CHASING FOOD DREAMS: Holiday Inn Melaka: A Fabulous Short Weekend Getaway in the Historical City of Malacca!

Everyone needs a holiday! I find it hard to plan holidays as both my partner and I work long hours in addition to taking care of my child and blogging activities. When the opportunity arises for a short R&R weekend getaway, it was a fabulous opportunity at the right place and the right time for us. For me, holidays denote a long list of sightseeing and things-to-do so after each holiday, I usually needed more holidays to recover from one!! J

For the first time in my vacation plans, I didn’t have a plan! Partner just told me to actually go on a real holiday and enjoy some rest and relax moments (it’s actually quite hard for me as I am bit of a planner.. hehehe!). We headed out on our drive to the historical city of Malacca and the journey was smooth-sailing all the way hence we arrived slightly more than two hours at our destination. This is the first of many posts of our Malacca expedition starting from our fabulous hotel stay to dining and some tourist moments!

The good thing about expectations is when you have the least of it; the outcome might actually surprise you! Holiday Inn Melaka was our choice of hotel for our holiday and with minimal expectation, I was actually pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the hotel. Located by the beautiful waterfront of the Straits of Malacca, I was greeted by a breezy Saturday noon wind and a sunny blue sky! Parking was effortless as there were plenty and it is free of charge for hotel guest.

The Hotel

After some research, I found that Holiday Inn Melaka has a capacity of 275 rooms including suites in a gleaming 20-storey building situated strategically in the city, thus one can actually walk over to Malacca’s main shopping malls, Mahkota Parade and Hatten Square, and some historical sites (Portuguese Square) and tourist attractions (Taming Sari Tower). I quite happy with this hotel as I could actually walk around without having to drive much as traffic is quite heavy in this city.

The whole hotel looked modern and new as I entered the foyer to check in. The whole foyer was really spacious with high ceilings and well spaced counters. The clean and white ambience already had me feeling that this was going to be a lovely stay from its welcoming décor. Checking in to my room was a breeze and I had also requested for an extra bed which the hotel had advised that it has been taken care already.

The Room

True enough, my room had the extra bed already setup when I entered my room! The room was designed with simplicity in mind and everything felt comfortable and clean. One should be able to get a good feel of the room based on first sight and mine was definitely a good one! J

The Two Single Bed Room was fairly spacious and featured a theme of wood and natural colors of green, yellow and white. I saw some welcoming treats on the dressing table as my kid immediately went for the chocolates and cookies! There was a flat screen TV facing the beds to minimized space while a lounge chair was also available for some chilling out moments. Another plus point I notice was that the extra bed also had additional toiletries for the third guest!! Most hotels that I have stayed do not provide extra toiletries unless requested separately.

What amazed me was the bed! When I like something, you can tell as I can rave about it a lot. The mattress had the most comfortable feel for me. It was not too soft nor too firm, almost just a perfect ten! I could feel the mattress cuddling my curves and yet supporting my posture. In fact, the bed was so good, I actually slept a lot in the hotel room those two days (told you it was a R&R vacation)… hehehe… which is very rare for me since I prefer to make the most of my vacations outside the hotel. Plush pillows had options of soft or firm and we had six lovely pillows to the three of us… no fighting required! I just didn’t want to wake up the next morning as the bed was so good to snuggle in. My only quip is that I forgot to see what brand the mattress was… maybe I should call Holiday Inn Melaka to ask? (Wink!!)

Another surprising thing I like was the soft calming music in the background when we turned on all the switches. The music was a channel on the TV and was really welcoming and soothing. Even my partner commented that it was really a nice touch! Too bad I didn’t know the list of the songs as I would love to have a copy of it… J

There were the usual amenities like toiletries, robe, slippers, iron, hair dryer, safe deposit box and phone. I saw that we also have 2 hours of free internet access which is quite a nice touch again. Lucky for my partner I did not bring my computer with me as I would definitely have use this benefit and glued myself to the computer again… hehehe! (old habits are hard to resist!)

Love the bathroom’s rain shower as it really feels like I m standing beneath the rain!

The View

The view is quite mesmerizing as our room, located on the 10^th floor, was facing the waters of Straits of Malacca! Check out the long jetty which houses quite a few restaurants. There is even a bird nest restaurant for those who feel like a little indulgence…

On the other side of the hotel, the view oversees the bustling city of shop houses and Mahkota Parade. I could even see the tourist attraction of the Taming Sari Tower. We took pictures of this view while we were waiting for our elevator.

A peek below and we saw a huge rectangle swimming pool surrounded by lush trees and shrubs with rows of lilac bushes. At that moment, I just wanted to forget the world and dive right in!

I quickly head down to the pool with my family to enjoy a swim after lunch at the hotel’s coffee house, Essense Kitchen. I’ll let the pictures take your breath away as it did mine with the hotel’s infinity edge pool and view!!

The Facilities

For those who need their daily exercise routine, I did a quick peek into the gym and it looks decent! I certainly wouldn’t mind a little exercise if I have this view. J

There is also a spa facility, Tea Tree Spa, on site. A quaint tour of the spa revealed a serene and peaceful ambience of the spa designed for therapeutic and rejuvenation in mind. The spa had individual rooms in Balinese theme wooden houses and each room has its own outdoor and indoor shower with privacy. Choose from quick foot massage to the full body works or indulge in aromatherapy with natural essence and herbs.

After a course, one can also relax in the peaceful quarters of the spa and enjoy a sip of hot ginger tea to soothe away the stress.

I was told that the men’s bathroom has additional advantages of a jacuzzi and sauna. Sigh… if only the women’s bathroom has it too!!

For reservation, please call
+606 285 9000 ext: 58108 or 59050spa@holidayinnmelaka.com

When the evening sets in, I saw the hotel in preparation for an outdoor theme wedding. After the swim and a quiet moment in the spa, we watch as the sun sets to a gorgeous evening of pastel pink, blue and shades of purple in the sky!

The next morning, we walked around the hotel after a hearty breakfast at the Essense Kitchen coffee house again to work off the food and to enjoy a bit of the morning sun. In the end, we strolled back to the hotel and had a light nap again (told you the bed was irresistible!!) before checking out.

It may only be a short stay but the overall experience seemed to etch deep in my mind that weekend. The hotel was very well maintained as the overall interior and rooms felt significantly new. Service was excellent as the staff was always friendly with a smile and a greeting. This does not only applies to us but we read really positive reviews on the internet about the excellent service here at Holiday Inn Melaka. Sigh with contentment... I can’t wait to do this all over again and hopefully soon… J