Birthday Staycation / Getaway at Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, Johor

How often do we get two birthdays over the weekend.  One on a Friday and one on a Sunday?  Of course, it is a good time to take a day's leave and declare a long weekend, right?

And we just had to leave Singapore.  Why?

We had been intending to bring the boys for a staycation.
We had been intending to bring the boys to Legoland Malaysia for their Halloween activities.

Often, when we were at Legoland Malaysia, we will leave by the late afternoon to prevent being stuck at the jam near the customs.  We had been thinking to stay at hotels surrounding there or even in the Johor Bahru city area but safety is always our concern.  With reports about car thefts, especially Singapore cars, in the last months, we, like many others, were apprehensive.  Interestingly, when I wrote to hotels with simple questions regarding the level of security in the respective hotels, only one replied.  That is Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, Johor.

And so off we went...  And we parked our car at the hotel basement (not in the open space).

Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, Johor is located in the special economic zone of Iskandar Malaysia, at the Puteri Harbour waterfront in the Nusajaya Zone.  A 15-minute drive from the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, it is within close proximity to the theme parks and attractions, the major draw for families and young-at-heart.

The hotel lobby.  When we first arrived, we were pleasantly surprised at the vast area with plenty seating.  Check-in was fuss-free - the usual submission of passports and sign-offs.

Lovely surprise in our Deluxe Harbour View Room.  Little touches that guests are often happy with.

Hello, my two birthday boys!  Chocolate cakes seem to always be a hit, don't ask me why.

The second thing they did when they went into the room, after going wow with the cake and balloons.  This is a sofa that can be converted to a bed.  How nice to wake up to a harbour view every morning.

The view the boys were looking at.  It was a pity that there was a slight haze that weekend, although much better than that of Singapore at that point in time.

Our room for the 2 nights.  The boys can't be more pleased than having a big television right in front of the bed.

This, is what the man loves.  The secret to a good quality shower is the ideal water pressure.  It is just great regardless if it is from the rain shower or from the shower head.

Oh, and did I mention the hotel provides cute little bedroom slippers?

If you do not wish to venture out of the hotel, there are actually many things one can do.

I love to laze around by the pool, sipping a drink~~~ do, you?

I will definitely be here if I am on a couple trip.  :P  Different to-dos with different people.  :D  And oh... to the massage too (it's actually quite reasonable, especially when they have promotions!)

The boys love the pool.  There are a total of 3 different pools at the hotel.  An infinity pool with a depth of 1.2m, a jacuzzi pool and a kid's pool.

I do not know what they were talking about over there.  But this photo, is love.

 My time at the jacuzzi!

The older one trying to teach the younger one how to swim.  It always start off with "E, I teach you how to swim, okay?"   :D

Dinner time at Harbour Café, an all day dining outlet.  It is seafood night on every Friday and Saturday.

No raw oysters but for RM126 net per adult, I think the spread is pretty good.

I do not see many buffets serving hotate  (aka scallop) sashimi

The best of both worlds~~~

May I have all that's in there?

Fast, free WiFi is available everywhere in the hotel.  No crappy signals, alright?  And this amuses me...  chargers available almost every corner should one require a charge for their mobile phones / tablets - under lock and key.

And a soak in the tub for the children before a good night sleep. 

I wanted to hit the gym in the morning!  But the bed and sleep got the better of me.  The good thing about driving in is... I can leave the running shoes in the car and not cause excess baggage. 

Can you carry all of them?!

Breakfast at the same Harbour Café is a delightful spread.  From the Malay-style Nasi Lemak to Chinese porridge, freshly cooked omelettes to pancakes, cold juices to hot Cappuccino, we tried almost everything during the two mornings.

D's kind of breakfast - the first round.  Apart from the honey stars, it's pretty healthy, isn't it?

Finally tall and old enough to take his own juice. 

Bittergourd juice?!  Seriously?!

Made in France jam. 

During the stay, we were very honoured to meet Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour, Johor's General Manager, Mr. Sigi Bierbaumer in person.  He explained to us the security in the hotel and that the hotel emphasises a lot on safety.  The hotel has a team of experience and fully trained security officers backed by surveillance equipment to provide a safe environment for everyone.  In addition, Hotel Jen Puteri Harbour is a five-minute drive to the Tourist Police Base.  Information can be found here and here too.

It is always sad to say goodbye to a shiok shiok stay.  If we ever want a stay across the Causeway, Hotel Jen, Puteri Harbour, Johor will definitely be one of our choice.  No other hotel, for now, can impress me with their safety and security measures.

So if you are thinking of a staycation / getaway across the Causeway that will not burn a big hole in the pockets, check out Hotel Jen, Puteri Harbour's offers here.

Hotel Jen, Puteri Harbour, Johor

Persiaran Puteri Selatan, Puteri Harbour

79000 Nusajaya, Johor Darul Takzim

Malaysia

Tel : +607 560 8888

Fax : +607 560 8999

What to do at Puteri Harbour?  Read here to find out more!

Disclosure: A 2-night stay was sponsored by Hotel Jen, Puteri Harbour, Johor.  No monetary compensation was received.  All photographs and opinions are true to my own.
 
I'm on Facebook!  Please like me on Facebook if you have enjoyed this post as it's where I connect constantly with my readers.  I'm on Instagram and Twitter too! 

Officially Six!

Happy Birthday, D!  

Officially six, it is the last year of being a preschooler.  The last year in the childcare centre he is in since he was an infant, with some friends known for a good 5 years. #wheredidallthetimego

These days, a celebration in school / childcare center seem to be a norm.  With a cake and goodie bags, sometimes extra food, or even activities like face painting.  

Avengers theme.

Goodie bags for his classmates, customized by Dazzling Favorz - I like it that the characters are in a cute form.  Some children even took the tag as if it is a badge (haha!).  Kids these days are really fortunate with all the customization available.  Parents these days are in a do-not-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry situation as on one hand, there are endless places to customize a goodie bag if you intend to outsource while on another, it means nothing is impossible, just how much you are willing to fork out and kids these days know what they want.  Whether to give in to their requests is another story altogether.

This year, I decided to give tidbits - yes, you read me right.  For the past years, it was stationery and sometimes a little treat.  Why tidbits this year then?  After almost 5 years of accumulation of stationery, stickers and such, I thought, if the kids are to receive stationery again, it means, more pencils, erasers, note pads that they probably will not finish using.  So, it's food this time and if the kids cannot eat, the parents can - most people eat chips, don't we?

I gave the teachers in the centre some macarons from Joys @ Uptown Sweets.  Teachers eat cakes probably almost every other week and I believe they will grow "scared" of cakes (I will definitely). 

I sent Joys, the owner, a request only on the morning I decided to buy and she quickly came up with the best combination of flavors that she has available.  For buying in bulk, it is not expensive considering I get a variety of flavors.  And because I know baking these little circles is no easy feat (been a long time since I last baked them though), I appreciate them.  Oh, Joys does customization too but I was too last minute. 

Actually, I bought them partly because the boy loves macarons!  :P 

I am pleasantly surprised and impressed that D enjoys his lemon ginger macaron.  Impressed because the baker made it such that the boy did not reject the 'ginger'; surprised that the boy did not say Eeks!

His request for dinner.  He did not insist for a dinner outside.  Just "white pasta" by his mummy dearest, me lah!  Often, I feel and think kids are really very simple - it is the adults that make things complicated.

Recipe from a very talented friend @ TheDomesticGoddessWannabe.
(Serves 3 or 2 Adults, 2 Kids)

Ingredients:
1. 400g linguine (or any other pasta), cooked according to the instructions given by the manufacturer, and drained.
2. 200g streaky bacon, cut 8-10mm thick chunks
3. 6 medium shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced (I used some portobello mushrooms - that's what I have in the fridge)
4. olive oil
5. 4 egg yolks
6. 10 tablespoons heavy cream
7. about 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8. Freshly ground pepper
9. Salt, to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. In a skillet, add the bacon and a little water.  Cook the bacon until crispy.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes.  Set this aside.
4. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream, Parmesan, salt and black pepper.
5. Transfer the pasta into the skillet then add the sauce.
6. Mix to coat the pasta.  The heat from the skillet, bacon, mushrooms and pasta will cook the yolks.
7. Add the remaining Parmesan and mix until combined. Add more black pepper if required.
8. Serve immediately.

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow us on Facebook for the latest updates and sharings!

It's Avengers Theme This Year!

My D turns 6 soon.  *Where did all the time go?!*

 

We held a small birthday dinner with close family at a all super heroes place for him on Saturday.  The moment he stepped in, he was grinning from ear to ear.  It was not only him.  Anyone who first came to Hungry Heroes will be turning their heads everywhere, cameras zapping away, admiring the super heroes collection amassed over the last two decades by the owner.

The Ironman mask - courtesy of my nephew.

Located in a 2-storey shophouse, we had our dinner on the 2nd floor as it was more spacious for a total of 19 pax.  The con - the kids kept wanting to go up and down.

The different kinds of chairs, part of the setup of the restaurant that makes it interesting.

Posters and artwork everywhere.

We had lots of light bites, main courses, drinks but I was too busy to take the photos.  E particularly liked the Deep Friend Luncheon Chips (no, I did not spell it wrongly.  Take a look here).  Oh… there are high chairs available on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The Justice is Served which serves 7 - 8 but we think maybe more if there are no big eaters.  The ribs were very tender and a hit, so was the deboned chicken leg.  Consisting ribeye, lamb rack, fillet steak, full rack pork ribs, pulled pork, sausage trio, baked pacific dory, de-boned chicken leg, honey glazed ham, beef stew and meatballers, it is a platter of every meat that is perfect for sharing.  Indeed, it is for the Hungry Heroes.

Nice to Meat You is a slightly smaller platter that is for 2 - 3 with half a rack pork ribs, sirloin, de-boned chicken leg and pulled pork.  I will probably order this again the next time the 4 of us are there.

Phototaking opportunities aplenty.  With his cousin this time.

Swensen's ice cream cake is always a hit.  What's more when there is a Super Heroes theme.  

Happy Birthday my Darling!  Our wish for you - to grow up happy and healthy.  To smile always, love what you have and be thankful.

Laughing so hard with something his cousin said.

I have to admit that my photos did not do justice to how admirable the place is.  You got to take a look yourself, especially if you are a Super Heroes fan.  The food might not be the best, but what is on display will leave you in awe.

No, this is not a sponsored post.  We chose this place as it coincides with the #Avengers theme for the year.

Hungry Heroes Headquarters:
33 Tessensohn Road 
Singapore 217656 

Tel: +65 6295 5401 

Email: meat@hungryheroes.sg
Opening Hours:
Mon–Thu:  4pm-11pm
Fri & Eve of PH:  4pm-12am
Sat:  12pm-12am
Sun & PH:  12pm-11pm

If you have enjoyed this post, please follow us on Facebook for the latest updates and sharings!