Review: Adina Apartment Hotel Melbourne

Assalamualaikum!

Just a short and simple review after long silence.

Cleanliness: Since we took an apartment with kitchen facilities, we really need a spacious house to kick start the day. The housekeeping was good, but still, blame the sardines and whatever stocks that we brought from Malaysia that keeps the house smelly.

Location: Very close to Queen Market but still quite a walking distance. You may take the city tram for free as long as you travel within the vicinity. Very close to malls.

Staff: Staffs are super friendly and helpful! We like the facts that they really tried their best to attend their customers. Just ask the City Map from the counter and they are more than glad to helps you.

Wifi: For this part, it's kinda frustrating that the wifi is limited for daily usage. They gave you certain amount for daily usage despite the quantity of devices. But trust me, we fought just to save the data.

Comfort: 5 out of 5. Yeay. Full marks! Everything works well.

Facilities: It's a 4.5 star so they do provide basic facilities for free. Just search for the name if you are curious.

Value for money: Definitely. For the amount that we paid, they better treat their customers well. Recommended. Nice city view and spacious apartment.

Address: 189 Queen Street, Melbourne CBD, 3000 Melbourne, Australia

 

View from the balcony

Complimentary coffee and tea bags

Working desk

Kitchen Counter Top. We brought these from Malaysia, bukan complimentary from hotel. Haha.

Apartment interior view.

Second bedroom

Master bedroom

Just look at the walk-in closet guyssss! It was so huge that I want it all to myself. Can I have this at home please? Anyone? 

Room connected to the closet

Laundry area

Kitchen area

Hall

Kitchen area

View from balcony

We went to Melbourne few years back so I can't recall the year. Anyway, I would recommend this apartment hotel should you travel in a large group and I am not gonna lie, the stay is quite pricey but we are willing to splurge for this. 

I miss travelling, we all do. Let's pray for a better tomorrow and for the world is free from Covid.

Stay safe everyone. Have a blessed Ramadhan.

"You came to my world, not knowing that you will leave a scar on me. 

You walk away, knowing that you leave me in pain and hopeless."

Dubai & Abu Dhabi: Full Itinerary

Assalamualaikum

Alhamdulillah, kami dah selamat pergi dan balik dari United Arab Emirates..read it as Dubai and Abu Dhabi only. Dear readers, sorry for the prolonged silence and lacks of entries, in fact, no entries at all. We went to UAE on 30 January 2015 to 4 February 2015 and we traveled there by MAS. Since we took the Free and Easy (more like shopping, I guess) promo MATTA Fair package from Mahola Travel, we thought it's going to be a hassle-free and stress-free. Fret not, we encountered too many money-incurred situation.

We have received too many comments and emails, but we were too busy to keep up with the emails whilst juggling with work-life situation. We will try to respond to your emails whenever available.

30 January 2015

KLIA - DXB

Abjar Grand Hotel

31 January 2015

Abjar Grand Hotel
Naif Market
Phulwani Textile Shop
Desert Safari Trip

1 February 2015

Abjar Grand Hotel
Abu Dhabi Trip
Ferrari World
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Atlantis Dubai
Burj Dubai
Burj Khalifa
Dubai Mall 

2 February 2015

Gold Souk
Textile Souk
Phulwani, again
Naif Market

3 February 2015

Abjar Grand Hotel
Dubai Mall
DXB Airport

4 February 2015

DXB - KLIA

Inilah itinerary kami sepanjang bercuti di Dubai dan Abu Dhabi. Basically, you don't have to spend many days in UAE. Our tips, just take a long transit in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and book your hotel earlier. It will be much cheaper that way. Trust me, UAE is one of the world's most expensive country - especially on its hotel. Phewww. Cekik darah yang amat. InsyaAllah. Till the next entry, please stay tuned! :)

p/s: Sorry for the outdated post. Peace! Do keep reading our latepost okay! #kssh #ishin.fam

KSSH Familia

Assalamualaikum!

I know it's been awhile but heyyy, here I am! If you are looking for new updates, new posts are coming soon. But, I can never promise you that the posts will be out very soon. We had so many entries that was left unpublished.

So..finally, we're on Instagram. It's our new family instagram..well, just want to ensure fast updates to you, our lovely readers! We don't have any other Instagram account since we're not a technology savvy nor a media social geek. You may look for KSSH or ishin.fam or I don't know how instagram works but I will try my best to keep you guys updated from time to time. Anyway, thanks for supporting us!

P/s: Please don't look for it now..since it's totally empty and we just registered. Please expect a newbie updates okay! :) Thanks for reading and good night!

Hong Kong & Shenzen Holiday: Part 2

Assalamualaikum!


21 Disember 2014.

Seperti kebiaasan sebelum mama memulakan lawatan, rutin biasa adalah menyediakan sarapan pagi untuk family. Mungkin ada yang terfikir kenapalah family mama ni mesti menyediakan makanan tidak membeli di luar sahaja. Husband dan mama ni cerewet sikit mengenai makan terutama di negara yang majoritinya bukan beragama Islam. Di Malaysia sendiri pun mama tidak masuk restoran yang tiada tanda halal walaupun terdapat ramai orang Melayu makan di situ. Pagi ini kami memulakan lawatan ke Aberdeen Fishing Village. Aberdeen Fishing ini adalah merupakan pengkalan bagi nelayan yang dijadikan sebagai salah satu tempat termasuk dalam agenda lawatan di Hong Kong. Di sini, selain daripada tongkang dan sampan nelayan, terdapat juga beberapa rumah di mana bot nelayan dan keluarga mereka tinggal di situ. Hampir sama dengan kehidupan Bajau Laut di Sabah. Untuk pergi ke sana, kami menaiki bas No. 70 daripada Terminal Bas Exchange Square dan turun di Aberdeen Promenade hanya dengan menggunakan Octopus Card. Semasa kami berpusing-pusing mencari perahu yang hendak dinaiki, seorang perempuan telah menawarkan kami bagi menaiki perahu dengan kadar HK50 seorang bagi tempoh 30 minit. Memandangkan kami tidak perlu berkongsi dengan penumpang lain, kami pun bersetuju untuk menaiki perahu tersebut dan yang paling tidak disangka perempuan tersebut yang umurnya telah mencapai 65 tahun membawa kami dengan perahunya. Mama terfikir jika di Malaysia mungkin tiada perempuan sebaya itu masih terfikir mencari rezeki cara begitu.

Area Terminal Bus Exchange Square

Central Square

Bus directory

Bas untuk ke Aberdeen Promenade 

Berhenti sebentar di Aberdeen Promenade 

Bot yang kami naiki

Kami kemudiannya menaiki bas kembali ke Central Square untuk ke Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre di Kwan Road, Wan Chai. Memandangkan hari ini adalah hari minggu yang merupakan hari cuti, dapatlah kami melihat beratus-ratus pekerja-pekerja perempuan Filipina yang tidur di perhentian-perhentian bas, siap dengan kotak-kotak sekali. Walaupun mereka berkumpul sambil berpiknik di sepanjang laluan pejalan kaki, namun mereka tidak pula diganggu oleh pegawai penguatkuasa. Mereka dalam kumpulan yang besar dan mama beranggapan mereka berkumpul di tempat itu kerana hendak berjumpa antara satu dengan yang lain, nasib baiklah pemandangan begini tidak terdapat di Malaysia. Selain menaiki bas, kami juga menaiki train yang unik kerana hanya ada 3 gerabak saja dan memang model lama. Boleh juga gunakan Octopus Card untuk membayar tram ini tetapi berhati-hati dengan barangan anda kerana tram ini sangat sesak. Kami terpaksa bersesak-sesak mungkin kerana pengangkutan tram ini agak murah berbanding yang lain. Kelihatan juga ramai pekerja asing turut menaiki tram ini. Sila pastikan anda tidak tersilap tram kerana laluan adalah berbeza. Kami naik betul-betul di Central di mana anda perlu keluar dari bangunan Central dan turun di Hentian 47E (Tonnochy Road Tram Stop). Turun saja dari tram, anda akan nampak basketball court dan naik tangga di sebelah court tersebut. Tanya saja dengan orang yang lalu-lalang di situ kerana anda sudah berada berhampiran dengan masjid itu. Kami sampai di masjid ini hampir jam 12.oo tengah hari dan memang penuh dengan orang terutama pelancong. Selain daripada untuk menunaikan solat di sini, anak2 sangat teruja hendak memakan dim sum yang terkenal di situ. Restorannya di tingkat 5 dan dibuka dari 11 pagi hingga 2.00 petang dan yang lucunya taukeh restoran itu siap bercerita dengan kami tempat itu merupakan persinggahan Rasa Halal Antarabangsa yang ditayangkan di Astro. Kami mengambil dim sum dan sejenama dengannya, tapi hati-hati sambal cilinya memang pedas.

Setelah selesai makan dan solat, kami hanya berjalan kaki menuju ke The Peak iaitu merupakan satu kawasan tinggi untuk melihat panorama bandar Hong Kong. Walau bagaimanapun, rasa menyesal juga apabila terpaksa beratur hampir 2 jam untuk menaiki Peak Tram. Peak Tram adalah seperti kereta api yang digunakan untuk menaiki Bukit Bendera di Pulau Pinang. Tiket yang dikenakan adalah HK40 seorang. Apabila sampai di Peak Tower tersebut, terasa hilang penat menunggu apabila melihat view yang cantik dengan cuaca yang sangat nyaman. Subhanallah! Nasib baik perjalanan turun dari The Peak tidaklah seteruk menunggu semasa hendak naik tadi. Dah turun pun masih ramai lagi orang menunggu untuk naik ke The Peak. Kami tidak berkesempatan untuk melihat matahari terbenam walaupun masa itu sudah hampir waktu untuk matahari terbenam, kerana mengejar masa dan malas nak beratur lama untuk turun dari The Peak.

Perjalanan balik ke Hotel kami tidak menaiki bas tetapi menaiki Star Ferry. Macam mana boleh sampai ke sini? Pada mulanya, kami bercadang untuk menaiki taxi balik ke hotel tetapi memandangkan ramai pemandu teksinya menolak kami, kami terus berjalan kaki menuju ke Star Ferry. Kebetulan terjumpa bas yang melalui Star Ferry, cepat-cepatlah kami naik kerana semua sudah kepenatan. Hentian terakhir bas itu betul-betul di Hentian Bas berhadapan dengan Terminal Star Ferry. Alhamdulillah, sempat juga kami merasa naik ferry biasa walaupun tak berkesempatan untuk mencuba Ferry Tour mereka. Pastikan anda menaiki feri yang betul menuju ke Tsim Sha Tsui. Anda juga boleh menggunakan Octopus Card untuk menaiki Star Ferry. Senang kan ada Octopus Card?

Setibanya di Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, kami memang sudah tidak larat untuk berjalan dan perut pun boleh tahan lapar. Tapi, sebelum sampai ke hotel sempat lagi mama dan anak2 masuk dan keluar kedai melihat barang-barang berjenama yang dijual. 

Bersambung dientri berikutnya! :)

Hong Kong & Shenzen Holiday: Part 1

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله تعالى وبركاته

Lama sangat kami tidak menulis peristiwa-peristiwa yang berlaku sepanjang tahun 2014 yang telah berlalu kerana kesibukan mengendalikan kursus dan bengkel di pelbagai jabatan. Kebiasaannya pada hujung tahun kurang permintaan untuk kursus, terlintas di hati mama hendak bercuti bersama anak-anak dan destinasi yang dipilih adalah Hong Kong dan Shenzen, China. Setelah membuat perbandingan harga antara MAS dan Air Asia, kami memilih MAS kerana perbezaan harganya RM50.00 saja.

Seperti biasa kami tidak menggunakan khidmat dari agensi pelancongan, pemandu pelancong kami, Ili akan menyediakan itinerari sepanjang berada di sana dari hari pertama hinggalah pulang semula ke Malaysia. Memasuki Hong Kong tidaklah memerlukan Visa tetapi kerana kami akan ke Shenzen yang disyaratkan mesti mempunyai Visa, mama mengambil Visa di Malaysia. Walaupun pada mulanya, kami hanya bercadang ke Hong Kong saja, tapi memandangkan Shenzen terletak bersempadan dengan Hong Kong, maka, termasuklah Shenzen dalam plan kami. Walaupun Macau juga berdekatan dengan Hong Kong, tapi mama tidak mahu ke sana kerana Macau terkenal sebagai tempat perjudian. Bersambung kembali ke permohonan visa China, tidaklah sukar untuk menguruskan Visa ini kerana borangnya boleh diisi melalui online di SINI (Click Me!) dan dicetak untuk dihantar ke China Visa Application Service Centre Kuala Lumpur yang terletak di Hamsphire Place Office, Jalan Mayang Sari dari pukul 9.00 am hingga 3.00 pm. Bagi penghantaran borang di tingkat 5 dan untuk pengambilan Visa di tingkat 6. Sebelum penghantaran borang kenalah pastikan ada sekeping gambar berukuran passport, passport asal yang sah lakunya melebihi 6 bulan, salinan tiket penerbangan dan salinan tempahan hotel semasa berada di China. Bayaran Visa yang dikenakan adalah RM85.00 untuk single entry dan RM105.00 untuk double entry. Satu yang mama puji cara mereka bekerja adalah cepat dan teratur, tidak perlulah menunggu berjam-jam seperti di kebanyakan pejabat yang menyediakan perkhidmatan kepada pelanggan. Ini merupakan kunjungan kali kedua kami ke China tapi yang membezakan trip kali ini ialah kami akan ke Hong Kong dan Shenzen. Trip pertama kami ke Beijing beberapa tahun dulu, kami mengambil pakej pelancongan kerana masih lagi tak confident untuk travel sendiri lagi-lagi di China di mana warganya tidak fasih berbahasa Inggeris. Beza visa single entry dan double entry ialah single entry hanya untuk anda yang nak masuk China sekali sahaja sepanjang percutian anda dan double entry untuk anda yang bercuti di China tapi mahu ke Hong Kong dan balik ke China semula. Sila pastikan anda mengambil visa yang betul kerana kadar bayaran juga berbeza.

20 Disember 2014

Kami bertolak dari KLIA pada jam 9.00 am dengan jarak masa hampir 4 jam dan sampai di Hong Kong International Airport pada jam 1.00 pm. Setibanya di Airport, anak2 mama mengambil brochure di Hong Kong Tourism Board. Tourism Board ini terletak betul-betul di depan pintu keluar airport selepas laluan kastam. Seterusnya, kami membeli Octopus Card di Customer Service Centre dengan harga 150HKD di mana 50 HKD adalah deposit yang akan dipulangkan semula setelah kita mengembalikan semula kad tersebut, bermakna hanya 100HKD saja amaun yang ada dalam card itu. Anda perlu keluar ke Terminal 2 HKIA barulah anda akan jumpa Customer Service Centre. Ada beberapa pilihan untuk ke bandar dan jika anda mahukan yang murah, bolehlah naik taxi, airport bus atau train. Mama dan anak2 prefer menaiki bas dari menaiki train kerana harga yang jauh lebih murah. Airport Bus terletak di Hall B Arrival Hall (level 5). Kami menaiki bas no. A21 (HKD33) menghala ke Hunghom station dan turun di Stop 13 Nathan Road. Jangan risau jika anda tak sure hentian mana yang harus anda turun kerana ada dipaparkan laluan hentian bus dalam setiap bas. Perjalanan mengambil masa 50 minit ke 1 jam terpulang pada keadaan trafik. Nasib baiklah kami tidak perlu membawa beg berat dan menempuh orang ramai kerana hotel yang kami duduk berhampiran dengan hentian bas airport. Kami menginap di Hotel Benito yang kedudukannya berhampiran dengan masjid. Agak strategik dan juga dekat dengan Exit B2 Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station.

Puas juga kami mahu mencari Hotel Benito walaupun dah yakin kami berada di lorong yang betul. Rupa-rupanya, signboard Hotel Benito agak tersorok dari pandangan kami dan jalan besar. Nasib baiklah kami berhenti betul-betul berhampiran hotel, sempat lagi bertanya dengan pekerja-pekerja kedai walhal hotel betul-betul di belakang kami. Agak kelakar jugalah sebab kebetulan Ili lupa untuk print out address hotel tersebut memandangkan Hotel Benito ini kami buat direct booking to the hotel kerana harga yang ditawarkan mereka lebih murah berbanding di Agoda dan lain-lain. Kadang-kadang lebih untung jika kita buat direct booking dengan hotel berbanding menggunakan agent. 

Bila dah jumpa hotel dan check-in, perut pun mula lapar balik walaupun kami baru saja lepas makan dalam flight. Sempat jugalah kami masak dalam bilik hotel dan untungnya apabila anda membuat direct booking dengan hotel, anda akan mendapat lebih banyak benefit seperti wi-fi, access to lounge @ cafe dan free breakfast. Cafe mereka ada menyediakan unlimited juice and instant hot drinks, jadi memang kami gunakan dengan sepenuhnya. Hampir setiap hari tak kira malam atau siang, mesti kami lepak di cafe ini. Bila perut dah kenyang dan solat pun selesai, aktiviti seterusnya adalah mencuci mata sepanjang Nathan Road.

Hong Kong Tourism Board

Sila keluar ke Terminal 2

Customer Service Centre turut menjual tiket-tiket masuk ke Disneyland dan tempat tarikan lain

Laluan keluar dari HKIA

Bus Terminal Info Board

View from connecting bridge of Chek Lap Kok island

Kowloon Mosque

Sogo

Sogo during Christmas Eve

The Peninsula Hotel

Before the Symphony of Lights

During the Symphony of Light..any different?

Nights along the Avenue of Stars

Symphony of Light di Avenue of Stars adalah tempat yang menjadi tarikan kepada pelancong dan kebiasaannya ia bermula pada jam 8.00 malam selama 10-15 minit sahaja. Kami berjalan kaki dari hotel hingga ke Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade dan mencari lokasi yang paling strategik sambil menanti Symphony of Light bermula. Mungkin nasib tidak menyebelahi kami malam itu, tidaklah terdapat banyak sangat pancaran laser dari tempat kami menunggu. Ataupun, mungkin hanya itu saja show mereka. Tidaklah seseronok yang orang cakap. Bagi kami, best lagi show di Banpo Bridge Korea berbanding di Hong Kong. Indah khabar dari rupa. Semasa perjalanan pulang ke hotel, sempat lagi mama dan anak-anak mencuci mata melihat barang-barang yang dipamerkan sepanjang jalan sambil tangan laju je mengambil brosur-brosur makanan halal yang diagihkan oleh pekerja-pekerja kedai itu.


Bersambung lagi di Part 2!

Review: Benito Hotel, Hong Kong

Assalamualaikum!

Sorry for the long silence, been carried away with life matters. Somehow, I guess I've lost the passion to write and where has all the passion gone? Whatever it is, let's continue with the not-so-fabulous-review-writing.

HOTEL BENITO (Click me!)

Okay, what's up with this hotel? First thing first, Hong Kong is known for its high-rises city and accommodation is one of the biggest expense to consider when travelling to Hong Kong. And, we, without doing further study about Hong Kong, bought a flight ticket for 5 days during the most busy and peak season while only few months left before the trip..luckily we don't go for more days since most of the hotel are fully booked. Apartments are done, hotels were mostly full and where should we stay?

Alhamdulillah, Benito has come to the rescue where they still have vacant rooms for 5 to 6 people and seeing from its price-wise and location-wise, we definitely gonna go for it. We would strongly recommend for you to book directly from their website since the price are wayyy cheaper than those offered by the agents. To spice things up, Benito offers more facilities to guests whom went through their website such as free breakfast, unlimited wifi and access to their lounge - completes with tidbits, juices and free refill of instant coffee and tea. Doesn't that makes you happy? As a Muslim, we can't just simply dine anywhere and having a free flow of hot chocolate drink after a tiring day really help us.  

Let me tell you something, their wifi were superbly fast and the location is good. I would say, if you're coming from the airport, both MTR (Tsim Sha Tsui station, Exit B2) and airport bus (A21) are convenient since the MTR station and bus station are just miles away from the hotel. You can ask for special arrangement with the hotel but it is advisable for you to just take a train or bus since it's cheaper.

Please do not expect something lavish when you book this hotel as this is not a 4 star or even 3 star hotel. For us, as long as it pays the price and worthy, we are more than satisfied. We book a room for 6 people and we get a 3 queen size bed with a partition that separate the beds and we called it a space for privacy, together with a separate shower and toilet. It is really comfy, spacious and clean too. Oh, we met other Malaysian staying at this hotel so do expect to meet fellow Malaysian in this hotel.

I'm bad at taking good toilet photos.. 

See? Separate shower and toilet

1st queen bed with partition. Extra privacy, isn't it?

2 queen beds on another partition side

Call it lounge, call it cafe, call it anything you like

Business center on each lounge corner

Last but not least, you'll get best price if you book early and fret not, their receptionist able to speak just the perfect amount of English. Oh, not to forget, to my fellow Muslims, you can perform your prayer at the Kowloon Mosque or dine anywhere nearby as Tsim Sha Tsui are famous for its halal restaurants. 

Attraction places are just around the corner but still, expect some tiring walking to these places:

• Nathan Road
• Kowloon Mosque
• Kowloon Park
• Jordan Road
• Avenue of Stars
• Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade
• Symphony of Light
• Park Lane Boulevard
• Mira Hotel (in case if you're looking for a hotel)
• Imperial Hotel (in case if you're looking for a hotel)
• BP International Hotel (in case if you're looking for a hotel)

Got to go! Thanks for staying with us! Happy reading and happy holiday!

p/s: Reminder to those staying at this hotel. Benito Hotel's entrance located at the junction of Cameron Lane. You might miss their entrance, so please look for pharmacy or Tissot Watch Shop if I'm not mistaken. Peace!

Will this time be different? Change your attitude but don't lose yourselves.

Review: Abjar Grand Hotel, Dubai

Assalamualaikum!

Sekarang tiba-tiba ada mood nak post as many entry as possible. Now, I'll introduce you to Abjar Grand Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Anything in Dubai is ridiculously expensive, just name it. From hotels to metro, everything costs you a dollar.

Abjar Hotel is a 4 star hotel located in Deira, just 5 to 10 minutes drive from Dubai International Airport. The nearest metro station is Abu Hail Station which only few miles away from the hotel. Keluar saja dari hotel, sudah boleh nampak Abu Hail station. Location, I would say just okay since it's nearby to metro station but quite far away from the local market. Please read local market as souq or shopping mall. The area are quite busy during the night but fret not, it's easier to get taxi or bus around the area. This is how Abjar Hotel looks like from far, so expect some noise during the day or night if you're facing the main road. 

We stayed here for 3 nights with breakfast and lunch provided. Foods are okay as they serve local cuisines and simple Western dishes but the seating area in the restaurant seems limited during the breakfast time on peak season. Wifi is chargeable on daily basis and no free wifi even at their lobby - which we hate this part so much! We really need free wifi access everytime we are away from home so this is one of the bad side.

Rooms are dark but spacious, and their interior looks classy with a gist of Arabic and modern Western design. They only provide free shuttle to Mamzar beach so don't expect any shuttle to shopping mall. One thing for sure, upon your check-in, receptionist would request for your passport and hold it until you clear up the Tourist Tax. Yes! Starting 2014, all visitors staying at any hotels in UAE are expected to pay Tourist Tax in conjunction with their upcoming Expo 2020. Save some money on this before you splurge em'. 15 dirham per night per room, so we had to pay 45 dirham for one room for 3 nights. 

Abjar Grand Hotel

Toilet

Entrance

Room interior for Superior Twin Room

Rest area

Twin Sharing Room

Looks classy and neat

Gelap kan?

Abu Hail metro station

If you plan to stay here, do visit their rooftop swimming pool. You can get amazing view of the Dubai city at night. There will be a non-stop flight departing from Dubai Airport and you can chill out on the rooftop while seeing the flights went off the runway. Till soon! Happy reading and happy holiday!

"Travel the world, it is your choice to live the moment"