Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort

The division I work in had a teambuilding last month at AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort. The hotel is about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur, and is prominent for its rooms lined out to resemble a palm tree in the middle of the Malacca Straits. Think the Palm Islands in Dubai, UAE.

The news about the teambuilding was announced pretty late, and if rushing to complete all our work before we left was stressful enough, our bosses made it compulsory for all of us to participate in a lip sync competition. I lip sync to songs in the car all the time so I was psyched for this but performing in front of an audience was something I hadn't done in a very long time.

In fact I barely ate during the dinner before the performance. Nerves - 1, Yours truly - 0.

Nevertheless the four of us did splendidly. We didn't win but it was the effort, determination and teamwork that counts.

The Chicas team.

All of us from the Content Group division were segregated into different teams. This is the Maze Runner team, all decked in red.

Our first assignment. A tunnel made from natural green. A peaceful path many can't resist. Kudos to one of the team members who came here before so he knew where to go.

Second assignment. Beyond the first trunk lies the gateway of an alternative crisis route.

Final one. When you sit, you need to use your feet. When you move, body coordination is required. We thought it was the swings at first at a nearby playground but we didn't spot any other teams there.

We didn't win this one too, but it was the team bonding that matters.

After running around the hotel for an hour and a half, we all settled down for lunch and got our room keys. The villas were all located out at sea so some of us opted to rent a bike to cycle to their rooms and the rest opted to wait for a buggy.

I chose to walk under the sweltering heat, because a little workout never hurts. <cough>Show off<cough>

Jogging map courtesy of Huzack.

View from our balcony. Excuse the feet.

We were given the family villa which accommodates the 4 of us. This is the lounge which proved useful for the lip sync competition rehearsals.

The roof.

Second bedroom with twin beds and a balcony overlooking the sea and other villas.

Second bathroom with a shower.

Master bedroom with a king sized bed and another private balcony.

Obligatory master bathroom photo.

Bathroom goals. Unfortunately no one had the time to utilize the bathtub. 

View from the master bedroom.

I think we could have enjoyed the trip more if we weren't so busy preparing for the competition and if it was a 3 days 2 nights stay. Room was clean and spacious and breezy when the sliding doors to the balconies are opened. Breakfast was delightful and had a wide array of choices. The infinity swimming pool overlooks the sea, so does the gym. Unfortunately the Malacca Straits aren't known for its cleanliness, unlike the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia so no crystal blue waters.

The hotel is pretty secluded too. There are a number of Malay restaurants next to the hotel overlooking the beach; otherwise a car is necessary to go to the nearest town for more food choices.

Will definitely come back someday. A short vacation is overdue.

GTower Hotel

My last vacation was March last year and I do not wish to recall any part of it. Except for the shoes and bracelet.

There is something appealing about vacationing in KL. It was so exciting when I first came to KL as a kid - me and my dad would take a bus from Ipoh and we'd spend a whole day in Kinokuniya. Back then, we could sit on the floor and no one would bother us. My favorite spot was at the children's section and the windows overlooked the lake and fountain. Now they put book racks there and chase you off for sitting. Those were good ol' days.

Ya well, my kind of trip is different from yours.

Then I moved to KL for college and subsequently work, so now I see KL in a slightly differently - blah. But it's a whole different story when I go for vacation, well, in KL. (go on, laugh). I get to be a kid again, and I don't have to worry about emails and reports and deadlines.

So this time, I chose GTower Hotel for a 3 days 2 nights stay.

All for me! Clean room, Wifi's speed was fast, TV channels were okay (Star World airing too much of Witches of East End) and there's a Subway downstairs in the cafeteria. The only bummer thing about this hotel is that it shares the building with offices, so I'd end up the only under dressed person around.

Yes, there's a TV in the bathroom. So you can take a dump and watch TV at the same time.

The hotel was situated at the corner of Jalan Tun Razak, and it was right next to the Ampang Park LRT station. So I took the train to KLCC and sat in front of the fountain - just like old times.

Melaka trip rant

This past Monday, I drove down to Melaka for a much needed break, thinking I could drown myself in food at all the famous cafes and stalls in town. I haven't been there since I was about 10 during a family trip and it turned out pretty okay. So instead of vacationing in Port Dickson again, it was decided Melaka was a decent option.

I stayed in Hotel Mimosa, the same one I stayed when I was a kid. I still recognize it - it was nestled between shophouses and nearby Jonker Street and the Capitol Satay Celup store. Room was okay, small but tidy enough for my liking.

I reached on a Monday afternoon, and for dinner, I'd walk to Jonker Street and find whatever food I can find there. Except it was closed. Go figure. So I walked around aimlessly with Waze as my guide - and somehow, I arrived at the Satay Celup store at Lorong Bukit Cina. The long queue didn't bother me, I was just contented I stumbled upon a famous place to eat. Even had time to drop by Big Bowl Ice store for dessert - just a few shops down the road.

Breakfast at the hotel on Tuesday morning, well, put it this way, it is a small hotel after all so I didn't expect breakfast like the one at Cyberview Lodge. Anyways, I was stoked to head out to Jonker Street for some goodies. I had the cendol at Jonker 88. I liked it and for the price, I liked it even more =)

Not knowing where else to go, I wandered around the street, then I started to get antsy, so I drove to Mahkota Parade. The highlight of my day was getting my Vincci heels size 4 (Mid Valley only had size 5 and above) and a pretty bracelet. 

Ohh, and I had Nando's for dinner.

Yes, the Nando's chicken chain store. There is one 15 minutes away from my apartment.

I couldn't wait to leave. I could only heave a sigh of relief after I checked out on Wednesday morning. But before I left the town, I thought I'd try the Nedeje mille crepes nearby Mahkota Parade. I like cakes, so why not.

Except it was closed. The company had a teambuilding on the same day.

-_-"

Wanna know where I had Nedeje mille crepes then? Petaling Jaya's Three Two Square.

Ya.

Grand Lexis

For our third vacation of the year (it's either I do it a lot, or I don't), we went to Grand Lexis Port Dickson. It was kind of a spur of the moment - we decided to go because of the private pools they have in each room. When we were first contemplating PD, this hotel was out because it was too pricey.

Because I booked through Agoda, we got a garden chalet (built safely on the ground). The ones in this pic are the water chalets, and more expensive.

We spent a lot of time in the pool, in the evenings and night. The water was too cold for us in the mornings. Rather than entering the pool through the door, we used the huge windows (not shown on the right side) to enter. 

I couldn't get a nice enough angle of the windows and pool, so I print screen this from the Grand Lexis official website.

Enough for three! Beds were super comfy and I spent a lot of time on it. Instead of soaking up the scenery and the fact we paid 1,038 bucks for it, I slept in the afternoon on Day 2. Total waste of money. There weren't many entertaining channels too, except for AXN.

We have a pantry too, but didn't use much of it. We used the kettle to boil water, but the result was a very weird tasting water. Not sure if it's the chlorine from the tap water, or the kettle itself.

After the pantry is the washroom area. There's a sink, the door to the toilet and the bathroom on the right. We thoroughly enjoyed the hot water, especially after our night swims.

Again, I cropped this out of Instagram. Breakfast was okay, but somehow I didn't really enjoyed it as much as Cyberview. Maybe because they didn't have hash browns. But I loved the salad. We went out for dinner, first night at a place called Seaview. Their seafood was pricey, but nice. We ordered fish, tofu and greens which came up to 82 bucks. Then, we wanted dessert at McD's because we had seen the signboard as we approached Seaview. Got lost, and ended up at Iceroom.

My Blueberry shaved ice at Iceroom. Unlike those served at coffeeshops, this is pure shaved ice. It is so soft, it literally melts before you swallow it in. Worth every penny. Oh, and it serves western food too.

We had another round of seafood the next day, but at a cheaper rate and finally found McD's after asking the owner of the seafood shop for directions.

Last shot of the water chalets in the morning. Overall, we had a good stay here. Also, it helps if you got a car to drive around. But are we coming back soon? Maybe not, unless they hike up our salaries.

Cyberview Lodge

This is a very backdated post, which is why I can't recall when this vacay took place. *I think it was in May*. This is Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa. We paid 500 bucks for a 3 day 2 night stay, which was a super bargain because it is a 5 star resort, or so they gave themselves. All thanks to MBF rewards.

I could care less about the location of our vacation, because it meant we would spend less on transportation and getting lost. A holiday is still a holiday, we say. This is me on a hammock (for the very first time!) beside the pool.

Our room! I used the candlelight effect while taking this shot using my phone (gone are the days we use digital cameras) because the normal mode made the photo dull. 

Bed was smaller than the one at Avillion, but maybe because they weren't anticipating 3 people in a room. I am super proud of this photo because it looks like something right out of a Home Decor magazine =)

Bathroom! (the sink is on the right) The hot shower stopped working on Day 2, and I thought blowing myself with the hair dryer would keep me a little warmer, boy was I wrong.

The balcony which served as a drying area for our pool towels and laundry. Yes, we washed our clothes because we didn't want it to reek of sweat (from the gym) and chlorine (from the pool). We didn't try the spa, though.

Wading pool.

A tiny waterfall separating the wading pool from the main pool.

Main pool on the left and kids pool on the right.

Early morning view from the bed. Unlike some, our vacation consists of eating and chilling in the room. They had a lot of good Astro channels, MTV, Disney, Star World, HBO (or was it FMP, can't remember) etc and we spent Day 2 downloading TV series and playing Taboo. In the hotel book provided in each room, it claimed that there were board and card games we could rent but no one had any idea what it was, including those at the front desks. So we created our own Taboo game before discovering we could play online too.

I cropped this out of Instagram after realizing I deleted it off the phone. Breakfast was included in the 500 bucks, so we rammed in food as much as we could. I had a couple of Danish pastries, cherry tomatoes, salami, chicken slices, hash browns, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, buttermilk pancakes and porridge. No way I was going for nasi lemak - I usually have them at work. Dinner was on our own, so Day 1 we went to Alamanda Putrajaya (and got a little lost) and Day 2 we went to a shop in Seri Kembangan.

So this wraps up our 3 day 2 night stay. We're in the midst of planning another trip here again =)

No work for 2 days!

Random pics from last month's vacation at Port Dickson (my first time there!) because Pangkor was too pricey (even at Agoda's price) and we didn't want to spend 4 hours on the road just to get there.

 400 bucks for 3 days 2 nights at Avillion Admiral Port Dickson, which is acceptable enough for a 4 star hotel. As usual, a bathroom shot is a must.

More than enough space for three. One of us couldn't resist messing up the bed first. No pics of us though because we always look goofy on camera.

The marina and beyond, the sea. You can make out the beach houses in the centre. Cool, no?

Got carried away with the light switches trying to create that ultimate romantic feel.

I woke up at 6.30 when it's not work day. We had a blast at the breakfast buffet though. I piled up hash browns just because I never had it at workplace, it costs a buck for a piece! After breakfast, the short walk back to our room was torture (Each of us went for 4 rounds of free food).

2 beds and lots of space. We skipped lunch both days and spent hours in the room enjoying the air cond. Just because we don't have it in our rooms. TV was a bore though, they had a ESPN and BBC and no Star World or CNN. So we watched 8TV =)

Boats for sale, seriously!


400 bucks well spent. Another vacation coming up soon because we're getting addicted to it. Wheee ... !!

Free

I have been meaning to post something about the department's teambuilding in Langkawi since last year when I attended my first one, but a number of pics were in the pendrive and so I told myself I have to transfer them into the laptop someday and start to write about it.

The Langkawi vacation took place in January 2011. It's January 2012 now, and I have just transferred the pics into the laptop 15 mins ago. Talk about uber procrastination. And you ask me why I don't blog often. It takes me one year to transfer pics for the love of God!

January 2011 saw me begin the new year with a handful of firsts: first company vacation, first time flying on Air Asia and first time visiting Langkawi.

There was a mix up with the roommates so both of us got our own rooms. You'd think it'll be more fun but it took me some time to pick which bed to sleep in.

My roomie Sarah, and eventually we shared a room in December 2011's teambuilding in JayBee.

Nalini and me by the seaside before the activities took place.

The thing with teambuilding is they have a different dinner theme everytime, so Langkawi's theme was pirate's night. From here itself you can see I took no interest in renting one. I mean I did try my luck searching for one but renting one costs me 90 bucks, not including deposit (daylight robbery or what?) and I'm only gonna be wearing it for like, what 3 hours? Pfffttt. Not worth it. I'm a team player okay, it's just that I'm cheap cuz the company definitely isn't paying for me. Okay, different story altogether.

Nah, count how many of us actually came equipped with pirate outfits. Anyway if I did wore an outfit I would be selected as a finalist for the best outfit award. And since my catwalk is outta this world.. well, you get the idea. I'm just trying to be modest lah. On a side note, the so-called after party rocked the island wei. And who started it? Take a wild guess.

Apologies for not having sufficient pics, especially from our midnight to early morning escapades getting hammered by the poolside. Seriously, we had booze, cigs, seaweed and some really intoxicated humans.

And all 3 days put together was the reason why I couldn't wait until the next free vacation. At least for the first half of the year. After that it was like, "Ah go to Universal Studios kah? Ah, okay lah".