on 5th June 2019.

**Note Kidzania SG online price totals SGD$184.3 or RM552.9 for the same 2A+2C configuration but should not be taken as a 1-1 comparison. While there are obvious similarities, there are also stark contrasts in experiences between both. An example of this is that SG offers a Paddle Pop ice-cream making experience while this is not available in KL/MY. The latter however does have a Mc’Donalds burger making experience which is also unique between both locations.

Having secured the Kidzania tix Daddy J then proceeds to scout around for hotels during the week of 9th June. Where else to go but to the trusty Hilton Honors App. Given the gang has previously tried the Hilton KL (Jalan Stesen/KL Sentral) and PJ Hilton, we decide this time to book out the DoubleTree by Hilton located at Jalan Tun Razak, a stone’s throw from KLCC. It turns out Hilton APAC was having its timely APAC sale so we swiftly book out our rooms.

With the bookings in place, we set off on Monday (12th June) morning!

Beautiful morning to beat the Monday blues, with clear blue skies and the perfect company for a 3-hr ride up North!

Traffic was a breeze as most were probably already back at work post Raya holidays.

Midway through we make a pit-stop at Daddy’s favourite spot – The Perhentian Jejantas Ayer Keroh (Air Keroh Overhead-Bridge Rest Area) with the usual All-American A&W, KFC, Baskin Robbins and Dunkin Donuts!

KFC vs. A&W?

The choice is obvious as we make a beeline at the A&W restaurant with the regular suspects of waffles, Coney dogs and root beer floats! It was a good 20-min wait (thereabouts) but definitely worth the while! A&W Changi Jewel was still maxed out when we were there just last week (on Hari Raya) waiting for Grandpa and Grandma J’s flight back to SIN and it was truly a scene of “People Mountain, People Sea” (colloquial in Cantonese for heaps of people!). With this in mind, we were thankful for the relatively shorter queue here. Soon it was time to dig in…

After a hearty meal, Daddy J needs a solid navigator up front to keep him focused on the road while Baby J tries to catch some shut eye.

It wasn’t long before we arrive at the Sungai Besi Toll Plaza in KL!
Spot the KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers in the background!

Arriving at the Hilton Doubletree KL co-located at the Intermark Mall.

The Lobby is setup on the 1st floor of the integrated office/shopping mall. Very interesting as the lobby could be easily missed for a swanky lounge/bistro in the mall.

Pleasant surprise to be informed we were upgraded to an Executive Room with lounge access and check-in facilitated at the Lounge on the 34th Floor.

Welcomed with the usual DoubleTree Hospitality – Chocolate Chip Cookies!

View from the top!

In our room!

When we returned in the evening, we were pleasantly surprised at the complimentary extra bed, which we gladly accepted and promptly reconfigured to a little kiddy cot!

Swimming pool on the 10th floor, adjacent to the Gym and Tosca Italian Restaurant.

Breakfast at Makan Restaurant (Level 11)

Very good spread of ‘Healthy Breakfast’ segment, Salads, Cold Cuts, Noodle and Egg station, Chinese Congee, Malay (Nasi Lemak!), Indian selection with made-to-order Prata/Dosai/Chappati!

They even have a cordoned-off area for HH Gold and Diamonds which would have been useful if there were bigger crowds.

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Kids choice, and Daddy J’s Nasi Lemak, and a live-Teh Tarik station!

 

Day#2 – Kidzania Kuala Lumpur

 

First stop – Spritzer Bottling Facility.

First task was to deliver 3 cartons of Bottled Water, thereafter returning to the Bottling facility to produce (bottle blowing machine!), perform filtration, bottling of filtered water, and then the Heat/Steam machine to label the bottled water!

I don’t remember the kids ever working that hard, until now…

  

The apprentices posing with their guru, or boss… and even got to keep the bottles they bottled – one for each kid!

Vitagen/Marigold Milk Factory.

Very interesting lessons on pasteurisation, homogenisation and fermentation. Mummy J did find the end product a tad too sweet for her liking though -perhaps the kiddos added a little too much sugar! Nonetheless the JTwins had no qualms about slurping and sipping it all up! Slurppsss…

Burger Making @ Mc’Donalds

Reporting for work…

Kids got to eat their very own cheeseburger – literally the very ones they made themselves.

Pilot training at Air Asia!

Chocolate Making at the Chocolate Factory

  

Firefighter!

Jon having a go at rock (building) climbing while Jo has a go at the girlie stuff @ the Kurls salon.

   

Random pix from around Kidzania World!

 

At the end of the day, with the money (Kidzos) earned  through blood, sweet and tears, the kids can buy out stuff from the Kidzania departmental store.

Note the Kidzos currency can be used at any of the other Kidzanias around the world. Just make sure you don’t convert the notes into a bankcard (stored value). The ‘banks’ are apparently different around the world so just keep them into Kidzo notes.

 

 

Day#3 – PetroSains, KLCC

On Day#3 after breakfast, we went up to Level 34 to check out the spread at the lounge…

 

Coffee made with Love for Mummy from Jo… 🙂

After check-out, we headed to Suria KLCC, aka home of the Petronas Twin Towers.

The Twins and the Twin Towers.

 

The handy Touch ‘n Go card for easy payment at exit gantries to avoid the lines at payment machines at major malls in Malaysia.

We had previously been to the KLCC but never knew about PetroSains until we read about it couple of days before this trip. Seems PetroSains has been around for the past 20 years!

PetroSains is a Discovery Centre (the Malaysian equivalent of the Singapore Science Centre or so we thought*), owned by the national petroleum company Petronas, and located smack in the middle of KL, literally in the heart of KLCC (Level 4/Centre Atrium).

*At the end of the day, while we had initially wanted to do only an hour – asking the receptionist how quickly we could get through all 11 interactive zones, we were blown-away at the quality of exhibits, depth of research that had gone into the planning and running of the centre and customer-centricity of the staff and volunteers manning the various experiments. Verdict – It definitely exceeded the JJ Twins and more so Daddy J and Mummy J’s expectations. A well-deserving 5 diapers for the PetroSains Discovery Centre!

 

Capsule ride which you get into at the start of your journey. You get into the pod again at the end of the day to wrap up your day and exit PetroSains.

Dinosaurs are alive at the Dino exhibit in PetroSains!

A 3D printer working its magic…

Kids and Mummy have a go at Robo-Soccer and later at VR soccer!

Fun Science with helpful volunteers and staff.

The Top-Side of the mock Oil-Rig was by far Daddy J’s favourite exhibit! Kids get first-hand experience on what an oil rig is, what is looks like, and the dangers and safety aspects on living afloat one. An incredible way to exit is via a tall-slide. Don’t worry about if your kids are decked in shorts, or dresses – the thoughtful staff have pull-up blankets which kids slid into before sliding down the 2-strorey slide so you don’t have to worry about burns or abrasions at the end of the day!

Check out the emergency escape raft!

Formula 1 fever!

Jo cracks the code…

And the Twins pit their brains against each other in a dose of sibling rivalry on who can focus the longest! T1 wins here, while T2 emerges winner of VR soccer!

Augmented reality sand box at the Molecule/Nanoworld…

 

At the penultimate exhibit – Digi Cybercafe World…

By the time we got out it was 4pm! (we must’ve spent some 3 hours in PetroSains!). Not wanting to wait and fight-out the notorious KL rush-hour traffic, we packed sushi from Isetan and had a very late lunch en-route down South!